Summer concert series brings rock and wrestling to Logansport; Mick Foley to appear

Apr. 3—Bonus Pints (422 E. Broadway) is bringing back rock and wrestling with its 2024 Summer Concert Series lineup.

While you won't find Hulk Hogan singing "Land of 1,000 Dances", you will get Ohio Valley wrestling, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, the Supersuckers, Duke Tumatoe & the Power Trio, Scarecrow, Adam Gundrum and much more.

"The outdoor summer concert series has become an important part of the downtown resurgence," said Bonus Pints co-owner Matt Swisher.

The series begins June 1 with an Ohio Valley Wrestling live event, one of eight events in the lineup. The final weekend is Sept. 27-28 with an appearance by Foley on Friday and a concert by Scarecrow with Jason McKeever on Saturday.

Foley, a wrestler best known for his run in the WWF (now World Wrestling Entertainment) during the late 90's attitude era. Foley spent years in the independent scene, wrestling in violent matches as Cactus Jack. He lost his ear in a 1994 WCW match against Big Van Vader, though the ear was reattached. Foley entered the WWE as the enigmatic Mankind and feuded with the legendary Undertaker. The rivalry included a famous match where Foley twice fell 16 feet from the roof of a steel cage, first plummeting through a ringside table and then falling through the cage roof to the ring. As an encore, Foley was bodyslammed onto thousands of thumbtacks.

Foley soon became a superstar, wrestling in his many personalities such as Mankind, Cactus Jack and the wrestler he created as a teenager, Dude Love.

In 1999, he won the then WWF world championship by beating Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He would later form a comedic tag team with The Rock.

Foley crossed over into the mainstream when he published his autobiography in 1999, which became a number one New York Times bestseller, and later made multiple appearances on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

There will be a price to attend the Mick Foley autograph session but following the event, the South Bend punk band The Foleys, a group who dress as Foley's various characters and perform wrestling inspired songs, will do a free concert.

A friendship between Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) began developing last year when Savini Comics brought former WWE wrestler Al Snow to town for an autograph session. Snow oversees OVW and the promotion was featured last year in a Netflix documentary series called "Wrestlers."

"We are very excited to be involved in the the summer lineup," said Savini Comics owner Nicholas Savini. "Logansport, in the past, had been a wrestling town and we are hoping to bring that back. My events with both Al Snow and Hacksaw Jim Duggan have been successful and this just continues that."

Savini said that he and his father, Jack, wanted to continue to give back to the community and were thankful that Matt and Katya Swisher welcomed their sponsorship in memory of their mother and wife, Toni Savini.

"Toni Savini loved this town and knew what it could be and helped promote the city and county for years," he said. "My dad is so excited to see his wife's name on the flyers. He saw her dedication to the visitors bureau first hand and knows that she is so pleased to still be a part of this."

When it comes to the music, Swisher noted that the Supersuckers were signed to the popular indie music label Sub Pop for most of the 90s. The podcast "Punk Til I Die" partnered with Bonus Pints to bring the band to Logansport.

The concert series is also made possible by Cass County Title and Security Federal, Mary Max Cinema, The Record Farm, Logan Tech, Steinberger Construction and Creative Promotions.

"I am really thankful for all the sponsors who chipped in for the expense of booking the bands, the tent and booking the sound guy, the lights and things like that," said Swisher. "It's not a cheap event to pull off."

All shows are free, all ages and will take place rain or shine.