Music carried across the downtown
square Friday night, Aug. 22, as Harmony GRITS took the stage during
the Balloons Over 66 festival. The Central Illinois band delivered
three sets of modern country, classic rock, and timeless country
hits, keeping the crowd energized late into the night.
The group is known for versatile instrumentation, with members
who’ve opened for acts such as The Oak Ridge Boys, Sawyer Brown, and
Conway Twitty. The lineup includes veterans with bluegrass roots (Stringtown
Road) and a lead player who also doubles on fiddle.
Harmony GRITS brought that background to Lincoln with a large
setlist that blended crowd-pleasers and classic covers. Their first
set opened with Heads Carolina and Texas When I Die, rolling through
Fast as You, Jolene, and George Strait’s The Chair. By the end of
the opening stretch, the band had touched on everything from upbeat
country anthems to sing-along staples like Wine Me Up and Head Over
Boots.
The second set continued with songs
that spanned decades and genres, including Already Gone, Sweet
Caroline, Me and Bobby McGee, and Mountain Music. The variety showed
off the band’s range, moving from classic rock into traditional
country while keeping a steady pace that kept listeners planted near
the stage.
By the third set, Harmony GRITS leaned into pure festival energy,
mixing southern rock and modern standards. Highlights included Here
for the Party, Sweet Home Alabama, Summer of ’69, Mustang Sally, and
Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. They closed with Movin’ On after
nearly three hours of live music downtown.
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Vocalist Nicole
Bugg underscored both the band’s roots and its local ties. “A
lot of us have been playing music since we were little bitty
kids—my dad started at eight years old. I started at 12; I want
to say Scott started, like, 10—so it’s just been a whole family
event,” she said. “We play the Nashville Night they do here, and
we do several different bar things around here as well.” Bugg
added that her family has history in town: “Actually, my dad and
Polly (Bugg’s stepmother) used to live here in Lincoln, and the
steel guitar player lives here in Lincoln.”
During the show, the band also
announced an upcoming event: a Halloween fundraiser for the Central
Illinois Veteran Commission on Oct. 25 at the Lincoln Banquet
Center, featuring raffles, prizes, and a live auction, with proceeds
going directly to the commission. Tables (eight seats per table) are
available via centralillinoisveterans.org.
For Harmony GRITS, the Lincoln show was both a stop on a busy summer
schedule and a chance to perform before a festival audience. The
group regularly plays town festivals, receptions, and community
events across central Illinois.
Balloons Over 66 once again proved to be more than just a balloon
festival, with music as a key draw for visitors. Harmony GRITS fit
seamlessly into that role, giving festivalgoers a full evening of
live music that blended the familiar with the festive. From classic
rock riffs to country harmonies, their performance anchored one of
the busiest nights of the weekend.
[Sophia Larimore]
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