The Rest Of This Weekend's Local Hard Rock Concert Previews, Including Night Ranger!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to apologize for missing a late band addition for last weekend's Walk To Rock Against Bullying in Sault Michigan, as local hard rock trio Power Slug were added to the lineup the day before, as per frontman Chris Leask's personal Facebook page. As they don't have online pages, this was easy to miss, but still I apologize for missing the announcement! No word though on if they replaced an announced act. Now, here's our second weekend concert preview post for this weekend, covering Sault Michigan concerts (and the Sault Ontario shows we couldn't fit in yesterday), including a major show on Sunday across the river, so read on below for the previews!

In our last of the weekend's Sault Ontario hard rock concert previews, newer local quintet The Thrill Junkies will play their second & third local dates TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT in their Roosevelt Hotel debuts! Coming off of their successful local launch at The Nicolet Tavern last week (and their Spanish gigs), the band featuring 4 members each of Turner Up's last & Havadder's 2012 lineups should have a great weekend of hard rock covers in store for their fans at The Rosie this weekend, so if you missed their Spanish dates or last weekend's show, keep this weekend's events in mind! Both shows have 10:00 PM start times, you must be 19 to attend either night, and there's no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Things seem to be going well for this new band, so don't miss their Rosie debuts this weekend, and when postable and embeddable media comes out of them in action, we'll have it here!

Now to our Sault Michigan hard rock concert previews, starting with the return of Cheboygan hard rock trio Driven to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen in St. Ignace (or any Eastern U.P. venue) in early May, this talented veteran band will be playing just their third & fourth regional dates since drummer Kurt Beard returned to their lineup, and if you're familiar with their past trips north, you'll know the fun covers that they'll bring to the table this weekend, so keep them in mind! Admission should be free, you must be 21 to attend either show, and there's a 9:00 PM start time. For more details, visit their Facebook page! It's nice to see Driven back in our territory after their summer away from the U.P., and hopefully there's a solid crowd in the St. Ignace Kewadin tonight and tomorrow for Driven! If we come across video of their live show, you know we'll have it here!

Back in the Soo, Kinross hard/classic rockers Banned will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen there six months ago, Alex, Don, and company remain one of the most frequent live concert sights in the Eastern U.P., but these will be their last "jobs" in the Sault area before taking a road trip down to Grand Rapids for their furthest away show yet next weekend, so just in case, don't miss this weekend's action! Admission should also be free for this weekend's dates, you also must be 21 to attend, and 9:00 PM start times are likely. For more details, visit the above links! It's always good to see Banned rocking the Soo, and hopefully they rock The Rapids Lounge hard this weekend, so keep it in mind for your weekend plans, and for a preview, here's Banned playing their song "Deadbeat Dog" in Charlevoix last month!

Finally for the weekend schedule, it's the latest major headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the aforementioned Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, as San Francisco hard rock notables Night Ranger will make their local debut (I believe) THIS SUNDAY NIGHT! Best known for hit songs like "Sentimental Street", "Goodbye", and (of course) "Sister Christian", this multi-platinum selling quintet should have plenty of hard edged classics and catchy ballads in store for their local fans, and it'll be good to have them in the area on Sunday! Former Bad English frontman John Waite will open this show with a solo set, and while most of his music has leaned to rock & AOR sounds, you may best know his own work from his hit song "Missing You", but don't let that scare you off, as he can rock with the best of them! Tickets are still available from the second row and back for $48.50 (seated) or $38.50 (general), and you can buy them at this location, by phone at 1-800-KEWADIN, or in person at the Kewadin box office. Check the above links for more details!

Note that there's no hard rock shows for The Dreammaker's Theater that are currently announced for the rest of the year, so this could be your last chance to see a big ticket hard rock show there until 2014, and Night Ranger should appeal to hair metal and classic rock fans on Sunday! We'll have fallout from the show when/if it comes in, and for a preview, here's Night Ranger playing "Sentimental Street" live earlier this year!



That's all for today, but in case there's no new updates later tonight, I'll see you guys at The Algonquin Pub TONIGHT for The Hydra's Teeth, Haggith, and The Danger Cats, and if all goes well, upstairs at The Rockstar Bar for Glitch too for at least a spell! Thanks everyone!