LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & The Wyld Stallyns), Rock Of Ages In The Soo, And More!!

Before we begin today's weekend concert preview post, we have a concert cancellation to note, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 are no longer advertised to play at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Saturday, as per their events calendar, with Rock 101's Scott Cook advertised as DJing then instead. A reason for 906's withdrawal was not announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see them back on stage again soon! Now, we have some band updates, a big and relevant musical's trip here next year, and first, SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS within our weekend previews!

Preceding his next Gliss Restaurant matinee gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY, local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's December concert calendar earlier this week. With Thursday matinees at Gliss not taking place at the new locale, Tym's schedule is opened up to bring his unplugged cover action back to The Water Tower Pub, which last hosted him for a concert back in June. If you're up for a later show at a more northern/central locale from this prolific solo artist, be at The Water Tower Pub TONIGHT for all of the action! As for his ongoing weekly run at Gliss, you can see his acoustic hits at the new Spring Street location at their usual matinee timeslot tomorrow & Saturday at 6:00 PM with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember that this is a formal sit-down restaurant.

As for Tym's Water Tower Pub show TONIGHT, expect a 9:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit, and just for reference sake, Tym is not advertised for this year's Blues For Food charity concerts at the same venue in two weeks. For more details on Tym's tripleheader this weekend, visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live a few years back!



Next up, local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to The Harp Pub & Grill for their second public concert there THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via it's Facebook event page earlier this week (albeit with more notice than their Canadian show on November 24th!) Fans will have last seen the Elements side project at the former Madison's Pub over the Halloween weekend, so if you can brave the snow for a run to the Pine Plaza, you'll be rewarded with a night full of varied but often heavy covers on SATURDAY, and audience participation is welcomed too! Note that this is a one-nighter, and while I have seen no advertised reason why there's no Friday gig from the band or venue, this will reportedly be The Wyld Stallyns' last Harp gig of 2018. Expect a 19+ age limit, 9:00 PM start time, and no cover on SATURDAY, so see above for more details, and here's The Stallyns live!

Also in the news, this isn't a "concert" per say, but the hair metal/1980s rock-themed musical Rock of Ages is coming to GFL Memorial Gardens for one night only on Tuesday, March 19th! This is a scripted musical play rather than a true concert (I made an exception for the local Tommy production because of That's Chester being the house band), but this is still a big deal for fans of Rock of Ages' prior stage productions and it's 2012 feature film, so I can't ignore it! Rock of Ages is stopping at the former Essar Center as part of the 10th anniversary tour following it's Broadway debut in 2009 (where it ran until 2015), and is about an aspiring singer and a bartender's romance and quest for stardom in Los Angeles in the 1980s. This jukebox musical is loaded with familiar glam metal and classic rock songs woven into it's plot, with bands like Twisted Sister, Foreigner, Poison, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Whitesnake, Journey, and Def Leppard represented, among many others.

Rock of Ages tickets range from $59.50-$99.50 depending on seating location, and tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 AM at this link, at the in-person box office, or by calling 1-866-775-9422. I personally didn't love the movie (too glossy and polished for my liking), but the play was a smash hit, and the movie soundtrack went gold in Canada, so I have no doubt that 1980s rock lovers will be very interested in seeing Rock of Ages at the Gardens! Visit the above links for complete details, and if you want more details on the company behind this production, head to the tour website!

We'll close today with the latest from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63, whose ongoing hiatus and lineup/setlist re-tooling may be nearing it's end. In a presumed sign of the band's new makeup, their current Facebook profile photo is solely of guitarist Nathan Switzer, implying that he has survived the changes, but when your dad is frontman Henry Switzer, that may not have been difficult. No word yet on their new(?) bassist, we'll let you know when something is said! A playlist on Apple Music (which I don't have) has the planned setlist for Highway 63's new lineup, and comment replies on their Facebook page imply that The Smithereens, The Stone Temple Pilots, Night Ranger, and some country covers are in their current repertoire, while their new setlist is "almost all new music." On November 27th, the band floated the possibility of hosting a "Back on the Road Party" at Dondee Lanes, which Henry hinted would take place on Saturday, December 22nd.

I'm not rushing to add the event to our concert calendar pending a formal announcement, but if this holds up, it'll be a big way for Highway 63 to end their year+-long concert hiatus, so keep tabs for updates! Finally, Henry shared this video of him covering Cheap Trick's "The Flame" onto Facebook on the 27th as well, which is an attempt to line up professional vocal recording tracks with raw video. Not a bad rendition, it lets Henry showcase his range nicely, though the vantage point from almost behind him is still not optimal. Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Highway 63!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon! Thanks everyone!