West Michigan ushered in 2017 in style with UV Hippo, The Crane Wives, Seth Bernard, Vox Vidorra, The Go Rounds and plenty more — and Local Spins has the photos and some videos to prove it.
Welcoming 2017: Molly Bouwsma Schultz and Vox Vidorra put on a soulful, energetic display at Wealthy Theatre. (Photo/Anna Sink)
NEW YEAR’S EVE AT WEALTHY THEATRE
Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Theatre has a rich tradition of inspiring New Year’s Eve celebrations, many of them hosted by Michigan’s Starlight Six super-group.
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But this year’s soiree took a different sort of all-star approach with four popular West Michigan bands sharing the stage to usher in 2017.
Upbeat: A big crowd cheered The Crane Wives and more at Wealthy Theatre. (Photo/Local Spins)
The results were every bit as inspiring as singer-songwriter Seth Bernard, folk-rock’s The Crane Wives, soulful quartet Vox Vidorra and twang rock’s The Go Rounds provided a rousing and hopeful sort of musical spark in the jam-packed theater.
In his opening set, Bernard set the tone for the evening, which included a can drive to aid the needy and an overriding, upbeat, feel-good atmosphere.
“Friends and musicians are playing all over the state tonight,” he noted. “It’s very special to be here with you. It’s more than just a party. We’re trying to build camaraderie and cooperation. It’s a big part of what we do. … trying to keep the community strong and resilient.”
What followed for the next four hours was nothing short of a celebration of West Michigan’s uber-talented and diverse musical community, with crowd-pleasing sets for the ebullient fans packed in close to the stage.
It was also an excuse to mingle musically, with guitarist Steve Leaf joining The Crane Wives for much of the band’s set, members of The Go Rounds amping up Vox Vidorra’s tributes to David Bowie and Prince (oozing plenty of sex appeal on stage for those songs), and finally, some post-midnight revelry featuring an all-band jam.
“This is seriously a dream bill for us,” Kate Pillsbury of The Crane Wives had gushed early on.
Indeed, it was. Check out the photos and videos.
PHOTO GALLERY: New Year’s Eve at Wealthy Theatre
Photos by Anna Sink
VIDEO: The Crane Wives, “High Horse”
VIDEO: Seth Bernard at Wealthy Theatre
KALAMAZOO
Kalamazoo celebrated the arrival of the new year in a host of ways, with numerous bands playing a variety of venues in the downtown area as part of the annual New Year’s Fest celebration (which also included a ball drop and fireworks display), and Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers and The Mainstays getting their groove on at the State Theatre.
PHOTO GALLERY: New Year’s Eve in Kalamazoo
Photos by Derek Ketchum
BILLY’S LOUNGE
Elsewhere, La Famiglia and DJ Omega Supreme fired up their annual New Year’s Eve party at Billy’s Lounge in Grand Rapids with an exuberant crowd on hand. Check out the photo gallery by Tony Norkus.
PHOTO GALLERY: New Year’s Eve at Billy’s Lounge
La Famiglia photos by Anthony Norkus
