By Michael Pflughoeft, Special to OnMilwaukee.com   Published Feb 03, 2015 at 12:06 PM
Heads up headbangers. Milwaukee will be one of only three cities (two tiny little places called Chicago and New York are the others) to see the fantastic double bill of '80s hair-metal heroes Europe ("The Final Countdown") and the amazing new band Black Star Riders (with former members of Thin Lizzy).

The show is at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino's Northern Lights Theater on Friday, April 24. Tickets prices and on-sale date are not yet announced but will likely go on sale the first week of February. I would expect this show to sell out in a flash so don't wait.

Both bands are gearing up for world tours in support of brand new records. Europe's new album, "War of Kings," will be released here in the U.S. on March 10. Meanwhile, Black Star Riders second record, "The Killer Instinct," comes out on Feb. 24.

Classic Rock Magazine recently hailed Black Star Riders as "the most re-energized and vital classic rock act on the circuit" and gave "The Killer Instinct" a 9 out of 10 review claiming, "All 10 tracks would sound glorious blasting from a jukebox in the best spit 'n' sawdust bar in town."

Also, axe-slinger Randy Bachman – the "B" in legendary 70s rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive – will do a show at the NLT on April 1. Tickets go on sale next week.

Bachman, an original member of The Guess Who and driving force behind BTO's smash hits like "Takin' Care of Business" and "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet," will be playing those classics along with songs from his new record "Heavy Blues," which is set for a US release on April 14.