It was a sweet Michigan homecoming at Meijer Gardens on Wednesday for The War and Treaty who mingled with fans amid perfect weather that carved out an ideal evening for the 1,200 on hand. Review, photos.
Trio of Michiganders: Guitarist Max Brown joined Tanya and Michael Trotter around the microphone during The War & Treaty’s set. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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Phenomenal vocals, incredible instrumentation and good, loving vibes.
That was the theme for Wednesday evening’s double whammy of acts for the Fifth Third Summer Concert Series at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Beloved Michigan natives The War and Treaty — nom de plume for wife-and-husband duo Tanya Blount-Trotter and Michael Trotter Jr. plus backing band — tore up the stage and set the mood for British headliner Corinne Bailey Rae, whose clean vocals, ethereal presence and talented accompanying musicians closed out a flawless and mellow evening for music lovers of all ages.
Hailing from Leeds, England, singer-songwriter Rae is perhaps best known for her Grammy-nominated 2006 hit “Put Your Records On.” And while she included the hyper-successful song in her repertoire Wednesday evening, her roughly 90-minute set demonstrated a full range, with a dozen-plus songs spanning the nearly two decades of her career, including the self-proclaimed “cute song” “Horse Print Dress” and a Bob Marley cover (“Is This Love”).
Ethereal, Soulful Presence: Corinne Bailey Rae on stage Wednesday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Relaxed and effervescent, Rae’s smooth delivery and jazzy interpretation were well-received by the audience of about 1,200, with a small crowd gathering in front of the stage to dance to her final few numbers of the evening.
Kicking things off in style, The War and Treaty maximized their brief-but-impactful set of half-dozen-or-so songs at just shy of an hour, a set that even had the couple meandering through the amphitheater crowd at one point and high-fiving fans.
Delivering larger-than-life vocals and heartfelt emotion, the home-state heroes — who moved from Albion to Nashville several years ago — opened with a peppy “Hi Ho.” Michael Trotter Jr. closed out the song with a greeting to his Michigan fans: “We’re happy to be back in Michigan.” (Cue enthusiastic audience response, naturally.)
THOUGHT-PROVOKING MESSAGES, PASSIONATE DELIVERY
But it wasn’t just superficial insert-city-name-here banter offered.
More complex topics of conversation included reproductive freedom (“We don’t have the right to take someone’s right,” Michael said — a bold stance for a fairly conservative crowd), political division and mental health.
Up Close and Personal: Michael Trotter engaging fans. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
“Not everyone who has a smile is happy,” said Michael, a wounded warrior who served in the Iraq War. “I went away (to Iraq) whole, with a purpose. I came home broken…The country I served; I came home and the people I protected did not want to protect each other.”
Michael shared how he was impacted by PTSD and the power of Tanya’s unwavering support before introducing the 2020 track “Five More Minutes,” a song that encourages those who are feeling hopeless to hang on just “five more minutes” to allow those who love them to offer support.
This is what art is meant to be: challenging, honest and impactful.
Those wishing to catch the Nashville-based act in Michigan can also find them July 14 at Sonic Lunch in Ann Arbor.
Next up in the Meijer Gardens’ Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts series: The sold-out ZZ Top show at 7 p.m. Thursday (July 7).
PHOTO GALLERY: Corinne Bailey Rae, The War and Treaty at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Anthony Norkus
