On hiatus since 2019 due to COVID, the four-concert “Summer Sessions” series starts in June at Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium. Tickets are on sale; view the full lineup of performers.
Heading Back to West Michigan: Big Head Todd & The Monster will play Grand Haven. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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When Seven Steps Up launched its first-ever Summer Sessions concerts on the Grand Haven waterfront in 2019 with the likes of Los Lonely Boys, Firefall and Poco, anticipation was high for the future of the series in a spectacular location.
The COVID-19 pandemic scuttled all of that – until now.
Summer Sessions will resume at Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium on June 20 with Colorado rock band Big Head Todd & The Monsters and alt-rock’s 10,000 Maniacs, with Greensky Bluegrass banjoist and West Michigan native Michael Arlen Bont playing an opening set.
The four-concert series hosted by Courtyard Concerts continues on July 7 with country music singer, songwriter and pianist Phil Vassar and Australian country singer-songwriter Jamie O’Neal.
On July 14, New York alt-rockers The Spin Doctors hit waterfront stadium, with rock/pop’s Sister Hazel opening.
The series closes on Aug. 18 with British rock/pop singer John Waite (The Babys, Bad English) and prog-pop band Ambrosia.
“Amazing, like things might actually be getting back to normal,” said Michelle Hanks, co-owner of Seven Steps Up. “We’ve been working on this for years, so it’s with a lot of personal satisfaction and relief.”
Tickets range from $68 for the opening concert to $60 for the Waite and Vassar concerts, and $65 for The Spin Doctors. Tickets are on sale now at sevenstepsup.com or by calling 616-930-4755. Four-ticket packages costing $231 each (a $50 discount) also are available online here.
The Stadium: A waterfront view. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Hanks called Vassar “a great addition” to the series and said she’s looking forward to seeing Waite with a full band.
“He played some acoustic sets at Seven Steps Up that blew me away, so this will be fun,” she said. “His energy here needed a bigger stage.”
Concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. at the 2,500-capacity stadium, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. The shows are slated to end around 9:30 p.m., prior to the start of the evening Grand Haven Musical Fountain displays.
Concessions, including beer and wine, will be available. And because the shows are on weeknights, organizers anticipate parking may be a bit easier with lots available within a short walk of the stadium.
Attendees can bring low-profile chairs to set up on the tiered amphitheater; get the full set of rules, dos and don’ts online here.
VIDEO: Big Head Todd & The Monsters at Red Rocks
LISTEN: Phil Vassar, “This Is Where the End Starts”
VIDEO: The Spin Doctors, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” (2020)
VIDEO: John Waite, “Every Time I Think of You” (2020)
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