The Lone Bellow, Jesus Christ Superstar, Waka Flocka Flame, Puscifer, Heaters and more shine for Easter week: Photo Galleries

The holiday week bloomed with shows of every ilk: from indie-folk’s The Lone Bellow to a star-heavy musical to a Maynard James Keenan homecoming to rap and blistering rock, all in Local Spins images.

 

Some weeks just stand out for their sheer diversity in terms of musical marvels.

Take the week leading up to Easter, which featured national tour stops on Wednesday by piano-pounding rock superstar Elton John at Van Andel Arena, indie-folk’s The Lone Bellow at Calvin College Covenant Fine Arts Center, and Atlanta rapper Waka Flocka Flame (with KoVu and La Famiglia) at The Intersection — all drawing ultra-energized audiences.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Lone Bellow, David Ramirez at Calvin College
Photos by Jeffrey Wilkinson

PHOTO GALLERY: Waka Flocka Flame, KoVu, La Famiglia at The Intersection
Photos by Anthony Norkus
The same night, Grand Rapids folk/country band Deep Greens & Blues made its SpeakEZ Lounge debut as part of the Local Spins Wednesdays series. (Photos in the Weekend Photo Gallery below.)

Things kept rolling on Friday with a near-capacity crowd cheering the musical production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” featuring local rock musicians at St. Cecilia Music Center in a benefit for Well House and singer-songwriters Josh Rose, Ed Dupas and Nick Arthur thoroughly entertaining a rapt audience at Richard App Gallery. (Check out the video from the Richard App Gallery show below.) And that doesn’t even count the big throngs on hand the same night for Barry Manilow at the arena and The Indigo Girls at Forest Hills Fine Arts Center.

PHOTO GALLERY: ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ at St. Cecilia Music Center
Photos by Anna Sink and Joe Hirschmugl

Saturday saw DeVos Performance Hall host post-industrial alt-rock band Puscifer and its unusual multi-media stage show led by West Michigan native Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle), the return of May Erlewine (and friends) to Founders Brewing, and a top-drawer “local pop-up showcase” at The Pyramid scheme featuring Grand Rapids psych-rock band Heaters, surf rock’s The Concussions and rock’s Trash Hounds.

WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: March 23-26
Deep Greens & Blues photos by Ricky Olmos
Puscifer photos by Lisa Enos
May Erlewine photos by Jeffrey Wilkinson
Heaters, The Concussions, Trash Hounds photos by Katy Batdorff and Anna Sink

At Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, meanwhile, the week started with a jam-packed “Oberon Day,” the much-anticipated 2016 Oberon release with a hip hop, jazz and funk party featuring by Chicago’s Sidewalk Chalk, followed on Thursday by the WIDR Sock Hop with Kalamazoo’s Retro Pop Shuffle and Detroit’s Rio & The Rockabilly Revival and Jack Oats & The Wardsmen, and finally, wrapping up on Saturday with the ever-effervescent Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers.

PHOTO GALLERY: The week at Bell’s Brewery
Photos by Derek Ketchum

Check out much of the aforementioned action via these Local Spins photo galleries. (For Elton John, check out a separate review and photo gallery here.)

VIDEO:  Josh Rose, Ed Dupas and Nick Arthur @ Richard App Gallery

Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC