The five-day Freedom Cruise kicks off tonight with Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials at Fifth Third Ballpark, but big shows are also on tap this weekend at The DeltaPlex. See the full music schedule.
Madison Rising and its patriotic rock headline Friday night’s Freedom Cruise lineup at The DeltaPlex.
By David Specht
LocalSpins.com
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“Stars and stripes, cars and bikes” – and don’t forget the rock and roll.
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This week, the inaugural West Michigan Freedom Cruise looks to take over several Kent County communities with activities that are nothing short of eclectic. With everything from a golf tournament to a meet-and-greet with stars from The History Channel, it’s clear that this five-day celebration of patriotism was tailored for a wide audience.
And while many will ride in for the motorcycle and classic car expos and cruises, the festivities in multiple locations feature a music lineup that’s unusual for Grand Rapids.
Take Saturday night’s headlining act at the DeltaPlex Arena: Las Vegas’ Count’s 77 has built much of its fan base from cable TV’s The History Channel, not Fuse or VH1.
Event organizer Tom Antor, a Republican Kent County commissioner, says booking a group with such a unique following was no coincidence.
“The lead singer, Danny ‘Count’ Koker, he’s a huge star on ‘Counting Cars,’ which is one of the most popular shows on The History Channel,” Antor explained. The group is known for its nostalgic ’70s vibe.
Danny Koker & Count’s 77 headlines on Saturday.
“The band does a lot of classic rock covers, and they just released their first album, which they’ll be playing as well. So his fans will not only get a chance to meet him, but they’ll get to come enjoy his music.”
Other History Channel personalities are set to make appearances, including The Fugawis Motorcycle Club and Rick and Kelly Dale from “American Restoration.”
PATRIOTIC ROCK
It’s not uncommon for a band to claim to be the heaviest or the most progressive, but America’s most patriotic rock band? Named after Founding Father and fourth President of the United States James Madison, the four-person rock group Madison Rising features an ’80s – that’s the 1980s – sound.
Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials return for Blues on the Mall tonight — this time at Fifth Third Ballpark.
Madison Rising, which performs a full set at The DeltaPlex on Friday and the National Anthem on Saturday, recently gained attention for its rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” performing it from NASCAR races to NFL halftime shows. The YouTube video of their rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” has drawn nearly 5.5 million views on YouTube. (Check out the video below.)
“Madison Rising is unbelievable,” Antor said. “They do a rendition of the National Anthem that has made them world famous, which they’ll perform before the American Fallen Soldier Project Presentation.” The performance, Antor added, will also be broadcast on national television.
Classic rock’s WLAV-FM (96.9) will even move its regular Wednesday night Blues on the Mall show from downtown Grand Rapids to south parking lot of Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park as part of the Whitecaps Motor Rally kickoff to Freedom Cruise. Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials and Tetrad will perform tonight (Wednesday) in the special Blues on the Mall show.
WIDESPREAD APPEAL
Local bands will have their own patriotic opportunities during this new event, ranging from Grand Rapids’ classic rock/country cover band Old Dudes Rock, aka ODR, to West Michigan rock trio Fled Five to Top 40 cover band The Hype.
Grand Rapids’ The Outer Vibe brings its energetic show to The DeltaPlex.
“We’re looking for bands that appeal to the masses,” Antor said. “We’ll have everything from young people up to WWII veterans, so we were definitely looking for people who can perform for everyone, such as The Outer Vibe from Grand Rapids, who do some really nice covers and originals.”
The Outer Vibe, said trumpeter Lisa Kacos, plans to share a few unreleased pieces during its performance at The Deltaplex on Saturday night.
“We spent much of the month of May with our producer, working on a bunch of new music that we’ll soon be playing nationally,” Kacos said. “The event itself has so many exciting parts about it, and we’ve never performed at The Deltaplex, so we’re just excited to be involved in it.”
On the other end, Grand Rapids’ Jason Eller, who performs an acoustic set at The DeltaPlex on Saturday afternoon, plans to take audience requests.
“I try to interact with the crowd, get a feel for who they are and what they want to hear,” he said. “I’ll try to keep it upbeat, and bring my wife (singer Robin Eller) up toward the end to do specific songs that we want to do, but I might just talk to the crowd and see what they want me to play.”
Get more information, tickets and a full schedule online at freedomcruise.net. Proceeds from Freedom Cruise will support the Finish the Mission Veteran Relief Fund to help the needs of military veterans and their families.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
