BUCYRUS – It’s going to be nothing but a good time in Bucyrus on Nov. 17 when Bret Michaels performs at Dillinger’s Entertainment Center & Restaurant.
The rock star’s stop in Bucyrus comes as part of his new tour, “The Party Starts Now.” The 20-stop tour will appear twice in Ohio; in addition to Dillinger’s in Bucyrus on Nov. 17 Michaels will be playing at Secrest Auditorium in Zanesville on Nov. 18.
Michaels first rose to fame as the frontman of the 1980s rock band, Poison. Since then, Michaels has reinvented himself several times as the star of his own TV show “Rock Of Love,” the creator of the Trop-A-Rocka Snapple drink, spokesperson of the American Diabetes Association, and all-around cultural icon.
Shawn Ridgeway, owner of Dillinger’s, said the opportunity to bring Michaels to Bucyrus came from a convenient connection plus the hard work of music connections Shane Grove and David Wade.
“We work with one of his agents who gave us a heads up that Michaels would be in the area,” Ridgeway said. “We’re a smaller venue and he’s used to doing bigger arenas, but he enjoys when he gets to do smaller venues like this.”
Dillinger’s has a maximum capacity of about 350, which allows for a much more intimate concert experience for everyone.
“The good thing here, they’re not in an arena or stadium so everyone will be up close and personal,” Ridgeway said. “The people that buy tickets are really going to enjoy this because they’ll be so close to him.”
Another performer excited to be close to the action is 17-year-old Chase Beaire, who will be one of three opening acts for Michaels. Others include local bands Perfectly Damaged and Roxy Mae.
“I know who Bret Michaels is, but we have a pretty different genre; his style of music isn’t really similar to mine but it’s still exciting nonetheless because there will still be a lot of people,” Beaire said. “Hopefully I’ll get a lot of new followers.”
Ridgeway said ticket sales have been steady since day one. General admission is $65, and a VIP experience mere feet away from the stage is $109. It’s a hike in price from Dillinger’s normal ticket sales, but the extra cash will be worth it.
“You can’t understand how close you’re going to be,” Ridgeway said.
VIP doors open at 5 p.m. and general admission doors open at 6 p.m. Opening bands will start playing at 7 p.m. and Michaels’ stage time is approximately 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available at showclix.com and at Dillinger’s by calling 419-562-0114 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
“We do a lot of shows here, between rock and country and different genres,” Ridgeway said. “A lot of these guys in the 1980s are starting to make a comeback, and people love the 80’s so we always work hard to feature shows like this.”
