Tickets for summer concerts went on sale to Meijer Gardens members this morning and 16 shows sold out quickly. See which concerts sold out and view comments from some frustrated users at Local Spins.
Crowd-Pleaser: Michael Franti & Spearhead already have sold out their 2023 Meijer Gardens show. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
UPDATE: By 1:30 p.m. Saturday (April 22), tickets to concerts by Nickel Creek (June 8) and First Aid Kit (July 21) also had sold out. And by Sunday morning (April 23), tickets to see The Swell Season (Aug. 17) and Guster (Sept. 15) also were gone, bringing the total number of sellouts to 20. Scroll down for the complete 2023 concert schedule and list of sellouts.
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It’s another sure sign of spring: the rush by members of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park to snag tickets for in-demand summer concerts at the outdoor amphitheater in Grand Rapids Township.
And it didn’t take long for this year’s cavalcade of online and phone ticket sales to produce the first sellouts of the 30-concert season: 12 sold-out concerts in just the first hour of sales, with four more just a few minutes later — meaning some unhappy fans didn’t snag tickets to the shows they wanted.
Tickets went on sale to Meijer Gardens members at 9 a.m. today (April 22), and within 45 minutes, seven concerts had sold out, starting with Michael Franti & Spearhead’s June 15 return to the amphitheater. Franti, with his uplifting mix of reggae, funk, folk, rock and pop, has become an ever-popular regular returnee in the series.
It took just 30 minutes to sell out that show, followed by Train (Aug. 7), Maren Morris (Aug. 18), Peter Frampton (June 19), Andy Grammer (July 23), The Revivalists & Band of Horses (July 31) and The Beach Boys (Aug 21), who have become one of Meijer Gardens’ “house bands” over the years with annual tour stops at Meijer Gardens.
Making Their Meijer Gardens Debut: The Revivalists, who sold out their show quickly. (Courtesy Photo)
By 10 a.m., four more shows had hit the “SOLD OUT” level: Boz Scaggs with Keb’ Mo’ (Aug. 3), Three Dog Night (Aug. 13), Ben Folds with the Grand Rapids Symphony (July 20), Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit (Aug. 6) and Kalamazoo progressive bluegrass band Greensky Bluegrass (June 28).
Just a few minutes after 10 a.m., tickets also were gone for O.A.R. (June 11), Amos Lee with the Grand Rapids Symphony (July 26), Trombone Shorty (July 19) and Melissa Etheridge (July 24).
Some potential buyers, however, weren’t happy with their experience in attempting to buy tickets the first morning of sales.
“It was an absolute nightmare,” Barbara Hass wrote on Facebook. “If the Gardens say it worked as expected, their expectations aren’t very high. Horrible user interface.”
Another user called the platform “unacceptable this year.” Local Spins reader Debbie Chilver Schut said “their ticketing process seems to get worse every year. Going into panic mode trying to buy over-priced tickets is not my idea of fun.” Rich Landis insisted that Meijer Gardens “needs to rethink the process,” arguing that many tickets during the pre-sale to members end up on ticket-scalping sites.
Discounted tickets are on sale to Meijer Gardens members online via Etix.com or by calling 800-514-3849 through May 5. (There’s a $15 “handling fee” per order and there will be no in-person sales at Meijer Gardens.) The public sales of tickets will begin at 9 a.m. May 6, though many of the season’s concerts sell out to members before ever reaching public sales.
The average public ticket price of $72.90 for the 2023 series is about $1 less than the average price in 2022, when prices jumped an average of 22 percent from the previous year — part of an industry-wide rise in concert ticket prices.
Read more about the series and get insights into its booking in this Local Spins story.
2023 MEIJER GARDENS FIFTH THIRD BANK SUMMER CONCERTS
June 8 – SOLD OUT – Nickel Creek with Gaby Moreno: $67 presale / $70 member / $72 public
June 11 – SOLD OUT – O.A.R.: $79 presale / $82 member / $84 public
June 15 – SOLD OUT – Michael Franti & Spearhead with The Dip: $58 presale / $61 member / $63 public
June 16 – Tegan and Sara with Dragonette: $59 presale / $62 member / $64 public
June 18 – The Wood Brothers with Shovels & Rope: $48 presale / $51 member / $53 public
June 19 – SOLD OUT – Peter Frampton: $94 presale / $97 member / $99 public
June 21 – Lyle Lovett & His Large Band: $69 presale / $72 member / $74 public
June 23 – Buddy Guy’s Farewell Tour with Ally Venable: $74 presale / $77 member / $79 public
June 28 – SOLD OUT – Greensky Bluegrass: $64 presale / $67 member / $69 public
July 2 – Umphrey’s McGee: $59 presale / $62 member / $64 public
July 10 – Jenny Lewis with Jenny O and Hayden Pedigo: $48 presale / $51 member / $53 public
July 12 – Tommy Emmanuel with The Jerry Douglas Band: $42 presale / $45 member / $47 public
July 19 – SOLD OUT – Trombone Shorty, Mavis Staples: $80 presale / $83 member / $85 public
July 20 – SOLD OUT – Ben Folds with the Grand Rapids Symphony: $78 presale / $81 member / $83 public
July 21 – SOLD OUT – First Aid Kit with The Weather Station: $47 presale / $50 member / $52 public
July 23 – SOLD OUT – Andy Grammer: $52 presale/ $55 member / $57 public
July 24 – SOLD OUT – Melissa Etheridge with ZZ Ward: $74 presale / $77 member / $79 public
July 26 – SOLD OUT – Amos Lee with the Grand Rapids Symphony: $78 presale / $81 member / $83 public
July 31 – SOLD OUT – The Revivalists, Band of Horses: $79 presale / $82 member / $84 public
Aug. 2 – Orville Peck: $52 presale / $55 member / $57 public
Aug. 3 – SOLD OUT – Boz Scaggs, Keb’ Mo’: $89 presale / $92 member / $94 public
Aug. 6 – SOLD OUT – Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit with S.G. Goodman: $96 presale / $99 member / $101 public
Aug. 7 – SOLD OUT – Train with Thunderstorm Artis: $100 presale / $103 member / $105 public
Aug. 10 – An Evening With Dark Star Orchestra: $48 presale / $51 member / $53 public
Aug. 13 – SOLD OUT – Three Dog Night: $55 presale / $58 member / $60 public
Aug. 17 – SOLD OUT – The Swell Season (Marketa Irglova & Glen Hansard): $60 presale / $63 member / $65 public
Aug. 18 – SOLD OUT – Maren Morris with Carter Faith: $99 presale / $102 member / $104 public
Aug. 20 – Joss Stone with Stephen Wilson Jr.: $65 presale / $68 member / $70 public
Aug. 21 – SOLD OUT – The Beach Boys: $75 presale / $78 member / $80 public
Sept. 15 – SOLD OUT – Guster: $49 presale / $52 member / $54 public
Tommy Emmanuel (Photo/Simone Cecchetti)
