Although 24 of 30 Meijer Gardens concerts already have sold out, Interlochen, Freedom Hill and other nearby venues host some of the same artists this summer. And tickets are still available.
Michigan-Bound: Old Crow Medicine Show’s return to Meijer Gardens is sold out, but the band also plays Interlochen and Detroit’s Fox Theatre. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Fans who couldn’t snag tickets to their favorite Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park summer concerts due to the record-setting pace of pre-sales to members last weekend – 24 of 30 shows sold out in two days – might consider some alternatives just a short drive away.
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Iconic Singer-Songwriter: Jackson Browne also plays Interlochen this summer.
Six of the acts booked for Meijer Gardens this summer are playing Interlochen Center for the Art’s fetching Kresge Auditorium, which is just a two-hour drive from Grand Rapids.
That includes Jackson Browne who sold out his June 27 date at Meijer Gardens in just nine minutes on Saturday. He plays Interlochen the next day, June 28, and the top ticket price of $60.50 is cheaper than the discounted rate of $68 paid by Meijer Gardens members during the pre-sale.
Other artists playing Interlochen whose Meijer Gardens shows already have sold out include Tears for Fears (playing Interlochen on July 13), Old Crow Medicine Show (which plays Interlochen with Brandi Carlile on July 15) and Gregg Allman (who plays a co-headlining concert with Peter Frampton at Interlochen on July 18).
Lyle Lovett & His Large Band and comedian Jay Leno also play both Meijer Gardens and Interlochen this summer, with tickets still available for both shows at both venues. (Interlochen’s ticket prices are lower, with several different options available.)
INTERLOCHEN LINEUP ALSO FEATURES BELA FLECK, STEVE MILLER, PAT BENATAR
Fans grousing about being left empty-handed after the rush for Meijer Gardens tickets over the weekend should also note that Interlochen boasts a few familiar names who aren’t playing Meijer Gardens this summer: Steve Miller Band (June 23), Sarah Jarosz (July 9), Bela Fleck and Chris Thile (July 14), Huey Lewis (July 19), Rick Springfield (July 27), Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo with Melissa Etheridge (Aug. 9), Martina McBride (Aug. 12) and Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang (Aug. 28).
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Get the full Interlochen schedule and tickets online here.
And that’s not the only alternative for fans locked out of Meijer Gardens shows.
The Tedeschi Trucks Band, which sold out its June 17 concert at Meijer Gardens, also plays the Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend, Ind., the night before coming to Grand Rapids, then revs up the Blues on the Fox Festival in Aurora, Ill., the day after with Los Lobos and Larry McCray also on that bill.
DETROIT, ANN ARBOR HOST BEACH BOYS, MICHAEL FRANTI, DIANA ROSS, BEN FOLDS
The band also plays a July 31 show at Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights, just outside Detroit, with Los Lobos and North Mississippi All-Stars. Indeed, Freedom Hill also boasts other Meijer Gardens acts: Goo Goo Dolls (with Collective Soul) on Aug. 7 and the Beach Boys (with The Four Tops) on Aug. 20.
Michael Franti
Just across the river, at The Colloseum at Caesar’s in Windsor, Tears for Fears – which sold out its Meijer Gardens show – makes a July 17 tour stop (the same venue where Gavin DeGraw plays on June 19).
The Ann Arbor Summer Festival at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor hosts Michael Franti & Spearhead on June 21 the day before he plays a sold-out Meijer Gardens show.
The Decemberists, who play a sold-out Meijer Gardens show on July 11, also make a tour stop at Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater the next day, July 12. And America plays Sound Board at Motorcity Casino Hotel on June 16, with special guest Robbie Gold, four days after its Meijer Gardens show.
Ben Folds fans, meanwhile, can get a jump on things way ahead of the pianist-singer’s July 10 Meijer Gardens appearance by purchasing $35 tickets for his May 12 show at The Fillmore Detroit (in downtown Detroit).
Ben Folds
Speaking of Detroit, Old Crow Medicine Show follows up its Meijer Gardens and Interlochen shows with a July 16 concert at Fox Theatre, with special guest Brandi Carlie.
R&B superstar Diana Ross, meanwhile, performs July 30 at Chene Park Amphitheatre in Detroit, five days after her sold-out Meijer Gardens concert.
And although he hasn’t yet sold out his Meijer Gardens concert on Aug. 26, Seal also plays Meadow Brook Amphitheatre in Rochester on Aug. 31.
As for tickets to see Paul McCartney – whose Aug. 15 concert at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids sold out almost instantly this morning – fans might have no other option other than to fork over big bucks to scalpers and ticket brokers. The Beatle is pretty much selling out everywhere he’s playing this summer.
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
