The Pork Tornadoes at the Rust Belt -- May 18.
Saturday, May 18, 8 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
Performing an eagerly anticipated concert return at East Moline venue The Rust Belt, the Midwestern pop-rockers of the Pork Tornadoes will deliver an eclectic assortment of hits on May 18, their energetic repertoire ranging from Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, and Beyonce all the way to Lizzo, Morgan Wallen, NSYNC, and Phil Collins.
A cover band from Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Pork Tornadoes began, in 2008, as a group whose moniker was in constant flux until they overheard a local radio DJ describe a destructive wind event that hit an area pig farm as a "pork tornado." The quartet originated with founding members Mason Greve, Cory Talbot, Brent Estlund, and Dante Ware, the latter of whom left the band in 2012 and was replaced by Mike Schulte, who was one of 100 finalists on NBC’s The Voice in 2014. Current bandmate Jerry Lorenson, meanwhile, joined the ensemble in 2016 after Estlund departed the group. Over the past dozen-plus years, the Pork Tornadoes have played more than 600 shows throughout the Midwest, with the musicians' first official performance at The Hub, for which the performers became the permanent house band in 2010 until the Cedar Rapids venue closed in 2014.
With the group boasting more than 20 million views of their videos all platforms and in excess of 100,000 social-media fans, the Pork Tornadoes' YouTube channel features dozens of live performances, short clips, and samplings of behind-the-scenes footage. From 2017 to 2020, the band regularly performed at RAGBRAI, and in January of 2020, the Pork Tornadoes released their debut EP Beard Pop, which peaked on the Apple iTunes Pop charts at number 20 and has been streamed more than 1.5 million times. Additionally, the musicians recently achieved viral success with the fourth-most viewed cover of "Tennessee Whiskey" on YouTube, as well as with an impromptu performance of "In the Air Tonight" boasting a drum line that was featured in Rolling Stone.
The Pork Tornadoes play their East Moline engagement on May 18 with an opening set by Monica Austin, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $15-25, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
