LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Pop Evil), And Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's this weekend's concert previews for the Sault Michigan area, with a huge returning hair metal legend to cap things off, but let's begin with a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, our first of 2017, in fact!

North Muskegon, Michigan hard rock quintet Pop Evil will return to Sault Michigan for a headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault's Kewadin Casino on Sunday, February 26th! Since we last saw Pop Evil at the Jessica Jorgensen benefit concert in August 2013, they have became a rock radio staple with four #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, including "Footsteps" and "Torn to Pieces", so the interest and crowd levels should be even bigger than ever for their return after 3½ years! Notably, this will also mark their first local concert appearance since Hayley Cramer replaced Joshua "Chachi Riot" Marunde on drums. Akron, Ohio hard rock quintet Red Sun Rising (of the #1 rock hit songs "Emotionless" and "The Otherside") will open in their local debut, and they should be a nice compliment for fans of modern hard rock! Leading off in February are Los Angeles hard rock quartet Badflower, whose classic-tinged hard rock should find a good audience as well, so be sure to check them out as well in advance of the show!

Allstar Promotions will return after a lengthy hiatus to promote this concert, their first since Theory of a Deadman last year, and it's great to see Dave & company back at it! Tickets for this ALL AGES show are just $23.50, and they are now on sale at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, while the show itself is advertised to begin at 7:00 PM. It's awesome to see Pop Evil back in the Soo for their fourth headlining appearance (they also played at Kewadin Casino in 2010 and The Satisfied Frog prior to that), and they're as big as they've ever been, so see the above links A.S.A.P. to get your tickets for February 26th, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, let's tackle this weekend's concert previews, starting with the return of Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Continuing their fall string of concerts at Kewadin branches, this will be their first St. Ignace weekend in two months, and the shows come fresh off of their Halloween weekend appearances in Manistique. Alex, Don, and Wayne should be in their usual solid form with their return to the E.U.P. this weekend, so if you're in the area, definitely consider a trip to see Banned's varied and often-heavy sets! There's no announced cover charges for these 21+ shows, which have 9:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!

Also, let's head north back to Sault Michigan, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 are advertised to rock The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT themselves! Returning to one of the sites of their regular monthly concert weekends after a rare non-Kewadin show at the American Legion for Halloween, these will surprisingly be their only concerts of November 2016, as Highway 63 weren't advertised to play at The Northern Pines Lounge this month. As a result, fans won't want to miss this veteran quartet's solid blend of covers this weekend, so don't miss out tonight and/or tomorrow, especially for some post-Bret Michaels rock action tomorrow! As usual for Highway 63's local concerts (and like Banned's St. Ignace shows this weekend), these are 21+ events with no announced cover and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



Finally for this weekend, Poison frontman Bret Michaels will make his sixth local concert appearance when he headlines at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen there over two years ago, Bret is bringing his "The Party Stops Now Tour" back to the Soo this weekend for what should be a huge show for fans of both Poison's hair metal classics and his more recent country-tinged solo material, with the show itself also serving as the "mega pre-party" before Kewadin's 31st anniversary celebrations. We haven't seen a major hard rock show at The Dreammaker's Theater since Theory of a Deadman last summer (Europe last spring for hair metal), so it's great to see the hard rock drought end at last! This concert will also see funds going to Bret's Life Rocks Foundation's charity drives and local charities, with merchandise sales at the show also including vintage memorabilia for the cause, so keep all of that in mind also!

Tickets are still available from the third row and back for this concert, and they go for $48.50 (general admission), $58.50 ("gold" seating in the first six rows in the outside sections), and $250 for VIP admission in the center's first 5 rows, backstage passes, and a meet & greet with Bret himself. You can get tickets at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office, so get yours A.S.A.P. to ensure a good seat! Bret's always been a reliable draw and fan favourite for his numerous Sault Ste. Marie stops, and this weekend's show should be a big hit for Hair Scare loyalists and more, so see above for full details, and here's Bret live in the Soo in 2014!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for some overdue news and notes next! Thanks everyone!