Gary’s own globally-famous family, The Jacksons, were on hand when the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana officially broke ground and they came back to open its doors with a ceremonial guitar smash, followed closely by a show of their own.

Given their ties to the town and one of the hottest nightlife destinations outside of Las Vegas, it was only fitting Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Jackie, Tito and Marlon Jackson, plus Tito’s son Taryll of 3T fame and cousin Keith, returned to the Hard Rock Live for the venue’s giant third anniversary celebration.

Between the occasion and the fact they were in the very birthplace of the pop meets R&B band, who have mounds of priceless memorabilia on display throughout the museum-like halls, it was a surefire sell out filled with white gloves and sequined shirts.

After various video clips capturing the essence of their superstardom, The Jacksons jumped out to family jams “Can You Feel It” and “Blame It On The Boogie,” then tipped their hats to the late “King Of Pop” Michael Jackson via “Rock With You.”

They continued revisiting all their main collaborative tunes with a sizzling band and background vocalists, including “Enjoy Yourself,” “Show You The Way To Go” and “Lovely One,” wrapped around footage focused even more locally on their 2300 Jackson Street residence.

From there, the troupe turned towards The Jackson 5’s origins, sandwiching “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” “Dancing Machine,” “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “I’ll Be There” into a tightly transitioned medley.

Additional solos and tributes steered the 75-minute set towards getting checked in at “This Place Hotel” and quickly found fans getting ready to dance, shout and “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)” as the brothers earned a rousing reception that could only sound like home.

And just as The Jacksons were finishing their ticketed show, a band of significant alternative rock stature was getting started in the Hard Rock Cafe, one of several restaurants on site, which considering it was Eve 6 for completely free, meant another mass of music lovers mingling nearby the mammoth gaming floor.

Original singer/bassist Max Collins and guitarist Jon Siebels, alongside newer drummer Ben Hilzinger, pulled from platinum and gold projects such as “The Fly Record” and “Horrorscope,” though they also demonstrated just as much bite on samples of post-reunion projects.

Either way, Eve 6 had faithful bouncing along to “Promise,” “Leech,” “Think Twice” and “On The Roof Again” across more than an hour of pure 1990s and 2000s adrenaline, in addition to raising a toast during the epic ballad “Here’s To The Night.”

Radio dominator “Inside Out” made for a scream-a-long of a finale and further ensured the Hard Rock’s third birthday bash was absolutely a charm as it offered at least a little something for literally anybody.

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For additional information on The Jacksons and Eve 6, visit TheJacksons.Live and Eve6.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include Billy Idol (May 19); Rakim, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and EPMD (May 25); Manuel Turizo (May 26); Jake Owen (May 30); Smokey Robinson (May 31); Dear Amy (Jun. 8); Ben Schwartz (Jun. 14); Kevin James (Jun. 15); The Used (Jun. 20); Hasan Minhaj (Jun. 22); Boyz II Men (Jun. 23); Dustin Lynch (Jun. 28); Metric (Jun. 29); Jerry Seinfeld (Jul. 12); Jason Mraz (Jul. 19); Pete Davidson (Jul. 26); Larry The Cable Guy (Aug. 9); Stray Cats (Aug. 10); Sublime With Rome (Aug. 17); Michael Blaustein (Aug. 23); Iliza Shlesinger (Sept. 5); Brad Paisley (Sept. 6); Tesla (Sept. 20) and Aaron Lewis (Nov. 22-23). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.