Lionel Richie charms concertgoers with clever humor, timeless hits and plenty of love for Grand Rapids at the official opening show of Acrisure Amphitheater. See below for the review, concertgoers’ thoughts on the new space, and photos.
Lionel Richie greets an enthused crowd (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
“I can officially say, you’ve got yourself an amphitheater,” Lionel Richie said on Friday night’s opening show at Acrisure Amphitheater.
The 76-year-old performer dazzled the crowd and the crowd seemed to dazzle Richie right back. A bit throughout the night was the entertainer commenting on how loud and boisterous the concertgoers were in singing his songs at the top of their lung capacities and dancing the night away.
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From the front row to the lawn, nearly every attendee remained on their feet for the entirety of the show, leaving the newly-allowed lawn chairs (per the venue’s policy change just days before opening) forgotten behind them.
While it wasn’t an apparent sell-out in the days leading up to the event, by the time the venue’s ushers doled out seat upgrades to those in the lawn section and all of the last-minute attendees rolled in, it certainly had the appearance of one.
Striding onstage to the opening bars of his hit ballad “Hello,” Richie wasted no time in tapping into nostalgia. “Hello, Grand Rapids, I love you,” he proclaimed, much to the audience’s delight. It was the perfect greeting to thousands of fans who couldn’t wait to welcome him to their city and its shiniest new venue.
Richie performs his top hits (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Throughout the night, Richie seamlessly moved from high-voltage funk and exuberant party songs to tender ballads and back again, always accompanied by colorful, eye-catching visuals on the video screen as well as a flashy light show that was particularly amped up during high-energy tracks like “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
He also wove plenty of Commodores tunes in with hits from his storied solo career. Fans cheered when he took to the piano and crooned “Easy” and “Sail On.”
Richie left the Commodores in 1982, building a massively successful solo career, but penned some of the 1970s Motown group’s biggest hits. Highlights of the show included rollerskating classics “Lady (You Bring Me Up)” and of course, the iconic funk chestnut “Brick House.”
Richie took ample time to joke with the crowd, imitating “American Idol” cohost Luke Bryan’s redneck drawl and poking fun at the “Grand Rapid-ites” and their “out of control” fan behavior.
As a balladeer, Richie is in a class by himself. He sang “Endless Love,” “Lady,” “Truly” so lovingly it was as if he was singing to one person and one person alone. Later he quipped that he was helping out the guys in the crowd as much as he could, and if they didn’t cash in on it, that was not his fault.
From jubilant crowd pleasers to amorous love songs, Richie delivered golden hit after golden hit, charming everyone present with his still-robust, supple voice and hilarious banter.
As stars started to sparkle over the amphitheater sky and Richie ended his encore performance of “All Night Long,” it was obvious that this first night at the venue would go down as a magical memory.
In the words of the magic-maker himself, “This is how you open a building.” And that is how Lionel Richie and a bunch of happy fans opened the building on a perfect night in the middle of May.
MICHIGAN-MADE TALENT OPENS THE INAUGURAL ACRISURE SHOW
Michigan’s own The War and Treaty warmed up the crowd with a raucous, soulful set that left fans wanting more. Highlighted by husband and wife duo Michael Trotter, Jr. and Tanya Trotter’s potent vocals, the Albion-based group enchanted concertgoers with their signature blend of Americana, Southern Soul, and Country music.
The War and Treaty perform for their home-state crowd (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Infused with saxophone, trumpet and delectable bass, the Grammy-nominated group was on fire with tunes such as “Bare Knuckles,” “Big Mistake,” and the swoony “Don’t Say Goodbye.” They were born to play in–and headline–places such as Grand Rapids’ newest concert venue.
Opening the show was Grand Rapids native Brian Vander Ark, the lead singer of The Verve Pipe. Joining him onstage for his set were keyboardist Channing Lee and bassist Angie Mattson, who joined him in lush harmonies on songs such as “The Freshmen.” Vander Ark confessed that he wrote the song, a #5 hit in the US, in “the back room of MC Sporting Goods on 28th street.”
FINDING ITS FOOTING: CONCERTGOERS WEIGH IN ON THE LOGISTICS OF THE NEW SPACE
Richie, who, earlier in the day, cut the ribbon for the Amphitheater’s official opening, continually praised the venue and the crowd’s high spirits throughout the night.
While the public had voiced plenty of uncertainty about the logistics of the new venue leading up to its debut, opening night seemed to go smoothly for most.
“Everything’s been a lot easier than we anticipated so far. We parked by the downtown market and walked, which was great. Coming in was easy through security. Pretty smooth,” Grand Rapids’ Lisa Palczewski noted.
The scene outside the venue: waiting in line (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Due to worries about parking, many sought alternative methods. Charisse Veresh of Saginaw described the drop-off situation as “sketchy,” noting that there was room for improvement.
Rob and Julie Kessler from Montague elected to stay at a hotel and use their valet parking services, though they still arrived in Grand Rapids by 2 p.m. to ensure a stress-free experience.
“I ubered down for this show, but I’m a little concerned about parking for future shows,” said James Beckering from Byron Center.
The crowded lawn also proved to be a stressful point for some. As latecomers arrived around 8 p.m., complaints and frustration about not being able to find space for all of the chairs in some larger groups became apparent.
“The only negative thing I would say is in the lawn area it would be really nice if they had walkways,” Rob Kessler suggested after seeing several people getting stepped over.
Outside of the crowds, traffic, and typical amphitheater drawbacks, concertgoers seemed to be in high spirits and many were eager to return for more shows throughout the summer.
PHOTO GALLERY: Lionel Richie, The War and Treaty, Brian Vander Ark at Acrisure Amphitheater
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
PHOTO GALLERY: Outside the venue before opening night at Acrisure Amphitheater
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
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