Grand Rapids hosted a pair of wildly divergent yet equally photogenic shows from opposite ends of the spectrum: Ziggy Marley’s love-hued reggae at Meijer Gardens vs. Alice Cooper’s Michigan-bred shock rock and Motley Crue’s flawed farewell tour kickoff at Van Andel Arena.
Stumbling Start: Vince Neil and Motley Crue at Van Andel Arena. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Marley and Motley on the same night.
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Alice Cooper (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
At an unseasonably cool Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, it was sweatshirts, dreadlocks and a groovy, upbeat vibe as reggae’s Ziggy Marley made his debut at the sold-out amphitheater, with Grand Rapids’ own Karisa Wilson opening the show in impressive fashion.
At a sold-out Van Andel Arena, it was black T-shirts, pyrotechnics, flashing lights, stage fog, special effects and fist-pumping, ear-shattering glam metal and shock rock, courtesy of Motley Crue – which stumbled through the opening volley of its “Final Tour” – and Alice Cooper.
Grand Rapids couldn’t have hosted more contrasting concerts on the same evening, and Local Spins photographers Anthony Norkus and Anna Sink were there to capture the rollercoaster-like variances in musical approach and atmosphere.
Not surprisingly, it was a mid-week party atmosphere for 12,000 folks at the arena with Motley Crue kicking off its much-ballyhooed final farewell (appropriately subtitled, “All Bad Things Must Come to an End”) in Grand Rapids, unleashing a ribald, elaborate heavy metal show long on volume and short on precision, with a bevy of VIPs and music industry notables from New York to Los Angeles in the house.
LOUDER THAN A 747 AND PLENTY OF PYRO
Quite honestly, it was one of the loudest shows to ever grace the arena, combining the roar of a 747 at takeoff with a runaway freight train – fitting, considering it had a trainwreck sort of quality from the outset.
After literally exploding onto the stage with a blast of pyrotechnics, the band stopped the concert dead in its tracks about 17 minutes in after singer Vince Neil explained – in an f-word laced announcement – that drummer Tommy Lee had put a hole in his bass drum head.
The house lights came up and a brief intermission ensued until crews could repair the problem, with the band (Neil, Lee, bassist Nikki Sixx and lead guitarist Mick Mars) returning to unleash a few songs before once again stopping the show abruptly, explaining somewhat sheepishly that they had forgotten how to play their own song, and then launched into “Too Fast for Love” a second time. And so it goes, to borrow a phrase from Kurt Vonnegut …
Ziggy Marley (Photo/Anna Sink)
Luckily, Detroit native and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper had warmed things up convincingly with an audience-pleasing set of his trademark, horror-driven display of musical theater, including gems such as “Welcome to My Nightmare,” “Billion Dollar Babies” and “School’s Out.”
Meanwhile, about six miles away, Marley’s mantra revolved around love, peace and “marijuana trees blowing in our breeze,” opening his set for an approving age-diverse crowd of 1,900 with “Love is My Religion” and “Wild and Free,” backed by a nine-piece band and propelled by Marley’s infectious smile.
The evening at Meijer Gardens had started with an engaging, laid-back half-hour set by Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Karisa Wilson and guitarist Jake Gerard, performing “Sad Portrait,” “No Words” and other compelling originals. At one point, Wilson brought her sister, Vida, on stage to add bracing harmonies to the mix.
“I told myself to just have fun,” Wilson, aka Karisa Sprite, told me later. “I had fun.” Check out some video snippets from her performance below.
THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY: July 2, 2014
Motley Crue/Alice Cooper photos by Anthony Norkus
Ziggy Marley/Karisa Wilson photos by Anna Sink
(Click on photo to enlarge gallery)
Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
