January has been quieter than usual on the live music front due to continued COVID concerns, but some national and local shows fired up area stages on a chilly weekend. Browse the photo galleries.
‘Chasing After You’: Country’s Ryan Hurd pumped up a home state crowd at The Intersection Friday. (Photo/Benjamin Howell)
Seems like more concerts are being upended these days than during the 2020 height of the COVID pandemic.
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Several West Michigan shows were canceled or postponed over the weekend, from the annual Acapella-Off vocal competition at Allendale’s Ceglarek Fine Arts Center to tour stops at The Intersection and Bell’s Brewery, to smaller shows such as The Soul Syndicate at Billy’s Lounge and Cheap Dates at Holland’s Itty Bitty Bar (with Acoustic Waves filling in at Itty Bitty as an 11th-hour replacement).
Still, the show must go on … or at least, it did in the case of a few area concerts:
• Kalamazoo native and emerging country star Ryan Hurd brought his “tour de pelago” — promoting his Top 20-charting full-length debut album — to The Intersection Friday with special guest, Conner Smith;
• Award-winning East Coast singer-songwriter Ellis Paul — whose most recent album appropriately enough is titled “Traveling Medicine Show” — and Grand Rapids piano-pop artist Olivia Vargas performed at Listening Room on Saturday;
• Also on Saturday, West Michigan’s own Big Timmy & The Heavy Chevys headlined a show at The Pyramid Scheme, along with sets by Nightline and Sid & The Plastics.
Revisit all of these shows in photo galleries at Local Spins.
PHOTO GALLERY: Ryan Hurd, Conner Smith at The Intersection
Photos by Benjamin Howell
PHOTO GALLERY: Ellis Paul, Olivia Vargas at Listening Room
Photos by Anna Sink
PHOTO GALLERY: Sid & The Plastics, Nightline
Big Timmy & The Heavy Chevys at The Pyramid Scheme
Photos by Katy Batdorff
