Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The amount of entertainment styles hosted by the Hard Rock Live inside the Northern Indiana location of the famed casino is truly limitless, though having enduring bands Foghat and Nazareth was perhaps a prime example of the genre bearing the international chain’s name.

In fact, their co-headlining evening was advertised as “Two Titans Of Classic Rock Unite” and that they did for an unrelenting hour apiece, mining back to the late 1960s or early ’70s and extending to similarly fierce recordings of today.

For closers Foghat, who are hot on the heels of a number one album on the Billboard Blues Chart, “Sonic Mojo,” it was a whole lot of “Twang & Bang” by veteran lead/slide guitarist Bryan Bassett (also of Wild Cherry and Molly Hatchet fame), bassist Rodney O’Quinn (formerly of the Pat Travers Band), vocalist/guitarist Scott Holt (as heard alongside Buddy Guy) and drummer Jules Radino (currently with Blue Öyster Cult) substituting for injured founder Roger Earl.

Together, they authentically paid tribute to the past likes of “Road Fever” and The Righteous Brothers’ completely supercharged “My Babe,” plus kept “Drivin’ On” in the present, coming across like a roaring freight train in the process.

Other staples included “Stone Blue,” “Fool For The City,” Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want To Make Love To You” and Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” featuring all of Bassett’s iconic parts off the record, which ranked right up there with the raw boogie of a “Slow Ride” to the finish line.

Hailing from Scotland, early heavy metal heroes Nazareth practically paved the way for fellow countrymen Simple Minds, Big Country and Del Amitri, yet cranked up even louder than any of those bands combined, later being the subject of covers by Guns N’ Roses and Metallica.

From the beginning to the latest “Surviving The Law” project and subsequent “Still Rockin’ Hard” Tour, it turns out original bassist Pete Agnew, longstanding guitarist Jimmy Murrison, drummer since 1999 Lee Agnew (Pete’s son) and newly added singer Gianni Pontillo were still living up to their reputation, whether it was “Telegram,” “Miss Misery,” “Shanghai’d In Shanghai,” “When The Lights Come Down” or “Holiday.”

The classics continued thanks to the wild “Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman,” a power ballad stamp on The Everly Brothers’ “Love Hurts” and “Hair Of The Dog” in its cowbell/talk box-enhanced glory, ensuring the Hard Rock got another aggressive rush of adrenaline.

For additional information on Foghat and Nazareth, visit Foghat.com and Nazareth.Band.

Upcoming shows at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include Stephen Pearcy: The Voice Of Ratt (Jun. 12): Cameo, Atlantic Starr and The Mary Jane Girls (Jun. 20); Dwight Yoakam (Jul. 30); Air Supply (Aug. 2); The Concert: A Tribute To ABBA (Aug. 14); Theory Of A Deadman and Sevendust (Aug. 21); Wiz Khalifa (Aug. 28) and “The Price Is Right” Live (Oct. 17). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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