Grand Rapids’ live music weekend in photos: One Billion Rising, Gunnar & the Grizzly Boys, Roosevelt Diggs, Thirsty Perch Blues Band, Four Lincolns, Van Halen tribute

Mid-February’s concert lineup offered more than just big shows at Van Andel Arena and Miller Auditorium: West Michigan bands of every ilk were pounding it out at benefits, bars and brew pubs, shared in photos at Spins on Music.

 

It was so cold, the band had to chop up the piano for firewood but only got two chords out of it. Hey, that’s the kind of chilly humor you get with another month of winter left in Michigan’s tank.

What you also get at this time of year are some pretty invigorating, wide-ranging live music options, thanks mostly to the diverse array of West Michigan bands and solo artists. It started early this weekend with more than a half-dozen acts (Hannah Rose & the Gravestones, Trilogy, The American Heartbreakers and more) playing Thursday night’s One Billion Rising benefit at Eastern Avenue Hall in Grand Rapids, an international event aimed at drawing attention to the abuse of women and girls. Despite slippery roads, hundreds turned out to support the cause, cheer on bands, dancers, hoopsters and poets, purchase original artwork, eat, drink and generally revel in the tremendous vibe created by organizer Chelsea Jandernoa and others.

Just as important, the event raised $1,000, split between the Michigan Abolitionist Project and Not This Girl organizations. Check out the photos and a video below.

That same night, Rockford Brewing Co. drew a packed house for the rootsy and energetic country-drenched folk of Roosevelt Diggs (now anointed as the the new brew pub’s house band, slated to play there once a month or so), and Fricano’s Pizza on Alpine Avenue NW hosted guitarist John Andrews for an extended set as part of its Winter Music Scene series.

But the weekend was just getting started as these photos prove: wildly enthusiastic country fans embracing (sometimes literally) Grand Rapids’ Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys in Saturday’s post-party for Luke Bryan’s sold-out concert at Van Andel Arena, fans warming up to the Thirsty Perch Blues Band in a tent at the Rotary Snow Jam in Spring Lake, the Four Lincolns revving up at Rocky’s Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids as part of a “Post-Valentine’s Day Massacre” show, First Row rocking Rockford’s Rogue River Tavern, and the Panama Van Halen Tribute attempting their best David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen impersonations at The Stache in The Intersection.

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