With an early start to the weekend, it was all about the fans at shows packing venues big and small across West Michigan, including several album-release concerts by Michigan artists.
Robust Music: Earth Radio, Smino, Pop Evil, Music That Raised Us, Travelin’ McCourys & more in our concert recap. (Photos/Local Spins)
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No matter the genre, the relationship between a band and its most ardent fans says a lot about both.
Take West Michigan hard-rock heroes Pop Evil, a group that’s enjoyed chart-topping success while traveling the globe.
On a wet and gray Thursday afternoon in Grand Rapids, a long line of more than 100 eager fans wound its way up and down the aisles of record bins at Vertigo Music, clutching Pop Evil’s latest album, “Skeletons,” and waiting for band members to sign their vinyl LPs and posters.
Album-Signing Fun: Pop Evil and fans at Vertigo Music. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
But this was far more than just a cursory album-signing event – something that neither Pop Evil nor Vertigo Music had hosted for several years.
Sporting wide grins, North Muskegon native and lead singer Leigh Kakaty and his bandmates chatted amiably with fans, offered hugs and high-fives, posed for photos and otherwise reacquainted themselves with many devotees who’ve followed and cheered Pop Evil from its inception more than 20 years ago.
Indeed, it was a multi-generational affair, with many parents bringing their children along for the meet-and-greet.
A.J. Glynn, 22, of Grand Rapids, said he was raised on Pop Evil in the Detroit area because his father, Jeff, was a major fan.
“I grew up on it. It’s always been playing constantly, like daily,” said Glynn, who had his vinyl LP and poster signed by the band, which also gave him an extra poster for his dad and took time to record a cellphone video greeting.
“I was super excited about this. …They were really cool and let me get a video for my dad.”
‘A GOOD VIBE’ AND AN INTIMATE ACOUSTIC SHOW FOR DIEHARD FANS
Kakaty seemed equally enthused about the opportunity to get up close and personal with fans the day before official release of “Skeletons,” noting it “seems like forever” since Pop Evil has been able to stage an event such as this due to the COVID pandemic.
“It feels go good to be here at Vertigo,” said Kakaty, who frequented the record shop in years past. “It’s a good vibe.”
At The Stache: Pop Evil’s tour kickoff. (Photo/Benjamin Howell)
Pop Evil followed up that vibe Thursday with yet another intimate event for fans – a rare, acoustic album-release show in The Stache inside The Intersection later that night, with more than 300 fans packed into the cozy venue.
The band launched the night with old familiar favorites “Hero,” “100 in a 55” and “Last Man Standing” – all released more than a decade ago – and moved through Pop Evil’s catalog before wrapping up with tracks from the new album: “Paranoid (Crash & Burn),” “Eye of the Storm,” “Circles” and “Skeletons,” with the last two songs making their live debut on Thursday. (View the set list here.)
The performance officially kicked off the band’s ambitious, U.S. album-release tour (with shows Friday in Sault Ste. Marie and Saturday in Royal Oak). Read a Local Spins interview with Kakaty. Check out the photos from the record-signing and concert below.
A WEEK CHOCK FULL OF JAM-PACKED SHOWS
It signaled the kickoff to another robust week of live music with Grand Rapids “future soul” band Earth Radio also celebrating release of its new album, “Mosaic Dreams,” at The Pyramid Scheme on Saturday, the same night that boasted a sold-out show by Southern rappers J.I.D & Smino at GLC Live at 20 Monroe.
J.I.D.: Celebrating at GLC Live at 20 Monroe (Photo;Anthony Norkus)
Saturday also saw the album-release show for the Weezil Malone Band and “Desert Drive-In.” The band delivered a late afternoon/early evening set at Billy’s Lounge in Grand Rapids, following opener Rockit King
Earlier in the week, Sarena Rae’s “Music That Raised Us” Wednesday tribute to iconic female artists filled Midtown in Grand Rapids to capacity, which also hosted The Rebel Eves female super-group the very next night — a Thursday in Grand Rapids that also had country stars Kane Brown, Dustin Lynch and Locash make a tour stop at Van Andel Arena.
Mid-week also featured the tour kickoff for Nashville bluegrass stars The Travelin’ McCourys, who lit up Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo the night before Eggy and Desmond Jones did much the same — followed on Friday by Trifocal and Brothers Smith.
And check out a separate recap, photo gallery and video from Saturday’s Irish on Ionia celebration downtown Grand Rapids at Local Spins here (which also includes photos from Belfast Gin’s St. Paddy’s Day show at Kalamazoo’s Old Dog Tavern).
PHOTO GALLERY: Pop Evil at Vertigo Music and The Stache (Thursday)
Vertigo Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
The Stache Photos by Benjamin Howell
WEDNESDAY
PHOTO GALLERY: The Travelin’ McCourys at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
Photos by Derek Ketchum
Photos by Elle Lively
