After six years of indoor and outdoor shows, the Allegan County business will close Sept. 27, joining a roster of West Michigan concert venues that have closed over the past year. The Local Spins story.
Last Dance: An image from July’s Reggae Fest at Liquid Note, which will close next weekend. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Local Spins announced Liquid Note’s closing earlier this week in our ‘Amplified’ newsletter. Today, we delve deeper into the story via our interview with venue owner Mark McPherson. Sign up for our weekly newsletter featuring exclusive content, music news and ticket giveaways online here.
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The refrain is all too familiar when it comes to the spate of West Michigan music venues that have closed since the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago.
“Since our re-re-re-opening — multiples from original to post-Covid and a major flood from a broken sprinkler main — we never experienced a true rebound at our little venue. Overall, the attitude to visit a live music venue, at least local to Otsego, diminished greatly,” said Mark McPherson, owner of Liquid Note in Otsego, which announced earlier this week that the music venue and brewery would close its doors on Sept. 27, following outdoor concerts at its Creative Arts Festival, featuring The Bronk Bros., Chick & The Boomers, Kitten & The Tonics, Timeless and Dan Agne.
Opening in 2019 for indoor shows, the COVID pandemic just a year later came as a major setback for Liquid Note and many other venues, but McPherson moved ahead in 2023 with a new outdoor stage and venue that eventually expanded to a capacity of 1,200 — with performances by The Verve Pipe, Chris Canas Band, Duke Tumatoe, The Claudettes and many more.
But “attendance was certainly not what we expected,” McPherson wrote in a closure announcement on Facebook. “The lack of revenue at events is simply no longer sustainable. We want to thank our staff, our faithful patrons, the talented artists and incredible bands for blessing our venues with your presence the last six years.”
McPherson also announced that Maude’s Taphouse next door would close, with plans for reopening and focusing on another business he owns called Mac’s Place, a restaurant at 113 N. Farmer St. in Otsego.
The Indoor Venue: The Claudettes on stage in late April. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
In an interview with Local Spins, McPherson that higher production costs and ticketing fees proved to be obstacles, even though he had been hopeful that the location just off of U.S. 131 would be a plus and convenient for bands traveling through the area.
“Last year, with our expanded outdoor space, we had 26 events planned. Eight of these events were festivals with various genres. These were all ticketed events with reserved seating available,” he noted. “Many folks didn’t like this concept. The ticket fees were also met with resistance, which was a surprise to us because the previous year, people had requested to be able to reserve tickets in advance.
“Ticketing services are not cheap and we attempted to keep the face value of the ticket reasonable yet disclose our costs to our patrons. Our production costs, to host outdoor events, were also much higher and the ticket prices reflected that. However, even when we examined other venues pricing, sometimes for the same bands, our price was lower. I’d say the biggest challenge was that we simply did not have enough people come through our doors or outdoor gate.”
After the announcement, many musicians and fans expressed disappointment and support for Liquid Note, but others made critical comments, citing unexpected closures, unwillingness to book certain local bands and other issues.
“Although I anticipated the hate speech on social media, which I will not be responding to, it still hurts to hear,” McPherson told Local Spins, noting that this year’s sales at Liquid Note were lower per person than in 2024.
Johnny Iguana, of Chicago’s The Claudettes which played the venue in late April, praised Liquid Note. “Mark was super-cool to The Claudettes. The venue and its ownership did everything right. Bands everywhere are finding the same thing: It’s a very tough time to do the right thing. You did what you did with integrity and class, and I applaud and am grateful for you, and wish you nothing but good times and good fortune ahead.”
The Final Soiree: Sept. 27
Liquid Note’s closure comes after several other West Michigan music venues closed their doors over the past year, including Grand Rapids’ GR Noir, Turnstiles and Rockwell Republic, Muskegon’s Starlight Room and Kalamazoo’s State Theatre.
McPherson noted there were many memorable highlights from Liquid Note’s run, with unexpected “phenomenal” performances by Canada’s Gary Cain and Nashville’s Mike Miz, among others.
“The highlights have been meeting so many talented local musicians,” he added. “Getting to know them, and their love for music, is what has been such an incredible gift to me and my staff. I have been blessed to also play drums with many different bands, host weekly blues jams, create some of my own groups on a whim when bands canceled or had bad weather and simply jam.”
McPherson said he’s currently “looking at our options” for the future of the building. “Simply put, Liquid Note is a very special venue,” he insisted. “The acoustics are unlike any room I have been in for its intimate size, so we would like to see it stay a music venue.”
A Toast: Bidding Adieu to Liquid Note (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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