From returning regional favorites to a Country Music Award rising star, the 2025 KeizerFEST will bring must-see music to town May 15-17.

 The lineup opens with 5 Guys Named Moe, at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 15.

The Friday, May 16, shows include Gabe Cox at 5:30 p.m., followed by headliner Jacquie Roar, 7 to 10 p.m.

The Saturday, May 17, entertainment starts with Joe Stoddard at 4:30 p.m., and 5 Guys Named Moe return for a 7 p.m. show.

The Keizer Chamber of Commerce, which stages KeizerFEST, this year offered $10 advance tickets for the Roar concert, anticipating strong turnout.

Here’s a look at the performers taking the stage at Keizer Rapids Park, 1900 Chemawa Road N.

Jacquie Roar – Hear her roar!

With roots in North Plains, Oregon, Jacquie Roar has belted her way onto the national music scene and into TV fame. Now she brings her powerhouse vocals and live-wire country rock style to the KeizerFEST stage on Friday, May 16 from 7 to 10 p.m.

Roar has been a favorite at the Oregon Jamboree but also has gone on to share the stage with music industry icons Jelly Roll, Reba McIntyre, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride and more. She catapulted to national acclaim with her appearance on “The Voice,” where she finished fourth after earning a “Four Chair Turn” for her rendition of “Here for the Party.”

The Keizer audience can expect a rockin’ show from the performer who was described by McIntyre as a “country rock diva.”

Roar is a songwriter as well as performer and performed in Nashville, where she recorded her first album. With that, she posted, “my wildest dreams are coming true.”

The show is billed as all ages until 9 p.m. There will be food vendors, and free parking.

5 Guys Named Moe – Jump and jive!

  “Who makes the cats jump up and down?”

That’s a lyric from the 5 Guys’ playlist, but it could describe their energetic show, featuring music styles from rock to Motown to dance hits. They take the KeizerFEST stage at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 15, and Saturday, May 17, at 7 p.m.

The band has opened for big names including Foghat, Jefferson Starship and CCR Revisited, and shared the stage with Kool & the Gang, The Supremes and more.

But don’t look for five guys, as this band has grown since its start in 1984. Today’s group promises a versatile show featuring 12 performers, a strong horn section, half a dozen lead singers, and what’s billed as a “groovin’ rhythm section.”

The band takes its name from a 1943 hit song by Louis Jordan. Catch a vintage clip of that performance on the 5 Guys web page.

Joe Stoddard – Cue the laughs!

A perennial favorite at KeizerFEST, Joe Stoddard offers a mix of rock and country worth a sing-along, infused with comedy bits to keep the crowd laughing. He’ll be onstage at KeizerFEST at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16.

Stoddard’s musical chops go way back, to first performing at age 13. With his brother and a couple of friends in California, he formed a garage band, The Nite Walkers, that played high school dances, business openings and teen clubs, according to his website. When the band broke up, he worked at various jobs, started a fish importing business and worked as a milkman.

But music called, and he got back into performing and moved to Oregon. Over 40 years, he’s performed solo, with partners and a band, and with his wife Nancy. Today, he calls Scio home, and he travels the coast to coast to perform at fairs, private events, festivals and even on cruise boats.

Gabe Cox – Rockin’ the life!

Gabriel Cox is a Salem-based singer-songwriter who performs with his band across the Northwest. His website describes him as “an Air Force vet, college grad, loving husband and father, rocking life to the fullest.”

Cox opens the Friday, May 15, show at 5:30 p.m.

His credits include writing four original albums, blending blues and rock for his signature style. His band opened for the Robert Cray Band to a sold-out crowd at the Elsinor Theatre in Salem in 2024.

Cox has been a favorite at Willamette Valley events, and he even performed at the Oregon state prison in 2023, the first band invited to do so since Jackson Browne made an appearance in 1998.

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