Steaming hot music added to the steamy hot weather at City Lights Music Festival, Taste of Grand Rapids and Meijer Gardens, with a few hot indoor shows such as GRAM on the Green and AOK at Con Artist Crew Gallery.
GRAM (not) on the Green: The Crane Wives drew a huge indoor crowd at the Grand Rapids Art Museum on Friday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus Photograph)
Even as the July heat wave ebbed a bit, West Michigan kept the musical mercury rising this weekend with the throbbing electronic dance strains of the City Lights Music Festival on Calder Plaza, plus plenty more, including another installation of the GRAM on the Green series downtown, this one featuring the folk-rock of The Crane Wives.
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The Friday show was moved indoors to beat the heat and humidity, creating an amazing vibe in the lobby of the jam-packed museum. Photographer Anthony Norkus captured that milieu magnificently in the Local Spins photos here.
City Lights meanwhile turned Calder Plaza into an EDM dance floor, according to Local Spins writer Mary Mattingly, who had these observations about the two-day festival: With the crowd turnout initially lower than expected, more people showed up as the night wore on to catch up with friends in VIP tents, dance with glow sticks and show off their rave attire. The scene was more relaxed than usual for these types of shows, making this feel like a big festival — featuring the likes of Mutrix, George Acosta and Kiely Rich — with a more personalized feel.
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And there was more:
Grand Rapids indie-pop duo AOK unleashing its creatively infectious music at Con Artist Crew Gallery’s (conartistcrew.com) warehouse show at 1111 Godfrey Ave. SW on Friday;
George Acosta at City Lights Music Festival. (Photo/Mary Mattingly)
The Taste of Grand Rapids at Fifth Third Ballpark with a host of bands performing over two days, including bands such as Blue Molly, Kari Lynch Band, Stolen Horses and Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys;
Another sold-out Steve Miller Band concert at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, with West Michigan’s Lucas Wilson and Hannaniah Whitley opening the show;
The People’s Temple from Lansing and Grand Rapids’ Lake Timber opening for Mac DeMarco at The Pyramid Scheme;
Grand Rapids hip-hop artist Rick Chyme’s LP-release show for his fine new recording at Billy’s Lounge with special guests such as singer Molly Bouwsma-Schultz;
Singer-songwriter Peter Bradley Adams playing the Seven Steps Up listening room in Spring Lake.
Once again, if you’re out and about soaking up live music over the weekend, email photos to jsinkevics@gmail.com (make sure you include the band name, venue and photographer) and we’ll use the best shots in the Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery and toss your name into the hat for a gift certificate.
And for a separate Local Spins photo gallery — and review — of the Grace Potter & the Nocturnals concert at Meijer Gardens on Sunday night, click here.
THE LOCAL SPINS WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY (JULY 21, 2013)
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
