The Clarendon Hills Chamber of Commerce may have picked the perfect time to book a tribute act to headline the June 15 second day of the annual two-day Daisy Days festival in the village’s downtown.
“In the past, we had avoided booking tribute performers, as they had not been very popular,” said Shannon McDonald, the Chamber’s event manager. “However, the cost of seeing a favorite band has become so expensive, it felt like the right time to revisit the idea.
Enter Traci Bruccoleri and her band for the “Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience” performance at 6 p.m. June 15.
Bruccoleri, who also performs with the band, Good Clean Fun, and as a duo with her husband, Mike Bruccoleri, launched the Taylor Swift tribute show this spring, after a suggestion from her husband last fall to do so, and has been selling out venues around the Chicago area.
“Inviting ‘Are You Ready For it’ was an easy choice,” McDonald said. “Taylor Swift fans are multi-generational, and the positivity of Taylor’s music is a great fit for Daisy Days.”
McDonald said she is excited about the showmanship that Bruccoleri brings to the stage.
“She seems to wholly embrace what fans love about Taylor,” McDonald said. “I’m anticipating an enthusiastic and engaged crowd, with both adults and kids telling me they’re definitely coming to see ‘the Taylor Swift show.’”
Bruccoleri said her first Taylor Swift performances were at what she calls “birth-TAY parties.”
“It was a great way for me to learn all the songs and practice in front of a much smaller audience,” she said. “We’ve only been performing since April but we’ve already done some amazing theater shows, like Starved Rock and the Des Plaines Theater. We are currently booked solid through the summer and are booking national shows for 2025.”
While “Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience” is a new venture for Bruccoleri, she has been singing professionally for several years, and her interest in being a singer goes back much further.
“I remember joining choir in sixth grade with my best friend because I wanted to make sure we had the same schedule,” she said. “I always loved music. I grew up with musicians in my family, and having music as part of my life was just second nature. I enjoyed being part of the school choir and eventually musical theater.”
Bruccoleri’s first experience singing professionally was as a teenager when she started singing with the band, The Boyzz from Illinois, which has been around since the 70s. That band’s lead singer, Dirty Dan Buck is her dad’s best friend.
“I learned a lot about how to be a frontman because of him,” Bruccoleri said. “We performed everywhere, and I had the opportunity to open for groups like The Doobie Brothers, UFO, and George Thorogood, to name a few.”
Bruccoleri called Good Clean Fun “our high energy, wedding/festival band” that usually performs at outdoor concerts throughout the area, along with weekend weddings all over the country.
Mike and Traci, she said, is a more compact version of Good Clean Fun and performs at all types of events and restaurants, and even music therapy programs for seniors.
Both Good Clean Fun and Mike and Traci are doing shows this summer, but the Bruccoleri couple has had to leave plenty of room on their schedule for their newest venture.
Bruccoleri said the “Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience” show in Clarendon Hills will feature an eight-piece band and include Bruccoleri’s teenage daughter, Ella, on background vocals.
“The audience can expect a recreation of Taylor’s Eras Tour, costume changes and all,” Bruccoleri said. “We put a lot of work into this show, and every performance is so fun for us. I believe the audience will feel that energy and have a great time.”
Bruccoleri said she has been aware of Taylor Swift for several years, but became a fan more recently.
“I was always aware of her music, but never listened to it much,” she said. “The more I listen to her, the more I realize how incredibly talented she is. Her music ranges from country to rock, indie, pop, synth pop, and even folk. Her philanthropy is inspiring, and she is an incredibly smart businesswoman.”
Bruccoleri said she thoroughly enjoys doing the “Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience” shows.
“I get to play dress up and perform to some of the most amazing fans,” she said. “The Swiftie fan base is incredibly large, loving, and proud. They sing along to every song, and the energy is contagious. And that’s what I get to do for a living. I’m grateful every day.”
While the “Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience” show is likely to be a highlight of Daisy Days, there is much more going on June 14-15, including a 7 p.m. June 14 concert by Libido Funk Circus, which has been around since 1996.
Daisy Days runs from 5 to 10 p.m. June 14 and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 15. Carnival rides, food and drinks will be available from the start June 14. The June 15 schedule:
8 a.m.: workout with Barre3 at Village Hall
9 a.m.: workout with Just Lift Fitness at Village Hall
10 a.m.: Dave DiNaso’s World of Traveling Reptiles
11 a.m.: Historical Society presentation at Village Hall
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Daisy Shoppe Young Entrepreneurs Market at Village Hall
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Antique car show on Burlington Avenue
Noon: Student music showcase on main state
2 p.m.: Clarendon Hills Music Academy Allstars on main stage
4 p.m.: Dave DiNaso’s World of Traveling Reptiles
6 p.m. : Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
