Celebrated singer-songwriter Mat Kearney returns to Michigan for a sold-out Grand Rapids tour stop tonight. The Local Spins interview with the artist who releases a new album on Oct. 9.
Back in West Michigan: Kearney last played Meijer Gardens in 2024. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
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Mat Kearney has been in a Michigan state of mind.
“We spent some time in Grand Haven, then a week up in the Traverse City area,” the Oregon-bred and Nashville-based singer-songwriter said of his July family vacation schedule.
“And we only had one day of smoke,” he added of his timing in encountering Canadian wildfire smoke which blew into much of Michigan during the month.
Kearney is back in Michigan today, playing a sold-out concert at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park at 7 tonight (Aug. 13), with Jake Scott opening the show.
This performance is a different one for the artist, as it celebrates the 20th anniversary of his first major label release, “Nothing Left to Lose.” And he will be highlighting various selections throughout the show.
“I’ve been practicing these songs and am kind of nervous to break out some that I haven’t played in 20 years,” noted the 47-year-old. “But I’ve enjoyed re-remembering them and finding how they speak to me in this season of life.”
Kearney: Revisiting a classic album. (Courtesy Photo)
The title track has become one of his standards. “All I Need” was a song used on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” and other shows. But lesser known nuggets such as the poetic “Girl America” and “Bullet” are begging for a wider audience.
“That album was a very diverse record and spread me in a bunch of directions.”
A more recent fan favorite, “Closer To Love” (which references Lake Michigan) has a Taylor Swift connection.
“For a time on a tour, she was covering a song written by an artist from the area of the concert, ” Kearney said of his 2009 hit. She performed the song at a Portland, Ore., show.
“My daughters still don’t believe that she (Swift) has come to my shows and played the song at hers,” said Kearney, 47.
His kids are often the first “audiences” to hear his new songs.
When he works on music he often plays tracks in the car. The technique takes him out of his critical mind and he simply listens.
If the girls are riding with him, they often ask if the song is “out in the world” yet and if they can listen to it on Spotify. “No, I just wrote it an hour ago,” he counters.
Kearney grew up competing in youth soccer and he played for his college team. He remains a fan and has coached his daughter’s team of 5-year-olds.
“I had big aspirations of how dialed I was gonna get them,” he recalled. “But after 15 minutes of the first practice, I realized I was just kind of babysitting and it was all I could do to keep them on the field in five-minute increments.”
Kearney is aiming for October to release a new album, “Hanging By A Heartstring.” He’s already introduced several of the new songs on social media.
But this tour is cleverly titled “Nothing to Lose and Everything to Gain,” and will focus on the album that put him on the map.
“Weaving the thread of the old songs is a challenge I’m looking forward to,” he said.
VIDEO: Mat Kearney, “Nothing Left to Lose”
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