LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- That’s rock ’n’ roll in Northeast Ohio.

Exactly 50 years and a day after a then-newly solo Eric Carmen opened for The Beach Boys at the old Richfield Coliseum, friends and fans of the popular singer came together last night (Nov. 25) to celebrate the half-century anniversary of his self-titled debut album at a packed Lakewood Civic Auditorium.

A fundraiser for the Lakewood High School orchestra program, the roughly two-hour “EC50: A Celebration of Eric Carmen’s Musical Legacy” featured members of Carmen’s solo-era band, special guests vocalists and musicians, as well as the 47-student rock orchestra Lakewood Project and the Lakewood High School Orchestra with alumni members.

Known for his golden-voiced ballads and anthems with The Raspberries and later on his own, Carm

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