In 1988, the city of Mentor began offering free Summer Concerts at the bandstand in Civic Center Park. The annual schedule featured a variety of local acts spanning multiple genres, from rock to polka and everything in between.
In 2015, the series was rebranded as Mentor Rocks, focusing on leading rock tribute acts and adding food and beverage options for concertgoers.
In 2017, the state-of-the-art Mentor Civic Amphitheater opened on Independence Day, featuring alt-rock legends Soul Asylum. This elevated the production to a new level, introducing regularly scheduled national recording artists.
Since its opening, the underlying premise of the Mentor Civic Amphitheater has been to offer guests “entertainment options that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience, and to do so free of charge.”
Since then, luminaries including LeAnn Rimes, Gin Blossoms, Everclear, and many others have graced our stage. This year, we welcome Gavin DeGraw, Uncle Kracker, Eli Young Band, and Five for Fighting with Vertical Horizon.
It may surprise many to know that the Mentor Rocks entertainment budget is based on what is raised from corporate sponsors, proceeds from beverage sales, and participation fees from our food vendors. The concerts may be free to attendees, but does not come without cost, so we thank you for supporting those who have made it possible this year, including presenting sponsors Meijer and Cleveland Clinic, and supporting sponsors Raising Cane’s, IBEW Local 673, Just Windows, Classic Chevy + The Chevy Network, Waste Management, Michelob Ultra, ProBuilt Homes, Pella Windows, NUTRL, Ken Ganley CDJR Mentor, and Mimi Vanderhaven.
Mentor Main Stage events are also generously supported through grant funding courtesy of Tour Lake County and NOPEC. This city also thanks the Community Arts Commission for their hard work and support.
We thank you for supporting our 2025 food vendors as well which include Barra De Taco, Braised In Cleveland, Bubble Time Kitchen, Chick-fil-A, Classic Kettle Corn, Delish Mobile Kitchen, East Coast Custard, F.A.T.S., Franks ‘n’ Shakes, Fungry, Jackpot Chicken, Mooses Tornado Potatoes, Mr. Lee’s, Nick’s Gyros, Pelicans Sno Cones, Piccolo, Pizzaz, Scotts Fire and Ice, Super Smash Burgers, Tidy Whitey, and Vivander Cookies
Finally, we invite those 21 and over to responsibly enjoy a beverage from our beverage tents. These proceeds will keep Mentor Rocks thriving in 2026 and beyond!
The 2025 Mentor Rocks summer concert series kicks off at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at Mentor Civic Amphitheater with 20 RIDE. We look forward to seeing everyone for another great summer concert schedule!