John Butler Trio’s sizzling set at Meijer Gardens launched a weekend of rock and hip hop, from Grand Rapids to the lakeshore where the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival ramped up to a climactic finish.
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August rolled in with a bang thanks to the John Butler Trio’s inspired return to West Michigan, playing Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park for the second time in two summers.
The band’s Friday night show for a sold-out crowd of 1,900 was even more impressive than the trio’s 2013 debut at the amphitheater, and featured an opening set by singer-songwriter and hometown boy Jake Vroon, a Forest Hills Northern grad who’s attending Belmont University in Nashville. (Check out the full Local Spins review and photo gallery.)
Elsewhere, March Forth with Bedrock, Devin & The Dead Frets and more pumped up Founders Brewing — packed as usual on Saturday — for a hip hop-meets-rock affair, while hip hop’s A.B! joined the likes of Action Jackson, DJ Snax and Mr. Jay B for the “BUMPY! DJ” show at The Pyramid Scheme.
About 35 miles away, the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival drew teeming thousands to downtown streets (maybe the biggest crowd ever) for its climactic, fireworks-driven finale — a finale that boasted plenty of live music, including Holland’s POST530 and a host of other bands playing the Grand Haven Eagles beer tent and country/rock’s Union Guns stoking the Kirby Grill.
And in Kalamazoo, West Michigan’s own Matt Giraud celebrated a homecoming show at Kalamazoo’s District Square for an outdoor show that also featured We Know Jackson. Check out a video of the encore, courtesy of Matthew Wallach (and photos courtesy of BluStarSoul Photography).
THE LOCAL SPINS WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: AUG. 3
John Butler Trio photos by Anna Sink
A.B!, March Forth, Devin & The Dead Frets photos by Anthony Norkus
POST530, Union Guns photos by John Sinkevics
Matt Giraud photos by BluStarSoul Photography, courtesy of District Square
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Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music