Black Label Society Concert Video Showcase (Part 2!!)

Let's belatedly close out showcasing videos from the  Black Label Society-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino today! The delay was just to ensure that nothing else went up belatedly, so I think we have everything publically uploaded in the bag now, but we're not starting on YouTube. Actually, let's start with B.L.S. frontman Zakk Wylde's own Facebook page, as he uploaded three videos taken during and prior to the show there! Go back through posts from May 6th-9th for the local goods. Two of the videos are pre-show clips, including this 14 second video of berserkers who met the band for the meet & greet beforehand in a group shot of the Black Label Society's Sault Ste. Marie Chapter (this happens at all B.L.S. tour stops), as well as this 57 second clip of Zakk roaming backstage just before their set with a Doom Crew Inc. coffee mug while doing a silly voice.

Fun to see some of the pre-show and behind-the-scenes workings at a major Kewadin concert, and look for all of the posters from the previously cancelled B.L.S. dates there! Embedded below is the clip of Zakk & crew playing "Spoke In The Wheel" from quite a unique vantage point, appearing to be up on a balcony position high on the side wall, nicely showing how the venue was lit, gradually going from dark to light as berserkers on the floor are in view. Given the distance and abbreviated length, it's not an optimal view of the band, but it's an interesting angle, so check it out below!

Today's other videos come from prolific Rudyard-based musician Jon Johnson's YouTube channel, as Jon uploaded eleven videos from the May 6th proceedings, though be advised that six of them are "Shorts" videos that are intentionally brief vertical uploads not unlike what you see on TikTok. None of those are technically from Black Label Society's set, save for this pre-set clip of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" being played over the loudspeaker. Jon filmed three proper videos of B.L.S. in action, specifically their songs "Destroy & Conquer", "Spoke In The Wheel" again, and as embedded below, their set-opener "Bleed For Me". I didn't embed Jon's take of "Spoke In The Wheel" for variety's sake, as that's what Zakk himself uploaded, but Jon captured some good pre-song banter from Zakk with it, including acknowledgements of the pandemic postponements (though the March 2020 show was the first one cancelled, not the last one held.)

Apparently, Black Label had bus trouble they had en route to the Soo for this concert, so good thing they were able to power through, as could you imagine the show being postponed again? Not to mention Zakk actually losing his voice and having to postpone some dates after May 6th, so we got lucky in a sense! Jon's videos were shot from further back on the floor, so you have to deal with a lot of attendee heads, but he had a good view of the stage, and the audio quality holds up fairly well, so definitely give his videos a look above and below!

Jon did upload three videos of Nita Strauss' opening set, but all of them (including her radio hit "Dead Inside" linked below) are Shorts videos and have an insubstantial length & vertical orientation, and were also uploaded in monochrome. Check out the two instrumental clips here & here, but again, they're basically TikTok videos, and are notably from more of a side-stage angle before centering in time for B.L.S.' set. Give his Shorts clip of "Dead Inside" (with a David Draiman backing track) a watch below!

Finally, Jon uploaded three videos of opening blues rock artist Jared James Nichols' set, including Shorts of him playing his originals "Shadow Dancer" & "Bad Roots" (both remain in full colour). Embedded below is Jared and his backing band covering Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box", and I do have to note that Jon accidentally re-uploaded this credited as Nita Strauss and her band playing her song "The Quest", which may explain why he only had Shorts videos from her set. No word on if Jon still has that actual file to re-upload, we'll let you know if it turns up. Solid video of Jared & crew tackling this grunge staple with a bluesy edge, so give it a watch below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Black Label Society Concert Video Showcase (Part 1!!)

As promised, it's time to finally dive into some of the fallout from Friday night's Black Label Society-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, a show quite literally 2+ years in the making! Mercifully, there were no pandemic hangups or positive tests to throw yet another spanner in the works, as the fourth time was the charm for Zakk Wylde and crew to finally rock out with members of the Sault Ste. Marie chapter! I regrettably did not go as I caught a bad cold (not COVID) last week, and was still under the weather on Friday, so better safe than sorry, especially with the remaining pandemic measures at the border. That said, all reports I heard from attendees were very positive, and you can see for yourself via videos from the show, which have popped up from three known YouTube channels so far, and we'll start with a single Black Label Society upload from user Anthony Roy on Saturday!

Anthony filmed just the one clip of Black Label Society playing "You Made Me Wanna Live", and despite being in the vertical cell phone orientation, it's solid quality! Capturing Zakk in his finest kilt and sounding just like you'd expect from their albums, Anthony was in the second or third row on the floor, and the audio on this slower, more deliberate original is nice and clear with a good view of the stage, do don't bypass this one below!

The rest of today's videos all come from the prolific YouTube channel of Christopher Paci in his first concert video uploads since Buckcherry in Sault Ontario last fall, and his first at The Dreammakers Theater since The Hair Scare Live in February 2020 (we all know why it took this long). Good to see that Chris is able to cross the border and see shows across like normal, and he got eleven videos from all three acts on Friday, so let's start with Black Label Society, who were filmed for six of them! Along with 57 seconds of Zakk shredding and this 99 second clip of Zakk and fellow guitarist Dario Lorina dueling with guitar solos, Chris filmed four full songs from B.L.S.' set, including "Demise of Sanity", "A Love Unreal", "Spoke In The Wheel", and as embedded below, their closing song "Stillborn". While not as close to the stage as Anthony was, Chris was far more centered, and you get a good view of the mass of berzerkers in attendance on Friday!

The lighting can be a little overexposed from this vantage point, but Chris got some solid footage of the Doom Crew doing what they do best, and from his videos, you get songs that are both musically and emotionally heavy depending on your preference! Give these a look above and below!

From the openers, Chris shot three videos of Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss' set, including her & her solo band playing her instrumental "Our Most Desperate Hour", her hit single "Dead Inside" (featuring a backing track of Disturbed singer David Draiman rather than live vocals), and embedded below, two different instrumentals, namely "Alegria" & "Lion Among Wolves", with Nita acknowledging playing on that very stage during her second ever show with Alice Cooper between songs. Really strong videos here capturing Nita's technical guitar wizardry very nicely, and her band's up to the task, so give these clips a watch above & below as well!

Finally for today, Chris did film two videos of opening blues rock musician Jared James Nichols' set, including of his original "Bad Roots", but given that he's not a hard rock/metal musician, I wasn't projecting embedding a video of his here... until I noticed that he covered Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box" on Friday! The audio quality of the camera is noticeably rougher here compared to the later bands, but Jared gets a strong beefy sound in both songs, and he's clearly a very talented guitarist who can back it up vocally! Maybe with a little too much vocal emphasis at the end of some verses, but A.I.C. fans will dig it, and you can see more above & below!

That's all for today, but more Black Label Society concert videos will be hitting the site soon, and for now, stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Handsome Sandwich), Plus The Black Label Society Concert Preview!!

A busy concert weekend is ahead in the Twin Saults, so much so that we'll have to break up this weekend's hard rock concert previews! As such, previews of the previously announced concerts from Fyrbird, Fort Creek, and Obsession will be in tomorrow's post, with today's reflecting SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a huge headlining show over two years in the making, so here's what you shouuld know!

Local alternative hard rock quartet Handsome Sandwich will play their first concert set of 2022 when they open for indie rockers Man Feelings in their belated CD release party at Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced one week ago today (oddly late for a CD release show), and Handsome Sandwich themselves only confirmed the date on their own Facebook page last night. Last seen in November at The Rockstar Bar, this could be a prime opportunity for Handsome Sandwich fans to see this genre-hating quartet play new original material from their still-forthcoming album "Lettuce", and hopefully Taylor, Jesse, Mitch, and Johnny leave a solid impression to kick off the evening! Of course, Man Feelings (featuring Bizotic alum B.J. Swire) have been gaining a steady profile as of late, though their CD in question has already been released!

Their debut EP "City Friends" came out last year, but presumably due to the pandemic, a release concert is only feasible now, which will also double as the formal launch for their new music video for their single "Modest Spouse". While not a hard rock band, Man Feelings are a talented and distinct alt-rock group, so don't bypass their set TOMORROW NIGHT! An 8:30 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, which has a $10 cover charge, though tickets are also available online at this link. See above for more details on what should be an entertaining night of live music, and here's Handsome Sandwich playing one of their newer originals last year!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows have not been publically acknowledged at press time by the band or venue on Facebook, but drummer Glen Thomas did announce the dates on his personal Facebook page (alas, there have been weekends where that's all their shows got). While fans will have seen Soundcheck at Reggie's West last week and/or tonight for their weekly jam night there, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows will be their first at the original downtown Reggie's in just over a month. Despite the slim notice, Soundcheck should deliver a solid weekend of classic & hard covers, plus select country favourites given the locale, so don't miss out TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY!

As usual for their Reggie's Place gigs, expect 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits this weekend once again. Visit the above links for more details when/if they roll in, and here's Soundcheck live!

Now let's head to Michigan for a preview of a show with lots of advance notice, namely this weekend's main event, as Los Angeles groove metal quartet Black Label Society will finally headline at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT! As you may recall, B.L.S. (led by long-time Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde) were originally supposed to play here in March 2020, with that show being cancelled due to the newly announced pandemic lockdown while they were at Kewadin setting up for it, with reschedulings for that August and last November also called off due to pandemic restrictions. With mandates and such at a much less worrisome state in May 2022, it looks like the fourth time will finally be the charm, but if you are at all concerned, keep tabs on Black Label Society and Kewadin pages for any pandemic-related updates.

Touring in support of their new album "Doom Crew Inc.", Zakk and crew have carved a very strong following with songs like "Suicide Messiah", "Parade of the Dead", and "Stillborn", and their hard hitting brand of metal should attract a strong turnout at long last tomorrow! The ravages of three prior postponements mean that prior announced openers Obituary, Prong, and Lord of Dying are not returning from any of the old dates. The top opener now is metal guitar virtuoso Nita Strauss in her second local concert appearance, having played here with Alice Cooper in June 2014 (her second show in his band!), and it will be awesome to see Nita deliver some skilled and very heavy guitar wizardry tomorrow night! Wisconsin blues rock musician Jared James Nichols will open the proceedings, and while not a metal artist, he fits in well for Zakk's own blues side, and he's a very capable artist, so don't bypass him!

Admission for this standing-room-only (re: no seating) show is $27.50 USD, and it's not sold out, so get yours at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office. Print-at-home and mobile ticket options are available as well, and click here for the nitty-gritty on any updated ticket procedures. Tickets from the prior three dates that were held on to will be honoured tomorrow night. The show proper is all ages with a 7:30 PM start time. As best as I can tell, this is the first major Dreammakers Theater concert of any genre since the pandemic began (other shows have been announced but cancelled outright or rescheduled afterward), so there are extra precautions to take note of. Notably, Kewadin recommends arriving a little early and to prepare to go through metal detectors before entering the theater (and do not bring backpacks or large purses).

As for Canadians hoping to go over, while the US/Canada border is open to fully vaccinated travellers without having to show a negative PCR test result upon re-entry, you will still have to enter your return trip into the ArriveCAN mobile application before returning to customs, and you may be given a random COVID-19 test, and/or may have to show paper proof of vaccination. Full information on current border rules can be found at this link. Fingers crossed everything goes smooth for the bands, casino, and fans tomorrow night, and hopefully Black Label Society deliver a great night of grim metal action for Saultite fans at long last! See above for more details, and here are the headliners live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

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!