Meijer Gardens courts stars for its outdoor amphitheater series, which sells out more shows and increases attendance every summer. See the updated list of sellouts, plus a change in the schedule for Smokey Robinson’s concert.
Forever Young: B.B. King returns to Grand Rapids and Meijer Gardens for a sold-out show on Monday at the outdoor amphitheater.
When it comes to matchmaking, the 2013 version of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s “dating game” with star musical artists has hit the jackpot by booking a record 29 concerts this summer, starting with Monday’s sold-out kickoff show by legendary bluesman B.B. King.
Now 87, the guitarist first played Meijer Gardens’ outdoor amphitheater way back in 2004, when he told me that only God could ever retire him from the road. “I’m not as spunky as I have been,” he quipped in his inimitable, upbeat fashion, “but I feel good. And as long people keep coming to see me as they have been, I see no reason to quit.”
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People certainly keep coming to see him as evidenced by brisk ticket sales for his appearance, along with those for Old Crow Medicine Show, Harry Connick Jr., Steve Miller Band, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers (with Edie Brickell), The Beach Boys, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Garrison Keillor’s
“A Prairie Home Companion,” and Sheryl Crow – all of which have essentially sold out. The Owl City and Lyle Lovett & His Large Band concerts in August are within a few dozen tickets of selling out, and other shows are getting close, too. Those sellouts represent more than one-third of the 29 concerts in this year’s series, the 11th season of shows at the outdoor amphitheater.
By the way, West Michigan’s own The Vincent Hayes Project will open for King on Monday.
Smokey Robinson
Another concert nearing the sellout stage has been rescheduled: Meijer Gardens announced on Friday that singer Smokey Robinson’s June 9 show, the second date in the summer series, has been postponed to Aug. 28. A spokesman for Robinson said the singer is suffering from “inflamed vocal cords,” forcing the delay. (Tickets for June 9 will be good at the rescheduled show; refunds also are available by calling Star Tickets at 1-800-585-3737 to receive a refund in the same payment method used for purchase or by emailing customerservice@startickets.com from the account used to purchase tickets. An order identification number must be included.)
David Hooker
THE MEIJER GARDENS DATING GAME
“I call the whole process we go through a ‘dating game,’ ” Meijer Gardens CEO David Hooker says of wooing high-profile performing artists to Meijer Gardens and working through the scheduling and tour routing that affect each year’s bookings. “We want to have this concert series appeal to everybody, from all walks of life, all tastes of music.”
Meijer Gardens representatives and promoter Chris Mautz also clearly want to attract returning crowd favorites as well as hot new acts, so they cast a wide net in finding dates for the diverse amphitheater series that covers a broad range of genres. Last year, that matchmaking effort resulted in a record 25 concerts, and even more for 2013. But don’t expect another jump in concert bookings for 2014.
“We were more successful than we thought we would be in the dating game,” says Hooker, who concedes Meijer Gardens has likely hit the limit in terms of sheer numbers of summer concerts. “I think we’ve reached our maximum.”
Regardless, it’s been an upward trajectory for the 1,900-capacity outdoor venue with tiered lawn seating: The 12 sellouts and overall attendance of 42,446 in 2012 represented a significant increase over the nine sellouts and 34,985 in attendance for 2011.
Part of that increased attendance can be attributed to younger audiences who are new to the Meijer Gardens experience, but who are attracted to emerging acts that this year include energetic string band Old Crow Medicine Show, indie folk-rockers Grizzly Bear, rock’s Potter and jam-band faves Umphrey’s McGee and the John Butler Trio.
Grace Potter
TARGETING A YOUNGER AUDIENCE
“It’s really important,” Hooker says of targeting a 20-something audience. “People in their early 20s and so forth tend not to be as connected to Meijer Gardens and this is a great way” to get them through the gates.
Once there, he says, they emerge transformed by the Meijer Gardens milieu. “The most frequent term is, ‘I’m blown away,’ ” Hooker says of ‘first-timers’ to the series. “ ‘I just had no idea. This is so beautiful. I could listen to anything sitting here just enjoying the venue.’ ”
In July, Meijer Gardens also kicks off its popular Tuesday Evening Music Club series, featuring local and regional acts. Get the full lineup for that series in this LocalSpins.com story.
For those living in a cave who might have missed it, here’s the full lineup of 2013 Meijer Gardens shows. (Although starting and gate opening times vary in some cases, most shows start at 7 p.m. Low-slung lawn and beach chairs are permitted, but will be measured at the gate to ensure they meet restrictions. Food and non-alcoholic beverage may be brought into the amphitheater; concessions, beer and wine are available for sale on-site.)
Tickets range in price from $40 to $92 for non-members; get more details online at meijergarden.org.
Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule at Meijer Gardens
MEIJER GARDENS 2013 SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
June 3 – B.B. King
June 13 – Gov’t Mule
June 16 – Sheryl Crow
June 17 – Peter Frampton, Robert Cray
June 20 – Wynton Marsalis/Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
June 21 – Los Lobos & Los Lonely Boys, Alejandro Escovedo
June 24 – Pink Martini
June 27 – Brandi Carlile, The Lone Bellow
July 3 – Umphrey’s McGee
July 5 – Montgomery Gentry
July 7 – David Byrne & St. Vincent
July 11 – Old Crow Medicine Show
July 15 – Michael Franti & Spearhead
July 17 – Harry Connick Jr.
July 18 – Steve Miller Band
July 21 – Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
July 25 – Chris Isaak
July 29 – Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers with Edie Brickell
Aug. 1 – The Beach Boys
Aug. 2 – John Butler Trio
Aug. 3 – Grizzly Bear
Aug. 5 – Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion with Sara Watkins
Aug. 8 – Randy Newman
Aug. 11 – Owl City
Aug. 15 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Aug. 21 – Michael McDonald
Aug. 24 – Lyle Lovett & His Large Band
Aug. 28 – Smokey Robinson
Sept. 5 – Indigo Girls
Tickets available online at startickets.com or by calling 800-585-3737, with $8.75 in fees.
Also available at Meijer Gardens admission desk with no fees. For Meijer Gardens memberships, visit meijergardens.org/membership online.
Season ticket sponsorships – which include two tickets to every show with seating in the East and West Terraces, snacks, beverages and reserved parking passes – are available by contacting Katharine Kane at 975-3177 or emailing her at kkane@meijergardens.org.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
