The return of Festival to downtown Grand Rapids on Friday after a long, COVID hiatus attracted families and fans of live music, food and art. Opening-day highlights, photos and video at Local Spins.
Friday Night at Festival: Gorgeous Nightmare was one of the last bands to play the Calder Stage. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
With Festival of the Arts flags blowing wildly in a strong breeze late Friday afternoon, the Crossroads Resurrection band tuned up in preparation for the first evening of Festival entertainment in three years.
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When the band finally unleashed its funky, R&B-fueled blues, the strains ricocheted off the downtown Grand Rapids buildings surrounding the Lyon Street Stage and soon drew more fans to the sun-splashed seating area, with dancers even bopping along at the back.
Indeed, the thinner-than-usual crowds for a Festival Friday compared to past years — especially considering the sunny, rain-free weather — grew quickly overall as evening fell, with long lines at many food booths by 6 p.m.
The live music on the four outdoor stages seemed to grow in intensity and energy, too, from the uber-talented young Judah Guerra jazz band on the Calder Stage to the FlyLiteGemini rock ‘n’ roll duo on the Lyon Street Stage to Chandler Reed & The Sticky Keys’ uptempo, piano-driven pop-rock on the Fountain Street Stage.
Chandler Reed & The Sticky Keys (Photo/Local Spins)
“We only get a few months of great weather, so when there’s an outside festival where we can enjoy the sun and the local arts, you have to take advantage of it,” said festivalgoer Hugh Kallen of Grand Rapids.
By and large, it was a triumphant return of a volunteer-driven, free festival with a half-century tradition in Grand Rapids, coming back from a crippling pandemic that’s stalled more than one summer event the past two years. And there’s two more full days of performances to come. View the preview and full schedule at Local Spins here.
Interestingly, Friday’s opening blast wasn’t the only live music taking place outdoors in downtown Grand Rapids. Just a few blocks away at Studio Park, south of Van Andel Arena, Listening Lawn hosted the “soft opening” of its summer concert series on the piazza, with Ann Arbor’s Djangophonique unfurling its instrumentally adroit Django Reinhardt-inspired gypsy jazz for rapt fans as the quartet promoted its new studio album, “Introducing Djangophonique.”
Here are some first-day Festival highlights, along with a photo gallery and video.
Writer Benjamin Blackburn
• Krystal Kleer – The eight-piece band Krystal Kleer launched the Festival of the Arts off right with a glorious set of Southern blues. Performing on the Calder Stage under a beautiful blue sky, Krystal Kleer provided a performance that demanded the attention of any passing festival-goer.
Brian Morris (Photo/Holly Holtzclaw)
• Brian Morris – Classical guitarist Brian Morris spent his set creating beautiful soundscapes and gifting the indoor stage at the Grand Rapids Art Museum with a joyous atmosphere. Unfortunately, due to scheduled construction taking place back stage, some of the quieter segments were overtaken by banging hammers and raging saws. Morris was even visibly distracted at a couple of points in the show.
• Karen Betz-Griewahn – Coming to the art museum with a handful of different woodwind instruments (flute, alto flute, piccolo), Karen Betz-Griewahn performed an assortment of songs from classical composers. Along with the music, Betz-Griewahn had a cheerful and friendly presence as she shared stories about her family in between songs.
Writer Robert Novak
• Tami Rene – Singer-songwriter Tami Rene performed a wholesome folk-rock set on Friday evening. Her soft voice accompanied by her bluesy acoustic guitar-playing drew a crowd under the tent at the diSuvero stage.
The Prickly Pears (Photo/Holly Holtzclaw)
• East Town Swing – The five-person jazz ensemble, East Town Swing, played a variety of music from Miles Davis to Michael Bublé. The set at the diSuvero Stage featured multiple solos from each musician, highlighting every instrument present.
• The Prickly Pears– The Prickly Pears’ passionate lyricism and upbeat instrumentals created a cathartic live music experience. The local indie folk-rock band played an emotive and cohesive set at the diSuvero Stage that got audience members dancing.
PHOTO GALLERY: Grand Rapids Festival – Day 1
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker, Holly Holtzclaw, John Sinkevics
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