LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Bearded Lounge) & Weekend Concert Previews

It's about time to tackle this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and while it's relatively quiet for announced gigs, the first full weekend of the holiday season is not lacking in scope! To give it proper emphasis closer to showtime, our preview of the returning Toystock charity concert will hit the site either tomorrow or on Saturday. Now, let's start the previews with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local southern hard rock cover duo The Bearded Lounge will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page yesterday. Even without the late announcement, this show is a bit of a surprise given that this is Toystock weekend (Bearded Lounge frontman Greg Simpson organizes that event, which returns the next day). Maybe a low stress acoustic show on SATURDAY will be a good lead-in for him and Alex before the craziness at The Grand Gardens North on Sunday, so head to Sault Ontario's casino for all of their unplugged hard rock cover action! Last seen onstage at the same venue last month, this installment of the casino's SATURDAY NIGHT concert series has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. See above for more details, stay tuned for our Toystock preview in the coming days, and here's The Bearded Lounge live!

Next up, let's head to Michigan for two heavier concerts that did get advance notice, starting with Sault Ste. Marie hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews' apparent debut at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! The band hasn't updated their Facebook page since September, but members' personal Facebook pages have confirmed the date with the help of Photoshop. Saturday's gig at the former Joe's Bar will double as Ladies' Camo Night, not just Ladies Night, so don't forget your camouflage attire before heading out for this one! There are drink specials as well, if that's your thing, and it is worth noting that Huck's will also be screening the Michigan vs. Ohio State NCAA football game on Saturday afternoon. You can enjoy this this talented supergroup on Saturday at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and no preview videos yet!

Lastly for today's previews (Toystock will be featured closer to Sunday), let's head back to Sault Ste. Marie proper, as Los Angeles glam/comedy metal quartet Steel Panther make their long awaited return to The Dreammakers Theatre at the local Kewadin Casino branch THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen there almost four years ago, this will be the first stop on Steel Panther's Claws & Paws Holiday Tour running through December 4th. Well known (if not notorious) for their ribald comedy glam metal songs & parodies like "Death To All But Metal" & "Party Like Tomorrow Is the End Of The World", Steel Panther got a great reception from Hair Scare loyalists in 2018, and here's hoping the guys deliver more hilarious but proficient goods on Saturday! Opening the first two dates of the tour are Columbus, Ohio hard rock quintet Harmless Habit (they swap out for The Small Town Titans for the remainder), and their melodic modern hard rock sound should deliver the octane well!

Local hard rock quartet Tarnished will play one of their biggest local concerts as the first band on Saturday, and fresh off of their Wednesday nighter at The Merch, hopefully Alex & crew set this one off on the right foot with their modern and classic hybrid sound! Presented by Allstar Promotions (who also brought Steel Panther here the last time), this 7:00 PM show has tickets running for a flat $29.50 (up $4.50 from 2018) and they are still available from the third row onward! You can get yours at 1-800-KEWADIN, at this link, or at the in person box office. Should be a great show to help kick off the holidays, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Steel Panther at Kewadin last time!

Now, the Steel Panther show is getting a lot of promotion as of late, with two different radio stations interviewing performers on Saturday this week, which we'll address on the site tomorrow (videos are online from both). We'll close today with this short clip of Steel Panther frontman Michael Starr promoting the show, as uploaded to Allstar Promotions' Facebook page on November 12th. There's nothing new to learn here, but it's always cool seeing major touring musicians plug their local date like this, and Michael is sure enthusiastic in this clip, so check it out below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, which may or may not have our Toystock preview, pending how long it ends up being, so that may not hit the site until Saturday. In any event, stay tuned!