Pierce the Veil, Mike Gordon and more: Concert Round-Up

Share the story

Summer heated up over the past week, with energetic tour stops, a superstar tribute to female artists, the christening of a new stage, jazz in the park, a blues fest and beyond captured in images at Local Spins.

New Stage, Big Crowd: The debut of new digs at Bell’s Beer Garden in Kalamazoo on Wednesday featured Mike Gordon and his band. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERIES

Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene

For a star-studded lineup of female and non-binary artists — ranging from Jennifer Bartlett of Lokella and Erin Zindle of The Ragbirds to singers Hannah Rose Graves and Kait Rose — it was an evening at Grand Rapids’ Pyramid Scheme to pay tribute to influential “Women of Rock,” including the likes of Patti Smith, Blondie and Kate Bush.

For multi-instrumentalist and Phish co-founder Mike Gordon, it was an opportunity to christen the new outdoor stage at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo.

Women of Rock: At The Pyramid Scheme (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)

For post-hardcore’s Pierce the Veil at GLC at 20 Monroe Live and Bilmuri (aka, former Attack Attack! member Johnny Franck) playing The Pyramid Scheme, it was a chance to debut music from brand new recordings.

For Grand Rapids electronic music duo Pink Sky, it served as a farewell show of sorts at Midtown in Grand Rapids on Saturday night, after Angelica and Ryan Hay announced earlier in the week that they planned to move to Los Angeles. (“It’s both kinda sudden and also a long time coming. It’s us giggling and crying in the same breath,” the duo wrote on Facebook. “GR and all our people here truly made the best first nest for us — our first true hometown even though we aren’t from here and we will never forget this place. This is where Pink Sky was born, and that’s so special it hurts.”)

For an impressive lineup of West Michigan blues bands it was an afternoon and evening to match the heat of the day with their music at the Blues at the Ballpark Festival at Grand Rapids’ Sullivan Field on Saturday, presented by the West Michigan Blues Society and Fans of Valley Field. The event featured sets by Rochelle & The Spoilers, The Fast Hands Band, Asamu Johnson & the Associates of the Blues, James Reeser & the Backseat Drivers and Thirsty Perch Blues Band.

Blues at the Ballpark: Sun-splashed blues on Saturday. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)

And for jazz combo Houston Patton Quartet and blues faves Asamu Johnson & The Associates of the Blues, it rolled out as audience-engaging summertime fun at the West Michigan Jazz Society’s Jazz in the Park Series at Grand Rapids’ Millennium Park and United Bank’s Rogue River Blues Series in Rockford.

Scroll down for photos from a West Michigan week of live music.

View separate coverage of Buddy Guy at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Friday, opening day of Electric Forest in Rothbury and Peter Frampton’s tour-opening show at Meijer Gardens on Monday.