Buses by the Beach’s annual Memorial weekend festival heated up amid chilly weather with an opening Friday salvo featuring Nicholas James & The Bandwagon and Cold Leather Seats. The recap, photos.
Heating Up Bus Benefit: Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, and yes, the sun did eventually appear. (Photo/Brayden Flodin)
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Call it a joyful family reunion.
Trufant’s Smiling Acres brought out Volkswagen bus owners and music enjoyers alike on Friday as Buses by the Beach kicked off its annual Bus Benefit to get the summer music festival season started.
The gloomy, chilly weather didn’t seem to hamper bands or attendees who embraced live music from West Michigan’s Cold Leather Seats and Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, the camping atmosphere and the VW bus lifestyle.
The coziness of the tight-knit community was palpable and felt by the bands as they took the Main Stage.
“The love of the community,” Buses by the Beach board member Beth Smith said of the motivation for organizing Bus Benefit. “We have built such a huge family and it just grows every year, the community vibe, the love of everybody, and the common goal just makes it feel so joyful.”
Getting the Weekend Started: Campers and VW bus owners. (Photo/Brayden Flodin)
Cold Leather Seats was quick to warm up that family with the band’s latest single, “Hey Pretty Mama,” along with braving the elements, tuning their instruments and chatting with the audience about their favorite beers.
Amid terrific interaction with attendees, the band then performed a wonderful ballad written by lead vocalist Alex Svoboda for his wife called “Beautiful Nights.” Their song, “Traveler,” had the audience singing along, bobbing heads and clapping their hands — one of the highlights from a top-notch set of engaging fiddle melodies accompanied by acoustic guitar.
A staple at the Bus Benefit, only one band has performed at the festival more often then Friday night headliner country/folk/rock band Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, which regaled the small-but-enthusiastic crowd with another memorable set.
“I love this festival, This is the official start of summer,” said frontman Nicholas James Thomasma, who also serves as executive director of the non-profit Michigan Music Alliance, which provides professional growth opportunities to Michigan musicians.
“Even as I’m saying this, the sun is coming out. It’s like magic. Somehow, when this community gets together to celebrate Volkswagen buses and music and community, that’s where the magic happens. It happens every year at Buses by the Beach.”
That sentiment was felt by much of the audience, with many simply describing the milieu as “joyful.”
It’s “all these good people, the families, all these buses, closed in tight, and three nights of music,” acknowledged Buses by the Beach vice president Derek Reed. In addition, proceeds from the festival go to support the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors.
The musical fun and family activities continue amid a forecast for sunny skies and warmer temperatures through the weekend. Check out the full schedule below.
PHOTO GALLERY: Bus Benefit 2025 – Day 1 (Trufant)
Photos by Brayden Flodin
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