FREE BEER SAMPLES? PIZZA? ROCK 'N ROLL? ALLRIGHT!!!

The Lakeland Center is trying to bring back the days of old, when it was the rock and roll heart of Florida. On Friday afternoon from 5-7PM, the municipally-owned venue is hosting a party for fans of REO Speedwagon to kick off sales of the band's May 22 concert.

It's all free, with beer samples, pizza, and a chance to win a two night stay at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (just don't raise a ruckus over the $20 cover charge there!).

This is the first of a series of concerts from the '70s and '80s. The Center's Web site also lists a Disco Inferno Concert July 16 featuring The Trammps, Peaches and Herb, The Sugar Hill Gang, and Thelma Houston. Then on August 27, Lakeland will rock with Foghat and Blue Oyster Cult.

A lot of younger folks may not remember, but during much of the 1970s and 1980s --- before many of the major arenas in Tampa and Orlando were built --- The Lakeland Center's Jenkins Arena and Youkey Theatre hosted many of the biggest names in the music business. It still is occasionally used by major acts to rehearse in preperation for tours.