WLAV attracted big crowds after moving the Wednesday series to Walker last summer so it has nine concerts on tap for 2016; Garage Bar resumes its Wednesday night block parties, too. See the full lineups.
Delta Blues: WLAV’s Wednesday night Summertime Blues concerts kick off in Walker in mid-June. (Photo/Tori Thomas)
For the second year in a row, WLAV-FM will fire up free Wednesday night blues concerts outside DeltaPlex Arena in Walker.
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Blues Power: Tommy Castro kicks off this year’s series at the DeltaPlex Arena.
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers – a Blues on the Mall mainstay from past years when the event was held in downtown Grand Rapids – will kick off this year’s series at 7 p.m. June 15 in the parking lot of DeltaPlex Arena, 2500 Turner Ave. NW.
Officially titled the 97LAV Village Motorsports Summertime Blues presented by Orion Construction, the nine-concert series will feature a roster of national blues artists throughout the summer, including Kelley Richey, John Nemeth, Larry McCray, Rick Estrin, Popa Chubby, Curtis Salgado and more. (See the full schedule at right.)
After staging the mid-week shows at downtown’s Rosa Parks Circle for more than 20 years, WLAV moved the popular series last year to DeltaPlex Arena, which offered more parking and room for motorcycles, beer sales and other amenities.
Despite some grumbling about the move initially, fans responded in huge numbers, filling the DeltaPlex parking lot on many Wednesday nights with bikers in particular coming out in droves.
The 2016 Schedule
“We were extremely happy with the result from last year and we feel that a majority of the people that came out to the blues were happy,” Marcus Bradman, director of marking and promotion for Cumulus West Michigan which own WLAV-FM, told Local Spins.
The opening night will also be tied into this year’s West Michigan Freedom Cruise, a four-day festival that features everything from concerts to car shows to motorcycle cruises as a fundraiser for the Finish the Mission Veteran Relief Fund.
This year’s Summertime Blues concerts will start a half-hour later, at 7 p.m., with gates opening at 6:30 p.m. Bradman said as a result of the later starting time, organizers have cut the intermission between sets in half, from 30 minutes to 15. The stage will be dubbed the Gun Lake Casino Concert Stage.
Castro, a veteran California blues guitarist who released his first album in 1994, is touring behind his latest album, “Method to My Madness,” which debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Blues Albums Chart. He’s won numerous awards during his career, including being named B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year.
In addition to familiar returnees such as McCray, Richey, Estrin and Salgado, this year’s Summertime Blues series features first-time performers such as Chicago blues guitarist Toronzo Cannon and “Mississippi Blues Child” Mr. Sipp.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT CONCERTS RETURN TO GARAGE BAR ON OTTAWA
The Summertime Blues series at the DeltaPlex isn’t the only outdoor option on Wednesday nights for concertgoers.
The 2016 Lineup
For the second year, the Garage Bar & Grill will host outdoor block parties on Ottawa Avenue NW – just north of downtown Grand Rapids – from 6 to 10 p.m. every Wednesday this summer featuring local and regional bands.
Detroit’s Twistin’ Tarantulas – a rockabilly favorite – will kick off this year’s series on June 15, with a host of popular Michigan acts following throughout the summer, including Brena, Stolen Horses, Big Boss Blues, Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish and Mid-Life Crisis.
Admission to the block parties just outside the Garage, 819 Ottawa Ave. NW, is $3, with $1 donated to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. The events will also feature motorcycle and classic car displays along Ottawa from Fairbanks to Newberry streets, $1 tacos and food and drink specials.
The parties are sponsored by Budweiser, Pioneer Construction and Kent Companies.
Returning for the Summer: Last year’s Garage Bar Block Parties drew solid crowds. (Photo/Taylor Mansen)
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
