Within a radius of several blocks in downtown Grand Rapids, Sunday boasted tour stops by a flock of national artists at Van Andel Arena, GLC Live at 20 Monroe and St. Cecilia Music Center. Browse the photos.
Lighting Up Van Andel Arena: The crowd at Sunday’s Winter Jam. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
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The annual Winter Jam tour Sunday laid out four-plus hours of music from 10 different artists before a near-capacity Van Andel Arena crowd.
It was the usual whirlwind on stage: None of the Christian music artists had more than 45 minutes of performing time. Some had as few as 10.
‘Strong’: Anne Wilson on stage at Winter Jam. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
Singer-songwriters such as Matthew West, Anne Wilson and Katy Nichole spun out their radio-friendly hits, placing most of their lyrics right up on the giant screen above the stage. Meanwhile, the metal-rockers in Disciple flashed their intensity with songs such as “Bow Down” and “Radical.”
An earlier bright spot was relative newcomer Emerson Day, who with her band revealed her rock leanings with the stomping “Midnight Hour” and a fiery “Get Behind Me.”
Other artists included 3Heath Brothers, Jeremy Rosado, Cliff Preston, Hulvey and Winter Jam hosts NewSong. (Winter Jam, with Chris Tomlin on the bill instead of Anne Wilson, also makes a stop March 29 at the George Gervin Game Above Center at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.)
Across the street at GLC Live at 20 Monroe on Sunday night, Canadian alt-rock heroes Our Lady Peace brought the band’s 30th anniversary tour to Grand Rapids with local alt-rock heroes The Verve Pipe opening the show.
Kicking off the night with “Superman’s Dead” from 1997’s “Clumsy,” the band’s 18-song show covered the gamut, including selections from 1997’s “Happiness…Is Not a Fish You Can Catch” and 2002’s “Gravity,” along with covers of Pearl Jam and 3 Doors Down. The band’s 1994 track, “Starseed,” closed out the encore.
Women’s Day Set: Shawn Colvin at St. Cecilia (Photo/Jeffrey Wilkinson)
(View the full set list here.)
Though unfurling a much shorter set, The Verve Pipe’s performance also encompassed a lot of favorites, from “Photograph” to “The Freshmen,” finishing things up with a cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.”
At St. Cecilia Music Center just a few blocks to the east, award-winning singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin performed solo in her return to the Royce Auditorium stage, celebrating International Women’s Day at the female-founded venue with songs she called “very autobiographical and confessional” along with covers of tunes by other influential artists.
PHOTO GALLERY: Winter Jam at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Jamie Geysbeek
PHOTO GALLERY: Shawn Colvin at St. Cecilia Music Center
Photos by Jeffrey Wilkinson
PHOTO GALLERY: The Verve Pipe at GLC Live at 20 Monroe
Photos by Anthony Norkus
Note: Photos of Our Lady Peace weren’t approved by the band prior to Local Spins’ deadline
