The Babys, a British band most popular from 1977 to 1980, will take the stage in advance of Springfield, a Grammy Award winning singer.

A local favorite, Tank Anthony Band, will get the show started as the opening act.

For the first time, Shellabration will be held at the intersection of Central Avenue and Ninth Street, which is the site of the Downtown Country Jam.

“We’re excited about moving it downtown,” said Craig Schlienz, a member of the Shellabration Inc. board that organizes both major concerts.

-Submitted photo
The Babys, a rock band most popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, will perform during the July 26 Shellabration concert in downtown Fort Dodge. It will be the direct support act for headliner Rick Springfield.

“It’s a fun atmosphere,” he said.

Downtown Fort Dodge, he said, provides a “natural backdrop” for live music.

He acknowledged that setting up for a concert and later taking everything down is easier downtown than at the Oleson Park Bandshell or Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex.

The summer Shellabration concert has long been a showcase for classic rock. Shellabration President Jim Reed described this year’s show as a “our triumphant return to the ’80s.”

“If we’ve learned one thing, it’s that Fort Dodge loves its ’80s artists,” he said.

Rick Springfield

Springfield burst onto the American music scene in 1981 with the No. 1 hit “Jesse’s Girl.”

That year he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

His string of hits continued with “I’ve Done Everything for You,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Affair of the Heart,” and “Love Somebody.”

Throughout the 1980s, he had 17 Top 40 hits.

His music career began in his native Australia with a band called Zoot which he played in from 1969 to 1971. He then went solo. In 1972, he had a Top 10 hit in Australia with “Speak to the Sky.”

Springfield may be equally well known for his acting career. He played Dr. Noah Drake on “General Hospital.” He also appeared on “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “High Tide,” “The Rockford Files,” and “The Incredible Hulk.”

The Babys

This band may be best known for “Isn’t It Time.”

Other hits from The Babys are “Every Time I Think of You,” “Head First,” “Back On My Feet Again,” and “Midnight Rendezvous.”

The band broke up in 1981. It reunited in 2013 and has played a small number of shows since then.

Reed said the band played in Iowa five times during the 1970s and early 1980s. He said it has never performed in Iowa since reuniting in 2013.

Tickets

Ticket sales begin online April 26 at ticketweb.com. Tickets will be available at select local businesses starting May 25.

Tickets will cost $40 before July 14. After that date, they will cost $50.