Halloween 2015: Bassnectar, Halloween on Ionia (Photos)

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Indoors and out, West Michigan celebrated Halloween with a lively mix of music, from The Crane Wives at Founders to Red Sea Pedestrians at Bell’s in Kalamazoo to Genetics with Desmond Jones at The Stache.

Halloween Masquerade Bassheads: The crowd was colorful and playful at Bassnectar’s DeltaPlex Arena concert. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)

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Like some rain-soaked, Halloween EDM version of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, costumed and masked revelers of every ilk, shape, size and monstrous manifestation dodged puddles and packed the streets Saturday for Halloween on Ionia – or sought cover in packed tents – while DJs basked in dazzling lights as they cranked out loud, thumping, dance- and fist-pumping electronic dance music.

Shining EDM: Bassnectar on stage Saturday night. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)

The scene was repeated just down the street at The B.O.B., with Grand Rapids soul-rock band Vox Vidorra and Kalamazoo twang-rock’s The Go Rounds joining a bevy of DJs to provide background music for a multi-floor “Monster Mash” with a horror movie theme.

Indeed, everywhere across West Michigan, venues reveled in the creepiest night of the year with an eclectic mix of live music and off-the-wall costume contests.

Local Spins was there to document some of the action, with a photo gallery below:

Vox Vidorra at The B.O.B. (Photo/Ricky Olmos)

SILVER SCREEN SCREAM AT THE B.O.B.
Hundreds of costume clad partiers flooded The B.O.B. for the Silver Screen Scream Costume Contest, with each of the five floors at the “Big Old Building” in dotnwon Grand Rapids decorated as sets from classic Hollywood horror films. Dressed as an Alien Bounty Hunter – with a suit of intergalactic armor, and face shrouded in thick makeup – Patrick Walters took home the grand prize of $2,000 as well as a seven night stay at Redstone Inn in Colorado thanks to his exceptionally terrifying alter-ego. The lively evening of festivities was met with energetic, and appropriately spooky, performances by Vox Vidorra and The Go Rounds at Bobarino’s. Both bands dressed from head to toe in their own Halloween attire and the grooving tunes brought out all the monsters from hiding, making for a packed dance floor of ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches, Frankenstein’s monster, The Grim Reaper and a slew of other evil spirits, as well as a more lighthearted crowd that included Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, super heroes, giant teddy bears, transformers, cowboys and Disney characters. – Ricky Olmos

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The crowd at Halloween on Ionia (Photo/Tori Thomas)

HALLOWEEN ON IONIA
It was decidedly wet, windy and bit chilly at times, but thousands of folks – many protected by their own elaborate costumes and headgear – nonetheless flooded the streets for Grand Rapids’ Halloween On Ionia, waving their arms (or tentacles) and hopping vigorously to DJ-powered dance music outdoors in front of the main stage. Others sought refuge next to heaters or under the mammoth tents set up for the annual Halloween bash, including one featuring a stage with lively DJ entertainment. The grand prize, $3,000, went to Dwight Jackson, with Joshua Freeman taking home the $1,500 second-place prize and Krista Mullhagen winning $500 for third place.

Elsewhere, Bassnectar staged an EDM-propelled “Halloween Masquerade” for a sold-out audience of avid and amped-up, costumed “Bassheads” at DeltaPlex Arena, with Grand Rapids’ own SuperDre and Yheti also on the bill (after some folks waited in long lines prior to the show), folk-rock’s The Crane Wives (with Mama Sol and Tha NUTS and Nortroniks) kept the Founders Brewing Halloween bash pumping well past midnight for an overflow crowd, Genetics and Desmond Jones unleashed a jam-band hued “Very Spooky Halloween” at The Stache inside The Intersection, and the Red Sea Pedestrians (with the Corn Fed Girls) donned masks and more for an entertaining Halloween at Bell’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo.

PHOTO GALLERY: Bassnectar at The DeltaPlex with SuperDre and Yheti
Photos by Anthony Norkus