Two popular destinations for fans of different genres in different Michigan cities — Grand Rapids and Brooklyn — made the announcements this week. The back story at Local Spins.

Jazz Gem’s Final Month: The trio of Randy Marsh, Clif Metcalf and Jordan Finn performing at GRNoir. (Photo/Enrique Olmos)
FASTER HORSES TO GO ON HIATUS FOR 2025
Faster Horses, Michigan’s popular country music festival and one of the state’s biggest summer music celebrations, will go on hiatus for 2025, organizer Live Nation has announced.
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“We have made the decision to pause Faster Horses Festival in 2025,” organizers revealed via social media late Friday.
“We are taking the year to make plans for a bigger and better Faster Horses for our fans who deserve the absolute best.”
Considered one of the country’s highest profile country music festivals, Faster Horses has been held at Brooklyn’s Michigan International Speedway in Jackson County since 2013, with upwards of 40,000 fans attending.

Faster Horses 2024: Tyler Hubbard and the festival crowd last summer. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
Last year’s festival featured sets by country stars Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Old Dominion, Hardy, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Tyler Hubbard and more, as well up-and-coming, Michigan-bred singer Sadie Bass. (Revisit coverage here.)
Faster Horses is among several big festivals across the country that won’t take place in 2025, with organizers citing higher costs and lower turnouts in many cases. Michigan festivals such as Hoxeyville Music Festival, Earthwork Harvest Gathering and Marquette Area Blues Festival all staged their final gatherings in 2024. (More at Local Spins here.)
Faster Horses also has experienced its share of controversy. A Rolling Stone investigation noted that seven deaths occurred at Faster Horses over just a nine-year period, with survivors demanding accountability from a festival described as attracting a “college-age crowd” with “raucous infield parties that last into the wee hours.”
Previously, MLive.com conducted an investigation of sexual assaults at the festival, with one editor noting “that not everyone is safe at Faster Horses.” More here.
In response, the festival in 2023 released this statement: “We work hand in hand with local and state authorities each year to evolve and advance safety and security measures, and will continue to collaborate with authorities and local partners accordingly.”
GRNOIR JAZZ VENUE TO CLOSE AT END OF FEBRUARY
Saying that “the realities of post-pandemic struggles, inflation and shifting consumer behaviors have become too great to sustain,” Grand Rapids’ GRNoir Wine & Jazz venue will close its doors at the end of February following a four-year run.
Shatawn and Dr. Nadia Brigham, owners of Grand Rapids’ first black-owned wine and jazz bar, insisted in a statement that their “journey has been nothing short of extraordinary” and said they plan to celebrate Black History Month “with our beloved annual ‘Young, Gifted & Black’ series, paying tribute to the brilliance and creativity that has always been at the core of GRNoir. We invite you all to join us in commemorating this moment in grand fashion.”
The bar and jazz venue at 35 S. Division Ave. opened in December 2020 and hosted live jazz by national and regional artists, a curated wine club, wine tastings and more.

Jazz Gathering Place: Olin Clark & band at a GRNoir show last summer. (Photo/Local Spins)
The Brighams thanked their dedicated staff and artist curator Kevin Jones, “who from the very beginning reached out to lead the music component of GRNoir. A world-renowned musician in his own right, Kevin thoughtfully curated local, regional and international artists, always centering their well-being and elevation. His brilliance and generosity made GRNoir’s music experience what it was.”
They added: “Though this chapter is closing, we do so with immense pride in what we have built and the impact we have made. … This is not the end. Stay tuned for what’s next. Shatawn will continue his work in the wine space, and together, we will grow our other enterprises: Brigham Consulting, Accelerate Equity and Radiant & Rising.”
Musicians and patrons reacted with sadness and appreciation for GRNoir’s impact.
“We are heartbroken,” wrote Rachel Tabron.
Noted Tiffany Thornton-Howard: “So sad to see one of the best black-owned establishments in Michigan and best jazz live music spots, period, close.”
View listings of GRNoir’s final February shows online here.
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