The musical approaches varied widely, but the impact on packed, enthused audiences was the same at different venues from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo. The recaps, photos at Local Spins.
‘King of Sweden’ and Ruling Bell’s Beer Garden: Samuel Herring and Future Islands on Saturday night. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERIES
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
From “Somewhere I Belong” to “Burn It Down” to “What I’ve Done” to “Bleed It Out” that closed out the 27-song night at Van Andel Arena, Linkin Park’s “From Zero World Tour” stop in Grand Rapids was rife with energy, emotion and on-stage electricity.
Let by new lead singer Emily Armstrong, the California alt-rock/nu metal/rap rock band had the arena crowd singing along and jumping to every beat on Thursday night.
Stealing the Show: Armstrong of Linkin Park (Photo/Joshua Tufts)
Armstrong brought her own style to the band’s performance while still honoring the memory of former lead singer Chester Bennington, who died in 2017, making the bend’s risky choice in choosing his replacement seem like a perfect fit.
The brand new chapter for Linkin Park was further enhanced by a light show that brought flashes, colors and special effects to the night that opened with American-Canadian singer and rapper Grandson.
That very same night in a much more intimate venue just a mile away, a highly regarded singer-songwriter regaled a full house with her impactful songs and music.
Touring behind her latest album, “Kansas 25,” tunesmith and LGBTQ+ advocate Jennifer Knapp delivered her signature style of folk-rock with Christian themes to a packed house at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill.
Encouraged by the crowd’s emphatic applause and enthusiastic song requests, Knapp breathed new life into some of her hit songs such as “Undo Me” and “Martyrs & Thieves,” both of which were originally released in 1998. The crowd sang along to every word with just as much sincerity and emotion as Knapp herself did.
The singer also took a moment to praise small venues and urged the audience to support local businesses and independent artists to keep places like Tip Top in business.
Jennifer Knapp: On stage at Tip Top Deluxe. (Photo/Holly Holtzclaw)
Two nights later, Baltimore synth-pop phenoms Future Islands packed an outdoor house — namely, Bell’s Brewery Beer Garden in Kalamazoo for the first (and somewhat chilly) opening show in the Beer Garden’s spring/summer series.
Keeping warm by buying sweatshirts at the merch table and dancing along to singer Samuel Herring’s energetic, stage-spanning performing, the crowd stayed completely entertained during the 90-minutes-plus set.
The vibe was impressive, with a lot of families out in the Beer Garden, along with a couple that skipped their high school prom to be at the show — a show that opened with hip-hop artist Open Mike Eagle, who laid down 30 minutes of fresh beats.
Elsewhere, mid-Michigan psychedelic pop favorites Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers brought the “Terra Incognita” 10-year anniversary tour to Elevation inside Grand Rapids’ Intersection on Saturday.
Bell’s also hosted indoor shows starring Electric Six on Thursday, and DEHD on Friday. – Joshua Tufts, Holly Holtzclaw and Derek Ketchum contributed to this report.
PHOTO GALLERY: Linkin Park, Grandson at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Joshua Tufts
PHOTO GALLERY: Jennifer Knapp at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill
Photos by Holly Holtzclaw
PHOTO GALLERY: Future Islands, Open Mike Eagle at Bell’s Beer Garden
Photos by Derek Ketchum
