LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Rhythm & Brews And Tarnished), Plus The New Black Label Society Concert Date!!

An all-Sault Michigan post lies ahead on this Friday night, and while I had planned to cover the big new Sault Ontario concert in May here, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT hit the news desk earlier today, so I opted to keep everything in the E.U.P. today, but we will cover that show on the site this weekend, I promise! Now, here's what you should know for that new concert, the remaining new hard rock shows from Kewadin Casino's April live schedule, and the big rescheduled show in the Soo this spring!

Local hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this date earlier this afternoon, but the show does legitimately appear to have been booked on late notice. Sault Ontario classic rock veterans Touch of Class were originally slated to return to The Rapids Lounge for this weekend's bookings, but they announced on their Facebook page yesterday that they have dropped out due to being unable to arrange the rapid antigen COVID test currently required to return to Ontario for both days. From what I have seen, availability of rapid antigen tests in Sault Michigan that Canadians can get is limited, and the free tests at the E-Free Church are not given on weekends, so I can see why Touch of Class pulled out, but Tarnished should fill in nicely!

Presumably due to the late notice, Tarnished are not playing at The Rapids Lounge tonight, but TOMORROW'S show will be Tarnished's first in Sault Ste. Marie of 2022, so look for lots of hard hitting originals and covers from this upbeat and talented foursome! As usual, expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live & in concert last year!

Next up, here's the last of the new hard rock concert announcements for next month from Kewadin Casino's website's above-linked concert schedule, as fellow local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will return to The Rapids Lounge in the Soo themselves on Friday, April 22nd & Saturday, April 23rd! Last seen at the St. Ignace Kewadin two weeks ago, these will be the 415E sister band's first Rapids Lounge bookings in three months, so fans of this talented local supergroup should definitely circle that weekend on their calendars to see Brandon, Chris, Brett, and Ron in action next month! Like with Tarnished TOMORROW, Rhythm & Brews' shows next month have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits, but please respect any extant public health guidelines at the casino and/or lounge. Visit the above links for more on Kewadin Casino's upcoming concert schedules!

We'll close today with the big news out of the Sault Michigan concert scene from yesterday, as the long-delayed Black Label Society concert has another new date, but given the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's looking like this one might just stick! After the planned Dreammakers Theater dates at Kewadin Casino in March and August 2020 and last November were all postponed due to the pandemic (remember, B.L.S. were setting up for the March 2020 show when it was called off), the Zakk Wylde-led groove metal mainstays will now hit the Soo on Friday, May 6th in the fifth show on their American tour run this spring! The openers have completely changed from what was planned previously, with Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss replacing Obituary as the top opener this time out, so fans of her instrumental guitar attack and her hit single "Dead Inside" with Disturbed's David Draiman should take note!

This will be Nita's second live concert appearance in Sault Ste. Marie, having previously played at the same venue with Alice Cooper in June 2014 (only her second show in his band, no less!), and with 8 years of refined skills and popularity under her belt, expect a killer set from her in May! Wisconsin-based blues rock musician Jared James Nichols will replace Prong (and Lord of Dying before them) as the opening act on this tour, and while he may seem like an atypical choice of opener, remember that Zakk Wylde has a lot of familiarity and background with blues and southern rock. Jared's a great guitarist in his own right, don't sleep on his set! Tickets for the new Black Label Society date went on sale today for a flat $27.50 general admission, and you can buy them at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office. The show proper is at 7:30 PM with no announced age limit.

All previously bought tickets for the previous three B.L.S. dates will be honoured if you held on to them, but if you can't make the new date for any reason, refunds will be offered for old tickets until March 16th (assuming this isn't postponed again), so for details in that regard, contact kewadinboxoffice@saulttribe.net. As for fully vaccinated Sault Ontario residents who are interested in attending, be advised that while the negative PCR molecular test is no longer mandatory to re-enter the province, a day trip to Sault Michigan will require a negative antigen COVID-19 test within 24 hours of re-entry, not to mention entering your return trip on ArriveCAN. I have looked up rapid antigen tests in Sault Michigan, and for ones with quick results that Canadians can get, the best option seems to be at the E-Free Church at 1901 John Street, who give free COVID tests from 7:00 AM-1:00 PM weekdays.

This would require loitering in Sault Michigan for a few hours before showtime, but results arrive in a half hour to your phone, and the alternatives that customs accepts appear to either take too long or require proof of US health insurance. If the E-Free Church test interests you, click here for details, but if you want to explore your options, SolvHealth does list other area clinics that may or may not be suitable for a concert run from Canada and back. For all we know, the COVID test results could be scrapped in the next two months, but I just wanted to outline your current options just in case. Visit the above links for what we know, and stay tuned for more news on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!