Before we begin this post, I wanted to profusely apologize for completely forgetting to preview local hard rock quartet Half Past's gig at Beck's Bar on October 11th in that weekend's concert previews. I did plug it when first announced in late September, but it completely slipped me by despite that. Hopefully the show was a hit for the guys, and they'll be back at Beck's before the year is up, so I won't miss covering that one in any way! Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the Halloween weekend and the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews!
Sault Michigan hard rock band Exit 808 will return to the stage on Saturday, November 1st for a belated Halloween party at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley! One assumes that this concert isn't on Halloween proper because Bay Mills doesn't host live bands on Fridays, and a day late beats six days early. Dubbed "Fright Night On The Bay", this will end a two month break from the stage for Exit 808, who last played live in Walloon Lake in mid-August, in the E.U.P. in St. Ignace at the beginning of that month, and at The Back Bay back in March. While not advertised in the band's own promotion, they'll have a special guest for the occasion, as Dafter singer/guitarist and Molly & The Other Guys frontwoman Molly Escherich will return north from the Interlochen Center For The Arts to join in on vocals! It's not clear if she is filling in for Amy for the whole set or just making appearances.
That should be fun to see, so kudos to Molly for announcing this on her Facebook page! Don't put your costumes away yet, as there will be prizes of $500, $300, and $200 for the top three costumes next Saturday. Exit 808 take the stage at 9:00 PM for this 21+ event, which has no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on Fright Night On the Bay!
Next up, there's more post-Halloween concert action in Sault Michigan on Saturday, November 1st, courtesy of the latest multi-band show from promoters Serious Business, and it is taking place... in the basement of Pizza Hut?! There's a new one, but if they're willing to host a concert down there, why not give it a shot? Two touring bands will make their way here next weekend, including Novi noise punk quartet Permanently Pissed and Detroit grunge/alternative trio Werewolf Jones, who both deliver unique sounds that you don't get much of from the E.U.P., so don't bypass either one in advance of next weekend's show! Local support will come by way of new local hard rock trio Crush (the originals-focused Tarnished spinoff who just destroyed the Savoy this past weekend) and veteran local folk singer/guitarist Kevin Blakeney, who just competed at the Lake Superior State University battle of the bands last night.We will have more on the fallout from the battle when things go public, for the record (I was unable to attend due to catching a cold). For the record, the above information comes from promoter Brighton LeBlanc in an e-mail conversation, as I haven't found public social media promotion for the show yet, but it'll be short notice if I don't talk it about it now. This concert goes down(stairs) at Pizza Hut at 2255 Ashmun Street on the business spur, across from Little Caesars at the corner of 14th Avenue. A 6:00 PM start time is advertised, this is an 18+ event, and admission is $15 at the door, though no word on a possible Halloween theme. Should be a fun and varied concert, so visit the above links for more details!
Let's head north to Sault Ontario to wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews next, starting with local death/thrash metal trio Pillory's album release party at Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT! With years of even heavier and more brutal original songs built up, and months of studio session teasers, fans will get their first chance to buy CD copies of "Old Soul" for themselves tomorrow, and while it will also be posted on major streaming services, physical media is a huge plus! It's great to see Robert and Bret finally get this album done and dusted, and hopefully they and Devon deliver a brutal headlining set downtown tomorrow for the occasion! Support acts include progressive metal quartet Convergence (in their first public concert since Rotaryfest in July) and crossover thrash quartet Hails, who should each set the tone well with their own talented and heavy original attacks, so don't be late!
Remember, Ha!ls' new album will be reviewed on the site by month's end, but Pillory's won't be until early 2026 due to our lengthy new album release backlog. This ALL AGES concert goes down tomorrow at $7, and if you were unable to buy $20 advance tickets, the door entry fee tomorrow is $25. Pillory t-shirts will also be on sale, and the band has confirmed that Halloween costumes are encouraged if you're inclined to dress up early. Kudos to Pillory on finally getting the album out, and hopefully tomorrow's show is a blast! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's the second advance single from the album, namely "The Passing" via their YouTube Music channel, with more coming tomorrow!
Finally for this weekend's concert previews, strap in for the lighter side of Bone Yard 225, as the southern hard rock trio will go "uncorked" for an acoustic one-nighter TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub! Despite the Great Northern Road nightclub hosting plugged in bands as well, Bone Yard always go acoustic there, but expect a solid evening of hard, classic, and southern rock favourites (and perhaps some stripped down originals) from Greg, Alex, and Warren as usual! If you'd rather see your local 225 plugged in, the full electric show will be at Beck's Bar next Saturday. As usual for The Water Tower Pub, tomorrow's concert is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge, Visit the above links for more details on this latest "uncorked" concert from "the dirty three", and for a preview, here's Bone Yard 225 live!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!



































