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Josh Kaufman to fill in at 500 Festival Parade

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Josh Kaufman, the local singer-songwriter who rose to fame on NBC’s “The Voice,” will fill in for an ailing band at a prerace event for the Indianapolis 500, organizers announced late Friday.

The band X Ambassadors was to perform at the IPL 500 Festival Parade and the KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball, but cannot make the trip to Indianapolis due to illness, said a news releaase from the 500 Festival.

Kaufman will pay tribute to Indiana champions by performing the X Ambassadors’ single “Renegades” at Saturday’s parade. The parade will also feature other celebrities, floats, giant balloons, marching units and bands, and all 33 drivers competing in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. The parade will start on downtown streets at 11:45 a.m. Saturday.

A replacement band for the KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball will be announced later, the release said.

Kaufman was the winner of the sixth season of “The Voice,” a reality TV singing competition. He was the grand marshal of the 2014 parade and performed “(Back Home Again in) Indiana in prerace festivities at the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016.

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