With a record-breaking 30 shows on the docket, the Meijer Gardens summer concert series boasts some high-priced big names and emerging acts in a bevy of genres. See the full schedule, ticket prices and details below.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SPINS ON MUSIC LIST OF THE 12 BEST MEIJER GARDENS CONCERTS EVER
Superstar Appeal: Sheryl Crow will make her debut appearance at Meijer Gardens on June 16.
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If West Michigan concertgoers thought last year’s hectic 25-show lineup at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park was impressive, the 2013 summer series is over the top.
With returning stars Steve Miller, Umphrey’s McGee, Wynton Marsalis, Lyle Lovett, Los Lobos and Peter Frampton joining first-timers Sheryl Crow, Harry Connick Jr., The Beach Boys, Michael Franti and Grizzly Bear, Meijer Gardens has booked a record 30 summer concerts at the amphitheater, starting with a June 3 show by legendary bluesman B.B. King.
Indeed, the 11th season of Meijer Gardens concerts in the 1,900-capacity outdoor venue represents three times as many shows as the amphitheater hosted in 2003, its inaugural year.
While the continued growth of the series is “pretty remarkable,” concert promoter Chris Mautz insisted organizers didn’t set out to schedule that many shows for 2013.
“We start each booking cycle with the same parameters: We really want to look at each individual potential artist in its own unique state and figure out if and how and why it might fit into our series,” said Mautz, who books concerts for Meijer Gardens and for Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City, Utah. “We’ve been fortunate to expand the series, and each time we expand the series, the response has been really good.”
Harry Connick Jr.
THE LARGEST LINEUP EVER
Meijer Gardens President and CEO David Hooker said the venue’s “largest lineup ever reflects our strong commitment to bring a very high quality group of extremely talented and diverse artists to Meijer Gardens.”
The 2013 season blends Motown hero Smokey Robinson, classic rocker Steve Miller and blue-eyed soul singer Michael McDonald – skewing toward older audiences – with emerging groups such as the folk- and bluegrass-flavored Old Crow Medicine Show and synth-pop’s Owl City. And as usual, the series covers multiple genres: rock, blues, country, R&B, pop, jazz, bluegrass, swing.
Seventeen of the 30 bookings represent returning acts to Meijer Gardens. Still, Mautz stressed that some of the repeat artists haven’t been back to the amphitheater in years, while others will return with different musical collaborators and fresh shows: Frampton’s Guitar Circus Tour features Robert Cray; jazz giant Wynton Marsalis will perform this summer with the Lincoln Center Orchestra; the Los Lobos/Lonely Boys concert boasts special guest Alejandro Escovedo.
TICKETS GO ON SALE TO MEMBERS ON APRIL 27
Discounted tickets go on sale to Meijer Gardens members at 9 a.m. April 27; sales to the general public begin May 11. In past years, several shows in the series have sold out to Meijer Gardens members during the pre-sale period and never made it to public sales.
Wynton Marsalis
The cost of tickets continues to inch upward: The average price of a 2013 ticket being sold to the general public is $58.46, up from $55.44 last year. (The average price doesn’t include handling fees assessed for online and phone purchases; Meijer Gardens members get a discount.)
Mautz insisted Meijer Gardens is “conscientious about those ticket prices” and works with performers to keep prices as low as possible. But higher-profile artists often play larger venues with heftier payouts, he said, so that factors into pricing for an intimate venue like Meijer Gardens. And interestingly, many higher-priced shows often are the first to sell out, which could well be the case for popular singer-pianist Harry Connick Jr.’s first-ever appearance at the amphitheater on July 17.
Prices for 2013 range from a low of $40 (Gov’t Mule, Umphrey’s McGee, John Butler Trio, Owl City) to a new high of $92 for Connick. On the flip side, 10 concerts – one-third of the lineup – boast tickets priced at $45 or less, compare to nine in 2012.
Many of those cheaper tickets are for shows by up-and-coming acts catering to younger audiences, including first-time Meijer Gardens performers such as reggae’s Michael Franti & Spearhead on July 15, roots/jam outfit John Butler Trio on Aug. 2 and airy, inventive indie-rock’s Grizzly Bear on Aug. 3.
Grizzly Bear
Like Bright Eyes and The Head & The Heart who played Meijer Gardens in recent years, Grizzly Bear also is bound for Chicago’s hugely popular Lollapalooza festival. “I’m ecstatic to continue the trend toward picking up a hot band before a Lollapalooza performance,” Mautz said.
LANDING AN ‘A-LIST’ ARTIST
And clearly, snagging a rock/pop superstar such as Sheryl Crow is a real coup for the amphitheater – a high-profile booking that almost came to fruition last year.
“She’s an A-list artist, a household name,” Mautz said of Crow, a Grammy-winning, platinum-selling artist with seven No. 1 hits to her credit. The singer and multi-instrumentalist has delivered albums spanning an array of styles: rock, pop, soul and folk, with her first country album on the way. “It’s … an incredible band and such a fun, high-energy show.”
The promoter also said he’s pleased about landing country singer Dwight Yoakam, describing him as “an iconic figure in the music world,” and Robinson, a legendary hit-maker “who we’ve wanted to have at the Gardens for as long as we can remember.”
The Beach Boys
Meijer Gardens also will bring back popular prog-rock/funk jam band Umphrey’s McGee, singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and rock’s Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, all of whom have electrified diverse audiences in past amphitheater performances.
Six months of “extensive” work goes into each series, Hooker insisted. “Our concert series in still in its infancy and with the expansion of the amphitheater two years ago, we’re trying to find the right quantity of concerts that not only includes quality performances, but one that reaches and includes a wide array of guests.”
Mautz said the sellouts and strong turnouts for most concerts shows they’re on the right track.
“History tells us we’ve been doing a pretty good job. Our mission is to keep offering more experiences for people,” he suggested. “I’m as pleased with this series from top to bottom as any series we’ve done. I can’t wait to get this thing rolling.”
(See the full lineup of local and regional artists starring in this summer’s Tuesday Evening Music Club series in this Spins on Music story here.)
Grace Potter
MEIJER GARDENS 2013 SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
June 3 – B.B. King ($57 presale, $60 member, $62 public)
CANCELED June 7 – Dwight Yoakam
June 9 – Smokey Robinson ($77, $80, $82)
June 13 – Gov’t Mule ($35, $38, $40)
June 16 – Sheryl Crow ($75, $78, $80)
June 17 – Peter Frampton, Robert Cray ($68, $71, $73)
June 20 – Wynton Marsalis/Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra ($65, $68, $70)
June 21 – Los Lobos & Los Lonely Boys, Alejandro Escovedo ($53, $56, $58)
June 24 – Pink Martini ($45, $48, $50)
June 27 – Brandi Carlile, The Lone Bellow ($40, $43, $45)
July 3 – Umphrey’s McGee ($35, $38, $40)
July 5 – Montgomery Gentry ($62, $65, $67)
July 7 – David Byrne & St. Vincent ($60, $63, $65)
July 11 – Old Crow Medicine Show ($37, $40, $42)
July 15 – Michael Franti & Spearhead ($38, $41, $43)
July 17 – Harry Connick Jr. ($87, $90, $92)
July 18 – Steve Miller Band ($80, $83, $85)
July 21 – Grace Potter & the Nocturnals ($37, $40, $42)
July 25 – Chris Isaak ($55, $58, $60)
July 29 – Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers with Edie Brickell ($71, $74, $76)
Aug. 1 – The Beach Boys ($60, $63, $65)
Aug. 2 – John Butler Trio ($35, $38, $40)
Aug. 3 – Grizzly Bear ($40, $43, $45)
Aug. 5 – Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion with Sara Watkins ($67, $70, $72)
Aug. 8 – Randy Newman ($45, $48, $50)
Aug. 11 – Owl City ($35, $38, $40)
Aug. 15 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy ($38, $41, $43)
Aug. 21 – Michael McDonald ($52, $55, $57)
Aug. 24 – Lyle Lovett & His Large Band ($62, $65, $67)
Sept. 5 – Indigo Girls ($45, $48, $50)
• Meijer Gardens’ member pre-sale of discounted tickets runs 9 a.m. April 27 through 5 p.m. May 10. Tickets sold online at startickets.com or by calling 800-585-3737, with $8 handling fee. Available in person at Meijer Gardens admission desk with no fee. (Grand Room opens at 7 a.m. April 27 for members lining up for first-day ticket sales.)
• Public ticket sales begin at 9 a.m. May 11. Tickets sold online at startickets.com or by calling 800-585-3737, with $8.75 in fees. Available at Meijer Gardens admission desk with no fees.
• For Meijer Gardens memberships, visit meijergardens.org/membership online.
• Season ticket sponsorships – which include two tickets to every show with seating in East and West Terraces, snacks, beverages and reserved parking passes – available by contacting Katharine Kane at 975-3177 or emailing kkane@meijergardens.org.
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
