As West Michigan rolls into October, some of the last vestiges of outdoor live shows are spotlighted for this week’s The Big List, from Cedar Springs Brewing’s outdoor fest to Beats on Bates.
Ready to Rock Cedar Springs Brewing: Trixy Tang plays the Brewtoberfest tent on Saturday night. (Courtesy Photo/Fran Dwight)
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It’s true: September eases out and October rolls in this week.
While it hasn’t been the outdoor season of live music that most West Michiganders expected due to the ongoing pandemic, opportunities to catch some performances before the snow flies are still in the offing.
For instance, to celebrate the arrival of October, Cedar Springs Brewing in downtown Cedar Springs unfurls its “Brewtoberfest” on Saturday with West Michigan rock ‘n’ roll favorite Trixy Tang thundering forth outside in a 12,000-square-foot space at 7 p.m.
“We are super excited,” said lead singer Klay Fennema. “Our summer schedule, which was packed with festivals, was essentially wiped out, but we were able to transition gigs into a lot of socially distanced acoustic stuff, and private parties, a couple weddings, etc. Our fans were all about hiring us to do private shows, and I am so thankful for that.”
Beats on Bates: Cabildo plays Kalamazoo this week. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
For members of the hard rock band, Brewtoberfest shapes up as a “very fun” event, Fennema said, with safety procedures in place for those attending.
The singer noted the overall slowdown due to the pandemic has allowed the band “to work rigorously on our new originals” with plans for recording a single this fall at White Elephant Records in Big Rapids. “We have a bunch of new songs we are working on, but decided a single right now is a good idea,” Fennema said. “Hoping that will be out this winter.”
In Grand Rapids, meanwhile, the month-long “The Bridge” wraps up this week, with Colin Tobin & Jeff Kemperman slated to perform a pop-up concert on the lawn outside Circle Theatre on Robinson Road SE at 7 p.m. Monday (if the weather cooperates), the Community Unity Festival with Tom Cutts providing the musical entertainment from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, followed by DJ Venus Flyytrap revving up music for the “Blue Bridge Lights” show at 8 p.m. Friday on the blue pedestrian bridge.
That same bridge hosts the day-long “Mid-Autumn Festival” hosted by the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival with food, music, dance and other activities celebrating cultural traditions, starting at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
On Sunday, John Ball Park hosts an afternoon show starring Dixon’s Violin and Jordan Hamilton ($20 advance); get tickets here.
Also, Kalamazoo’s Beats on Bates wraps up at Bates Alley this week with the invigorating, Latin rock strains of Grand Rapids’ Cabildo at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, with Trifocal playing the Kalamazoo State Theatre marquee at 4 p.m. Friday.
THE BIG LIST CONCERT GUIDE (Sept. 21-27)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to changing conditions, unexpected closures and weather considerations, check with the restaurants or venues on this list before you make plans to attend a show to make sure they’re still open.
MONDAY
• Iron Town outdoors at The Score, 5301 Northland Dr. NE in Grand Rapids, 6 p.m. Monday
• Colin Tobin and Jeff Kemperman playing the Circle Theatre Pop-Up Concert on the lawn at Circle Theatre, 1703 Robinson Road SE, 7 p.m. Monday, $15, details here here
TUESDAY
• Project 90 outdoors at The Score, 5301 Northland Dr. NE in Grand Rapids, 6 p.m. Tuesday
WEDNESDAY
• Cabildo performing at Bates Alley for “Beats on Bates” in Kalamazoo, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
• Blue Jay Bridge outdoors at The Score, 5301 Northland Dr. NE in Grand Rapids, 6 p.m. Wednesday
• Evening Jam Session at Ludington Area Center for the Arts, 107 South Harrison St. in Ludington, 6 p.m. Wednesday
• Drew Hale at Cedar Springs Brewing in downtown Cedar Springs, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
THURSDAY
• The New Standard playing Sandy Point Beach House, 7175 Lakeshore Drive in West Olive, 5 p.m. Thursday
• Decades outdoors at The Score, 5301 Northland Dr. NE in Grand Rapids, 6 p.m. Thursday
FRIDAY
• Trifocal playing “State on the Street” on the marquee at Kalamazoo State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick Ave. in Kalamazoo, 4 p.m. Friday
• Community Unity Festival with music by Tom Cutts at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, 6-8 p.m. Friday, free (space is limited to 100), details here
• Trilogy outdoors at The Score, 5301 Northland Dr. NE in Grand Rapids, 6 p.m. Friday
• In the Blue Jazz playing the Music in the Garten series at Third Nature Brewing Co., 7733 Childsdale Ave. NE in Rockford, 7 p.m. Friday
• Pickin’ with Peers & Beers on the patio at Pincrest Bar & Lanes at 6571 Airline Road in Fruitport, 7 p.m. Friday
• Heart & Soul with Greg Jasperse & The Jazz & Creative Institute Faculty Ensemble playing a fundraising concert for the Growing Young Artists program at Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St. in Saugatuck, 7 p.m. Friday, $50 (includes dessert)
• DJ Venus Flyytrap playing “Blue Bridge Lights” on the blue pedestrian bridge in downtown Grand Rapids, 8 p.m. Friday
• Post Fontaine at Smash Wine Bar & Bistro, 415 W. Western Ave. in Muskegon, 8 p.m. Friday
• Trapped on Mars playing River City Saloon, 1152 Leonard St. NW in Grand Rapids, 9 p.m. Friday
• Drew Behringer playing Itty Bitty Bar, 1136 Ottawa Beach Road in Holland, 9 p.m. Friday
SATURDAY
• Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival’s “Mid-Autumn Festival” with food, music, dance and more on the blue pedestrian bridge in downtown Grand Rapids, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Saturday, details here; capacity limited to 100
• Wyatt & Shari Knapp playing “Music in the Vineyards” at Fenn Valley Vineyards, 6130 122nd Ave. in Fennville, 2 p.m. Saturday (reservations required, details here)
• Par-llo Connection Show Band playing the October Fest at Gippers Bar & Restaurant, 2929 Kraft Ave. SE in Grand Rapids, 4-8 p.m. Saturday
• Bucket O’ Maybes at The Score, 5301 Northland Dr. NE in Grand Rapids, 6 p.m. Saturday
• John Shea Trio playing Noto’s Old World Italian Dining, 6600 28th St. SE, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (Call for reservations)
• Trixy Tang playing outside Cedar Springs Brewing Co. in downtown Cedar Springs, 7 p.m. Saturday
• Mike Furbush at Smash Wine Bar & Bistro, 415 W. Western Ave. in Muskegon, 7 p.m. Saturday
• Pieces of Work playing Itty Bitty Bar, 1136 Ottawa Beach Road in Holland, 9 p.m. Saturday
SUNDAY
• Tony Halchak at Cedar Springs Brewing in downtown Cedar Springs, noon Sunday
• Dixon’s Violin and Jordan Hamilton performing at John Ball Park, 1300 W. Fulton St. in Grand Rapids, 3 p.m. Sunday, $20 advance, $25 day of show, tickets and details online here; gates open at 2 p.m.
• Alistair Beerens playing The Underpass at The Pinnacle Center, 3330 Highland Drive in Hudsonville, 4 p.m. Sunday
• JGJ Band outdoors at The Score, 5301 Northland Dr. NE in Grand Rapids, 6 p.m. Sunday
Have a show to add to The Big List? Email john@localspins.com.
Copyright 2020, Spins on Music LLC
