New Kids on the Block, Bela Fleck, Lil Wayne, The Crane Wives, Brian Koenigsknecht, Mark Lavengood: Week-in-Review Photo Galleries

Yolonda Lavender, Olivia Mainville, Zion Lion, Thunder Chicken and more also are featured in this photo-and-video roundup of national tour stops and jam-packed local showcases and CD-release shows.

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERIES, VIDEOS

So let’s recap.

This was an ultra-diverse week of music in West Michigan that — among many other concerts — boasted:

• The 20 Monroe Live debut of hip hop’s Lil Wayne, who sparked quite the rambunctious show —
not to mention having Grand Rapids’ own Cheez Weez replace no-show opener Cyhi the Prynce — in his Grand Rapids tour stop on Wednesday.

• Banjo virtuosos Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn engaging fans on Thursday night at Kalamazoo’s State Theatre.

• New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men firing up a nostalgic pop show as part of “The Total Package Tour” that stopped Saturday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

PHOTO GALLERY: Lil Wayne at 20 Monroe Live
Photos by Anthony Norkus

PHOTO GALLERY: Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn at Kalamazoo State Theatre
Photos by Anna Sink

PHOTO GALLERY: NKOTB, Paula Abdul, Boyz II Men at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Michelle Smith

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On the local front, it was a week of uplifting benefits, CD-release shows and series-ending spectacles, including:

• Olivia Mainville & The Aquatic Troupe performing the Local Spins Wednesdays series at SpeakEZ Lounge in the first of several May shows celebrating Local Spins’ fifth anniversary.

• The Crane Wives, The Bootstrap Boys, Sarah Keen & The Snowflakes and Love Fossil pumping up the “Dissent is Patriotic” fundraiser for the ACLU at The Pyramid Scheme on Wednesday. The Crane Wives followed this up on Friday, along with Rachel B, by closing out Red House Concerts’ uber-successful Music at the Museum series with another sold-out show in Grand Haven.

• Thunder Chicken, Semi-Casual Bedtime, The War Between and Girls Rock! Grand Rapids celebrating the life of the late Wil Lucy in a benefit for the WKML Foundation at The Pyramid Scheme on Thursday.

• Kalamazoo singer-songwriter Brian Koenigsknecht hosting an all-star cast of Southwest Michigan artists in the release show for his “From the Shallows to the Deep” album at Louie’s Back Room in Kalamazoo on Friday night. As photographer Derek Ketchum put it: “The new CD took a lot of collaboration and there was no better way to celebrate it than bring together everyone involved to put on a show celebrating the release. The back room at Louie’s was filled both to hear the new songs as well as to have a chance to see everyone involved in the recording on stage together. The show … saw Megan Dooley perform solo as well as a couple songs from Carrie McFerrin and Matthew Borr. Starting the night off was Mechele Peters & Til the Cowboys Come Home and finishing the night out Brian and his longtime friends and bandmates in Pillar to Post played the last few songs of the night before inviting anyone and everyone that could to join him on stage for one final song.”

• On Saturday, Kalamazoo singer Yolonda Lavender playing Arcadia Ales — with the overhead door to the beer garden open — and Zion Lion heating up Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe with a night of dance-inspiring reggae.

• The Mark Lavengood Bluegrass Bonanza unleashing a hoedown Saturday at The Pyramid Scheme with help from the partially Michigan-bred Trout Steak Revival and Railway Gamblers.

WEEK-IN-REVIEW PHOTO GALLERY
Olivia Mainville photos by Anna Sink
Dissent is Patriotic photos by Katy Batdorff and Anna Sink
The Crane Wives, Rachel B for Music at the Museum photos by Ryan Dahlberg
Wil Lucy benefit photos by Katy Batdorff
Brian Koenigsknecht CD-release show photos by Derek Ketchum
Yolonda Lavender, Zion Lion photos by Derek Ketchum
Mark Lavengood/Pyramid Scheme photos by Katy Batdorff, Anna Sink

VIDEO: Mark Lavengood Bluegrass Bonanza at The Pyramid Scheme
 

VIDEO: Olivia Mainville at SpeakEZ Lounge

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