Trufant’s Smiling Acres is hosting this year’s Bus Benefit with more than a dozen Michigan artists performing over the Memorial Day weekend. The first-day recap at Local Spins.
Live Music, VW Buses and a ‘Great Vibe’: Bus Benefit kicked off Friday. (Photo/Local Spins)
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS, PHOTO GALLERY
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This year’s Buses by the Beach Bus Benefit isn’t anywhere near a Lake Michigan beach, but waves of music and camaraderie are filling the holiday weekend anyway.
Revving up for the first time on Friday at Smiling Acres outside Trufant and attracting a convoy of colorful Volkswagen buses, Bus Benefit 2024 exuded a laid-back, friendly and comfortable milieu with attendees cheering sets by Kalamazoo’s The Incantations and Grand Rapids’ Nicholas James & The Bandwagon — a country/Americana/rock band that traditionally kicks off the weekend celebration.
After setting up for more than a decade at West Olive’s Camp Blodgett, the new festival site — which also hosts Smiling Acres Music Festival in June — provided more spacious surroundings for the Bus Benefit, with more than one attendee describing it as “a really good vibe.”
Closing Out Day 1: Nicholas James & The Bandwagon (Photo/Local Spins)
With the opening night performances taking place under cloudy but pleasant conditions, the assembled “tribe” — as one of the organizers and Roosevelt Diggs member Jon Shears put it — was expected to grow today (Saturday) for sets on two stages, the main stage and the acoustic Woods Stage.
The Woods Stage, hosted by Loren Johnson, will feature performances and open jams from noon to 6 p.m., followed by main stage sets from Round Creek String Band, Grace Theisen, Hannah Rose Graves Band and Desmond Jones. After rain fell overnight, the festival is expected to enjoy sunny skies with a high temperature of 73 on Saturday.
Sunday’s lineup — starting at 6 p.m. — will feature Short Panic, Silver Creek Revival, Pocket Watch and Americana’s Roosevelt Diggs, who traditionally close out the festival that raises money for the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors.
Saturday and Sunday passes are $65 each; details online here. Smiling Acres is located at 3060 N. Johnson Rd., Trufant.
VIDEO: Buses by the Beach Bus Benefit 2024 – Day 1
PHOTO GALLERY: Bus Benefit at Smiling Acres
Photos by John Sinkevics
