The Leesburg Partnership inked two more internationally known headlining acts — Everclear and Molly Hatchet — for the 20th Annual Leesburg Bikefest, a three-day motorcycle and music festival in April.
Alternative grunge band Everclear will rock the main stage Friday night, April 22. Molly Hatchet, a Southern hard rock band, will headline Saturday afternoon, and Bret Michaels, the lead singer of Poison and arguably the biggest act yet, will be the main attraction Saturday night.
Everclear formed in 1991 and produced several platinum-selling albums throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Their popular singles include “Santa Monica,” “I Will Buy You a New Life,” “Father of Mine” and “Wonderful.”
Molly Hatchet was founded in the mid 1970s in Jacksonville. They are commonly identified by their hit song “Flirtin’ with Disaster.”
According to Joe Shipes, executive vice president of the Partnership, Bikefest’s final headliner for Sunday will be announced by the end of the week.
When choosing artists, Shipes said the Partnership gauges what the audience wants while keeping affordability in mind in order to continue offering free admission — something that sets Bikefest apart from other events.
“We look for artists who have a current appeal to the market that we’re targeting, which is the biker market mostly,” Shipes said. “But the biker market is so diverse now we have to find music that all different types of people can enjoy. They might be a band from the 70s, 80s or 90s, but they’re still active — they have hits that people recognize.”
The headliners are just one part of the event, which draws about 250,000 people. More than 80 other music acts will also perform throughout the weekend.