New Year's Eve Weekend Concert Previews!!

On this wet Thursday evening, let's look at this weekend's hard rock concert previews, all with ample advance notice, and all factoring in New Year's Eve into their plans! Here's what you should know!

We'll start at The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Casino in nearby St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will end their 2022 concert calendar with shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a busy year for both Peril and their sister band Scarkazm with numerous gigs at Kewadin, this should be a prime chance to check out Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' hard rocking old school covers, in their first E.U.P. stops since rocking the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin in August. No word on holiday frills on Saturday for New Year's Eve, but ringing in 2023 is very much a part of the advertising for that night's concert, so if you want to end the year on a heavy note, Yooper readers know where to go! Both tomorrow's and Saturday's shows have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page & the above links for more details, and here's Peril live in concert!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ontario with a solid range of New Year's Eve options for heavier music tastes, but let's start with the arguable biggest show of the weekend, as local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will take the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre as the local openers for Toronto "brasshop" favourites My Son The Hurricane! The Stallyns have had quite a busy year at traditional nightclubs and community events alike, but this rare support slot should provide them with a huge platform to show their varied setlist and heavier cuts, so don't be late on Saturday! My Son The Hurricane (featuring former Redefined/Rising Tide drummer Danno O'Shea) are certainly no strangers to the Soo, having played here twice already in 2022, and multiple times in years past, and their eclectic mix of funk and dance rock should be a fun way to end the year!

No word on seasonal frills beyond the headliners' presence, but this is a licensed 19+ event at the Bushplane Museum, and it's the culmination of pandemic-altered plans for My Son The Hurricane to play in town on December 31st since 2020. Presented by LopLops Lounge, tickets run for $64.67 at this link, and doors open at 8:00 PM. The scope, holiday tie-in, and headliners alone will make this must-see for many, but The Wyld Stallyns will bring the heavy (if mixed with other funk covers) to kick off the night, so don't miss out! Visit the above links for more details, and here are The Stallyns live in concert earlier this year!

Also taking place THIS SATURDAY NIGHT is local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek's first ever gig at The Water Tower Pub for that venue's own New Year's Eve party! Last seen headlining their "Christmas blowout" at Soo Blaster three weeks ago, Saturday will prove to be another high profile event for Fort Creek and their hard & heavy covers (and new originals), but in very different ways. The Water Tower Pub are absolutely going all out for New Year's Eve, with their event having $60 admission, but included in that price are an appetizer buffet, midnight toast, and party favours, so expect all of those frills if you're weighing our December 31st options. New Year's Eve room packages at the Great Northern Road venue's attacked inn are also available, click here for details. Advance tickets are on sale at The Water Tower Inn's reception desk, and presumably at the door, while this show is obviously 19+, and has a likely start time of 8:00 PM.

Between this and My Son The Hurricane/The Wyld Stallyns, $60+ tickets will scare many off, but remember what you're paying for in both cases, and at least The Water Tower Pub are open as to what they're providing on Saturday, so hopefully lots of revelers come out to send 2022 off and rock out with Fort Creek, especially in their debut there! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fort Creek live!

Finally for known hard rock concerts this weekend is local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's own New Year's Eve show, which takes place at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on SATURDAY NIGHT! Thursday jams nights aside, this will be Soundcheck's first concert since playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this past Friday, but unlike that show, Saturday's New Year's Eve party has had plenty of advance notice on both the band's and venue's fronts! Soundcheck have played often at Shooters this year to positive audiences, so they should be a fine choice to send 2022 out at the Dennis Street nightclub with their old school hard rocking covers! Expect some type of New Year's frills, as this show will have a cover charge, but only $5, so if you want a much cheaper option than the Sault Ontario shows above, here you go! There will be a 19+ age limit as usual, and the festivities have a later run time of 9:00 PM-3:00 AM.

This has been a quiet year for concerts as we come out of the pandemic control measures, but it's good to see a solid slate of hard rock action in the Twin Saults on Saturday for your New Year's Eve partying needs, so visit Soundcheck's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live at Shooters!

That's all for today, but unless there's late notice shows, I'll next see you guys on Saturday for our annual year-in-review post! Thanks everyone!