West Michigan’s music week took interesting turns: folk-rock, Southern-fried Americana, punky folk-bluegrass, Pulaski Days polkas, performances at the Great Lakes Music Camp. Images at Local Spins.
Rollicking Week: Ben Folds, The Lumineers and Bridge City Sinners were just part of it. (Photos/Anna Sink/Steve Baran/Derek Ketchum)
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For West Michigan music fans, it certainly wasn’t the “Same Old Song,” as The Lumineers proclaimed in kicking off their Wednesday tour stop at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena on Wednesday (Oct. 1).
The popular folk-rock band’s journey behind its latest album, “Automatic,” was part of an entertaining week of live music across the region. The group’s 25-song set offered up plenty of tracks from that new recording as well as fan favorites such as “Ophelia” and “Stubborn Love” (which closed out the encore).
The night before, Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe hosted a sold-out affair courtesy of the punky folk-bluegrass band Bridge City Sinners. Check out a recap of that concert below.
Of course, Grand Rapids’ weekend wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to a Polish hall for the 2025 Pulaski Days celebration featuring numerous bands at more than a dozen halls and, yes, plenty of polka dancing. (View the video below.)
Saturday night featured the return of piano-pop wizard Ben Folds to DeVos Performance Hall, performing once again with the Grand Rapids Symphony — a show that featured Ben Folds classics such as “But Wait, There’s More,” “Zak and Sara,” “Effington” and, finally, “The Luckiest.”
Bell’s closed out the week with a bang on Sunday night thanks to psychobilly’s Southern Culture on the Skids (aka, SCOTS), with Michigan’s own Delilah DeWylde getting the party started.
The weekend also featured the 2025 edition of the Great Lakes Music Camp, taking place in West Olive, with a host of workshops and performances. More about that below, along with photos galleries from all of these events.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Lumineers, Chance Peña at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Steve Baran
BRIDGE CITY SINNERS AT BELL’S
Death folk returned to Kalamazoo with the Bridge City Sinners selling out Bell’s Brewery Back Room.
The emphasis was heavy on mental health and community, with “Punk Rock Saves Lives” set up in the beer garden, offering resources and Narcan to the community. Opening the night was bluegrass picker, Joshua Quimby, followed by Dead on a Sunday, a “weird goth band from Denver,” according to vocalist Ross Ryan.
Bridge City Sinners’ set was propelled by Libby Lux’s shocking and impressive vocalsd, easily moving through jazz notes to monstrous screeches, all accompanied by death-folk musicianship. The drastic extremes of her vocals, paired with her goofy sense of humor made for an entertaining show. The mosh pit was intense and nearly filled the room, reaching almost to the stage.
The band performed “Shame” off of its latest record, and Libby took a moment to recognize her shame for our country in the current times after returning from some shows in Canada. She encouraged fans to lift each other up within their local communities. “If anyone wants to argue about it or anything, they can just leave,” she stated. “This next song is about smoking pot, which is pretty much all I can do with myself.”
The energy was high and the vibes were good all night long. It was fun, safe and so punk rock. – By Chelsea Whitaker
PHOTO GALLERY: Bridge City Sinners at Bell’s
Photos by Derek Ketchum
PHOTO GALLERY: Ben Folds and Grand Rapids Symphony at DeVos Performance Hall
Photos by Anna Sink
