Information provided by Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
GARY, Ind. (June 20, 2022) – The next handful of months at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana will see a wide variety of acts come to the venue’s three performance stages. As Free Country Music Fridays continue, Hard Rock will host Chaka Khan, Daughtry, Trevor Noah, and others. Council Oak Bar and Hard Rock Café performances are free. Hard Rock Live performances are ticketed.
Thursday, 6/23/2022
Brett Young – Hard Rock Live – 7 p.m.
- Young has captured the hearts of fans everywhere through his honest lyrics and West Coast-meets-Southern sound, aptly dubbed “Caliville” style. With an undeniable string of hits and two albums defined by a transcendent romantic spark, he has cemented his status as Country’s master over matters of the heart. Young was named ASCAP’s 2018 Country Songwriter-Artist of the Year for his “melodic craftsmanship” (Billboard) and has also garnered nominations from ACM, Billboard, Teen Choice, CMT and CMA Awards. Racking seven consecutive No. 1 hits, Rolling Stone deemed Young “one of country’s most consistent radio stars.” Tickets area $59.50 and up: Ticketmaster.com.
Friday, 6/24/2022
Chaka Khan – Hard Rock Live – Doors open at 7 p.m.
- Chaka Khan is one of the world’s most gifted and celebrated music icons. A singer, songwriter, actor, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur and activist, Chaka has influenced generations of music creators during her four decades as an artist. A ten-time Grammy Award winner, she has the ability to sing in a number of musical genres, including R&B, pop, rock, gospel, country, world music, and classical. She is revered by millions of fans as well as her peers for her timeless, unmatched vocal style and image. The late, great Miles Davis noted that Chaka “sings like my horn,” and none other than the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, has said that Chaka “is a one-of-a-kind, premier vocalist.” Tickets are $67.50 and up: Ticketmaster.com.
Mike Wheeler Band – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
- Mike Wheeler has a vast knowledge of music and a voice that’s reminiscent of the late Sam Cooke. From jazz to rock, from popular music to Top 40, he is a staple in the Chicago blues community. Mike plays and writes songs for a variety of Chicago artists including Nellie Tiger Travis, Peaches Staten, Sam Cockrell, Demetria Taylor, Big Ray & Cadillac Dave. Mike was inducted in the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.
Brandy Clark – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- An eight-time Grammy nominee and a CMA Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician, Brandy Clark is in the midst of a breakthrough year following the release of her Grammy-nominated album, “Your Life is a Record.” The album was created after the dissolution of a long-term relationship and features Clark’s most personal songwriting to date. The record landed on several “Best of 2020” lists including NPR Music, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Variety and Slate. Clark also recently wrote “A Beautiful Noise,” a new duet performed by Carlile and Alicia Keys, along with an all-female team of musicians. Continuing her triumphant year, Clark was nominated for two awards at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards—Best Country Album (Your Life is a Record) and Best Country Solo Performance (“Who You Thought I Was”).
Saturday, 6/25/2022
Mississippi Heat – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
- Led by harmonica master and songwriter Pierre Lacocque, Mississippi Heat is a world-class Chicago Blues Band. Their motto is “Traditional Blues with a Unique Sound” as they present fresh yet vintage-based musical ideas.
Ronnie Baker Brooks – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Ronnie Baker Brooks is a Chicago Blues and Soul staple. Brooks has been declared “blues royalty”, as his style honors the torch-bearers of this unique sound which includes Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Luther Allison as well as his father — Lonnie Brooks.
Friday, 7/1/2022
Mike Wheeler Band – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
- Mike Wheeler has a vast knowledge of music and a voice that’s reminiscent of the late Sam Cooke. From jazz to rock, from popular music to Top 40, he is a staple in the Chicago blues community. Mike plays and writes songs for a variety of Chicago artists including Nellie Tiger Travis, Peaches Staten, Sam Cockrell, Demetria Taylor, Big Ray & Cadillac Dave. Mike was inducted in the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.
Gangstagrass – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Gangstagrass combines American traditions of bluegrass, hip-hop, and beyond to create a whole new musical genre. As latest album No Time For Enemies climbed to #1 on the Billboard bluegrass chart, Americana Highways magazine proclaimed Emmy-nominated Gangstagrass “America’s Band” because they take so much of what’s amazing about this country — ingenuity, creativity, freedom, unity across differences, people’s individual strength and struggles — and distill it into a message of common ground in the form of original songs that have everyone dancing.
Saturday, 7/2/2022
Laura Rain – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
- Laura Rain is a hard driving soul singer who uses the power and finesse of her own voice to inspire and electrify your spirit. Born and raised in Detroit, she delivers her original music with fearless emotion and excitement. Along with her creative partner George Friend, the pair have released four albums, and six singles with a unique blend of contemporary funky soul, blues, and R&B worthy of Detroit’s rich history of musical innovators.
Mackenzie O’Brien Band – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Mackenzie O’Brien is a singer-songwriter and band leader from the northern Illinois / southern Wisconsin area. Mackenzie has headlined at various venues in Chicago, Madison, and Nashville and also performed in the cities of Denver, Los Angeles, Dallas, Milwaukee, and Austin. Mackenzie has landed over 25 original songs on small market radio in the USA and Europe.
Friday, 7/8/2022
Gabe Schonman – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
- Gabe Schonman is an award-winning arranger and vocalist who’s ready to hit the HardRock stage. Gabe is a born-and-raised Chicagoan who has dedicated every aspect of his life to music. With an impressive mix of hits from yesterday and today, his infectious energy, charm, and smooth vocals are sure to captivate an audience.
Young Guns Country Band Chicago – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Aim for a rootin’-tootin’ good time with the Young Guns as they bring the sound and look of Nashville to a hoedown at Hard Rock.
Saturday, 7/9/2022
Laura Rain – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
Alanna Royale – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Alanna Royale makes classic-minded R&B and soul music for the modern age. It’s a sound rooted in big melodies, blasts of brass, percussive punch, and old-school grooves, with songs that shine a light not only on frontwoman Alanna Quinn-Broadus’ larger-than-life voice, but her songwriting chops, too.
Friday, 7/15/2022
Collective Soul and Switchfoot – Hard Rock Live – 6 p.m.
- Georgia-bred rockers Collective Soul achieved commercial success in the mid-1990s. They are best known for their chart-topping songs “December,” “Shine,” and “The World I Know.” The special sonic elixir that fuels Collective Soul’s continued success story is a straightforward one: a profound mixture of insightful songwriting and impeccable band chemistry. Through their unique blend of emotionally intelligent and uplifting brand of alternative rock, Switchfoot has earned a devoted and loyal global fan base. Switchfoot has sold almost 10 million copies worldwide of their twelve studio albums (including their 2003 double-platinum breakthrough “The Beautiful Letdown” and 2009’s Grammy Award-winning “Hello Hurricane”) and has racked up a string of alternative radio hit singles. Tickets $52.50: Ticketmaster.com.
Shawn Holt – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
- Shawn Holt is the son of Legendary Blues Great Magic Slim. The high energy, hard driving sound of The Teardrops is still alive and well and if you like what Magic Slim and The Teardrops did for the past 35 years, you can continue to enjoy that unique sound and energy with Shawn Holt and The Teardrops.
Southern Draw Chicago – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Southern Draw is a country band in Chicago. They may throw in a hint of Southern Rock, and little bit more.
Saturday, 7/16/2022
Laura Rain – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
R-Gang – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- R-Gang is considered one of the best R&B dance bands in the Chicago area. Specializing in R&B, funk, and soul from the Motown era into the 21st Century, R-Gang is comprised of highly respected members of Chicagoland’s musical community, with backgrounds as diverse as the band members. From playing with national acts like Survivor or Mavis Staples, to writing and recording for groups like Doobie Brothers or Buddy Guy, to performing as on-field band for the Chicago Bears and pre-game entertainment for the Chicago Bulls, the musicians in R-Gang hold years of experience.
Friday, 7/22/2022
The Smiley Tillmon Band featuring Kate Moss – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
- Smiley knows how to have a good time and makes sure his audience does too. After 55 years on the local blues scene, Tillmon serves up the blues and soul standards that people never seem to stop craving, his rich vocals and fluid guitar backed by a band that keeps his grooves tight and right. He joined forces with bassist Tom Rezetko, and they’ve been inseparable onstage ever since. Kate Moss shares guitar duties with Tillmon. Drummer George Baumann completes one of the Windy City’s toughest blues combos.
Brandon Lay – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- A country singer-songwriter with a rock & roll spirit and a small-town heart, EMI Records Nashville’s Brandon Lay was born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee, halfway between two of music’s most influential cities. “You were hearing out of each ear: rock & roll and R&B to the west in Memphis, and country to the east in Nashville,” says Brandon. Called “A country-rock version of Bruce Springsteen” (Rolling Stone), Brandon hit the airwaves with songs like “Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers” and “Yada Yada Yada” and has most recently released “Crazy Like You” and “Startin Young.” Also an avid road warrior, Brandon has toured with some of country’s biggest artists including Dierks Bentley, Cole Swindell, Brantley Gilbert, Old Dominion, and Kenny Chesney.
Saturday, 7/23/2022
Laura Rain – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
Infinity – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Formed in 1985, Infinity grew from being not only a Journey Tribute band, but one of the top drawing cover bands in the Midwest. Two-plus decades rocking hundreds of local music festivals and lighting up the Chicago suburbs each summer have put Infinity in front of hundreds of thousands of fans.
Friday, 7/29/2022
Daughtry – Hard Rock Live – 6 p.m.
- Daughtry, one of the most visible and consistent Rock & Roll torchbearers of the 21st Century, has sold over 9 million albums and 16 million singles worldwide as well as selling out concerts across the globe. Their debut album, the self-titled Daughtry, was the top-selling album of 2007, producing four Top 20 Platinum-selling singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the fastest-selling rock debut album in Soundscan history. It was also nominated for four Grammy Awards and won four American Music Awards and seven Billboard Music Awards including Album of the Year. The subsequent albums, Leave This Town (2009), Break the Spell (2011), Baptized (2013), and Cage to Rattle (2018) were all certified Gold and placed in the top 10 in the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. In 2020, Daughtry released their newest single, “World on Fire,” which marked their return to their rock roots and the top of the Rock Charts in the US. Tickets $62 and up: Ticketmaster.com.
John Primer – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
- John Primer has undisputedly helped build the sound and style of Chicago blues as we know it today. The echos of tradition bellowing from the birthplaces he played such as: Maxwell Street, Theresa’s, Checkerboard ,and Rosa’s Lounges, pulse from every chord in his fingers today. John Primer is a Chicago Blues Living Legend.
Collin Raye Band – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Country artist Collin Raye was one of the true hit makers of the 1990s. Collin still continues to crank out soulful, heartfelt material with the honesty and richness that is signature to his vocals alone. With 24 top ten records, 16 #1 hits, and having been a 10-time male vocalist of the year nominee (5 CMA and 5 ACM), this truly electrifying performer of his era remains one of the great voices of our time. Collin Raye is nothing if not passionate. His soulful delivery has set country standards in such searing ballads as “Love, Me,” “In This Life,” “Not That Different” and “If I were you”. Always an energizing showman, he has also blazed through such vivid rockers as “My Kind of Girl,” “That’s My Story,” “I Can Still Feel You” and “I Want You Bad.”
Friday, 7/30/2022
Laura Rain – Council Oak Bar Stage – 8 p.m.
Freddy Jones Band – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Modern rock radio hits rarely offer a band any street cred for its live show, but don’t tell that to Chicago’s Freddy Jones Band who have the hits (including the #1s “In A Daydream” and “One World”) but earned a truly decided fanbase from its anthemic concerts, which feature a blend of technical wizardry with air-tight, melodic, roots/rock songwriting. There’s no surprise that FJB has been packaged live with everyone from Dave Matthews Band to Bruce Hornsby to Hootie & The Blowfish and that their consistent songwriting resume has earned an organic, career-retrospective “This is: Freddy Jones Band” playlist on Spotify. Led by original singer and songwriter Marty Lloyd and former Samples bass player Rich Ross, Freddy Jones Band continue to be mainstays at hard ticket venues and events, from Boston to Chicago to San Francisco and everywhere in between with more recorded music to come in 2021.
Thursday, 8/4/2022
Anthrax & Black Label Society with Hatebreed – Hard Rock Live – 7 p.m.
- Anthrax has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple Gold and Platinum certifications, received six GRAMMY nominations, and a host of other accolades from the media, the music industry, and fans. Along with Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth, Anthrax is a card-carrying member of The Big Four, the four bands that defined the speed/thrash/metal genre. Black Label Society is a heavy metal band from Los Angeles. They were formed in the late 1990s by former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde. Throughout their career, they have recorded eleven studio albums. Their eighth, The Order of the Black, made it to Number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. Hardcore heavy metal band HATEBREED is the opening act. Tickets $59 and up Ticketmaster.com.
Friday, 8/5/2022
TESLA – Hard Rock Live – 7 p.m.
- TESLA’s music is often referred to as heavy metal but is better described as blues metal. The band’s lyrics also strayed from the themes popular in heavy metal, particularly in the 1980’s at the beginning of their career. A further distinction from their contemporaries was their blue-collar, T-shirt-and-jeans image which was in strong contrast to glam bands of the time, which were characterized by big hair, leather pants, and flashy makeup. During the early years of their career, TESLA toured with David Lee Roth, Def Leppard, and Aerosmith. Tickets $49.50 and up: Ticketmaster.com.
William Clark Green – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- A singer and songwriter whose slice-of-life tunes and rough, heartfelt delivery earned him a following in the Southwest, William Clark Green was born in Flint, Texas on May 19, 1986. When Green was 12, his family moved to College Station, Texas and he began taking guitar lessons at church. Green’s tastes then leaned to hard rock, but when his father played him Willis Alan Ramsey’s classic 1972 debut album, the youngster became interested in the Texas singer/songwriter tradition. Green immersed himself in the work of Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Pat Green, and began writing songs of his own.
Saturday, 8/6/2022
Run Forrest Run – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Run Forrest Run offers all things 90s, giving listeners one of the best 90s tributes in the Chicago area. Get ready to sing and dance all night long as they party like it’s 1999.
Friday, 8/12/2022
RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq The World Tour – Hard Rock Live – 7 p.m.
- The Official RuPaul’s Drag Race World Tour returns with an all-new production. An experiment gone wrong sends the audience spiraling through time with no way of returning to the present. The audience will watch as the queens go on a journey through iconic eras of history in hopes of finding their way back to 2022. Performers include Bosco, Daya Betty, Vanessa Vanjie, Kameron Michaels, Yvie Oddly, Rosé, and Jaida Essence Hall. Line-up is subject to change. Tickets $60 and up: Ticketmaster.com.
Made in America: A Tribute to Toby Keith – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Made in America: A Tribute to Toby Keith is self-described as America’s most authentic tribute to Toby Keith. The eleven-piece band recreates the energy, look, and feel of a Toby Keith concert. Chicago music scene veteran Paul Wenzel portrays Toby and has been honored to receive the award for Best Country Music Performer at the Chicago Music Awards. Made In America also features a horn section that has toured with the likes of The Ides of March and Ray Charles. The show is always dedicated to America’s veterans and first responders.
Saturday, 8/13/2022
Trevor Noah: Back to Abnormal Tour – Hard Rock Live – 6:30 p.m.
- Trevor Noah is the most successful comedian in Africa and is the host of the Emmy Award-winning “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central. Under Trevor, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” has broken free from the restraints of a 30-minute linear show, producing engaging social content, award-winning digital series, podcasts, and more for its global audience. In 2020, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” received six Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Writing for A Variety Series. Tickets $79.50 and up: Ticketmaster.com.
Libido Funk Circus – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- From their inception in 1996, one thing that has always remained the same about Libido Funk Circus is their love for a “good show.” LFC not only loves to perform music, but to entertain… to provide an audience a high-energy, feel-good show to make them smile and forget about their troubles. Some artists you can expect to hear covered at an LFC show… The BeeGees, Bruno Mars, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Journey, Katy Perry, Madonna, and Luke Bryan.
Friday, 8/19/2022
Hillbilly Rockstarz – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- The musicians in Hillbilly Rockstarz grew up with the love of country and Rock n’ Roll music. Each member brings a unique musical aesthetic to the band and over the years they have grown comfortable with mixing it up, ddding genres and mashing up influences from pop, rock, and dance. Country music is the band’s first love, but they’ll surprise audiences with other music as well.
Saturday, 8/20/2022
Motor City: The Motown Revue – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Motor City: The Motown Revue is dedicated to the authenticity of the music that changed a nation. Whether you are reliving this era of your life or visiting it for the first time the band guarantees a performance to remember. Their goal in “Motor City” is to bring back great memories and educate the audience about the music they hear everywhere. Whether in an elevator, shopping in a store, watching a commercial break in your daily program, or enjoying a movie you are bound to hear a song from the Motown catalog. They give you eight of his great artists in one night, from the Supremes to the Temptations, from Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Friday, 8/26/2022
Kelsey Waldon – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- On her new album, White Noise/White Lines, Kelsey Waldon captures the rugged country sound of her touring band without sacrificing the intimacy of her songwriting. Waldon is native of Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky, who took an interest in singing, songwriting and playing guitar as a child. White Noise/White Lines released October 4, 2019 on Oh Boy Records. White Noise/White Lines was included in NPR Music’s Best of 2019 roundup, as well as Garden & Gun, The Fader, Paste, Stereogum, and The Bitter Southerner’s best of/year end lists.
Saturday, 8/27/2022
Wayne Baker Brooks – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Wayne Baker Brooks is considered one of today’s top guitarists whose signature style combines powerful vocals with liquid fire guitar playing that honors his rich blues heritage yet expands the boundaries of the genre. Born and raised in Chicago amongst the most prolific blues legends and blues masters in the world, Wayne Baker Brook’s blues roots run deep.
Friday, 9/2/2022
Wesley Dean – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Singer-songwriter and Australian Idol winner Wesley Dean recently made the move to Nashville where his creativity and inspiration has never felt more alive. Feeling called to music from a young age, his passion prompted Dean to move to Sydney as a teen in pursuit of his musical journey. After years of honing in on his songwriting craft and playing gig after gig, Dean decided to make a change.
Saturday, 9/3/2022
The Spazmatics – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- The Spazmatics are renowned as “The Ultimate 80s New Wave Tribute”. The Spazmatics recapture all the best of the worst. Outstanding musicianship combined with creative flair and style makes for an evening of energy and entertainment.
Sunday, 9/4/2022
Mike Wheeler Band – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
Friday, 9/9/2022
Tyler Reese Tritt – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- A true entertainer at heart, Tyler Reese Tritt has always imagined herself growing up to sing professionally. She first got that chance in 2012 recording the classic Don Henley and Patty Smyth duet, “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough,” with her father, Travis Tritt, at 14-years-old. Since that pivotal moment, Tyler has played for thousands at venues and festivals across the country while opening for a variety of acts, such as Sheryl Crow, Travis Tritt, and Runaway June. She also released her debut single, “Perfect,” a song about young romance, in 2017.
Saturday, 9/10/2022
Ronnie Baker Brooks – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
Friday, 9/16/2022
Jeremy McComb – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- From radio to tour managing, releasing five albums, growing an international fan base, hitting the Billboard charts and writing songs for projects selling over 6 Million copies — including a Grammy-nominated soundtrack (Blue Collar Comedy Tour – One for the Road) — Jeremy McComb has done it all. Proudly and fiercely independent in both spirit and style, The Average Joes Entertainment recording artist was born in Idaho as a sixth-generation musician. Obsessed with artists who share a gift for storytelling (and little else), he found inspiration in everything from Jim Croce to Tom Petty, and now bridges the canyons between country, rock, and folk.
Saturday, 9/17/2022
American English – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- American English is a renowned Beatles tribute band based in the Chicago area. At the inception of the band, they were voted “number one” by thousands of Beatles fans as winners of sound alike contests at Beatlefest for three consecutive years. They have also won Illinois Entertainer of the Year and have been voted “Best Tribute Band” three of the last four years by their fans in the Chicagoland area.
Friday, 9/23/2022
Sister Hazel – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Originating from Gainesville, FL, Sister Hazel is comprised of five seasoned musicians whose well-spring of natural talent has been called “one of the Top 100 Most Influential Independent Performers of the last 15 years” by Performing Songwriter Magazine. Song “All for You” topped the adult alternative charts during the summer of 1997 and the success propelled their album to platinum status. In February 2018, “Water,” landed on the Billboard Country Albums chart at #9 and at #2 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart along with making their debut on the most revered stage in country music, the Grand Ole Opry. In September of 2018, “Wind” landed at #1 on iTunes country page and #11 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart. In February 2019, Vol. III “Fire” landed at#5 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart and #46 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart. The collectible compilation series ended with “Earth” which again landed at on the charts at #15 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Album chart.
Saturday, 9/24/2022
Boy Band Review – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- Boy Band Review is a premier boy band tribute show. Bringing full production lights, video, choreography, harmonies, and energy, Boy Band Review has captured the hearts of fans with their boy band shows that transport audience members back in time to the days of frosted tips and hunky frontmen professing their undying love. Boy Band Review shows are an incredible throwback experience where fans relive great years.
Friday, 9/30/2022
South City Revival – Hard Rock Café Stage – 9 p.m.
- South City Revival is a workingman’s band from Chicago, IL. Forged in the city of frigid winters and ferocious wind, the band continues to expand on their vision of Midwest Americana with, “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire”. The new album, the band’s first full-length effort, is at its core an exploration of country and roots-rock music. Drawing on the energy and storytelling from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Brooks & Dunn, Tom Petty, and Steve Earle, listeners are immersed in a landscape filled with abandoned steel mills, sticky bar floors, and rusted-out Chevys.
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana is located at 5400 West 29th Avenue, Gary, IN.
