Styx at Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater ~ 8/9/19

We saw Styx at this venue back in 2015 and enjoyed it very much. Unlike many older bands, Styx changes the set list. And this year they even had new music to play. In 2017 the band produced a new studio album, "The Mission," its first one since 2003. Four numbers from that album were interspersed into the night's line-up. And no one seemed to mind. The songs were interesting and likable. You have to respect a band that is still creating music and not just riding the gravy train of old hits, even if those hits are fantastic.

Nineteen songs were performed including two encores, Mr Roboto and Renegade. I found an interesting side note about Styx adding Mr Roboto back in their concerts as of last year. Styx states that repeated fan demand brought it back. Dennis DeYoung is gloating and posted a weird rant about it but that's for another story.

The set list was posted on the band's instagram account and reads as follows (* songs from The Mission):
Gone Gone Gone*, Blue Collar Man, Grand Illusion, Lady, Radio Silence*, Snowblind, Red Storm*, Light Up, Fooling Yourself, Rockin' the Paradise, Suite Madam Blue, Miss America, Crystal Ball, Pieces of eight, The Outpost*, Too Much Time, Come Sail Away, and the two encores. 

Back in the 1960s, twin brothers Chuck and John Panozzo started playing music with their neighbor, Dennis DeYoung. They later called themselves the Tradewinds, which morphed into Styx in 1972. John Panozzo died in 1996 but Chuck still tours part-time with the band, and they brought him out tonight.

The other band members were Tommy Shaw, Lawrence Gowan, James Young, Ricky Phillips, and Todd Sucherman (Todd was voted #1 Rock Drummer in the world by Modern Drummer Magazine). They have a distinct sound together and still bring great energy to their performances, even after so many years.

With a repertoire as large as theirs, Styx is bound to miss someone's favorite and tonight, for me, it was "Boat on the River." Written by Tommy Shaw and featuring him and his mandolin, the song is worth looking up on YouTube. The two photos below are from the 2015 concert.

But then again, Tommy Shaw is my favorite band member. His voice and his musical skills are incredible. Which isn't to take anything away from the rest of the band. They are all talented and professional musicians.

Until next time, Styx!

Four minute video excerpt

Just one note for Meijer Gardens: they may want to update their almond supply :-)

Cheers to another summer concert!

ELO came to town ~ 7/23/19

Electric Light Orchestra is one of my favorite bands and when I saw they were coming to Grand Rapids I jumped on the tickets as soon as they were available.

The opening act was Dhani Harrison, the only child of George Harrison. He started promptly at 8 and played a 40 minute set with his band. It was just ok for us. He has a strong resemblance to his father and even sounds like him sometimes but we were there to see Jeff Lynne and ELO. Shortly after 9, ELO took the stage. A minute before that, John Sinkevics sat down in our row. 

The band did not disappoint. They played a straight set of hits, not missing a beat, except for the sound cutting off for a few seconds during their second song, 'Evil Woman.'

The production/light show was incredible.

It's hard to pick a highlight from a concert with non-stops hits but when Lynne brought out Dhani to sing George Harrison's part in the Traveling Wilburys song, 'Handle With Care' we were blown away.

Jeff Lynne is the ultimate professional, a talented musician and producer who still holds his own at 71 years old. It was a real treat to be here.

 Their one encore was 'Roll Over Beethoven' and it was a rousing conclusion.

At every concert on this tour, the band takes a selfie, and I lifted this and their set list from their twitter account (@JeffLynnesELO).

Here is a 5 minute video excerpt from the just under 2 hours concert:

ELO in Grand Rapids 

It's been a week and I still can't get the music out of my head 💗

Food Truck Food Drive, The Community Church in Ada ~ July 24, 2019

This was a new event for our church and it was designed to bring the community together and serve as a food drive for Kids' Food Basket and Flat River Outreach Ministries.

The event committee found three food trucks that would not charge a fee to just show up so they were our trucks. Two Scotts Barbecue, Kool Breeze, and Ohana Hawaiian Ice set up in the church parking lot.

The church offered wine and water for sale as well as craft beer from Gravel Bottom Brewery (no water was turned into wine at this event).

People started slowly showing up and within the three hours, several hundred people came through. The Bounce House and balloon animals provided great entertainment for the little ones.

Food truck lines became long but no one seemed to mind.

Live music was provided by Flatland Grip and they enhanced the event without over-powering it. Kudos to the band!

Tables were filled with people socializing, just happy to be together on this beautiful night.

The generosity of the attendees resulted in two SUVs full of canned goods and miscellaneous items, and $318.00 in cash, all of which was divided between the two non-profits.

A special thanks to team leader, Cara Hakken, for not only organizing the event and jumping through the liquor license hoops, but also for being the only one paying attention when a photo is being taken.

Thanks to everyone who came out, volunteered, and/or donated for the charities. See you next year!

(Bounce house and band photos by Matthew Donald)