As the holiday season approaches amid another turbulent year, Local Spins ask its readers and music lovers about the environments they love that keep the music scene spinning.
No More Crowds at Kalamazoo State Theatre? Greensky Bluegrass was a regular headliner, but the venue’s final show for now takes place tonight. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Tonight, Kalamazoo State Theatre stages its final concert as owners close the historic venue while seeking a new organization to purchase and operate the much-beloved concert hall.
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The recent announcement that tonight’s show featuring the Almost Queen tribute band and Kalamazoo’s Lisa Can’t Sing drew a flurry of sad comments from concertgoers and musicians with treasured memories of impressive performances by a who’s who roster of legendary bands. (Tickets, details for tonight’s show here.)
Read more about the closure and history of the 97-year-old theater at Local Spins here.
Final Soiree: Earthwork Harvest Gathering 2024. (Photos/Anna Sink)
The decision came amid a difficult post-pandemic year for the music scene, with several festivals — including Michigan’s Hoxeyville Music Festival, Earthwork Harvest Gathering and Marquette Area Blues Festival — calling it quits due to higher costs, staffing/volunteer issues and, in some cases, sagging turnouts. Many venues struggled as well, with one Grand Rapids club citing “tough times” in 2024.
On the flip side, Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up is now finding new concert life as Temple Lounge, and several establishments across the region have returned or popped up as fresh options for entertainment. Oh, and a new $184 million, 12,000-seat amphitheater is under construction in downtown Grand Rapids.
Still, the question remains: Have fans taken what’s been described as a “robust” Michigan music scene for granted?
With Thanksgiving approaching, Local Spins thought it an ideal time for readers and music mavens to show gratitude for the spaces that are most beloved when it comes to hosting live music. So:
WHAT CONCERT VENUE OR FESTIVAL ARE YOU MOST THANKFUL FOR AND WHY?
Email info@localspins.com with “THANKSGIVING” in the message field, include your name and your response, and you’ll be placed in a drawing for a special Local Spins gift pack that features concert tickets, a Local Spins 2025 Calendar, a Local Spins “It’s All About Michigan Music” T-shirt and more.
Or submit your response in the “Comments” section below, along with an email address.
And check out previous Thanksgiving features at Local Spins here:
• What’s scarier: Madonna at the Super Bowl or Nickelback at Thanksgiving? (2012)
• In praise of a glorious Thanksgiving: Four reasons to be thankful at Local Spins (2014)
• 17 Bands to Be Thankful for on Thanksgiving (2015)
• Thanksgiving Refrains of Gratitude: West Michigan musician give thanks (2021)
• Michigan musicians offer gratitude for a supportive music scene (2023)
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