The blues-infused rock double-header at Meijer Gardens on Wednesday boasted plenty of instrumental romps and familiar tunes. The Local Spins review and photos.
‘Run Around’ and Much More: John Popper with Blues Traveler on the Meijer Gardens stage Wednesday. (Photo/Steve Baran)
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As frontman John Popper oft proclaims, “the hook brings you back” — and that had devoted fans back and on their feet during Wednesday night’s double-header of legendary blues-rock powerhouses Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd & the Monsters at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
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Big Head Todd and the Monsters kicked off the night with high-energy, guitar-centric tunes. And while the audience didn’t quite match the group’s enthusiasm, some of the most popular tracks managed to pull people to their feet.
Lead singer Todd Park Mohr expressed his admiration and appreciation for Blues Traveler from the stage by calling them his “favorite group.” The Colorado band is joining Blues Traveler for a series of summer shows on tour.
“They were with us really early on and gave us a lot of encouragement,” Mohr noted.
Mid-Week Jams: The scene at the amphitheater on Wednesday. (Photo/Steve Baran)
By the end of their set, Big Head Todd & The Monsters were cranking out a non-stop string of hits including “Bittersweet,” “Boom Boom,” and “Brokenhearted Savior.” Mohr let his hair down (literally) for the closing number, a cover of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star.”
Blues Traveler, meanwhile, leaned heavily on instrumental romps and, of course, John Popper’s impressive harmonica solos that punctuated nearly every song in the set.
Fun, jam-heavy covers of songs by Black Sabbath (“War Pigs”) and Van Halen (“Hot for Teacher”) pleased some audience members and transformed the show into a jam-band-style affair with concertgoers dancing and cheering along to the ever-changing instrumentals and colorful light show.
“You guys are f—–ing awesome!” Popper exclaimed to the audience, quickly correcting his language to “firetrucking awesome” after spotting a particularly young fan.
(Some fans, however, elected to leave the show early, packing up their chairs and coolers by 9 p.m., less than an hour after Blues Traveler took the stage.)
The band invited Mohr back to the stage for an extended rendition of “Carolina Blues” before closing out the main set with the fan-favorite hit “Hook.”
Up Next at Meijer Gardens: Grace Potter plays Meijer Gardens at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets, $60, area available online here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Blues Traveler, Big Head Todd at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Steve Baran
SET LIST: Blues Traveler at Meijer Gardens
Setlist.fm
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