Fourth of July fireworks weren’t limited to the skies over Michigan: Plenty of dazzling salvos took place on stages, too, covered in words, photos and videos at Local Spins.
Bringing the Party: Latvia’s Bermudu Divstūris on stage Friday night. (Photo/Anna Sink)
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At GLC Live at 20 Monroe in Grand Rapids, the fitting anthem for the night was “We’re Partying, We’re Not Sleeping” (aka, “Ballejam Negulam”) — thanks to a rousing, fan-inciting performance by the Latvian dance-pop-rap band Bermudu Divstūris.
A few blocks away at Acrisure Amphitheater, it was a jocose cavalcade of “Polkamania,” “My Bologna” and “White & Nerdy” thanks to the king of parody himself, “Weird Al” Yankovic.
The equally crowd-delighting concerts on Friday helped launch a Fourth of July weekend that was full of fireworks-filled national celebrations of the country’s 250th birthday.
Sticking to the music, let’s recap the aforementioned shows, along with photo galleries from this week’s tour stops by Sister Hazel, Black Country, New Road and St. Paul & The Broken Bones (which played Bell’s in Kalamazoo after performing at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids).
Latvian song fest embraces contemporary and traditional on stage
The five-day Latvian Song & Dance Festival unfurling at multiple venues across Grand Rapids continued this weekend with contrasting concerts that both embraced the Baltic country’s immense, wide-ranging musical talent.
Take Friday night’s exhilarating U.S. debut of two popular, contemporary Latvian groups — Bermudu Divstūris and the country band Apvedceļš.
The “Rokvakars” (Rock Night) show at GLC Live at 20 Monroe gave festival organizers a chance to showcase Latvia’s modern flair, along with the traditional folk music and customs that are being celebrated at most of the week’s events.
It also gave the Latvian bands a chance to strut their stuff for a packed house of enthused fans in the United States for the first time, and they didn’t disappoint: The night was filled with exuberant sing-alongs, as bobbing, screaming young fans at the front of the stage embraced every note, from the big hit “Zemenes” by Apvedceļš to the raucous, party paeans of Bermudu Divstūris, including “#Sarkanbaltsarkanais” (which we’ll come back to later).
Jānis Krūmiņš, in his distinctive cowboy hat, even joined Bermudu Divstūris during their set to the delight of the crowd, creating a wild juxtaposition of country, hip hop and boy-band dance moves.
Bracing: The choir and band performed traditional folk songs and more modern compositions. (Photo/John Sinkevics)
The festival followed that up late Saturday afternoon with a three-hours-plus choir extravaganza at DeVos Performance Hall. The emotional and inspirational “Kopkora Koncerts” featured an awe-inspiring 400-voice choir featuring singers from across the United States and Latvia, accompanied by musicians from the Latvian National Guard Orchestra and the 126th Army Band of the Michigan National Guard.
From national anthems of the United States and Latvia to traditional folk songs and fresh works by Latvian composers, the choir’s voices resounded impressively through the concert hall with different conductors directing the performances.
At one point, the members of Bermudu Divstūris made an appearance to roars of approval, performing “#Sarkanbaltsarkanais” (Red-White-Red, in reference to the Latvian flag) accompanied by the powerful choir while also showing off their dance moves. It was yet another highlight in a concert that ended with a poignant, heartfelt audience sing-along of the folk song, “Pūt Vējiņi” (Blow, Wind) that’s a customary event-ending tradition.
Thousands of attendees and performers will close out the festival being held in Grand Rapids for the first time at Van Andel Arena at 4 p.m. today (July 5) during the Grand Folk Dance Concert featuring more than 700 dancers from across the globe. Get tickets here. – By John Sinkevics
PHOTO GALLERY: Apvedceļš, Bermudu Divstūris at GLC Live at 20 Monroe
Photos by Anna Sink
PHOTO GALLERY: Kopkora Koncerts at DeVos Performance Hall
Photos by John Sinkevics
More coverage of the festival here: Latvian song festival’s stirring GR kickoff
Weird Al’s ‘Everything You Know is Wrong’ at Acrisure Amphitheater
Career-Spanning Fun: Weird Al and band on stage. (Photo/Virginia Anzengruber)
As his career crests fifty years, the king of parody and polka himself, “Weird Al Yankovic, lit up the Acrisure Amphitheater stage on Friday night with a two-hour, decades-spanning victory lap of a performance that delighted fans of all ages.
The multi-generational audience was filled with parents and children, fandom friendships, themed costumes, and potentially the West Michigan record for most Hawaiian shirts at a single event.
The happy faces and nostalgic atmosphere were the perfect beginning to a Fourth of July holiday weekend. And while early rains threatened to dampen the festivities, the expertly drained lawn at the amphitheater ensured dry seating throughout the night.
Longtime Yankovic opener and vocal titan Puddles Pity Party (Michael Geier) started the night with a collection of his best parody Pagliacci pop culture covers including a mournful rendition of “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, and a soulful Stairway to Gilligan’s Island, a mash-up of “Stairway to Heaven” and the theme song to the classic castaway tv show.
After a short break, Yankovic’s set began with him back stage, singing and walking directly toward a camera, an ode to his “Tacky” music video, which parodies the global hit “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
Interstitial video packages spanning Yankovic’s five decades in the music industry punctuated the evening, allowing Weird Al and his bandmates (including longtime drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, bassist Steve Jay and guitarist Jim “Kimo” West) to quickly change into costumes for various songs.
Mainstream fans were delighted with a barrage of song parody hits like “White and Nerdy,” “Like a Surgeon,” “My Bologna,” “Amish Paradise,” “Party in the CIA,” and “Fat,” while longtime deep cut Yankovic fans were thrilled with a full-band performance of the much-lauded “Everything You Know is Wrong,” a treasured Weird Al original in a style parody of geek rock pioneers They Might Be Giants originally released on 1996’s Bad Hair Day.
In a rare sincere moment of the evening, Yankovic noted he spent the previous day walking around Grand Rapids, talking to fans and enjoying the city, leading into a genuine full band cover of “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon. After just shy of two hours of nonstop hits, laughs, and songs, the audience waited patiently for the expected encore, which was a joyous rendition of Weird Al’s Star Wars parodies, “The Saga Begins” and “Yoda,” including the full a cappella chant. (Full set list here.)
Ending at 11 p.m. sharp, to adhere to the noise ordinances in place by the city, the marathon of a concert was an incredible accordion squeeze of a hug to fans from start to finish. – By Virginia Anzengruber, a Grand Rapids-based stand up comedian and author of the Local Grins comedy column at Local Spins. (She’s also the host of the monthly High Score Comedy Showcase at The Pyramid Scheme and opens for Beth Stelling on Oct. 17.)
PHOTO GALLERY: Weird Al Yankovic at Acrisure Amphitheater
Photos by Virginia Anzengruber
