Rockin’ the Rails concert series returns to Medina for 2026 season

Weekly Friday shows to feature tribute bands, blues and classic rock through Sept. 4

Band members performing on stage under purple and pink lights with guitars and microphones.

Cin Dees Place’s Rockin’ the Rails concert series will bring free weekly live music to Medina this summer, including Rolling Stones tribute band Gimme Sugar performing Aug. 7.

Submitted

Brian Lisik Brian Lisik Medina weekly

Published May 26, 2026 - 4:36 a.m. Modified May 26, 2026 - 7:36 a.m.

When the 20-year live music institution in Medina known as Rally in the Alley ended in 2017, the impetus for starting a new summer concert series was simple, according to Cin Dees Place co-owner Andrew Kason.

“Everybody asked to bring Rally in the Alley back, and we had enough room,” Kason said of what became the Rockin’ the Rails concert series at Cin Dees Place. “And it’s what we do anyway; we are really the only live music venue in Medina.”

Following a shorter inaugural season two years ago, Rockin’ the Rails – named for the club’s close proximity to a Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway crossing – was expanded to its current weekly concert format in 2025.

This year’s free shows will be held each Friday from 6:30-10:30 p.m. in the Cin Dees parking lot, 232 W. Smith Road, with performances moved indoors in the event of inclement weather.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, and portions of the parking lot will remain open for accessible and motorcycle parking only. General parking will be available at several locations within walking distance, including Habitat for Humanity of Medina County and Castle Noel.

Kason said booking the right bands for the series is always “most important to us,” adding that he feels this year’s Rockin’ the Rails lineup is particularly outstanding.

The season kicks off May 29 with Bad Co. tribute band Movin’ On and continues with a mix of blues, classic rock and tribute bands through Sept. 4, when Northeast Ohio dance band Swizzle Stick takes the stage.

Live band performing on stage with guitars, drums, microphones and colorful lights. — Rockin’ the Rails will feature Back & Forth, a Foo Fighters tribute band whose lead singer Cin Dees co-owner Andrew Kason described as “a dead ringer for Dave Grohl,” on Aug. 28 in Medina.

“We kind of knew what we wanted,” Kason said. “In 14 years of booking live music, we know and have become friends with a number of bands. Movin’ On is a great Bad Co. tribute; Delta Hand is traditional blues and is really good, ZZ Nationwide is, of course, a ZZ Top tribute, Gigaton is Pearl Jam; Back 2 the Future is all ’80s covers; the Spazmatics are a well-known party band; Shadow of a Doubt is Tom Petty; Back and Forth is a Foo Fighters tribute band and the singer is a dead ringer for Dave Grohl.”

He added that even bands he was not as familiar with, such as Rolling Stones tribute Gimme Sugar and ZZ Nationwide, came highly recommended. Kason said not only are the songs being covered fan favorites, but “these are all great bands.”

Kason said Rockin’ the Rails audiences have grown steadily during the past two years, though he is still seeking more sponsors and volunteers.

“We just wanted to bring live music back to Medina,” Kason said. “Gary (Quesada, owner of the former Main Street Cafe and founder of Rally in the Alley) ran Rally in the Alley for 18 years. But it took a couple years to get it going. The concept (for Rockin’ the Rails) is the same, and I think we should be able to bring it back a little quicker.”