The Grand Rapids alt-rock heroes who made a splash in the late 1990s will perform Thursday at The Collaborative Lab, with the show recorded for video release. The lowdown at Local Spins.
In Their Heyday: Papa Vegas released ‘Hello Vertigo’ on RCA Records in 1999. (Courtesy Photos)
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On the cusp of rock stardom in 1999, Grand Rapids’ Papa Vegas had landed a label deal with RCA Records, racked up a Top 20 single on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart (“Bombshell”) and toured the country with pals in The Verve Pipe and the Swedish band Kent.
While the fickle music business torpedoed the alt-rock/post-grunge band’s dreams and split them up shortly thereafter, group members have occasionally reunited, last performing outdoors at Grand Rapids’ Sullivan Field in 2023.
On Thursday, they’ll rock together again — but this time as part of “a one-of-a-kind epic live performance” at The Collaborative Lab in Comstock Park that will be captured on video for future release.
“(Sound engineer) Al McAvoy and I were hanging out one night last year and started talking about what a great show the band had at Sullivan Field a few years ago,” said Joel Ferguson, the band’s singer and guitarist who also operated Planet Sunday Studios in Rockford.
At Planet Sunday: Joel Ferguson (Photo/Local Spins)
“The bummer was that we didn’t record any audio or video. We started talking about the possibility of doing something at The Collaborative Lab, where we could record video and audio and maybe create a kind of concert film that we could put online. I ran the idea by the band and everyone thought it might be good fun.”
So, Ferguson and bandmates Mick Force on bass, Pete Dunning on guitar and vocals, and Scott Stefanski on drums will perform songs from their much-touted 1999 album, “Hello Vertigo,” as part of the show taking place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (April 10) at The Collaborative Lab, 943 West River Center Drive in Comstock Park. Get tickets, $20, and details online here.
“We will be playing most of our material from ‘Hello Vertigo’ and a bit from ‘Gravity Wars’ as well. Low Phase will be opening the show,” Ferguson said. “The sound at Collaborative Lab is top-of-the-line, so it’s going to be a fantastic night if you love music.”
And despite the fact that the band fell short of mainstream success, Ferguson said the musicians have fond memories of their brush with fame, including “recording in Los Angeles and Seattle, mixing in South Beach, touring the county with bands like Kent and The Verve Pipe, living in England while writing material for ‘Hello Vertigo.'”
“We’ve experienced so much as a band and the fact that we all still enjoy each other’s company is a testament to the bonds we’ve created,” he said.
VIDEO: Papa Vegas, “Bombshell” (Live at The Intersection in 2009)
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