The New York trio, plus show openers Shovels & Rope, struck the right chords at the sold-out Meijer Gardens amphitheater show on Sunday. Review, photos.
Joining Forces: Shovels & Rope joined The Wood Brothers for part of their headlining set. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
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With a low-frills set-up and a focus on their rich sound, The Wood Brothers capped off an ideal evening of rootsy, bluesy, Americana music for a capacity crowd Sunday at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
The New York trio — brothers Chris Wood (upright bass) and Oliver Wood (acoustic and electric guitar), and Jano Rix (percussion, multi instrumental) — tore things up with a 105-minute set spanning their career of nearly two decades.
Kicking things off with “Between the Beats,” the three nimbly worked their way through a roughly 20-song set of varied styles and eras, highlighted by an acoustic interlude that found the three sharing a single mic.
Show openers Shovels & Rope joined in on the stripped-down segment, during which audience members were encouraged to keep chit-chat to a minimum and allow the music to shine.
Other popular numbers included the hit “Luckiest Man,” “Far from Alone” (from their 2023 release, “Heart is the Hero”) and a cover of The Band’s classic “Ophelia.”
Americana Music Association award-winning folk duo/husband and wife, Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent (performing as Shovels & Rope), ushered in the evening with a generous opening set that included a moving Father’s Day tribute to Trent’s deceased father, by way of “The Mourning Song.”
Up next at Meijer Gardens: Peter Frampton performs at 7 p.m. Monday. The concert is sold out.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Wood Brothers, Shovels & Rope at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
