Saturday was dominated by early toasts to St. Patrick’s Day with Irish Off Ionia, Irish Remedy & more, with a few other concerts thrown into the mix. The photos and a video at Local Spins.
St. Paddy’s Day Rollicking: The crowd at Irish Off Ionia on Saturday. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
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Pi Day (3.14) was transformed into St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday.
Irish revelry engulfed Grand Rapids — and many other cities across the state — with Michigan’s largest St. Paddy’s Day street party, Irish Off Ionia, attracting green-garbed partyers to downtown’s Calder Plaza and others celebrating the holiday a few days early at the Irish Remedy event in the Monroe North district and at watering holes such as Quinn & Tuite’s Irish Pub.
Colin & Ashley: Irish tunes at Quinn & Tuite’s. (Photo/Local Spins)
Even with temperatures in the chilly upper 30s, some outdoor merrymakers and performers seemed to relish the relative calm of Saturday’s between-two-late-winter-storms conditions, cheerily quaffing brews, kicking up their heels to bands and DJs, and otherwise carousing as the day-long partying carried on into the evening.
On Calder Plaza, Irish Off Ionia (once known as Irish on Ionia before relocating) drew a much smaller crowd than last year — perhaps affected by the cold weather or Grand Valley State University’s spring break — but still rolled out music on two stages, from the Celtic lilt of Ironwood, Leprecons, CrossBow, Roane and Belfast Gin to the psychedelic rock/alt-pop of Kalamazoo’s The Go Rounds and rock covers of Trixy Tang and On the Fly to the DJ romps of DJ Malky and Kyndred.
Just a few blocks to the north, the second-year Irish Remedy event had some revelers roaming from venue to venue (City Built Brewing, SpeakEZ Lounge, Garage Bar & Grill, Chicago Beef Joint) for St. Patrick’s Day-themed attractions, DJs performing on an outdoor stage on Mason Street, and roaming strains from the Grand Rapids & District Pipe Band. Most attendees were content to celebrate indoors.
Even a bit farther to the north, Quinn & Tuite’s Irish Pub on Plainfield Avenue NE was packed to the rafters as usual, with Conklin Ceili Band, Colin Tobin & Ashley and Leprecons heating up its stage. (Quinn & Tuite’s hosts another live music celebration on Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day, starting at 1 p.m.)
The Mannequins: Saturday winners at The Stray. (Courtesy Photo)
It wasn’t all green beer and Irish hoopla, however, with the Grammy Award-winning King Garbage playing an intimate show at Kalamazoo’s Clover Room (with keyboardist-singer Hannah Laine opening) and Southwest Michigan’s Zero Sun and Yellowhouse rocking Old Dog Tavern.
Earlier in the week: Another round of the WGRD Heavyweights competition ensued at The Intersection’s Elevation, with Secret Satan winning Round 3. Also on Friday, Yellowhouse performed at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo, with Sierra Miffed and Witches Wedding, and New York alt-rockers Wheatus and Keep Flying revved up The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, the same night that country’s Ernest performed at The Intersection’s Elevation.
Meanwhile, The Stray in Grand Rapids continued its March Battle of the Bands, with The Mannequins emerging the victors after Saturday night’s round. The battle continues next Saturday.
View the images from all of these shows below.
PHOTO GALLERY: Irish Off Ionia on Calder Plaza
Photos by Eric Stoike
Photos by Eric Stoike
PHOTO GALLERY: Zero Sun, Yellowhouse at Old Dog Tavern
Photos by Derek Ketchum
