The Americana tunesmith’s tour stop Monday at Bell’s Beer Garden enchanted fans with his band of “friends and family.” The review and images at Local Spins.
Shakey Graves in Kalamazoo: Marking the 10th anniversary of ‘And The War Came.’ (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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With a band full of “friends and family,” Texas singer-songwriter Shakey Graves delivered twists and turns all night long during his sold-out Monday show at Bell’s Beer Garden in Kalamazoo.
After Hovvdy opened the evening with chill country duo vibes, Graves’ 10-year anniversary celebration of “And the War Came” — featuring his wife, Stephanie, on vocals for much of the set — had the Americana artist “feeling nostalgic” throughout.
Before performing “Unknown Legend,” he dedicated the song to all moms, expressing his gratefulness in having his best friend — his wife — on tour with him, and their baby back in the green room.
The crowd, hyped and ready to sing along to each and every song, relished selections such as “Look Alive,” from the 2020 EP of the same name.
Toward the end of the set, he and his wife performed “Ready or Not” — a duet that Graves, aka Alejandro Rose-Garcia, had recorded with Sierra Ferrell. They continued with a couple of covers, including a surprisingly sultry rendition of “As Long As You Love Me” by The Backstreet Boys.
After concluding the night by finally performing “Tomorrow,” which he had teased throughout the performance, cheers and chants encouraged Graves to return to the stage and play two more songs from “And the War Came.”
For a longtime Grand Rapids fan, Morgan, Monday’s concert — her fifth time seeing Graves — reflected the journey her life has taken since she first discovered the singer-songwriter’s music a decade ago. ““I’ve grown with this music,” she said, “and these songs mean something else than they used to mean.”
As another fan, Lu, put it, experiencing Shakey Graves in concert was “like a hug from an old friend. Wonderful. It was grounding. It was perfect.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Shakey Graves, Hovvdy at Bell’s Beer Garden
Photos by Derek Ketchum
