Toasting John Prine, HARDY, Big Gigantic: Concert Recaps

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Jam-packed concerts rolled out as the primary theme across West Michigan this week at venues in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. View the photos and videos; revel in the reviews at Local Spins.

Packed House: Country music fans were in full force for HARDY at GLC Live at 20 Monroe. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)

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America has produced an elite cadre of songwriters who inspire other songwriters, placed on a pedestal for their impactful compositions.

The late John Prine is one of those artists.

So three years after Prine died at age 73 of complications from COVID-19, an elite cadre of Michigan bands and solo artists paid homage to his music with an evening of enduring tunes to benefit the Michigan Music Education Fund.

Hawks and Owls, Darcy Wilkin, Drew Nelson, Jen Sygit, Mark Lavengood Band, Nicholas James Thomasma, King Possum, Kait Rose, Nomads, Eric Engblade, The Local Commuters and Jake Stilson of The Bootstrap Boys were among those gathered Saturday evening at The Intersection in Grand Rapids to perform Prine classics ranging from “Blue Umbrella” and “Mexican Home” to “Spanish Pipedream,” “That’s the Way the World Goes Round” and “Dear Abby.”

Prine Time: Organizer and guitarist Mark Lavengood. (Photo/Eric Stoike)

Event organizer and guitar whiz Lavengood joined many of the artists on stage as a special guest, while a happy crowd of several hundred in The Intersection’s main showroom sang along to Prine favorites as well as deep cuts from the iconic folk/country artist’s extensive catalog.

As Jake Stilson (Big Jake Bootstrap) so aptly put it of the evening’s performers: “Of course, everybody wanted to play every song.”

Wilkin, acknowledging that she was honored to play the tribute show for an artist she grew up with, quipped that she had “not been to a concert where I know all of the words for a while, so this is cool.”

Several miles to the south at The Stray in Grand Rapids, The American Hotel System, Stained Glass City and Melissa Dylan played a sold-out show Saturday that writer Meghan Wilcox described as a compelling affair:

Is it any wonder this was a sold-out show at The Stray Cafe? The mood was warm and cozy for a night to remember for newcomers as well as veteran music onlookers.

Charming Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Melissa Dylan stopped everyone’s chatter with soaring vocals, commanding attention in particular for her song, “Bed.” You could hear a pin drop in the room.

Saturday: At the Stray (Photo/Meghan Wilcox)

Next, Stained Glass City — which drew fans from as far away as Indiana — turned lullabies into rock, with easy-going and airy vocals blending seamlessly with the lead guitarist.

Finally, add in a spiritual element with The American Hotel System that had listeners brooding over melodic choruses and intense thoughtful lyrics laid out in a short 30-minute set with dynamic changes and the debut of a new song, ‘Seattle,’ that will be released later this year.

While on the subject of sold-out shows, country music’s HARDY – ACM’s “Songwriter of the Year” — filled Grand Rapids’ GLC Live at 20 Monroe to capacity for two straight nights (Friday and Saturday), with Jameson Rodgers and Blame My Youth adding to the hubbub.

It was part of another active week of music from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo:

• Great Lakes Brass and Faith Quashie played a rousing Mardi Gras party at Kalamazoo’s Up and Under on Saturday, with Great Lakes Brass firing up yet another pre-Fat Tuesday celebration tonight (Sunday) at Holland’s Park Theatre, which is hosting its first-ever Gumbo Ball at 6 p.m. Tickets and details here.

Big Show: Big Gigantic (Photo/Eric Stoike)

• Michigan’s Echoes of Pink Floyd played two straight nights of Floyd-elia at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo, celebrating 50 years of “Dark Side of the Moon” with “The Darkside of Oz.”

• On Friday, Sounds of the Zoo hosted an album-release show by singer-songwriter Jon Hayes, with special guest Daisybox, at The Clover Room in Kalamazoo.

• The EDM/hip hop/jazz outfit Big Gigantic returned to a jam-packed Intersection in Grand Rapids on Thursday, the same night that country music’s Adam Doleac and Alana Springsteen played the nightclub’s intimate Stache venue.

Browse all of the photo galleries and videos here.

PHOTO GALLERY: John Prine Tribute at The Intersection
Photos by Eric Stoike and John Sinkevics