Fri 10/14 @ 8PM
British rocker Ian Hunter was a big Cleveland favorite even before he turned his song “England Rocks” into the anthem “Cleveland Rocks” in 1979 — and that’s part of the reason he did so. His frequent visits to town with Spiders From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson were greeted with the kind of only-in-Cleveland rapture according to Michael Stanley and, like Stanley, Todd Rundgren and many other artists whom the then-powerful WMMS-FM championed, he earned a bigger audience here than most places.
He’s remained close to the hearts of that generation of Cleveland rockers (and subsequent ones, thanks to WMMS airing “Cleveland Rocks” every Friday afternoon to kick off the weekend) and has returned to town semi-regularly. Now 77 (he was a little older than most of his contemporaries), he’s remained a lot more productive than most classic rockers, releasing an album every two or three years since the new millennium. His latest one, Fingers Crossed, with his current group, the Rant Band, just came out last month. It’s his 14th solo album and it features a song called “Dandy,” about his friend, the late David Bowie, whose tune “All The Young Dudes,” was a hit for Hunter’s former band Mott the Hoople in 1972 — and the launching pad for Hunter’s own career.
A new album means a return visit to his most loyal town. He’ll be at the Beachland Ballroom with the Rant Band. Tickets are $32.50 in advance, $35 at the door.