City gears up for expanded season

Music, magic, movies & more taking stage in year 2

Lake County-based Journey tribute band Escape was a crowd favorite during Mentor Civic Amphitheater’s inaugural season last year, drawing more than 7,000 attendees to the state-of-the-art facility.

The band, which will kick off the 2018 Mentor Rocks concert series, is pretty fond of the venue as well.

“Playing the amphitheater as a musician of 35 years, and playing for a crowd that size, is one of the best things that has ever happened to me,” said lead guitarist Steve Razayeski of Mentor. “Last year, I remember being on stage and looking from my left to my right, and panning the whole crowd and just saying to myself, I can’t believe this. One of the best feelings in the world doing something like that.”

An even bigger crowd is anticipated this year, weather cooperating, and the amphitheater season attendance — totaling more than 40,000 in 2017 — also is likely to grow based on the expanded lineup.

“Forty events are scheduled for the amphitheater this summer, including a comedy night, movie nights, opera, classical performances and more,” said Mentor Community Relations Administrator Ante Logarusic.

The amphitheater season actually begins June 2 with AMPed Rock,the first of three such festivals featuring multiple bands and different genres. Country and R&B festivals are slated for July 7 and Aug. 4, respectively.

“There will be three main acts on each of these dates with acoustic acts in between during tear down/ setup of the next act, seven food trucks … basically an all-day Mentor Rocks with a theme,” Logarusic said.

“The bands were selected along the same criteria as Mentor Rocks. We want to present variety as well as quality talent.”

The first festival will include Abbey Rodeo, the Modern Electric and Fleetwood Macked, plus acoustic sets by Joe Sumph and Pete Maric, and Dustin Kaiser.

Gates open at noon. Music starts at 1 p.m.. Admission and parking are free.

The complete list of amphitheater events scheduled for this season is as follows:

• AMPed Rock Festival — 1-9 p.m., June 2

• Mentor Comedy Night — 7 p.m., June 9

• Mentor Rocks: Escape — 7 p.m., June 12

• Resonanz Opera — 7 p.m., June 15

• Mark Wood Experience — 7 p.m., June 16

• Mentor Rocks: Victory Highway (modern country/ rock) — 7 p.m., June 19

• Movie in the Park — 7 p.m., June 21

• Ten (Pearl Jam tribute) — 7 p.m., June 26

• Mentor Rocks: Jersey (Bruce Springsteen tribute) — 7 p.m., July 3

• Cleveland Pops & Fireworks — 8 p.m., July 4

• AMPed Country Music Festival — 1 to 9 p.m., July 7

• Mentor Rocks: Johnny Cash tribute — 7 p.m., July 10

• Summer Works: The Movement Project — 7 p.m., July 12

• Mentor Rocks: Kings Highway (Tom Petty tribute) — 7 p.m., July 17

• Movie in the Park — 7 p.m., July 19

• Resonanz Opera — 7 p.m., July 20

• Lakeland Civic Band — 7 p.m., July 22

• Mentor Rocks: John King (Nashville recording artist) — 7 p.m., July 24

• Mentor Magic Night — 7 p.m., July 28

• Shakespeare in the Park — 7 p.m., July 29

• Mentor Rocks: Faction (dance/party music) — July 31

• AMPed R&B Festival — 1 to 9 p.m., Aug. 4

• Mentor Rocks: Wanted (Bon Jovi tribute) — 7 p.m., Aug. 7

• Mentor Rocks: Purple Madness (Prince tribute) — 7 p.m., Aug. 14

• Movie in the Park — 7 p.m., Aug. 16

• Resonanz Opera — 7 p.m., Aug. 17

• Mentor Rocks: Brit Beat (Beatles tribute) — 7 p.m., Aug. 21

• Mentor Football Tailgate — TBA, Aug. 31

• Movie in the Park — 7 p.m., Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29

Admission and parking are free. The amphitheater is located behind Mentor Municipal Center at 8500 Civic Center Blvd.

SUBMITTED Jason Kelty is front man for Journey tribute band Escape, which drew a record crowd at the Mentor Civic Amphitheater in 2017. The band will play the first Mentor Rocks show this season, on June 12.