Winter Wheat heats up with blazing sets by Billy Strings & Don Julin, The Accidentals, Benzie Playboys, Delilah DeWylde

Winter Wheat set a record for attendance on Saturday while lining up all-star bands in fiery performances on two stages for nearly 12 hours on Saturday at The Intersection. (Recap, photos, video)

 

Some events simply stand out from the moment you walk in the door.

Saturday’s Winter Wheat festival and benefit for the Wheatland Music Organization at The Intersection in Grand Rapids was that kind of event.

It was a day filled with blue-chip folk, roots and bluegrass talent from across Michigan, smile-producing musical camaraderie, a record-breaking capacity crowd of 1,200-plus and a sense that something special was about to erupt on either of two stages at any time.

And plenty of it did:

• Traverse City bluegrass sensations Billy Strings & Don Julin made one of their final Michigan performances as a duo a spark-igniting, crowd-pleasing, night-ending spectacle worthy of the hype and buildup, backed by longstanding musical comrade Kevin Gills on standup bass and special guest Mark Lavengood on resonator guitar;

• K. Jones & The Benzie Playboys, Winter Wheat mainstays who just released a new studio album, filled the dance floor in the main showroom nearly instantly after firing up their upbeat, Cajun- and Zydeco-flavored romps, with concertgoers grinning broadly while circling the room;

• Indie-folk’s The Accidentals proved their fan-beguiling mettle during their early evening set in The Stache, aka, The Intersection’s front lounge, packing the small space so tightly (with the largest crowd I’ve ever seen in The Stache, forcing security personnel to constantly remind attendees to clear space in front of the door) while engaging the happy throng with their lively stage charm.

Naturally, Winter Wheat organizing committee members such as Bear Berends, Bruce Ling and Josh Rose were literally beaming as they made their way through the throngs and chatted with attendees during the 12-hour festival — and that’s understandable considering they had helped make this mid-winter celebration of West Michigan’s music scene perhaps the most treasured one yet.

From the traditional opening performances by Dan Seabolt’s Scholarship Students to eclectic and electrifying sets by Delilah DeWylde & The Lost Boys, Roosevelt Diggs, Blue Water Ramblers, Megan Dooley, Gasoline Gypsies, The Palooka Brothers, Peat in the Creel, Jive at Five and more, the seventh annual Winter Wheat unfurled as a day and night that will stand out for quite some time.

PHOTO GALLERY: Winter Wheat 2016
Photos by Anthony Norkus and Anna Sink

VIDEO: Winter Wheat 2016 Highlights

Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC