The New Zealand indie-rockers made a tour stop Wednesday at The Big Room, part of an early week flurry of concerts from Paw Paw to Kalamazoo to Rockford. Browse the photo galleries.
The Beths: The band brought the tour behind ‘Straight Line Was a Lie’ to West Michigan on Wednesday. (Photo/Holly Holtzclaw)
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Kicking off their Wednesday show at The Big Room in Grand Rapids with the title track from their 2025 album, “Straight Line Was a Lie,” New Zealand indie-rock band The Beths rolled out seven tracks from that recent collection as part of a 17-song set for enthused fans.
With a storm rolling across Michigan early Wednesday evening, fans of all ages could be seen belting along to every word of the band’s songs while a plethora of house lamps glowed as the musicians fired on all cylinders.
High-energy favorites such as “No Joy” from their 2025 release, “Straight Line Was a Lie,” had the crowd dancing non-stop, while an intimate performance of “Mother, Pray For Me” allowed for a more emotional moment during the lively and fast-paced set. The band members also charmed the crowd with complimentary references to Grand Rapids landmarks like the 6th Street Bridge and the Grand River during onstage banter between songs.
Guitars seared through their amplifiers, drums boomed and the musicians on stage created a cohesive, driving force of sound. The night culminated in a two-song encore, featuring “Take” and “2am.” (View the set list at setlist.fm.)
Opening act Squirrel Flower got the night started with an acoustic indie-folk set in the concert hosted by The Pyramid Scheme.
The mid-week show came the same night that The Devon Allman Project brought his “Blue Summit” with Larry McCray, Jimmy Hall and Laka Soul to Warner Vineyards in Paw Paw (along with the Larry McCray Band) while about 20 miles away, Da’Veonce & DaFunk Gang and DJ Conscious pumped up the season’s first Beats on Bates show in Kalamazoo.
Earlier in the week, Arcadian Wild made a tour stop at The Intersection’s Stache in Grand Rapids, PHABIES and Chris Cranick entertained an all-ages crowd for Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s Tuesday Evening Music Club and mid-Michigan’s Just Magnetic had folks dancing at the season’s first Rogue River Blues Series show in downtown Rockford. View the photos below. – Recap by Holly Holtzclaw, Enrique Olmos and John Sinkevics
PHOTO GALLERY: The Beths, Squirrel Flower at The Big Room
Photos by Holly Holtzclaw
PHOTO GALLERY: Devon Allman Blues Summit at Warner Vineyards
Photos by Derek Ketchum
PHOTO GALLERY: Da’Veonce & DaFunk Gang, DJ Conscious at Kalamazoo’s Beat on Bates
Photos by Derek Ketchum
