Michigan’s festival season is in high gear, with musical celebrations spanning the state, Jackson to Hastings to Kalamazoo to Morley. Local Spins has images from a weekend of sizzling outdoor music.
Three Decades of Blues: Lil Ed on stage in Kalamazoo during the 30th anniversary blues festival. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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Fiery blues singer Nikki Hill just wanted to “Holler Out Loud” — as did Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials and other bands unleashing their arsenal of favorites for fans in downtown Kalamazoo as part of the 30th anniversary Kalamazoo Blues Fest hosted by the Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association.
Detroit rock’s Sponge had to “Wax Ecstatic,” while joining a fusillade of punk- and rock-fueled acts at Jackson’s Rockin’ the Tee Box Music Festival.
And it was “Hold On Tight” for those cheering Grand Rapids indie-rock/electro-pop duo In the Valley Below at Friday’s pre-party for the second annual Fair Ground Festival in Hastings.
‘Like a Family Reunion’ Tamarack Music Fest (Photo/Nicholas Thomasma)
Meanwhile, in Morley — north of Grand Rapids — the annual Tamarack Music Festival rolled out performances by a host of Michigan bands on Friday and Saturday, a celebration that regular performer Nicholas James Thomasma said “feels more like a family reunion than a festival.”
“Well, except the late nights with two stages, 20 incredible bands, all the vendors, fire pits and the 300 or so attendees packed like sardines in the mid-Michigan woods,” he added about the festival that also featured a special anniversary/wedding vow renewal celebration for frequent festivalgoers Bob and Laura Deline. Dee Harvey, who organizes the annual fest with her husband, John, called it “a weekend brimming with music and camaraderie,” culminating in a final night “illuminated by … stellar performances, creating magical memories for all in attendance.”
It was all part of Michigan’s hectic weekend of sun-splashed, outdoor live music, captured in images at Local Spins. Browse the galleries below and check out complete Local Spins coverage of Saturday’s day-long Fair Ground Festival starring The War and Treaty.
PHOTO GALLERY: Kalamazoo Blues Fest at Arcadia Creek Festival Place
Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials, Mandalynn & The Hunters
Nikki Hill, The Jimmys, Out of Favor Boys
Photos by Derek Ketchum
PHOTO GALLERY: Rockin’ the Tee Box Music Festival at Jackson’s Apex Sports
Sponge, Farewell Come April, Flowers on the Grave, Nine Days, The Great Affairs
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
PHOTO GALLERY: In the Valley Below, Burney Sisters at Barry Expo Center
Fair Ground Festival Pre-Party
Photos by Derek Ketchum
