Eat to the Beat acts revealed for EPCOT’s 2009 Food and Wine Festival

Come for the food and wine, but stay for the ‘Eat to the Beat!’ concerts this year at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 25-Nov. 8. This year you’ll find a platinum lineup of popular music acts, including several Grammy-winning bands, featuring an eclectic mix of classic and current tunes. So grab some of your favorite eats and relax to the beats.

The Eat to the Beat! concert series will bring 17 acts – showcasing everything from rock to jazz, funk to pop – to the America Gardens Theatre stage during the 45-day festival. The lineup includes six performers playing the festival for the first time: Richard Marx, Better Than Ezra, Vanessa Carlton, John Waite, Billy Ocean and “American Idol”-winner Taylor Hicks.

Concerts, which are included with Epcot admission, begin at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. daily. The lineup (subject to change) includes:

Sept. 25-27 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (“You & Me & The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)”
Sept. 28-29 – Richard Marx (“Hold On to the Nights”)
Sept. 30-Oct. 3 – Starship starring Mickey Thomas (“We Built This City”)
Oct. 4-6 – En Vogue (“Free Your Mind”)
Oct. 7-8 – Better Than Ezra (“Good”)
Oct. 9-11 – Sister Hazel (“All for You”)
Oct. 12-13 – Kool & The Gang (“Celebration”)
Oct. 14-16 – Spyro Gyra (“Morning Dance”)
Oct. 17-18 – Jon Secada (“Just Another Day”)
Oct. 19-20 – Sister Sledge (“We Are Family”)
Oct. 21-22 – Vanessa Carlton (“A Thousand Miles”)
Oct. 23-25 – Taylor Dayne (“Tell It to My Heart”)
Oct. 26-28 – Boyz II Men (“Motownphilly”)
Oct. 29-31 – John Waite (“Missing You”)
Nov. 1-2 – Taylor Hicks (“Do I Make You Proud”)
Nov. 3-5 – Billy Ocean (“Caribbean Queen”)
Nov. 6-8 – Los Lobos (“La Bamba”)