Nearly Forgotten Concert Venue in Northern Michigan Had Unforgettable 80s Summer Season

If you were putting together a mixtape (er, mix playlist) of 80s greatest hits, there's a pretty good chance there may be a song or two from each of these artists who all played the same Northern Michigan concert venue that no longer exists.

The summer was 1981. The place was Castle Farms in Charlevoix. The venue does still exists, today as a wedding venue. As a music theatre, Castle Farms held shows for nearly 20 years from 1977 to 1996. A Facebook group is dedicated to remembering shows there. This Summer of '81 concert line-up was shared on the Michigan History Facebook group. Check out this line-up

Ted Nugent played in early summer '81

Cheap Trick with opener Billy Squire July 11

Tom Petty on July 18

REO Speedwagon in a sold out show on August 22

The Doobie Brothers headlined Labor Day Weekend on September 3, 1981

What a killer line up. It's week after week of must-see shows. What is interesting is how many of the bands are local to the Midwest/Great Lakes region. Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon all came from Michigan and the states surrounding it.

Tracking the shows listed for Castle Farms on Setlist.fm, Ted Nugent helped close out Castle Farms as it was closing as a music venue. The Motor City Madman was the opener for Bad Company on July 21, 1996, the final show listed for Castle Farms. Meanwhile, the first show at Castle Farms was Chicago on July 8, 1977.