An Austin native is returning for a hometown concert, and he’s hoping members of his class join him for some fun.

The Inside Out Band drummer Rick Nelson is calling for his classmates from the Austin High School class of 1975 to come out to Torge’s Live, 1701 Fourth St. NW, at 9 p.m. Friday for a concert he’s calling a “pre-reunion” show.

The class will celebrate its 40th reunion in August, but everyone else in town is invited to attend the show too.

The Inside Out Band, a cover band based in the Twin Cities, has performed for more than 25 years, and Nelson joined the band about 10 years ago.

Nelson said the group plays an “extreme variety” from classics like Pink Fink Floyd to newer acts like Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Pharrell Williams.

Nelson, who now lives in Anoka, has spoken fondly of his time growing up in Austin, where he was a Golden Gloves boxer and started drumming in bands like The Bright Tomorrow, Warehouse and The Clear Band. Nelson’s father worked at Hormel Foods for many years, and his mother worked for the Mower County Sheriff’s office when Doyle Lindahl was sheriff.

When Nelson graduated from Austin High School in 1975, he moved to Kansas City to pursue a career as a musician and later moved out to Los Angeles.

Nelson continued to play for many bands in L.A., like Alpha Centauri from 1979 to 1983 and Eye to Eye. He continued in the vein of his boxing roots, becoming the title holder in the lightweight division of the World Kickboxing Association and the Professional Karate Association in 1985.

In the 1990s, Nelson returned to Austin and played with a variety of groups, like Blue Denim, the Clear Band and the Wedge Brothers.

During the week, Nelson works for Above & Beyond Bail Bonds, but the band plays almost every weekend.