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Are you ready for a ‘Shellabration’?

Bret Michaels to headline at June 11 concert; Molly Hatchet, Lone Tree Revival also in the lineup

-Submitted photo
Bret Michaels will headline this year's Shellabration concert on June 11.

The organizers of the annual Shellabration concerts wanted to throw a party to mark the 20th anniversary of the shows in Fort Dodge, so they invited Bret Michaels.

To add a little more excitement, they also invited the band Molly Hatchet.

And to top it off, they further invited local band Lone Tree Revival.

Michaels, the front man for the band Poison and a reality TV star, will be the headliner at the June 11 Shellabration concert at the soccer fields at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex.

“His shows are high energy,” said Jim Reed, president of Shellabration Inc. “His stage presence is high energy.”

-Submitted photo
Lone Tree Revival consists of, from left, Steve Nelson, Dan Cassady, Sean Minikis, Jeremy Ober, Dean Davis, Tim Miller and Jeremy Pearson.

He said the Fort Dodge concert will be Michaels’ last solo show this summer before he begins a major tour playing in stadiums and arenas with Poison and Motley Crue. Reed said people coming to Shellabration will see and hear Michaels for as little as $40 a ticket, while those going to the stadium concerts will pay $100 or more.

Poison, with Michaels as lead singer, has charted hits like “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Nothing But a Good Time,” “Talk Dirty To Me,” “Unskinny Bop,” “I Want Action” and “Fallen Angel.”

Michaels starred in “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels” and “Life As I Know It.”

He appeared on “Celebrity Apprentice” and won the competition, raising more than $300,000 for diabetes research in the process.

His newest show, “Rock My RV with Bret Michaels” will debut on the Travel Channel in May. On the show, Michaels will lead a group in fixing up RVs in rock star style.

-Submitted photo
The Molly Hatchet rock band will be performing at this year's Shellabration concert on June 11.

Ted Bodensteiner, vice president of Shellabration Inc., said some younger people may know Michaels more for his TV shows than his music.

“He’s just an everyday type of guy who happens to be a rock star,” Bodensteiner said.

Molly Hatchet

This southern rock band is perhaps best known for the song “Flirtin’ With Disaster.”

Between 1978 and 1984, the band also released the hits “Dreams I’ll Never See,” “Whiskey Man,” “Gator Country,” and “Satisfied Man.”

Reed remembers hearing “Flirtin’ With Disaster” as a teenager while cruising Central Avenue.

“I remember shagging the drag in Fort Dodge back in 1980,” he said. “Flirtin’ With Disaster” would come on the radio and you’d be hearing it up and down Central Avenue from nearly every Camero and Trans Am.”

The band’s name came from a 17th century serial killer who beheaded her lovers.

Lone Tree Revival

This local group is a rock band with a horn section. It consists of Dan Cassady on trombone, Tim Miller on trumpet, Steve Nelson on saxophone, Sean Minikis on guitar and vocals, Jeremy Ober on guitar and vocals, Jeremy Pearson on bass and vocals and Dean Davis on drums.


Ticket Information

Tickets go on sale Saturday. They will cost $40 in advance and will increase to $50 beginning May 30.

Initially, they will be available only online at www.ticketweb.com

Beginning on April 16 they will be available at Hy-Vee, 115 S. 29th St. Other retail locations will be announced later.

Kids 12 and under will be admitted free.

June 11 Schedule

5:30 p.m.: Gates open

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Lone Tree Revival

7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.: Molly Hatchet

9:15 p.m: Bret Michaels


20 years of Shellabration

The first Shellabration concert was held July 3, 2002, at the Oleson Park Bandshell. The Fab Four, a Beatles tribute group, was the headliner.

Over the years, the list of performers has included The Beach Boys, Three Dog Night, ZZ Top, Sammy Hagar, Chicago, Cheap Trick, 38 Special, Huey Lewis & The News, Styx, Foreigner, and REO Speedwagon.

“You continue to buy tickets and support us and we’ll continue to bring you these concerts as long as we can,” said Jim Reed, the president of Shellabration Inc. “We still have a few bands on our bucket list and a couple more really cool ideas that I’d like to see to completion before we land this plane.”

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