The next-to-last Tuesday Evening Music Club show of the summer featured Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Ralston Bowles and an all-star lineup performing amid splendid weather. Video, photos.
Tuneful Tuesday: The scene at Meijer Gardens. (Photo/Anna Sink)
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It rolled out much like a vintage Sunday night TV variety show.
The 2022 edition of Tuesday’s Evening Music Club’s “Ralston & Friends” boasted the fetching harmonies of Hannah Martin and Matt Young to open things up, an instrumental interlude starring Michael the Accordionist (aka Grand Rapids’ Michael Schaeffer) and an all-star lineup of musicians backing singer-songwriter Ralston Bowles.
Throughout the sun-splashed summer evening at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the audience was treated to covers of classic songs by The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and The Band — and even a crowd-involving, smile-inducing rendition of Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore.”
Ralston Bowles (Photo/Anna Sink)
Although plate-spinners and acrobatic dogs were missing from this variety show, the next-to-last Tuesday Evening Music Club spectacle of the summer boasted the usual upbeat and uplifting milieu that makes the Bowles-hosted, family-friendly affair such a popular weekly draw: children scampering to and fro, adults dancing at their seats and in front of the stage, friends greeting friends.
Even Chris Mautz, the Utah-based promoter who books national touring acts for the main Meijer Gardens summer concerts, turned out for Tuesday’s show, raving about the unparalleled atmosphere of the Tuesday series that was extended this year by several weeks.
And perhaps nothing described it all better than Ralston and band’s rendition of Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” with the lyrics: “Yes, I feel wonderful tonight.”
The final show next Tuesday (Aug. 30) will feature The Grand Rapids Ballet.
Up Next at Meijer Gardens: Umphrey’s McGee in a sold-out concert tonight (Aug. 24) starting at 6:30 p.m.
PHOTO GALLERY: Tuesday Evening Music Club with Ralston & Friends
Photos by Anna Sink
Copyright 2022, Spins on Music LLC
