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Pre-race activities: Concerts, parties and a parade
Posted: May 22, 2008 in Things to do, Music
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Miller Lite Carb Day Concert
Featuring: Stone Temple Pilots.
When: 3:30 p.m. today.
Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 4790 W. 16th St.
Admission: Free to Carb Day ticket holders. General admission is $10.
Information: (317) 492-6700 or indianapolismotorspeedway.com
Carb Day concerts reached buzzworthy status in 2005, when the Black Crowes played one of their early reunion dates on the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kid Rock raised a ruckus with thousands of attendees during the 2007 Carb Day show, but this year's event may be the hottest ticket yet.
The reunited Stone Temple Pilots will perform today in the road course area north of the Hall of Fame and Museum. The track has a policy of not providing attendance figures for its events, but IMS spokesman Ron Green said the concert site was moved from the Pagoda Plaza area to accommodate what's expected to be a bigger crowd.
Stone Temple Pilots, which had called it quits in 2002, launched its summer tour Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. Vocalist Scott Weiland arrived onstage with slicked-back hair in a new hue of blonde. The band's hits-heavy performance included renditions of "Vasoline," "Creep" and "Big Bang Baby."
The IPL 500 Festival Parade
When: Noon Saturday.
Where: Starting at North and Pennsylvania streets Downtown, ending at 11th and Meridian streets.
Tickets: $13.50 to $30.
Information: (317) 239-5151 or www.ticketmaster.com.
The Fox television network canceled Patricia Heaton's "Back to You" sitcom earlier this month, but the former star of "Everybody Loves Raymond" can find consolation in her role as grand marshal for the 51st annual 500 Festival Parade.
All 33 drivers who made the starting grid for the 500-Mile Race will be featured in the IPL-sponsored parade, which begins at noon Saturday at North and Pennsylvania streets and ends at 11th and Meridian streets.
Other celebrities scheduled to appear include Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, dance pro/country singer Julianne Hough and Danny Granger and Jeff Foster of the Indiana Pacers.
The theme of this year's parade is "Fuel the Dream."
Regions 500 Festival Snakepit Ball
Featuring: The O'Jays.
When: 6 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 W. Washington St.
Tickets: $275.
Information: (317) 614-6111 or www.500festival.com
For rubbing shoulders with celebrities the night before the 500-Mile Race, the black-tie, red-carpet Snakepit Ball is a smart bet. Even if attendees don't score quality time with high-profile guests at the party -- presented by 500 Festival board member Cindy Simon Skjodt and her husband, Paul -- they'll get to hear the O'Jays sing R&B hits from the 1970s. "Love Train" and "Back Stabbers" are guaranteed highlights.
Vocalists Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and Eric Nolan Grant entertained a massive gathering at American Legion Mall during the 2007 edition of Indiana Black Expo's Summer Celebration.
Dinner is part of the Snakepit Ball, and WISH-TV ( will televise the event's red-!carpet arrivals at 6:30 p.m.
X103 May Day
Featuring: 3 Doors Down, Seether, Finger Eleven, Theory of a Deadman and Atreyu.
When: 5 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Verizon Wireless Music Center, 12880 E. 146th St.
Tickets: $50, $39.50, $29.50, $19.50.
Information: (317) 239-5151 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Brad Arnold remembers the last time his band headlined the annual May Day concert at Verizon Wireless Music Center.
In 2005, 3 Doors Down played the show the night before the 500-Mile Race and then performed as part of race-day festivities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Mississippi-based band played its signature hit "Kryptonite" during driver introductions at the track.
"After they cleared the stuff off the stage (overlooking pit lane), they said, 'As long as you don't get too close to the edge, you can stand and watch,'." Arnold says. "I thought, 'These are pretty killer seats.'."
3 Doors Down will return to Verizon Saturday to headline this year's May Day show, presented by radio station WRZX-FM (103.3), but Arnold is unsure of the band's plans for Sunday.
"If I don't have (other commitments), I'll be at the race. If I do, I'll be wishing I were there," he says.
The band is on the road to promote a self-titled album that arrived in stores Tuesday. Arnold says the "3 Doors Down" title carries more weight than previous releases "The Better Life" (2000), "Away from the Sun" (2002) and "Seventeen Days" (2005).
"As the other ones seemed like chapters, this one seems like a whole book to me," Arnold says. "It describes who we are as a band. It's a little wider swath, I guess."
3 Doors Down has sold more than 11 million albums, and its singles "Kryptonite," "When I'm Gone" and "Here Without You" landed in the Top 5 of Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart.
But even with platinum sales and hit singles, Arnold and bandmates Matt Roberts, Chris Henderson, Todd Harrell and Greg Upchurch aren't fixtures of mainstream pop culture.
"One of my favorite things about us is that we're not always in the spotlight," 29-year-old Arnold says. "We go out and we're successful at what we do. At the same time, I can go to the grocery store. I don't care about being a rock star. I just like playing music, and I love for people to love it."
The members of 3 Doors Down are building a reputation as some of the biggest auto-racing fans in music. The band's logo has been attached to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR vehicle more than once, and Arnold and Co. performed before this year's season-opening IndyCar Series race in Homestead, Fla.
"I love NASCAR, but those Indy cars make NASCAR cars look clumsy," Arnold says. "When the Indy cars come by, there's a level of concentration that must be inside those drivers' minds that's more than I can fathom."