Quad Cities this week: Everclear, Mitchell Tenpenny and more

The Rust Belt runs three straight nights, Cheap Trick plays the Capitol Theatre, and the small rooms in Davenport and Rock Island fill out the weekend.

The Rust Belt has the busiest stretch of anybody in the Quad Cities this week: three nights in a row, three different crowds. Thursday is rock, Friday is a '90s alt-rock headliner, Saturday goes country. Across the river, the Capitol Theatre in Davenport matches it with a Friday-Saturday pair of its own.

Some context on the big room in East Moline. The Rust Belt opened on Feb. 14, 2019, inside an early-1900s factory complex that had sat mostly vacant before Larry Anderson, a lifelong East Moline resident, took it over; local musician and booker Sean Moeller helped build the venue out. It holds up to 4,000 and anchors the larger Frog Town development, and the redevelopment earned an AIA Iowa Impact Award in 2020.

Here's the week, night by night:

Thu, Nov 12 — The Velveteers, Rival Sons and The Blue Stones, The Rust Belt, East Moline, 7 p.m. Tickets via Eventbrite. A three-band rock bill to open the run.

Fri, Nov 13 — Everclear, The Rust Belt, East Moline, 7 p.m. Tickets via therustbeltqc.com. The headliner of the week for anyone who grew up on alt-rock radio.

Fri, Nov 13 — The Prince Experience, Capitol Theatre, Davenport, 7:30 p.m. Tickets via AXS. A tribute night in a 1,500-capacity theater.

Sat, Nov 14 — Cheap Trick, Capitol Theatre, Davenport, 7 p.m. Tickets via AXS. The marquee name of the weekend in a seated room.

Sat, Nov 14 — Mitchell Tenpenny, The Rust Belt, East Moline, 8 p.m. Tickets $25–$39.75 via Eventbrite.

Sat, Nov 14 — Dead Gowns, Raccoon Motel, Davenport, 7 p.m. Tickets via DICE. A 175-capacity room for the people who'd rather be close.

Sat, Nov 14 — Twin Talk, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island, 7 p.m. Tickets via DICE. The smallest room on the list, at about 100.

Sun, Nov 15 — Moral, Raccoon Motel, Davenport, 6 p.m. Tickets via DICE. An early Sunday start to close the week.

Saturday is the crunch. Cheap Trick and Mitchell Tenpenny land on the same night on opposite sides of the river, an hour apart, while the two small rooms run their own shows at 7. If you want a big night, it's a coin flip between a rock institution in a theater and a country headliner in a converted factory. If you want a close-up one, the Raccoon Motel and Rozz-Tox are where the room size works in your favor.

Friday is easier to plan: Everclear in East Moline, or the Prince tribute in Davenport, with a half-hour between their starts.

Three nights at the Rust Belt, two at the Capitol, and the small rooms filling in the gaps. It's a good week to live here.

Sources: R&V: A Factory Reborn (Gas Engine Magazine) (gasenginemagazine.com); East Moline is now home to the QC's newest music venue (WQAD) (wqad.com); The Rust Belt (Iowa Architecture) (iowaarchitecture.org); The Rust Belt (Visit Quad Cities) (visitquadcities.com); The Rust Belt (therustbeltqc.com); JamBase: The Velveteers at The Rust Belt (jambase.com); JamBase: Everclear at The Rust Belt (jambase.com); JamBase: The Prince Experience at Capitol Theatre (jambase.com); JamBase: Cheap Trick at Capitol Theatre (jambase.com); JamBase: Mitchell Tenpenny at The Rust Belt (jambase.com); JamBase: Dead Gowns at Raccoon Motel (jambase.com); JamBase: Twin Talk at Rozz-Tox (jambase.com); JamBase: Moral at Raccoon Motel (jambase.com)