LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Stephen Pearcy & Exit 808!!)

Before we dive into a stacked slate of weekend concert previews on the Canadian side of the border with the long weekend ahead, let's head south to Sault Michigan for a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this year, including a local band's summer calendar and a big Kewadin headline show for this fall. Here's what you should know!

Newer local hard rock quintet Exit 808 have announced a slate of summer concerts via their Facebook page last week, marking their first shows since adding Infathom's Dillion Semasky as their co-lead singer, so when can you see them live next? The former Double Jack will actually debut him at a non-local event on June 8th, namely Drewpalooza 2, a public birthday concert/mental health fundraiser in Republic (3½ hours west of the Soo), where they will share the stage with frequently seen Marquette hard rock cover band Spun, among other western/central U.P. acts. Looks like a fun event, so keep it in mind if you're out west or are up for a road trip! Exit 808 will finally play their first local concert (ie. within an hour's drive of Sault Ste Marie) since changing their name and lineup on Saturday, June 15th when they debut at The Well Diggers Watering Hole & Feed Lot in nearby Kinross, presumably on their outdoor stage.

Well Diggers is still relatively new for us to cover shows at, so hopefully things go well next month, indoors or out! Expect that show to be an 8:00 PM affair with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. After that, Exit 808 will hit the road again, albeit further into the Upper Peninsula for a set at Rally For The Valley, an annual outdoor concert festival in Ewen (outside of Ontonogan, 4½ hours west of Sault Ste. Marie) that will share multiple acts in common with Drewpalooza, including Spun. More details are forthcoming, so if you're in the Western U.P. or are up for the drive, click here for details! The rest of the shows are in our coverage range, starting with Exit 808's second Soo date of the year, when they rock The Merchant's Bar for the first time in five months on Saturday, June 29th. The Merch likely won't promote this show online, but it's good to see Exit 808 playing there again!

Exit 808's remaining shows in this wave of announcements will see them make their debuts at the two regional Kewadin Casino branches with on-site lounges. They'll rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin branch for full weekends on July 19th & 20th and on August 16th & 17th, sandwiching their first ever St. Ignace shows when they debut at The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino on August 9th and 10th. It's great to see Exit 808 entering the Kewadin rotation, and hopefully all three weekends go well for them! The latter seven local dates all likely have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover. Between Dillion's addition, the name change, and Isaac Royer's departure (the band has not confirmed if they've found a new permanent bassist yet or not), there's been a lot of change in Exit 808's camp lately, but they've got a big summer ahead, so see above for more details!

We'll close today's post with the big announcement from Allstar Promotions, who had been teasing a show at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Saturday, September 21st in recent weeks, and they finally made the reveal on Tuesday, as original Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy will play here for the first time! Best known for hit songs like "Round & Round", "Back For More", and "Lay It Down", hair metal fans may recall seeing Ratt open for Skid Row here in June 2006 (apologies for missing that when covering Skid Row's local date earlier this year), but they were fronted by Jizzy Pearl then. Stephen's voice has held up over the years, and it will be interesting to see how he goes down as a solo headliner this fall on his 1984 Back In The Cellar Tour! Connecticut hair metal veterans Steelheart (not Streetheart) will open with hits like "I'll Never Let You Go" and "We All Die Young" in their back pocket, so don't be late for their apparent local debut this fall!

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10:00 AM at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office, while Rock 101 has been announcing a pre-sale code on air if you want to be an early bird. Tickets will run for $39.50 USD, and this all ages show begins at 8:00 PM. Hair metal is a proven draw in Sault Michigan, and Ratt still have a lot of fans, so hopefully Stephen's local debut is a huge hit this fall! Visit the above links for more on this concert, and stay tuned for Victoria Day long weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!