The Kalamazoo area boasts tons of opportunities to revel in live music in the great outdoors this summer, from bandshells to HopCat’s beer garden. Check out the lineups for more than a half-dozen series.
Bronson Park Refrains: Lunchtime concerts will fill the Kalamazoo park throughout the summer. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
With Memorial Day weekend wrapping up, the summer concert season is about to swing into high gear.
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West Michigan's music scene
And for music lovers in Kalamazoo County, that means plenty of opportunities for free or low-cost music in the great outdoors.
Both HopCat Kalamazoo and Arcadia Ales will debut a pair of new outdoor settings for live music, and tunes will fill the air all over Kalamazoo and Portage this summer from local parks to Arcadia Creek Festival Place to the Kalamazoo Mall.
Unless otherwise notated, the following events are all of free of charge. (And browse outdoor concerts in other communities across West Michigan in these Local Spins listings.)
The Moxie Strings (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Lunchtime Live!
When: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Fridays
Where: Bronson Park, 200 S. Rose St.
LINEUP
June 9: Shelagh Brown Band
June 16: Bobby McManus
June 23: Scott Davis
June 30: Matt Gabriel
July 7: Kari Lynch
July 14: Kris Hitchcock
July 21: TBD
July 28: Ed Lester
Aug. 4: Shelagh Brown Band
Aug. 11: The Moxie Strings
Aug. 18 Run for Cover
Aug. 25 Scott Davis
Sept. 1 Kaitlin Rose
Sept. 8: Matt Gabriel
Sept. 15 Megan Dooley
Sept. 22 Mark Sala
Sept. 29: Carrie McFerrin
Red Sea Pedestrians (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Concerts in the Park
When: 4 p.m. Sundays
Where: Bronson Park, 200 S. Rose St.
LINEUP
June 4: Kalamazoo Singers
June 11: Red Sea Pedestrians
June 18: Kalamazoo Concert Band
June 25: Susan Harrison Band
July 16: The uter Vibe
July 23: Motor City Women & Detroit Express
July 30: The Verve Pipe
Aug. 6: Keith Hall & Nashon Holloway
Aug. 13: Sidewalk Chalk
Aug. 20: Schlitz Creek
Aug. 27: Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus
Zion Lion (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Oshtemo Music in the Park
When: 5-7 p.m. Sundays
Where: Flesher Field, 3664 9th St.
LINEUP
June 11: Zion Lion
July 9: Red Sea Pedestrians
Aug. 13 Out of Favor Boys
Rachel B (Photo/Anna Sink)
Tap Takeover: Brewers on the Mall
When: 5-8 p.m. Wednesday Evenings June 28-July 19
Where: 100 N. Kalamazoo Mall
LINEUP
June 28: The Cheap Date
July 5: US Army Band
July 12: Drop 35
July 19: Sheila Brown
July 26: Rachel B
Tom Sadge
Portage Summer Concert Series
When: 7 p.m. Thursdays
Where: Overlander Band Shell in Central Park, 7800 Shaver Rd.
LINEUP
June 8: Alan Turner
July 6: The 126 Army Concert Band
July 20: Tom Sadge’s Neil Diamond Tribute
Aug. 17: New Odyssey
The Brass Rail
Parchment Saturday Markets
When: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturdays
Where: Bookends, 102 N. Riverview Dr.
LINEUP
June 3: Axtell Creek
June 10: The Brass Rail
June 17: Mike Bogen
June 24: Mike Noise
July 1: Steve Pesch
July 8: Charlie An Dee Mench
July 15: Nicholas James Thomasma
July 22: Sax Magic
July 29: Bride of Fleckenstein
Aug. 5: The Gluten 3
Aug. 12: Alex Austin
Aug 19: Joe Chamberlin
Aug. 26: Mike Keagle
Sept. 2 Pierre Schumann
Sept. 9: Luke Palmer’s Blues
Sept. 16: Lisa Mackie Moaiery
Sept. 23: Sonic Delivery System
Sept. 30: Marisa Aguirre and Bob Essar
Oct. 7: Allen Bates and Jim Phillips
HopCat Beer Garden: Hosting a summer series.
HopCat Beer Garden
When: 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Where:HopCat Kalamazoo, 300 E. Water St.
LINEUP
June 2: Schrock Brothers
June 3: Dave Carlock
June 9: Chuck Whiting
June 10: Lynn Thompson
June 16: Ed and Molly Schief Duo
June 17: Al Weener
June 23: The Weatherheads
June 24: Nicholas James and Clouds
June 30: Olivia Mainville and Brandon James
July 1: Dede Alder and Josh Holcomb Duo
July 7: Kaitlin Rose
July 8: Al Weener
July 14: Olivia Mainville and Brandon James
July 15: Nicholas James Thomasma
July 21: Abigail Stauffer
July 22: Dave Carlock
July 28: John Sanger
July 29: Dede Alder
Aug. 4: Ed and Molly Schief Duo
Aug. 5: Libby DeCamp
Aug. 11: Morgan Ingle
Aug. 12: Al Weener
Aug. 18: Dave Carlock
Aug. 19: Olivia Mainville and Brandon James
Aug. 25: John Sanger
Aug. 26: Dutcher Snedeker and Ian Thompson
Sept. 1: The Weatherheads
Yolonda Lavender
The Arcadia Ales Riversedge Summer Music Series
When: One Saturday per month ($10 admission)
Where: Arcadia Ales, 701 E. Michigan
LINEUP
June 24: Crime Funk, DC & Yolonda Lavender, FlyLiteGemini, Mechele Peters & ‘Til The Cowboys Come Home, Brian Koenigsknecht, Retro Pop Shuffle
July 22: Red Sea Pedestrians, Blarney Castle, Kalamazoo String Collective
Aug. 12: The Crane Wives, Last Gasp Collective, The War and Treaty, Allie Garland
Sept. 16: The Go Rounds, Slim Gypsy Baggage, Dacia Bridges wsg Caroly Koebel, The Copacetiks
Blarney Castle (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
FESTIVALS
June 23-24: Kalamazoo Irish Fest at Old Dog Beer Garden featuring The Moxie Strings, Belfast Gin, Blarney Castle, Steel City Rovers, Fonmor, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Dave Curley and more. Admission is $5-10
June 2-3: KIA Arts Fair, Bronson Park, Free Music featuring: Cabtown Checkers, Mike Horrigan Trio, Megan Dooley, Mall City Harmonizers, Small Sounds, Yolanda Lavender, Danielle Newell, Rootead
July 9: Kzoo Folklife Music Festival, noon-4:30 at Overlander Band Shell, Free
Aug. 3-5: Kalamazoo Rib Fest at Arcadia Creek Festival Place featuring Grand Funk Railroad, Rev Run (Run DMC), Union Guns, Nashon Holloway and more. Tickets start at $10.
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