American band Grand Funk Railroad, one of the most successful hard rock bands of the 1970s, are bringing "The Loco-Motion" to Las Vegas with their live show at The Orleans Hotel and Casino.
Grand Funk Railroad built its devoted fan base with constant touring and strong working-class appeal. The band was formed by Flint, Mich., guitarist/songwriter Mark Farner and drummer Don Brewer. They recruited bassist Mel Schacher in 1968, and Terry Knight retired from performing to become their manager, naming the group after Michigan's well-known Grand Trunk Railroad.
They performed at the 1969 Atlanta Pop Festival, and their show led Capitol Records to sign them at once. While radio shied away from Grand Funk Railroad, the group still managed to produce a series of big-selling albums over the next few years - five of their eight releases from 1969 to 1972 went platinum, and the others all went gold.
Keyboardist Craig Frost joined the group at the end of 1972. The band's name was officially shortened to Grand Funk, and the group finally scored a No. 1 hit single with "We're an American Band." The follow-up, "Shinin' On," contained another No. 1 hit in a remake of "The Loco-Motion." Reverting back to Grand Funk Railroad, they remained together in 1976 to work with producer Frank Zappa on "Good Singin', Good Playin.'" Farner left for a solo career, and the remainder of the band released an album as Flint with guitarist Billy Elworthy.
Grand Funk Railroad re-formed in 1981 with Dennis Bellinger on bass and released two albums. The group disbanded again, with Brewer and Frost joining Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band and Farner embarking on a new career as a contemporary Christian artist; his "Isn't It Amazing" was a No. 2 gospel hit in 1988. In 1997, Grand Funk Railroad reunited once again to record a benefit album titled "Bosnia." Two years later, Capitol issued a three-disc box set retrospective, "Thirty Years of Funk: 1969-1999."
In 1998, Farner left the band to continue his solo career. Brewer and Schacher recruited Max Carl, Bruce Kulick and Tim Cashion to join the band. Grand Funk Railroad continues to tour regularly, doing about 40 shows a year.
| Show Times: 8 p.m. on Jan. 10 - 11, 2015 |
| Show Length: 90 minutes |
| Location: Orleans Showroom, Orleans |
| Age Restriction: 6+ |
| Prices: General Reserved Seating (yellow) - $33.00 Premium Seating (orange) - $44.00 VIP Seating (red) - $60.50 |
(click map below for seating)
Call (702) 944-9388 for reservations
*Prices do not include all taxes and fees*