Friday, November 1, 7 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
Known and loved for such fan favorites as “Whiskey Man,” “Edge of Sundown,” “Fall of the Peacemakers,” and their signature smash “Flirtin' with Disaster,” the hard-rock and Southern-metal musicians of Molly Hatchet lay an eagerly awaited concert at East Moline venue the Rust Belt on November 1, with new lead vocalist Jimmy Elkins joining the venerated group on one of its first tour stops since the April passing of bandmate Phil McCormick.
Currently composed of Elkins, guitarist Bobby Ingram, bassist Tim Lindsey, drummer Shawn Beamer, and keyboardist John Galvin, Molly Hatchet was originally formed by guitarist Dave Hlubek in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1971. The band started out playing in local clubs, and in the process grabbed the attention of both Epic Records and Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynrd. Van Zant had agreed to produce the band’s debut before a 1977 plane crash killed him and other band members, a tragedy that put Molly Hatchet’s album on hold until the following year. On August 28, 1978, guitarist Dave Hlubek’s birthday, Molly Hatchet arrived in record stores across the United States. The musicians consequently toured with artists such as Aerosmith, Bob Seger, REO Speedwagon, UFO, and others, gaining exposure on tour that helped their debut album reach platinum sales. “We were well rehearsed, but we were not prepared for the whole arena thing and star shock,” Hlubek (who passed away in 2017) explained to the Classic Rock Revisited Web site. “We were rubbing elbows with stars that we were covering in bars!”
The follow-up to their debut, Flirtin’ with Disaster, was released in 1979 and the momentum from their first release only multiplied, with the album selling more than two million copies and its title song staying on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 10 weeks. Supporting their recordings with a strenuous touring schedule, the group played an average of 250 shows each year, with subsequent album releases including the platinum-selling Beatin' the Odds in 1980, 1981's Take No Prisoners, 1983's No Guts … No Glory, and 1984's The Deed Is Done. With their most recent release this year's live album Battleground, Molly Hatchet's discography includes 14 studio albums, eight live albums, and seven compilation albums, and the musicians continue to tour the United States, Japan, and the Middle East for U.S. Military personnel.
Molly Hatchet plays the Rust Belt at 8:30 p.m. on November 1, with an opening set by the Joe Stamm Band starting at 7 p.m. Admission is $20-25, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
