Akon and The Nielsen Trust with Rick Nielsen will round out grand-opening weekend shows at Hard Rock Casino in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Hard Rock Casino has announced the last of the performers who will be the first to take the stage at the new Hard Rock Live when celebrates its grand opening in late August.

Grammy Award-nominated R&B artist Akon will perform Friday, Aug. 30. Ticket presale begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday and public ticket sale begins at 10 a.m. Friday.

The Nielsen Trust featuring Rock-and-Roll Hall-of-Famer Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick will perform Thursday, Aug. 29 to an invitation-only crowd and a handful of ticket holders who will win tickets at a soon-to-be-announced contest.

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Akon is a Senegalese-American singer and songwriter who first hit the Billboard charts in April 2004 with the release of “Locked Up,” the lead single off his debut album “Trouble.” His first of five Grammy nominations came for his second album, “Konvicted,” which was up for Best Contemporary R&B Album. Ne-Yo won the award that year.

The Nielsen Trust includes Rick and several talented members of his family including son Daxx on drums, son Miles on vocals, and daughter-in-law Kelly Steward, who also a singer/songwriter.

Hard Rock previously announced that Joan Jett and Brad Paisley would be part of the grand-opening weekend lineup. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts perform on Saturday, Aug. 31 and Brad Paisley on Sunday, Sept. 1.

The grand opening for the casino, 7801 E. State St., will be approximately 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29 after a guitar-smashing ceremony that serves as Hard Rock’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Tickets are available on Hard Rock’s website and at TicketMaster.com.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas