Chuck Berry to help open Raleigh convention center

Raleigh, N.C. — Legendary rocker Chuck Berry will headline a series of September concerts that will help the city open its downtown convention center, Mayor Charles Meeker said Tuesday.

The "Raleigh Wide Open" event will feature Berry, whose hits include "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene" and "Roll Over Beethoven," on Sept. 5. The convention center will officially open at noon that day.

Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group Arrested Development will open for Berry on the stage in the 500 block of South Fayetteville Street.

Lou Gramm, the former lead singer of the 1970s and 1980s rock group Foreigner, will headline a second night of concerts on Sept. 6. Rockers Soul Asylum will open for him.

The weekend celebration also will feature an alternative music stage, dubbed Cherry Bounce. The Annuals, a Raleigh-based band, will perform on the stage on Sept. 5, and Islands, a high-energy act out of Montreal, will perform on Sept. 6.

Other music acts will be scheduled around downtown in addition to the headline concerts, officials said.