Most Of This Weekend's Metal, Hard Rock, And Punk Concert Previews!!

I'm out of town for the weekend (at least), but the SMS can't stop, as there's another big concert weekend upon us! We're focusing on previously announced shows today, with a nice mixture of sounds and styles within, including a big returning hardcore punk band, so here's what you need to know for this concert preview post, starting with Thursday nighters taking place tonight!

The announced seventh installment of J.D. Pearce & Tidal Records' Gonqshow concert series goes down TONIGHT, as Toronto folk/death metal quartet Vesperia will play Sault Ontario for the first time as headliners at The Algonquin Pub! An extreme, brutal, and mature sounding band featuring Hallows Die drummer Dylan Gowan in their lineup, the former Bolero should devastate The Gonq TONIGHT, so don't bypass them for some Thursday night entertainment! Though there is one other out of town band on the lineup, local death metal veterans The Bear Hunters are the listed co-headliners, and you know what aggression and excitement they bring to the table, so expect a great set from Nik, Mitch, Justin, and Johnny tonight as well! The listed openers are Sudbury "sci-grind" quartet Ruptured Birth in their own local debut, and with members of Before The Black Gates in their lineup, their unique take on grindcore shouldn't be missed, so don't be late!

Note that a previously announced set by Sudbury death metal trio Fractal Generator will not take place as they couldn't make the show, while a hoped headlining set by Crimson Shadows didn't reach it's Kickstarter goal to fund it. Now promoted by Destroilet's Brenton Ellis despite still being a listed Gonqshow event (Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie passed the job to Brent), admission will be $8 for this 19+ show, which will start between 9:00 & 10:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! A nice throwback of sorts to the Rosie's Thursday metal nights, there's a solid lineup here, so keep this show in mind for TONIGHT! Here's Vesperia live last month!

Next up, former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue his pair of weekly concert arrangements with solo headlining gigs at Gliss Steak & Seafood TONIGHT, TOMORROW, AND SATURDAY, followed by his long running Harp Bar & Grill series TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though we haven't found Facebook event pages for these shows yet, all are confirmed on SooToday's entertainment page. Fans of Tym's acoustic rock covers once again have a wealth of options to check out this weekend, whether you want suppertime entertainment at the restaurant at the corner of Bay & Dennis, or nighttime revelry at the former Madison's Pub, so keep all five of Tym's shows in mind for TONIGHT through Saturday! The Gliss shows are all 6:00 PM events with no cover and no age limits (but remember, this is a restaurant), while the two Harp shows start at 10:00 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit. For more details on Tym's busy weekend, check the above links, and here he is live a few years back!

Also this weekend, local hard rock quartet Long Shot are scheduled to return to The Fraternal Order of Eagles' clubhouse in nearby Heyden TOMORROW NIGHT! Though oddly not plugged recently on their Facebook page, this will be the guys' first show since their Rotaryfest debut last weekend, their last local gig before taking a road trip to Sarnia for a show there, and (at least) their third show at this sporadically-used Heyden venue since last year. Evan, Adam, Nathan, and Jeremy have steadily been growing in profile in recent months, and while this is somewhat of an unfamiliar venue to some, this should be a solid location for Long Shot's next show! If last fall's Eagle Club show is anything to go by, tomorrow's concert will have an earlier 7:00 PM start time & no announced age limits, and bring cash just in case, but we'll let you know if something finite is announced. Check the above links for more details, and here's Long Shot on Saturday!

Finally for today, here's the main event of the weekend, as Vancouver hardcore punk legends SNFU will make their long awaited return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Yes, this is officially the eighth Gonqshow event in that series, but given the size and hype, it's naturally upstairs rather than downstairs. After the cancellation of their planned 2013 local show, this will be the first Sault Ste. Marie appearance by Mr. Chi Pig and company in over six years, so it's way overdue for a local audience to open up and say "SNFU"! Notably, this show is during the band's 30th anniversary tour for their debut album "...And No One Else Wanted to Play", which will be performed in full tomorrow, so keep that in mind! Local support will come via by local punk/metal bands (and upcoming split CD participants) Destroilet & Jack Spades, the latter of whom finally getting a chance to open for SNFU after the 2013 show was called off. Very fitting choices, so don't be late!

Note that local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back are listed as performing on the poster above, but are not credited on the Facebook event page, and the band hasn't recently acknowledged the show, so they appear to have dropped out. A $20 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has an announced 9:00 PM start time. Given how successful SNFU's 2009 show was at The Grand Theater, there are high expectations for tomorrow, so if you love old school hardcore punk, be at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT for SNFU! Here they are at The Grand 6 years ago!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan and late notice previews next! Thanks everyone!