West Michigan’s live music week was surprisingly hectic for early October, from outdoor shows to indoor fireworks of the rock ‘n’ roll variety — much of it flaunted in Local Spins photos.
String of Sellouts: Hanson brought it North American tour to Grand Rapids’ 20 Monroe Live on Sunday. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
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A week that started with an unimaginable tragedy, followed by the death of a beloved rock superstar, gave West Michigan a chance to heal with music — of every conceivable type.
Crowd-Pleasers: The fans at Hanson were just part of a hectic weekend of West Michigan shows. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
There was Phish’s Mike Gordon at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo (which also hosted a “Plaidurday Party” with The Legal Immigrants and Olivia Mainville & The Aqauatic Troupe), Deerhoof and sad13 at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids, The LACS at The Intersection, followed by Blue October and Blind Pilot, country singer Maren Morris and Kalamazoo native Ryan Hurd playing Kalamazoo’s State Theatre as part of Morris’ “The Hero Tour,” and Grand Rapids’ own Desmond Jones hosting an album-release show at Founders Brewing.
And that’s not all: The weekend boasts Grand Armory Brewing’s two-year anniversary street party with The Crane Wives and several more bands performing in Grand Haven, Horizen Hydroponics hosting a Harvest Festival with music and more.
Oh, and to finish it all off: Pop/rock’s Hanson fired up a sold-out show at 20 Monroe Live for fans that were, well, fired up. Check out all the images below.
MIKE GORDON AT BELL’S BEER GARDEN (TUESDAY)
And while there was plenty of dancing room to be had around the garden – and especially behind the soundboard – the bassist drew a pretty decent crowd for a Tuesday on an unseasonably humid and warm Midwestern fall evening.
Coming off a legendary 13-show run at Madison Square Garden this summer with Phish, Gordon and his side project are in the midst of a 17-show jaunt across the country, promoting his fifth full-length studio album, “OGOGO,” which dropped on Sept. 15.
Without question, one of the night’s highlights was a first-set cover of the late Tom Petty’s “Last Dance with Mary Jane.” Murowski’s “Trapezoidal Sunshine” and Gordon’s funky, crowd-pleasing “Normal Phoebe,” also made first set appearances, as did older Gordon track “Traveled Too Far” and “Long Black Line,” one of a handful of cuts from 2014 release, “Overstep,” that got played on the night.
Phish phan favorite, and Gordon staple “555” made an early second set appearance, getting the crowd jumping before the quintet – which also features percussionist Craig Meyers, drummer John Kimock and synth master Robert Walter – covered Tame Impala’s much darker “Mind Mischief,” a song they busted out for the first time just a week ago. The band then closed things out with a lively encore of “Yarmouth Road” – a popular track from “Overstep” that has made regular appearances on Phish set lists since its 2015 debut. – Ryan Boldrey
DEERHOOF AT THE PYRAMID SCHEME (TUESDAY)
PHOTO GALLERY: Deerhoof, sad13 photos by Kendra Kamp
THE LACS AT THE INTERSECTION (WEDNESDAY)
PHOTO GALLERY: The LACS photos by Eric Stoike
