Crocks Thunder Bay Concerts and Shows: The Complete List, Year by Year, from Cumberland Street to Crocks at NV

Crocks Thunder Bay concerts begin on this page in August 2010 with a Thursday-night farewell tour and stop, for now, in September 2019 with a Friday the 13th on Red River Road. Between those dates sit eight calendar years, each with its own section below, and each section ends with a linked list of that year's shows in date order.

This is the complete list of the shows the site holds. That is a narrower thing than every night the club opened its doors. Some years are thick, and 2011 and 2017 have no dated shows at all. A blank year means nothing was kept for it, not that the room stood dark for twelve months.

How to read the complete list of Crocks Thunder Bay shows

The club's own posts ran the name and the city together, as in the February 2012 "Up-Coming Events at Crocks Thunder Bay", and the list keeps that habit.

The shows at Crocks Thunder Bay are filed by the year they were held, not by artist. Every year opens with a short essay on how its bills were built, what they cost and which nights stand out. The linked list underneath gives the date, the headliner and the room.

A few entries need a word of care. Two of the 2013 entries carry a month and no day, so they are placed by month, and the same goes for one rap bill in 2015.

Prices are quoted as listed, in dollars and, from 2018, often marked as Canadian dollars. Where a show was one night of a longer tour, the neighbouring cities are named, because the routing often explains the weekday. For the rooms themselves, the venues page has the addresses and the move that separates the earlier years from the later ones.

Shows at Crocks in 2010

Two dates survive from this year, both announced in early summer. On Thursday 12 August, Holly Springs Disaster played Crocks as the sixth of fourteen nights on a Canadian tour. The metalcore band from Moose Jaw had already said the tour would be its last.

Six weeks later, on Saturday 25 September, Tokyo Police Club and Arkells shared a bill, with San Sebastian added. Two Ontario indie bands, then early in their careers, filled a downtown room that had been announced three months earlier. After that the record goes silent until late February 2012.

The weekdays are worth a glance. A Thursday suited a band passing through on a fourteen-night route, and a Saturday went to the bill with the most names. That is a reading of the calendar, not a stated plan, but the same split turns up again and again in the years that follow.

Crocks Thunder Bay concerts in 2012

The year starts with a single post, put up on 20 February, that laid out ten shows in eight weeks. Five of them fell inside six days, and the run ended with a southern-rock double bill in April. Read together, it shows a club programming almost every night around a few large names, with DJ nights filling the gaps.

The biggest name that week was Raekwon, on Tuesday 28 February. The Wu-Tang date was sold at $25 in advance through seven outlets and carried a long list of local guests. Six weeks later, Nashville Pussy and The Supersuckers played on Friday 20 April for $10 in a limited advance and $15 at the door.

May brought two nights nine days apart, and they could not have sounded less alike. Brasstronaut played on Tuesday 15 May in the middle of seventeen dates in twenty-five days. Then The Black Dahlia Murder headlined an all-ages death-metal bill on 22 May at $18, five days before heavy rain flooded the city.

June's largest night was quieter than any of them. Henry Rollins came on Saturday 9 June to talk rather than sing, and the floor was set out with numbered seats at $25. Doors opened at 7 p.m. and the show began at 8. Doors, show time and seating were all fixed well ahead.

Two dates finish the year. Smash Mouth headlined a tent on 29 June at Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, in a benefit weekend for flood relief. Then on 23 August Architects played an early show at $15, with a local band added to the touring three. The next dates fall in February 2013.

Set side by side, the year's prices ran from $10 to $25. Local support acts appear on the Raekwon and Architects nights, which gave a Thunder Bay band a slot next to a touring name. Two of the year's best-known dates were all-ages, an early show and a metal bill, in a room otherwise built around late nights.

2012

1. Raekwon February 28, 2012 Crocks hip-hop
2. Nashville Pussy April 20, 2012 Crocks southern rock
3. The Black Dahlia Murder May 22, 2012 Crocks death metal
4. Henry Rollins June 9, 2012 Crocks spoken word
5. Smash Mouth June 29, 2012 Grand Portage Lodge & Casino classic rock

Shows at Crocks in 2013

February 2013 opened with a Monday, the 11th, when Ill Bill and Vinnie Paz played two weeks before a solo album. Riff Raff and Dvbbs were announced for later in February and March, but their entries carry a month and no day. Nothing more is dated until July, when a single post put a whole summer and fall on one page.

That July post reads as a plan. It runs from a Friday fundraiser to a Tuesday rock night in November, and most of the names on it later got a page of their own with a price and a door time. The order of the summer, hip-hop, then hard rock, then stoner metal, was fixed before tickets went out.

August is the year's dense stretch. The Sword played on Wednesday the 14th at $15 with three openers. Tech N9ne followed on the 20th as the fifth of fifteen dates, and Airbourne on the 21st, with a $30 meet-and-greet capped at a hundred and sold only online.

Autumn leaned on dance floors and price points. Sick Individuals took Friday 13 September at $10, with a 3 a.m. finish for new students. The next night, Elliott Brood played at 7 p.m. and left the room to a dance party. Mysto and Pizzi and MAKJ each cost $10.

The pattern in prices is easy to see. Club nights ran at $10, hard rock at $15 to $20, and songwriters at the top. Matthew Good played on Tuesday 5 November at $35 general admission or $40 for one of a hundred reserved seats. Both tickets were sold online only, and the date had been announced more than four months ahead.

December closed the year with two heavy Thursdays and Fridays. Monster Truck played the 12th at $15, a few months after a Juno win and one night after Winnipeg. On the 13th came Bam Margera as Fuckface Unstoppable at $20 early bird, $25 general and $40 VIP. Winnipeg had been the night before.

2013

1. Riff Raff February 2013 Crocks hip-hop
2. Ill Bill & Vinnie Paz February 11, 2013 Crocks hip-hop
3. Dvbbs March 2013 Crocks electronic
4. The Sword August 14, 2013 Crocks heavy metal
5. Tech N9ne August 20, 2013 Crocks hip-hop
6. Airbourne August 21, 2013 Crocks hard rock
7. Sick Individuals September 13, 2013 Crocks electronic
8. Elliott Brood September 14, 2013 Crocks alternative country
9. Mysto and Pizzi September 27, 2013 Crocks electronic
10. MAKJ October 18, 2013 Crocks electronic
11. Matthew Good November 5, 2013 Crocks rock
12. Monster Truck December 12, 2013 Crocks hard rock
13. Bam Margera as Fuckface Unstoppable December 13, 2013 Crocks rock

Concerts at Crocks in 2014

The year began cheaply. Bleeker Ridge played on Wednesday 5 February for $8 online, and DJ Ruckus came back on the 15th for $5 at the door in the middle of a long weekend. Both were the cheapest tickets of the year, and both sat well inside a student budget.

March and April moved the bills toward touring names. The Glorious Sons played on Sunday 30 March with Teenage Kicks, and a separate post counted fourteen clubs on the tour, with Thunder Bay second to last. On 8 April SuicideGirls brought a burlesque revue at $25, and a week later Beenie Man played dancehall at $30.

May and July sat closer to the rock end. Swollen Members played on Sunday 4 May with a VIP tier priced at double the $25 advance. Evan Dando followed on the 20th at $18, and Scott Weiland on Saturday 12 July, between Winnipeg and Montreal.

Then the autumn stacked up three genres inside five weeks. DJ BL3ND took the Friday of 3 October. On the 7th, Amon Amarth, Sabaton and Skeletonwitch played at $25 plus a service fee, on sale since 30 May. Mobb Deep played on 4 November.

December closed the year with two more headline nights. Machine Gun Kelly played on Monday the 1st at $35 in advance, with Immaculate. Four days later, The Trews took the Friday at $25, presented with a local rock radio station.

Tuesdays did more work than any other night. SuicideGirls, Beenie Man, Evan Dando, Amon Amarth and Mobb Deep all took one, spread from April to November. A reading of that calendar says the club used the quietest night of the week for touring acts whose routes did not pass through on a weekend, while DJs took Fridays and Saturdays.

2014

1. Bleeker Ridge February 5, 2014 Crocks hard rock
2. DJ Ruckus February 15, 2014 Thunder Bay mixed
3. The Glorious Sons March 30, 2014 Crocks rock
4. SuicideGirls: Blackheart Burlesque April 8, 2014 Crocks burlesque
5. Beenie Man April 15, 2014 Crocks reggae
6. Swollen Members May 4, 2014 Crocks hip-hop
7. Evan Dando May 20, 2014 Crocks alternative rock
8. Scott Weiland July 12, 2014 Crocks rock
9. DJ BL3ND October 3, 2014 Crocks electronic
10. Amon Amarth October 7, 2014 Crocks melodic death metal
11. Mobb Deep November 4, 2014 Crocks hip-hop
12. Machine Gun Kelly December 1, 2014 Crocks hip-hop
13. The Trews December 5, 2014 Crocks rock

The 2015 calendar at Crocks

Winter brought two Ontario bands within a week. Elliott Brood came back on Monday 23 February at $20, with a Juno behind them. Then Arkells played on Sunday 1 March at $30, two weeks before their record won at the Junos. Benighted followed on the 8th for $10 at the door.

The spring was odd and varied. Joel Fletcher headed a late Friday at $15, and DJ Qbert an early one at $20, with a $5 after party. A week later, Great Lake Swimmers played a folk-rock early show. Snak the Ripper's rap bill is filed by year and May, with a $15 door and no confirmed day.

Summer ran on two cheap nights in one week. The Canada Day party cost $5 and began after the waterfront fireworks. Two days on, Five Alarm Funk played a late Friday at $15. Nothing else is dated until the second week of September.

Then came the year's largest ticket. Akon played on Tuesday 8 September at $45 plus a $5 online fee, with three support acts and a meet-and-greet tier above that. A month later, Tech N9ne played on the 8th at $30, with DJ BL3ND back a year after his first visit.

Late autumn was more conservative. Matthew Good returned on 24 November at $35 advance, with a young Toronto singer opening. The year closed with New Year's Eve on a Thursday at $10 with three DJs and a 3 a.m. finish, a fitting last price in a year that had started at $20.

Weekdays spread wider than in any earlier year. Elliott Brood took a Monday, Arkells and Benighted a Sunday, Akon a Tuesday and Tech N9ne a Thursday, while the DJ nights sat on Fridays and the holiday parties on whichever day the calendar dealt. Only one headliner in the year cost more than $35, and only one cost less than $10.

2015

1. Snak the Ripper 2015 Crocks hip-hop
2. Elliott Brood February 23, 2015 Crocks alternative country
3. Arkells March 1, 2015 Crocks rock
4. Benighted March 8, 2015 Crocks deathgrind
5. Joel Fletcher April 17, 2015 Crocks electronic
6. DJ Qbert May 15, 2015 Crocks hip-hop
7. Great Lake Swimmers May 23, 2015 Crocks folk rock
8. Resident DJs July 1, 2015 Crocks electronic
9. Five Alarm Funk July 3, 2015 Crocks funk
10. Akon September 8, 2015 Crocks pop
11. Tech N9ne October 8, 2015 Crocks hip-hop
12. DJ BL3ND October 23, 2015 Crocks electronic
13. Matthew Good November 24, 2015 Crocks alternative rock
14. Classic Roots December 31, 2015 Crocks electronic

Two dates in 2016

The year opens where the last ended, on a Wednesday in the dead of winter. The Sheepdogs, a rock band from Saskatoon, played on 10 February with a new album, a $25 advance ticket, a $5 online fee and doors at 8 p.m. The pre-sale went out through Rock 94, a Thunder Bay radio station.

That is the whole of it, and it leaves a long stretch before the next dated show in April 2018. The gap covers all of 2017. It is the largest gap in the list, and it is not evidence of anything except what was written down.

2016

1. The Sheepdogs February 10, 2016 Crocks classic rock

Shows at Crocks in 2018, and the move to Crocks at NV

Spring and summer 2018 ran on the Cumberland Street stage. Sloan came on Wednesday 4 April at C$30, two days before a new album reached shops. In June, The Faceless played at $20 with AngelMaker, and six days later Sebastian Bach took the summer's top price, $40.

July went to heavy bands at modest prices. Rivers of Nihil played on 7 July at $15, and The Acacia Strain on the 28th at $20. Future Islands played at the start of a long weekend, on 31 August, for C$31, with doors at 8 p.m.

September packed three C$25 shows into ten days: Eliott Brood, Great Lake Swimmers and, on Saturday the 29th, Dear Rouge. That Saturday is also the last date the club spent at 16 Cumberland Street South, and the last show held under the old address.

From 5 October, every Crocks event moved to the NV Nightclub building at 228 Red River Road, a slightly bigger room that could be set up for large or small shows. The first two nights at Crocks at NV were McNasty Brass Band on 12 October and on the 13th, each C$13.

The last two dates of the year came at higher prices. Ten Foot Pole played on 26 October at $22.50, one night before Winnipeg. On 19 November, Stiff Little Fingers played at $35 on a tour that reached small cities as well as large ones.

Prices barely noticed the move. Before it, nothing cost more than $40, and after it nothing cost more than $35. The two McNasty Brass Band nights at C$13 were the cheapest of the year. A larger room and a new address changed the floor plan, not the price ladder.

2018

1. Sloan April 4, 2018 Crocks power pop
2. The Faceless June 19, 2018 Crocks metal
3. Sebastian Bach June 25, 2018 Crocks rock
4. Rivers of Nihil July 7, 2018 Crocks metal
5. The Acacia Strain July 28, 2018 Crocks metalcore
6. Future Islands August 31, 2018 Crocks synth-pop
7. Eliott Brood September 20, 2018 Crocks alt-country
8. Great Lake Swimmers September 27, 2018 Crocks indie folk
9. Dear Rouge September 29, 2018 Crocks alternative rock
10. McNasty Brass Band October 12, 2018 Crocks at NV brass band
11. McNasty Brass Band October 13, 2018 Crocks at NV brass band
12. Ten Foot Pole October 26, 2018 Crocks at NV punk
13. Stiff Little Fingers November 19, 2018 Crocks at NV punk

Concerts at Crocks at NV in 2019

The room on Red River Road had been open five months when the first 2019 date came round. Ozbourne, a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, played on Wednesday 13 March at C$18. On 18 April an 80s hair metal party and a poetry reading shared the calendar, and 26 April brought a Soundgarden and Tool tribute, Dizzy Mystics, at C$10.

May put two very different tickets side by side. Chris Webby played on Wednesday the 8th with three tiers, C$20 general, C$100 for a meet and greet and C$300 for an all-access pass. Two days later, Teenage Head played on a Friday at C$25.

Summer turned into a run of touring pairs. Monster Truck played on Saturday 29 June at C$40 general admission and C$45 for all levels, the top prices of the year, the night after a show in Sault Ste. Marie. In July, Colter Wall played on the 11th at $25 plus service fee, two days after a night in Sudbury.

The following night the same stage went to Montreal. Half Moon Run played on Friday 12 July at C$32, four months before a third album. Later in July came a festival warm-up, the Shambhala pre-party at C$15, and on the 30th The Motorleague at $12.

The last entry is Cancer Bats on Friday 13 September, the second night of a tour that had opened in Sault Ste. Marie at the Soo Blaster the evening before. It cost $20 in advance plus service fee, with doors at 8:30 p.m. Whether the calendar went on after that, this list cannot tell.

The weekdays this year ran wider than the two before it. Wednesdays carried Ozbourne and Chris Webby, Friday held Teenage Head, Half Moon Run and Cancer Bats, and Thursday took Colter Wall. The odd one is Tuesday 30 July, priced at one of the lowest tickets of the year.

2019

1. Ozbourne March 13, 2019 Crocks at NV tribute
2. Steel Beaver April 18, 2019 Thunder Bay metal
3. Sabrina Benaim April 18, 2019 Urban Abbey spoken word
4. Dizzy Mystics April 26, 2019 Crocks at NV rock
5. Chris Webby May 8, 2019 Crocks at NV hip-hop
6. Teenage Head May 10, 2019 Crocks at NV punk
7. Monster Truck June 28, 2019 Soo Blaster rock
8. Monster Truck June 29, 2019 Crocks at NV rock
9. Colter Wall July 9, 2019 The Coulson country
10. Colter Wall July 11, 2019 Crocks at NV country
11. Half Moon Run July 12, 2019 Crocks at NV indie rock
12. The Motorleague July 30, 2019 Crocks at NV rock
13. Bobaflex September 10, 2019 Soo Blaster hard rock
14. Cancer Bats September 12, 2019 Soo Blaster hardcore
15. Cancer Bats September 13, 2019 Crocks at NV hardcore

Nights known only from an announcement

Some shows at Crocks Thunder Bay are known only from the title of an announcement whose page was not kept. Without prices, door times or a bill, they are not counted in the year lists or the charts above. The titles still give the act, the date and the room.

• Stereos, 10 April 2011, at Crocks.
• Protest the Hero: a tour announcement posted on 14 January 2011, with no Thunder Bay date in its title.
• Abandon All Ships, with All City Fall and Skip the Foreplay, an early all-ages show on Saturday 29 September 2012, at Crocks.
• Indigo Joseph, Tuesday 16 October 2012, at Crocks.
• Madchild on the Dope Sick tour, announced on 8 October 2012.
• Men Without Hats at an Ultimate 80s Party, 3 November 2012, at Crocks.
• Blessthefall: a November 2012 giveaway of an ESP guitar from the band, not a show.
• Masta Ace, the New York rapper, 25 March 2013, in Thunder Bay.
• Supersuckers, Wednesday 5 June 2013, at Crocks.
• The Sadies, 28 June 2013, at Crocks.
• Great White featuring Jack Russell, Sunday 28 July 2013, at Crocks.
• The Proclaimers, Monday 19 August 2013, at Crocks.
• New Year's Eve 2014, a party on 31 December 2013, at Crocks.
• Children of Bodom, 14 February 2014, at Crocks. The announcement called it a Tuesday; the date fell on a Friday.
• Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society, Monday 24 February 2014.
• Rittz, Tuesday 22 May 2018, at Crocks.
• The Black Dahlia Murder, Tuesday 29 May 2018, at Crocks.
• Brujeria with Dayglo Abortions and Incite, Wednesday 13 June 2018, at Crocks.
• Pop Evil, 22 November 2018, at Crocks.
• Fozzy, Friday 30 November 2018, at Crocks.
• Obie Trice with Swifty McVay of D12, 15 December 2018, at Crocks.
• Anvil, Friday 7 June 2019, at Crocks at NV.

Announcements and listing pages beside the shows

Not every entry here is a single night. A few of the posts list a run of dates in one go, such as the ten-date post of February 2012 or the summer and fall schedule of July 2013. They sit apart from the complete list of shows above because they name many dates without pricing any of them.

The other pages date from before the first shows. A March 2010 press release put a Cumberland Street address next to a name musicians already knew, and a July 2010 post promoted a two-for-one offer in the old downtown. Both sit in the listing below, beside tour announcements whose dates were fixed months before tickets went on sale.

The shortest entry is a single line from November 2011 that told readers where the current schedule lived, and it was not on that page.

Announcements and listings

1. The Office Named as the Future Home of Crocks in March 2010 2010 Crocks
2. Downtown Thunder Bay's Entertainment District in July 2010 2010 Thunder Bay
3. Crocks Concert Listings Posted in November 2011 2011 Crocks mixed
4. Ten Shows Announced for Crocks, 23 February to 20 April 2012 February 23, 2012 Crocks
5. Brasstronaut May 15, 2012 Crocks indie pop
6. Architects August 23, 2012 Crocks metalcore
7. Upcoming Crocks Shows Announced for July to November 2013 July 19, 2013 Crocks
8. The Glorious Sons March 30, 2014 Crocks Rock
9. Official Shambhala 2019 Pre-Party With Stickybuds in Thunder Bay July 26, 2019 Thunder Bay electronic