Despite chilly temps, thousands crowded Calder Plaza for HOT FM’s annual party, with hundreds more celebrating at SpeakEZ Lounge, Founders, Tip Top Deluxe and Wealthy Theatre. (Photos, review)
Vintage New Year’s Eve: SpeakEZ Lounge was bustling with revelers on Wednesday night. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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The theme of the Starlight Six’s fifth annual New Year’s Eve party at Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Theatre was best expressed on Wednesday night through the engaging performance of Seth Bernard’s “My Family,” with its “humans are interconnected” line and an upbeat audience sing-along that made everybody feel like they were part of the musical family on stage — Bernard, May Erlewine, Rachael and Dominic Davis, Brad Phillips and Jason Scott.
Musical Pals: Seth Bernard and the Starlight Six at Wealthy Theatre. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
It wasn’t quite a sellout, but the lengthy show covered a lot of musical territory for an enthused and devoted audience which clearly appreciated the stunning vocals and rootsy, familial vibe of the ultra-versatile Michigan musicians on stage. Heck, Erlewine alone played a host of different instruments over three sets, including the guitar, dulcimer, piano, harmonica and violin.
And as always, Rachael Davis provided the comic relief with her amusing anecdotes and clever one-liners as the super-group of native Michiganders — reunited for one night — welcomed 2015 with an upbeat flair.
The evening also provided an opportunity for several band members to deliver songs from highly acclaimed albums released in 2014: Bernard’s “Reconciliation and the Mystical Beyonda,” Erlewine’s “Where We Are” and Davis’ “Bandbox Jubilee.”
To put the assemblage of talent into perspective, mandolinist/violinist/guitarist Phillips put it this way as he covered a song by Joshua Davis (usually a part of the Starlight Six who was playing with Steppin’ In It in Traverse City on Wednesday): “All these guys up here are my heroes.” (Check out some video highlights below.)
HOT NEW YEAR’S EVE IN THE COLD AND COOL PARTIES INDOORS
Cold But Happy: Thousands braved the chill on Calder Plaza. (Photo/Tori Thomas)
Elsewhere around Grand Rapids on New Year’s Eve, the celebrations were mostly about fun.
Here are just a few of them captured in images at Local Spins:
At Calder Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids, temperatures in the 20s with wind-chills below zero, kept crowds down early in the evening for the 7th annual Hot FM New Years Eve Party as Fire Alarm (a band of area 11- to 14-year-olds) kicked things off at the event’s new location for about 200 people.
But those crowds grew steadily into the thousands as the the new year approached, with local favorite The Outer Vibe really turning up the heat in 24-degree weather. Pop’s Dyllan Murray and Cobra Starship followed, and the chill didn’t stop fans from dancing and having fun — though it did leave the warming tent jam-packed and overflowing.
Founders Fun: The Crane Wives celebrated the arrival of 2015. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Speaking of jam-packed, The Tip Top Deluxe on the city’s West Side drew an uber-enthused full house for a rockabilly party hosted Delilah DeWylde & The Lost Boys, with The Truckstop Cobras adding to the revelry.
The same was the case at SpeakEZ Lounge, which celebrated a vintage 1964-styled New Year’s Eve bash led by singer Todd Herring, with a band that regaled a capacity house of diners and dancers with tunes ranging from Frank Sinatra to The Beatles.
And not to be outdone, Founders Brewing once again boasted one of the most popular hot spots for New Year’s Eve with the ever-popular Crane Wives headlining a year-ending spectacle that also included sets by Possessed by Paul James and Joseph Huber.
NEW YEAR’S EVE 2014 IN GRAND RAPIDS: THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY
HOT FM New Year’s Eve photos by Tori Thomas
Delilah DeWylde, Starlight Six, SpeakEZ Lounge photos by Anthony Norkus
The Crane Wives photos by Anna Sink
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THE STARLIGHT SIX VIDEO: NEW YEAR’S EVE
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
