Sunday’s tour stop at Meijer Gardens was Sheryl Crow’s second Michigan show in as many days. She delivered a bevy of popular songs for a packed amphitheater w/ Allison Russell opening. Review, photos.
Thrilled to Be Back: Sheryl Crow on stage at Meijer Gardens. (Photo/Nathan Purchase)
SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERY AND SET LIST
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There was plenty of sun to soak up Sunday at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park amphitheater.
And singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow was there to lead a sold-out crowd in celebrating her shiny musical array.
Yes, her 2002 hit “Soak Up The Sun” came well into Crow’s 16-song set, bright LED lights from the stage underscoring the sunny effect. But the artist and her bandmates also put the polish to her other pop gems, including “All I Wanna Do” and “Every Day Is a Winding Road.”
Fresh from a performance Saturday in Traverse City for the National Cherry Festival, Crow was appreciating the stages of Michigan.
Supporting the Environment: Crow (Photo/Nathan Purchase)
“We love Meijer Gardens. Grand Rapids, we’re so glad you’re here,” she voiced early in the evening. Crow has performed at the venue several times.
The singer, who reminded the audience of her age (“I’m 60”), alternated between acoustic and electric guitar throughout her slew of songs. And she added harmonica to her Rolling Stones cover “Live With Me” (giving it a great ride) and
on one of the tunes in the encore, “Real Gone,” from the movie “Cars.”
A handful of fans danced near the front of the stage, and a few others at their seats. But there wasn’t much room on the packed amphitheare floor.
Crow said she wasn’t going to get too political in her banter with the crowd. “But if you want to vote for people who protect the environment, that be super rad,” she noted.
During the pandemic period, the singer produced a documentary revealing her life story. She added several new songs to an accompanying retrospective collection. One of them that Crow performed, “Forever,” is a ballad dedicated to her sons and promising her supportive love in an uncertain world.
TEAMING UP WITH OPENER ALLISON RUSSELL
The country-ish “Strong Enough,” meanwhile, was underscored with jangly guitars and tight vocals, drawing on efforts of various band members, including guitarist Tim Smith and keyboardist Jen Gunderman.
“Cross Creek Road,” written about her former farm in Tennessee, was another highlight. It featured a slow opening, but the players wound the sound to an anthem-like crescendo with a satisfying end.
Allison Russell (Photo/Nathan Purchase)
Crow completed her encore by calling to the stage opening act Allison Russell, who teamed with the veteran artist for a vocal duet on the inspirational “I Shall Believe.”
The endearing Crow had finished another winsome evening, spreading her own kind of sunshine for a willing audience.
Earlier, Russell and her band (violin, cello, guitar and drums) served up her eclectic brand of Americana, folk and pop. Last year’s “Outside Child” album brought her three Grammy Award nominations in the Americana and American
Roots categories.
She drew from several of that project’s songs during her set, among them “4th Day Prayer,” “All of the Women” and her best-known song, “Nightflyer.”
Next Up at Meijer Gardens:Tuesday Evening Music Club with Last Gasp Collective and Myron Elkins & The Dying Breed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, followed by Corinne Bailey Rae w/ War & Treaty at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets for that show, $55, still available online here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Sheryl Crow, Allison Russell at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Nathan Purchase
1. A Change Will Do You Good
2. If It Makes You Happy
3. All I Wanna Do
4. My Favorite Mistake
5. Leaving Las Vegas
6. Strong Enough
7. Forever
8. Steve McQueen
9. Live With Me (Rolling Stones cover)
10. The First Cut is the Deepest (Cat Stevens cover)
11. Cross Creek Road
12. There Goes the Neighborhood
13. Soak Up The Sun
14. Every Day is a Winding Road
Encore:
15. Real Gone
16. I Shall Believe (duet with Allison Russell).
Copyright 2022, Spins on Music LLC
