Wednesday’s one-time move of WLAV’s Blues on the Mall from downtown Grand Rapids to Fifth Third Ballpark for the Freedom Cruise kickoff drew throngs in the thousands.
If You Move It, They Will Come: Blues on the Mall devotees packed the parking lot at Fifth Third Ballpark. (Photo/Tori Thomas)
Blues on the Mall became Blues at the Ballpark for one night, and thousands apparently couldn’t wait to check out the change in venue.
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Cumulus Crew: Michelle McKormick, Dave Jaconette and the rest of the Cumulus Media crew were “ecstatic.” (Photo/John Sinkevics)
Despite rain that rolled through Comstock Park early, and again around 8 p.m., several thousand WLAV Budweiser Blues on the Mall devotees packed the parking lot at Fifth Third Ballpark on Wednesday to soak up the guitar-driven power of Chicago’s Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials and Grand Rapids’ own Tetrad for a first-time event that also marked the launch of the inaugural five-day Freedom Cruise.
“Look at that – as far as the eye can see,” gushed WLAV-FM’s Michelle McKormick of The Tony Gates Morning Show, waving toward the sea of motorcycles and cars filling the nether reaches of the ballpark parking lot early Wednesday evening. The event, including parking, was free.
Lil’ Ed led the Blues Imperials. (Photo/Tori Thomas)
Indeed, the turnout was impressive and organizers were ecstatic, especially because they really weren’t sure what to expect from the one-time move of Blues on the Mall from its regular mid-week home at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, a shift that was made to help kick off the Freedom Cruise event and its Whitecaps Motor Rally. (Read more about Freedom Cruise and see a full schedule in this Local Spins story.)
The crowd was considerably larger than last week’s debut of the 2014 Blues on the Mall series downtown, though a “steady light rain” eventually cut Wednesday’s ballpark event short with organizers closing things down before 9 p.m. rather than 10 p.m. as originally planned.
Still, many in the enthusiastic, family-friendly audience gave the Blues on the Mall relocation a thumbs up.
“I think they should have it here because the parking is better,” said Rita Shields, a longtime Blues on the Mall attendee. “It’s really fun.”
Fun, indeed. Something that’s certainly clear from the Local Spins photo gallery provided by Tori Thomas.
BLUES AT THE BALLPARK WITH LIL’ ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS, TETRAD
Photos by Tori Thomas (Click on photo to enlarge gallery)
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
