When Mark Farner, Don Brewer and Mel Schacher first formed their band in Flint, Mich., in 1969, they could not possibly have foreseen the massive success they would have as Grand Funk Railroad for the next seven years, releasing six platinum and seven gold albums in that time span and filling arenas worldwide. But even if they could, they definitely couldn’t predict the lasting impact their music would have over the decades and generations.
Despite turmoil that led to the band breaking up twice, Grand Funk Railroad has proven to have major staying power, retaining original members Brewer and Schacher (joined in the current iteration by Max Carl, Tim Cashion and Mark Chatfield) while continuing to tour to satisfied audiences who can’t get enough of hard rock classics like “We’re An American Band,” “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home),” “Walk Like a Man” and their inimitable covers of songs like “The Loco-Motion” and “Inside Looking Out.”
It’s brand of American-made music strikes a particular chord with millions of fans, and while it never really got the critical accolades it so clearly deserved over the years, in 2005, the band was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
As the group will prove to this week’s audience in downtown Las Vegas, good songs never really get old.
Golden Nugget, 8 p.m. Feb. 7, starting at $69 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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