Undeterred by multiple weather-related delays, the New Orleans-based band rewarded a dedicated audience with an effusive, exuberant performance of familiar favorites.
Effusive, Joyful: Singer David Shaw and The Revivalists made the most of a rainy evening. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
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The grim timeline in which we all coexist benefits from every single ounce of human-generated joy we can muster.
Enter the saxophone solo.
Rootsy pop/rockers The Revivalists were generous with the good cheer — and the aforementioned sax solos, of which there were many — for their return Wednesday evening to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s summer concert series.
The repeatedly rain-delayed, sold-out show narrowly escaped a total washout, as a massive storm system moved across much of Michigan Wednesday afternoon and into the evening, summoning thunder, lightning, winds and heavy rains.
Carefully navigating its “rain or shine” policy, the popular amphitheater opted to push back gate opening several times due to storm safety concerns, subsequently shifting the show’s start time from a planned 7 p.m. to 8:11 p.m. The time crunch, unfortunately, meant openers Perkinoff Brothers were bumped from the lineup, leaving just the headlining New Orleans eight-piece Revivalists to helm the evening.
While a contingent of fans fled the venue’s soggy parking lot early — giving up even before the postponed gate opened — a good portion stuck through the uncertainty and were rewarded with a tight, high-energy, 90-ish-minute performance of upbeat and soulful songs spanning the band’s career.
Kicking off with “Kid,” the polished collective, led by singer David Shaw, thanked the crowd “for sticking with them” in spite of a drenched, delayed start. Aside from a few errant drizzles mid-show, the performance by and large benefited from breezy, pleasant climes and, all things considered, smooth logistics.
(All the better for the comfort of a sell-out — but thinned-out — crowd, many of whom spent a majority of the show on their feet.)
Aside from the overall fun, easy-going vibe, highlights from the show included skillful versions of “All My Friends,” “Change,” “It Was a Sin” (a popular pick) and show closer “Wish I Knew You.” And while the entire band held its own, it’s a must to shout out fan favorite/saxophonist Rob Ingraham, whose style and presence infused a steady verve into the overall vibe.
In a closing bid, Shaw — who last graced the Meijer Gardens stage with his band in a 2023 premiere performance — promised a return to the Gardens: “My people: We’ll be back.”
UP NEXT AT MEIJER GARDENS: Gary Clark Jr. and Lamont Landers perform at 6:30 p.m. Sunday (June 22). The concert is sold out.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Revivalists at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Jamie Geysbeek
VIDEO: The Revivalists at Meijer Gardens
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