Muskegon Summer Celebration

What a fantastic finale to the 2011 Summer Celebration festival!  Tonight was one of the best nights this year!  I'm not sure I could name just one night that I would call my favorite, but tonight was up there.  The night started out with Big Daddy Fox with their funky, bluesy, R&B style got the audience moving.  They are talented musicians and entertaining to watch.  I didn't have much time to see them perform, but what I did see was awesome.  These men really brought it!

   

By the end of Big Daddy Fox's set, the venue had really filled in.  VIP seating was almost full at this point and the standing fan section was packed.  Hot Chelle Rae took to the stage with their fun dance-rock style music that had a lot of the audience on their feet.  Some of the songs they sang were "I like to Dance," "Never Have I Ever," "The Distance," "Bleed," "Bushes," "Teenage Dream" cover of Katy Perry's hit, and lastly their biggest hit to date, "Tonight Tonight." Lead singer, Ryan Follese, engaged with the crowd quite a bit by getting right in there with them, even hopping over barriers to reach out to the fans.  I think if Hot Chelle Rae had been opening for a rock band the reception would have been even greater.  The crowd was definitely there to see Trey Songz which isn't exactly the same music as Hot Chelle Rae, so it was a bit of an odd pairing.  Never the less, Hot Chelle Rae put on an outstanding performance and I enjoyed them even more than I expected to going into it.

  

After what felt like a longer break than usual (maybe it was the anticipation) Trey Songz ran out on stage and the audience went WILD!!  There were screaming women everywhere!  Trey's smooth R&B sound and lyrics which are mostly about love, relationships, and sex had the ladies going crazy.  As the night went on Trey was wearing less and less clothing and gave his last shirt to one lucky lady in the audience, Tasha, which he handpicked from the crowd.  This may not have been the best concert to take my husband to.  For some reason he didn't enjoy it as much as I did.  :)  Aside from his charming smile and ripped body, his vocals were right on point as well.  Singing songs such as "I Need a Girl," "Missin' You," "Out of My Head," "Motivation," "Already Taken," "Panty Droppa," "Can't Be Friends," and "Neighbors Know My Name," his target audience was definitely the women in the crowd.  One of the things I liked best about his performance was the full band he had on stage with him.  I have seen R&B singers in the past rely solely on a DJ and backup tracks.  The band's talent was really showcase in the song "Black Roses" which was more of a combination of rock and R&B and it was amazing.  Ending with "Bottoms Up," Trey put on one heck of a show and I would say he had the largest audience still there when the show ended than any other concert this year.  I hardly saw anyone leaving before it was done.  It was a great night! 

   
(I know, I know, the pictures are terrible, but the crowd was so packed near the front security wouldn't let me get any closer.  We will post the professional pics on the Facebook page as soon as we get them)

Now that Summer Celebration 2011 has come to a close, I reflect back on the past 8 days of concerts and despite the complaints we received about the lineup, attendance was high for almost all nights and I had some of the best times this year down there than any other year.  Thank you to all the volunteers, workers, and everyone that made this possible and to the bands and performers that truly did an awesome job this year!  I have made memories that will stick with me my entire life and got to see friends I hadn't seen since last year's festival.  What do you all think?  Did you have a great time?  What was your favorite part?

If I were to rank the three bands tonight on sheer entertainment, Jackyl would be the winner by far, followed by Two Heded Chan, and Cinderella would be ranked third.  Since Two Heded Chan came on stage first though, I will keep things in order by starting with them.  I have been hearing about THC for years, but haven't had the pleasure of seeing them perform until tonight.  They are heavy metal in it's purest form and nailed it perfectly.  Singing a blend of heavy metal covers and originals, they got the audience pumped, on their feet, and head banging with the devil horns in the air.  Any other night, this may have been too heavy of metal for Heritage Landing, but tonight they fit in perfectly with the crowd.  The people were there for some serious rocking out and THC delivered.

  

Jackyl then came on the stage first with a shirtless drummer standing with his fist in the air, then a guitar player in a similar pose, and finally Jesse James Dupree himself came out.  Not really knowing much about Jackyl, I had no idea what to expect, but it was apparent from the moment they hit the stage that we were in for a good time.  The show was all about sex, drugs/alcohol, and Rock & Roll - the audience was eating up every moment of it.  Dupree was completely unpredictable the entire time, I didn't want to take my eyes off him.  At one point he took a security guard's shirt off of him, dove into the crowd, and then climbed up on the permanent pillar of the Heritage Landing stage and preached as if he was a reverend - asking the audience to shout out "Testify!" after each bit of his sermon.  It was as if you were at a party and there's a guy who had a little too much to drink who just starts doing crazy stuff.  You can't help but just stare as he goes wild and gives you something to talk about with your other friends the next day.  We took a walk to the Tiki Bar after their performance was over and that was all anyone was talking about.  I overheard a number of people say that hands down this was their favorite concert in Summer Cel history.  Love or hate their music, it was entertaining!  As Dupree said, this was "Jackylstock 2011" and I say the crowd would agree.

Performing songs such as "Push Comes to Shove," "Down on Me," Dirty Little Mind," "Locked and Loaded," and ending with his signature song "Lumberjack" (while sporting a Muskegon Lumberjack Jersey and playing the chain saw) they put on a great act musically as well.  After their set they met the crowd by the merchandise table to sign autographs.  This was an amazing thing to do for a band with such a large fan base in the crowd.  Hundreds lined up to meet them and were still signing autographs until Cinderella came on stage.

  

Jackyl was a hard act to follow, they got the crowd revved up and ready to get wild.  Although Cinderella's performance was good, I didn't feel it took the audience where they were looking to go at that point.   Cinderella didn't talk much, if at all, in between songs (much like the Goo Goo Dolls) and I felt had a bit of a hard time engaging the crowd.  At the start of their set I saw more people on their feet than any other concert this year, but about halfway through the audience began to thin out.  To me, there wasn't anything unenjoyable about it, just not sure there is much that I would talk to my friends the next day about.  They performed "Shake Me," "Heartbreak Station," "The More Things Change," "Coming Home," "Don't Know What You've Got (Till It's Gone)", "Gypsy Road," and "Shelter Me." Cinderella sounded on stage just as they did in the 80's and musically rocked. Just wish their show had a little more "umph" to it.

  

Tonight I just want to give a little recognition to the security team, especially those down in front.  They have been some of the nicest and congenial security guards I have ever seen.  They treat people with respect, they are not on some ego trip, they just merely try to get people to follow the rules that they did not make up but have to enforce.  The guards have also been helpful in letting people get up close to take pictures and keeping it orderly.  From my experience this year I have noticed that if you treat the guards with respect you get respect back.  This is much appreciated and makes the whole concert experience more enjoyable for everyone.  Thank you, guys!

Another awesome night down at Heritage Landing!  If you didn't arrive early enough to see Parachute, you truly missed out!  They hit the stage full of energy and connecting with audience immediately, and even literally.  Lead singer, Will Anderson, ran out on stage singing and gave everyone in the front row that he could touch high-fives.  It set the tone for the entire performance - high energy and memorable.  Some of the songs performed were "White Dress," "What I Know," "She Is Love," "Ghost," and "Something To Believe In (Jeremiah)".  They also performed a cover of Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down."  In another couple years I am sure they will be the headliners.  I look forward to seeing them again someday.

  

After a short break, Michelle Branch came out singing "Everywhere."  I don't know if I have seen a more likable person perform.  She just seemed so sweet and so sincere.  She spoke of the last time she was at Summer Celebration which was Fourth of July 2003, it was the beginning of her relationship with her now husband, bass player, Teddy.  They found a good spot to watch the fireworks, and she asked him "so... are you... like my boyfriend... or what?" And from that moment on they were completely together.  It all began in Muskegon.  Very cool story and neat that we set that backdrop for that to happen.  Sorry, I love gushy love stories, back to the music!  She also performed, "Breathe," her new single "Loud Music," "Goodbye to You," "Game of Love," "Leave the Pieces" which was a song she had with her band The Wreckers, "Are You Happy Now," and finished with her hit "All You Wanted."  I enjoyed her set and was happy to have a woman performer this year (only all-girl act in the last two years). My only criticism would be that in addition to the two guitar players she sang along to a track for her back up vocals, drums, and keyboard.  Sometimes it seemed that the track and the live music wasn't quite synced up correctly.  She did introduce her band as her "recession band," so maybe she could sense it was a little off.  Otherwise, I had a great time and loved it!

    

Lastly, Goo Goo Dolls came rocking on stage!  Their set was roughly an hour and a half of nothing but pure Goo Goo Dolls music.  Basically, it was the complete opposite of the Sugar Ray concert. - no fillers, no covers, no awkward audience karoake, only music.   I mostly say this as a good thing.  I do like a little story to go with a song about what the song is about or what inspired the song or maybe a little banter with the bandmates, but at least I felt like we all got our money's worth of Goo Goo Doll music tonight!  There wasn't a hit they didn't sing: "Slide," "Black Balloon," "Better Days," "Name," "Let Love In," and "Broadway," along with songs from their earliest albums which featured then lead singer and now bass player, Robby Takac.  With literally no break in between songs, it seemed the songs just flowed one to the other without ever stopping.  I had seen Goo Goo Dolls last time they were at Summer Celebration and I remember it being that same way then, but it didn't feel as thrilling.  I commented to my friend with me that lead singer John Rzeznik seemed far less "emo" (as the kids call it) this time and much happier and smiling more.  It really came through in his performance that he was having a good time.  Great time tonight and wonderful turnout! 
(Pictures are horrible of Goo Goo Dolls, I apologize!!)

  

So what did you all think?  I love reading your feedback!

After a day-long intermission, Summer Celebration came back in full force.  I, for one, appreciated the night off last night to recuperate, but I know the break was criticized by some.  The reason for Tuesday being off was so that the festival could be shortened to 8 days but still cover two weekends.  What better day to have a break than smack in the middle of the festival run after a late night on the Fourth?  Regardless, attendance was booming tonight!  Purely a guess, but I believe it was the highest attended concert of the series thus far and probably somewhere around 13,000 people.

When we arrived to Heritage Landing, Brian Lorente and the Usual Suspects were already on stage.  They are a fun country-rock band that I still remembered from a year ago.  Playing originals as well as covers such as Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" and ending with Rick Springfield's "Jesse's Girl" they really get the crowd moving and excited.  Not sure if Aaron Lewis wasn't quite ready or what was going on back stage, but it seemed they were told to keep playing longer, which I didn't mind one bit.  We were having a good time! At the end of the night I said to my BFF who accompanied me, "I think Brian Lorente played longer than Aaron Lewis or Charlie Daniels."  This statement may not be entirely true, but it felt like it (in a good way).  

   


Aaron Lewis took the stage shortly after with his hit "Outside" from his band, Staind.  Sitting down in a chair the entire time just him on the guitar and another guy on slide guitar, it was a very low-key set to say the least.  I kept waiting for it to pick up a bit, but it never really did.  However, I absolutely love the tone of his voice.  He has a very deep, full bodied tone to his voice that makes it really easy to listen to.  His low energy performance would have been suited better for a small bar setting rather than an outdoor venue with a 17,000 person capacity.  In addition to "Outside", he did a good job of mixing songs from his solo album and his Staind songs by singing, "75," "Raining Again," "The Story Never Ends," and "Been Awhile."  He also sang a slower version of "What Hurts the Most" made most famous by Rascal Flatts.  Ending his set with "Country Boy", I finally felt some passion and energy in his voice.  It definitely appeared to be the song with the most heart put into it tonight.  Overall, I still enjoyed the performance because I do like the music and his voice, I just wish he would have put a little something more into his act.  It felt as if he was even bored with doing it. 

  


Charlie Daniels Band came on the stage next and everyone was on their feet!  This 75 year old man (thank you wikipedia) had quadruple the energy of Aaron Lewis.  His set included "The Legend of Wooley Swamp," "A Few More Rednecks," "In America," "Black Ice," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Amazing Grace," to name a few and ended with "Devil Went Down to Georgia."  They also spent a good deal of time showing their instrumental talents off which showcased some new band members' modern spin to classic country sound.  It was a real treat to be in the presence of a legend.  Not only does he appear to be young at heart, his music is timeless as well.  My only disappointment was that it seemed to end too early.  Only concert that I can remember at Summer Cel where it was still light out as we were walking to our cars.  But given his age, he was probably tired out from giving such an amazing and high energy performance!

 

Although I have made a point to go out to the Tiki Stage nearly every night to see the band out there, I haven't been writing on it because of lack of space.  However, tonight I wanted to give a shout out to Scott Sheldon who we caught briefly while we wandered down the point. We heard a few originals as well as covers (all of which are escaping me right now aside from Chris Isaac's "Wicked Game") and it was all very, very good!  I have seen his name around performing at places such as Hennessey's, but have never seen him before tonight.  My friends and I also got a kick out of a man dancing in front of the stage doing what we called a ninja-interpretive dance.  I was told later by a different friend that this was "Chad".  Apparently he is quite the legend to Summer Cel veterans and can also be seen dancing at the beach.  He was very entertaining to the small crowd at the Tiki bar area, so I couldn't help but take a picture. 

  

Tomorrow is sure to be another great concert with Parachute, Michelle Branch, and the Goo Goo Dolls.  I'm expecting another great attendance night, so get there early if you want a good spot!  See you there!

Tonight was the perfect night for families -  moderately cheap entertainment, family appropriate music, and relaxing in the summer sun that was just the right temperature.  My husband, daughter, and I arrived at Heritage Landing just about 6pm.  We missed Dutch Henry (sorry guys, I'm sure you were great) but made it in time to see Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys.  I had told my husband we couldn't miss them because they had been talking up such hype on Facebook about themselves since before Battle of the Bands that I really wanted to see if they lived up to it.  First of all, when I hear the name Gunnar, I do not picture a man looking the way this Gunnar does.  I pictured someone more like Larry the Cable Guy.  Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Gunnar on stage (ladies, see pic below).  Aside from his charming looks and commanding stage presence, he had the vocal chops and songwriting skills to match.  Their sound had a modern feel to classic country.  They are a fun band to watch and if I had my wish they would come back next year and open for a country act so they get the larger audience they deserved.  Who would have thought a great country band could be from Michigan?  

   


After Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys, we took my daughter (age 3) to check out the Midway.  She was so thrilled to ride a couple rides and play a few of the carnival games.  July 4th is the only time we take her down to Summer Celebration so she has really been looking forward to this and it was a treat for us to see her excitement.  While in the carnival area, we decided to check out the Venom Snake Pit.  Since the Station Grill, one of our favorite Muskegon restaurants, was doing the food in there this year we wanted to see what it was all about.  Even though the Snake Pit has been advertised more aggressively this year, I still feel that it is an undiscovered treasure for most.  The Snake Pit is a fenced off area in the Midway just beyond the other food vendors.  Inside the pit you will find The Station food booth as well as the Vikings food booth along with a DJ, picnic tables, and port-a-potties.  My husband and daughter both had burgers from the Station and I bought a walking taco from the Vikings.  Then we sat at a picnic table and enjoyed our dinner.  This area is quite a gem because it offers a break from the fried carnival food and it's away from the screaming of the children on the rides.  One other perk I found is that the Viking's menu was a bit cheaper than some of the other food vendors.  People of all ages are welcomed in the Snake Pit until 11pm each night.  I would highly recommend checking it out for yourselves. 

We ventured back into the concert area after our dinner and found Smokin' Joe Kubek featuring Bnois King had already taken the stage.  Their bluesy-jazzy style was excellent and they are very talented musicians, but it seemed to serve more as background music than shear entertainment.  Since we had our daughter with us, we sat pretty far back and possibly we just felt a bit disconnected from what was going on stage.  Most of the people around us were just talking to one another, playing with their kids, or had their heads buried in their cell phones.  All of which are fine if you are just there to enjoy being out in the beautiful weather and spending some good, quality time with family.  I began to wonder how the teenagers through twenty-somethings with no children felt about this music though.  My bet is that they were either at the Midway or walking around while visiting with friends.  To me, it was a time to just sit back and relax and take it all in. 

   

Now it was the moment my husband had been waiting for since the lineup was announced.... Hotel California, the Eagles tribute band, took the stage!  Hubby is an ultimate Eagles fan and since it is so rare that they tour and probably could never book them in Muskegon anyway, he was willing to accept the next best thing.  He said it was one of his favorite concerts he has ever been to because he literally knew every song that was played.  It was like listening to an Eagles greatest hits album:  "Take It Easy," "Witchy Woman," "Lyin' Eyes," "Best of My Love," "Tequila Sunrise," "Life in the Fast Lane," "Desperado" and of course "Hotel California" along with many more hits were performed.  If you closed your eyes you could almost picture Don Henley and Glenn Frey singing the songs.  It was great and definitely the over 50 crowd, along with my husband (age 32), seemed to be enjoying themselves the most. 

  


What I really appreciated was that almost immediately after Hotel California was finished performing, the fireworks show began.  It was an efficiently smooth transition.  The fireworks were similar to those last year in that they lasted about a half hour and they were set to music that makes you feel good, but never the less it was awe inspiring.  I truly believe the music adds so much to the fireworks display so those watching from the street or their home are not getting the same feel as those down at Heritage Landing.  The variety of music being played ranges from hip hop, dance, country, patriotic, and pop and it really adds to the display.  The music keeps your interest and has a little something in it for everyone.  I am thankful that the Blue Chip Casino has sponsored the fireworks these past two years so we can have such an amazing display. 

Tomorrow we take a night off!  Considering I am writing this at 1:30am, I am grateful for the break!  The reason for the day off was so that Summer Cel could shorten the festival to 8 days but still keep it covering two weekends.  Join us back on Wednesday for Aaron Lewis and Charlie Daniels Band.

Friday proved Muskegon can rock, Saturday was the night of fun, and tonight, well tonight, gave me hope. Hope that Muskegon Summer Celebration will live to see another year.  With local favorite and Battle of the Bands winner Deadwood Stone taking the stage, Heritage Landing was already packed and the people just kept pouring in to what has turned out to be the largest audience yet this year.  Deadwood Stone's sound is a perfect blend of Nickelback and Hinder -esque music. After working out some technical difficulties, their performance was "dead" on.  The perfect fit for an opening opening band to complement Skillet and Theory of a Deadman.

  

Before the concert, I was able to attend the meet and greet for Skillet with Justin, my die hard Skillet fan or "Panhead" as I am told these fans are called.  He traveled all the way from Indiana just to see them in concert for his fifth time. I've met a couple singers in my lifetime, but to meet an entire band of this caliber was a chance of a lifetime! We were there with the others who won the chance for the meet and greet through the radio stations, about twelve of us total.  It was run very quickly and efficiently.  Skillet came out and it was explained to us that the line would go through and meet the band and have them sign anything we wanted them to sign and then the second time the line would go through and our picture taken with them.  Justin had a CD album cover signed by each bandmate and then we took our picture with them together.  John, Jen, Kory, and a guy who replaced bandmate Ben (not sure of his name) were so very sweet to all of us.  They seemed very genuine in their gratitude towards the fans and down to earth.  It was a great experience - thank you Summer Celebration for the opportunity!

  

Skillet's performance was just as thrilling as meeting them in person.  I would say hands down the best opening act of the past two years.  They performed as if they were the headliners complete with hydraulic lifts and smoke shooting up in columns on the stage.  They gave it 110% and then some.  I was fortunate enough to be in the standing crowd near the stage and could really feel the energy.  Even though Justin has been telling me about the heavy metal Christian band for years, I never took the time to get to know a lot of their music and was a bit unsure of the size of crowd they would draw to Summer Celebration.  It was very apparent that the majority of the people there were not simply just waiting for the headliner to come on, they were true "Panheads."  Singing along to such songs as "Better Than Drugs," "Hero," It's Not You It's Me," "Monster," and the final song "Rebirthing" the audience was entirely engrossed in Skillet's performance.  Lead singer, John Cooper, took the time to explain the meaning of the song "The Last Night" which was an inspirational and touching moment of the evening.  He described a time a when a friend came to him to say goodbye as she just didn't think life was worth living any longer and was prepared to take her own life.  He was able to talk her down from the ledge by telling her that God loves her for who she is and not to worry about what other people think or say.  With quite a large youth population there tonight, I think this was an important message to get across.  In this age of bullying and negativity on the internet, hopefully this point was heard by those suffering.  Playing for almost an entire hour, they gave their fans exactly what they came there to see - one unbelievable and unforgettable show with a good message.  

  

After a short intermission, the song "Blame Canada" came on over the speakers and Canadian rock band, Theory of a Deadman, took the stage first performing "So Happy" followed by "Got it Made."  Tyler Connolly on lead vocals, said that the whole reason they started a band was to get girls, therefore they needed to write a song for chicks, which happened to be "All of Nothing."  Sure enough, looking around the crowd, the majority of the women were singing along.  In between songs Connolly explained he was trying not to be inappropriate because he knew there were families there tonight, but the occasional f-bomb still made it's way out.  However, when he performed the song "B*tch Came Back" there wasn't really a way to hide the obscenities and that must have been the last straw for a lot of folks because people started packing up and leaving in masses.  I am not offended by swearing, but there were many there with families to see the Christian band, Skillet, and I can understand why those fans wouldn't want to stick around for that.  Might not have been the wisest song choice, but it could have just been that it was getting past their kids' bedtimes and they chose that moment to leave anyway.  So the true T.O.A.D. fans remained and we were able to hear more favorites like "No Surprise," "Santa Monica," "Weren't Meant To Be," and finishing it with an encore of "Bad Girlfriend."  Overall, they put on a great show to what started out as the largest attendance Summer Celebration has had this year so far. 

  

So yes, after tonight I still have hope that Summer Cel will make it.  I believe there will be more nights like tonight with larger audiences coming up.  As the article in the chronicle stated today, it is a make it or break it year, and I really want it to make it year after year.  Even if the lineup isn't everyone's favorite and possibly the seating arrangements still need to be tweaked, I think the majority of the general public would be disappointed if the festival did not come back next year.  Muskegon is so fortunate to have this festival right in our backyard without having to travel to Grand Rapids or Detroit to see an 8-day concert series.  So come out and support the festival, buy tickets, upgrade your tickets, buy lots of beer (but drink responsibly), merchandise, 50/50 raffle tickets, and let's keep this party going!

After last night's astounding concert, just about anything would pale in comparison.  However, The Legal Immigrants, who won Battle of the Bands at Club Envy, gave a rockin' performance.  Originals such as "Outrageous" and "Oh boy" paired with a cover song by Jimi Hendrix were sure to be pleasers for the small yet mighty crowd.  I truly wish more people would come out to Heritage Landing earlier to see these great local bands open.  They deserve a larger audience and have some really great talent that just may hit it big like Pop Evil has.

 

Night Ranger was up next and I couldn't put my finger on it all evening, but something about them just wasn't getting the crowd going.  They performed great, guitars sounded awesome, vocals were right on, yet the people just weren't responding.  For their big hits "When You Close Your Eyes," "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," and especially "Sister Christian" the crowd was much more involved and on their feet singing along.  The majority of the audience was sitting and hardly seemed to be paying attention for the rest of the set, however.  Could it be that they sang too many songs off their new CD which people are not yet familiar with?  Were people too tired from spending the day at the Arts & Crafts Fair?  Whatever the reason, Night Ranger didn't quite get the reception that they probably deserved despite the good performance.

 

By the time Sugar Ray came on, the venue had filled in quite a bit.  People definitely came out tonight to see this band.  Starting out with their #1 hit "Every Morning", they sprinkled their hits throughout the night evenly so that there was never too long of a stretch without knowing the song that was playing.  The band hit all the favorites: "Someday," "Falls Apart", "When It's Over," and ending with "Fly."  In between songs they had quite a bit of "filler" which mostly consisted of audio tracks and hits by other artists in which the band intermittantly played along with.  These filler songs helped to really get the crowd pumped up and singing along, but by the end of the night it began to feel a bit excessive.  We were there to see Sugar Ray, afterall.  I did enjoy that Mark McGrath and the rest of the band do not seem to take themselves too seriously and just got up and had fun.  At one point McGrath pulled two audience members up on stage to do what he called "Sugar Ray Karoake,"  only he had the boys sing along to Black Eyed Peas and Beastie Boys songs.  As fun as this was to see Ryan and "Foos" stumble their way through these songs, it did just seem like Sugar Ray needed to kill time to fill their set.  During the concert we all had a lot of fun, but reflecting on it afterwards I began to realize how little Sugar Ray actually performed Sugar Ray songs. 

  

Muskegon LOVES Pop Evil!  That is a sure thing!  Just arrived home from the concert and I am so anxious to write about Pop Evil that it’s hard for me to even remember much of anything that happened before they came on stage.  Good thing I took notes! :)  Not that the opening acts were anything but great, but Pop Evil proved tonight that they are worthy of “Headliner” status. 

My two girlfriends and I arrived at Heritage Landing at 6pm just in time to grab a great seat up front near the Front Reserved section.  First up was Brena, one of the winners of the Battle of the Bands who are local to Grand Rapids.  I saw them open last year as well and I have to say that I liked them even better this time.  Their original music is worthy of being on the radio – catchy tunes that are easy to remember and would appeal to pop or rock audiences.  It doesn’t hurt that they are also easy on the eyes and high energy that got the crowd on their feet.

 

After Brena finished, radio DJ and concert MC came out and introduced the mayor of Muskegon, Steve Warmington.  Warmington made a dedication to Pop Evil and declared July 1st to be Pop Evil day for Muskegon.  He described them as hometown heroes and explained how proud the community is of them.  It was a touching moment… if I had not been for Black Stone Cherry’s sound check going on at the same exact time.  Not exactly the best timing. 

When Black Stone Cherry arrived on stage they made it clear they were ready to blow you away!  Not sure what happened during that earlier sound check, but the only thing bad about Black Stone Cherry’s performance as the noise level.  I am in my early thirties and can handle loud music, but even this was too loud for me.  Near the end of the set, my girlfriends and I took a walk out to the Tiki Bar and we could hear it plain as day all the way out there as well.  It was a bit too much too handle.  That being said, I don’t want to take away from Black Stone Cherry’s performance at all.  They were amazing!  Lead singer Chris Robertson commanded the stage by getting the crowd involved and amping them up for a night of Rock & Roll.  BSC played favorites such as “Hell & High Water”, “White Trash Millionaire”, “Tired of the Rain,” and one off their new album that just came out the end of May called, “Killing Floor.”  It was the perfect band to play as openers for Pop Evil.  I had my devil horns ready to rock!

  

Now before I go on a glowing review of Pop Evil, I want to preface this with saying that before tonight I was not a fan of theirs.  Not because I didn’t like them, but I hardly knew them.  I had heard “100 in a 55” and a few other songs on YouTube before the concert tonight, but that’s it.  I did not go to high school with them, I did not see them at Club Envy recently or Summer Cel a few years ago.  I went to the concert tonight with basically no expectations one way or the other of them.  I left the concert tonight a fan.  Not just a mild fan either, but a HUGE fan of theirs who will be downloading their new album War of Angels as soon as it is available through Amazon on my Droid phone.  As lead singer, Leigh Kakaty, said, “to all those haters out there…”, yes, Pop Evil proved worthy of being the headliner!  I have never had so much fun at a concert where I knew so little of their music going into it (I know, shame on me for not knowing more of it)!  Not only did Kakaty and the band bring it tonight, but they were also sure to show their gratitude to Muskegon, Summer Celebration, and all of their West Michigan fans.  Their love for Muskegon made me feel a sense of pride for our hometown that is sometimes easy to forget.  One message that was clear throughout the night was to support Muskegon Summer Celebration and to make sure it comes back year after year.  It was heartwarming to see that the band appreciates the festival so much even by bringing the organizers of Summer Cel out on stage with them at the end to rock out with them.  Great move on Pop Evil’s part.  It was a Muskegon lovefest and I was enjoying every moment of it!

Now, back to the music…  They first came out with “Save the World” followed by “Breathe” and later “Broken.”  These were some of my favorites of the nigh because it was obvious the band was having a blast on stage and they love performing.  For a change of pace Kakaty did a couple acoustic pieces “Hey Mister” and “Stepping Stone.”  These songs showcased their meaningful lyrics backed with great vocals. “Next Life” was a song played later that Kakaty dedicated to his dad who passed away earlier this year.  We were having so much fun we didn’t want them to stop playing and was thrilled when they did a three-song encore!  “100 in a 55” (of course), “Last Man Standing”, and ended it with “Hero.”  Pop Evil proved to be true hometown heroes by explaining they would stay until the “last man standing” was left to have their CD signed tonight.  Pop Evil is not only a wildly entertaining band, but also a class act.  If you weren’t there tonight you truly missed out.  I am not doing it justice in this blog because some things are just hard to put into words.  For those who were there tonight, I know you feel me on this!  Amazing night!

One of Pop Evil’s newest fans,
Amanda Shunta

  


(Please excuse my poor pictures of Pop Evil. Security wouldn't let me close enough to take better pictures due to the crowd size near the stage.)

What started out a warm, gorgeous day took a turn at about 3pm to gloomy, scattered rain showers the rest of the afternoon and evening.  It became uncertain as to if we were even going to risk going to Plumb’s Picnic.  I, along with my two kids, met up at a friend’s house while we debating should we or shouldn’t we risk going out in the weather.  Just after 5pm the clouds seemed to have cleared and the evening looked promising.  So the eleven of us packed up our belongings and headed out.

We arrived at Heritage Landing about 6pm and quickly saw we were not the only ones that chose to go during that brief time while the weather was decent.  We immediately headed for the food tent line where were greeted by a mass of people.   I knew from going last year that the line moves quickly, so I reassured my friends that although it looked like a long line, we would be through it in no time.  Again this year the choices for food did not disappoint.  Here’s the list going from my memory: chips, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, gelatin cups, yogurt, string cheese, giant whole pickles, chocolate chip cookies, apples, pop and water – each for just 35 cents!!  A friend of mine was able to feed her family of 5 for just $14!  She also commented that not only was the food cheap, but it was also delicious!  Also, it should be noted that once again the volunteers working the picnic were awesome!  They were very efficient yet friendly. 

Just as we finished up eating the sky began to darken and we saw lightning headed our way.  Those of us with smartphones took them out to see the weather radar on WZZM’s page.  It looked like the storm was headed straight for us.  Having a nine month old with me, I did not want to risk being caught in a lightning storm and we all decided to leave.  The majority of the people around us also left.  Not only were the kids disappointed we didn’t get to partake in the other activities, but so were the adults.  We look forward to events like this to share with our families and watch the kids have a good time. Despite the weather, the turnout seemed good!  Not sure how bad the weather ended up getting at Heritage Landing, but I am happy that people were willing to venture out there regardless of its uncertainty.  Wish I could have experienced more to be able to report back about all the fun activities we only got a glimpse of from afar.   Thank you to Plumbs for putting on such an amazing community event!  It is great to have a night out with family and friends and not have it empty your wallet.

As of right now, there is only a 20% chance of rain tomorrow for the Pop Evil concert!  Remember there is the CD Release Party at the Snake Pit at 2:15-3:45pm.  Also playing tomorrow night is Brena and Black Stone Cherry along with Chordis Bell on the Tiki Stage.   Come back here tomorrow to check out the review of those acts!

During the weekend I was able to go downtown to check out Taste of Muskegon. While on my drive there, I passed Heritage Landing and saw the setup trailers parked and the beginning signs of Muskegon Summer Celebration.  With the festival just under two weeks away, I am really beginning to get excited for this year's festival. 

Some of the things I am most looking forward to are:

• The addition of The Station Grill in the Snake Pit,  located just outside the concert venue in the carnival.  This is an area set aside with music, dancing, food, and beverage.  Open to people of all ages.  I am a huge fan of The Station (who isn't, really?) and I look forward to an option other than carnival food to eat during the festival.
• Concerts: Theory of a Deadman, Sugar Ray, Hot Chelle Rae, Michelle Branch, and Parachute.  These concerts have the potential to be great! A good mix of new rock with a couple older favorites. 
• The Fireworks!  These were unbelievable last year and I can only imagine that this year's will be just as good if not better.
• Meeting up with friends down at Heritage Landing.  Whether the concerts are bands that you want to see or not, the 8-day-long party with friends that maybe you haven't seen since last year's festival makes it worth the price of a pass right there. 

Tickets and passes are still available through startickets.com or Meijer locations.  Also, be sure to check out the blogs of my experiences during each concert and reviews of the bands.  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @MuskSummerCel for the latest announcements!

This is the first blog of the season that I am writing based on my experiences at Summer Celebration events so I just wanted to put out a few reminders... My name is Amanda Shunta and I am volunteer on the publicity committee.  I am not paid staff of MSC, I do not have inside information on most things going on, I am simply just an observer from an average-joe's perspective at these events.  The views expressed are my own and do not represent views of Muskegon Summer Celebration.  So those are my disclaimers before we get started.

That being said, I had a great time tonight at Club Envy for the Battle of the Bands!  My only disappointment was that I could not make it to Friday's battle or any earlier than I did tonight because it was a lot of fun.  We arrived around 8:30 and the band The Big Beige should have been playing according the schedule but they weren't... so I'm not sure what was up with that.  If they just didn't perform at all or if they were on earlier and we just missed them?  After what seemed like quite a long set up time, Chilla Pertilla came out.  He was one of the people I was interested to see because he was the only rap artist in the battle.  He came out and performed just one song.  The song was decent, but would have liked to have seen more of what he had in his repertoire. 

Next up was the youthful High Street.  Holy cow!!!  This band was amazing especially given their age.  The oldest member is 14 years old, youngest was 11 years old.  Jenny Thompson just killed it on vocals with the opening song.  It was their best song of the evening which showcased their high energy, musical abilities, and cohesiveness better than any other song they performed.  Again, for being 14 years old, Jenny showed such poise and confidence up on stage that is rare in an adult let alone a teenager.   In a later song, 11 year old Erik Findling, showed off his mad skills in a guitar solo.  I was thrilled when it was announced that High Street had won second place and will be performing on the Tiki Stage because I think these kids are up and coming stars and will someday be headlining around the country.  That's how strongly I feel about them.  Completely impressed!

Last act of the night was The After Effect which featured a group of 10th graders from Mona Shores High School.  I wasn't as blown away with them as I was High Street, but I still think there was a good amount of talent in the group.  What I liked about them was their energy and interactions with each other.  They looked like they were having a blast and it's always fun to watch others have fun at something you can tell they enjoy doing.  I thought the vocals could have been a little stronger and clearer, but they made up for it with Ryan Slagle on bass and John Swainston on drums.  Combine the bass guitarist and drummer of The After Effect with the vocals and lead guitar of High Street and you will get one superpower band!

Then the winners were announced.... The Legal Immigrants and Brena took top prizes and as earlier mentioned High Street took second place.  The crowd seemed thrilled with the results and I wish I could have seen everyone perform.  I appreciate an event like this to witness some great small town bands.  Though not every band that entered the contest was local, I think it is about showcasing great talent which I can definitely say I observed tonight.

Reading through the comments on Facebook from yesterday's BOTB results, I understand there is an upset on last year's winners winning again this year (Brian Lorente and the Usual Suspects & Deadwood Stone).  It has been suggested that maybe the previous year's winners shouldn't be allowed to enter the following year.  This is something that I am honestly torn about.  On one hand I absolutely agree that everyone should be given a chance.  However, MSC wants to put on the best possible concerts for everyone for their money.  If last year's winners happen to be the best, then they should be the ones allowed on the stage.  But everyone also likes variety.  So as I said, I am torn on this subject.  At the very least, it should be brought up to the committee in charge of Battle of the Bands and maybe they will consider revamping the rules a bit.  Maybe a separate Battle of past winners where only one past winner is chosen?  However for this year Deadwood Stone, Brian Lorente and the Usual Suspects, and Brena have put on great shows, have a large fan following, and have won the battle so I do think people need to be respectful of that. The Legal Immigrants have joined the ranks of great bands and I look forward to hearing them on the main stage in July!

The committee had to make some tough choices, but we have some great bands that will participate in our Battle of the Bands at Club Envy on April 15-16.  We have flyers and posters in the office if you would like to stop by we could use the help getting the information out. 

Battle of the Bands Lineup

Friday April 15
6:00    Small Town Son
6:40    One Way Band
7:20    Double Barrel
8:00    Brian Lorente and the Usual Suspects
8:40    Deadwood Stone
9:20    Virginia Gray
10:00   Coldville
10:40   Chordis Bell
11:20   West and Run
12:00    Announce Winner

Saturday April 16
5:00    Brena
5:40    The Water Clocks
6:20    The After Effect
7:00    The Legal Immigrants
7:40    Absinthe
8:20    The Big Beige
9:00    Chilla Pertilla
9:40    High Street
10:20   Wayland
11:00   Announce Winner

Can't wait to see everybody there!  It is going to be a great time!

This year we are offering a way for businesses and individuals who want to support the festival to be able to do so and also get a little something back in return. First is our Friends of the Festival packages which consists of three options:

The Want It All Package - $1600

• Logo included on event signage at each of the main entrances to Muskegon Summer Celebration
• Listing on "Friends of the Festival" page in the official Summer Celebration program
• Listing on the "Friends of the Festival" page on the website summercelebration.com
• Framed Summer Celebration certificate
• Four (4) commemorative Summer Celebration refillable beverage mugs and 48 beverage tickets
• 48 concert tickets to a 2011 show of your choice (except the "big show")
• Two (2) VIP concert tickets to a 2011 show of your choice (except the "big show")

 

The In The Middle Package - $1200

• Logo included on even signage at each of the main entrances to Muskegon Summer Celebration
• Listing on "Friends of the Festival" page in the official Summer Celebration program
• Listing on the "Friends of the Festival" page on the website summercelebration.com
• Framed Summer Celebration certificate
• Two (2) commemorative Summer Celebration refillable beverage mugs and 48 beverage tickets
• 32 concert tickets to a 2011 show of your choice (except the "big show")

 

The Love To Be A Friend Package - $800

• Logo included on even signage at each of the main entrances to Muskegon Summer Celebration
• Listing on "Friends of the Festival" page in the official Summer Celebration program
• Listing on the "Friends of the Festival" page on the website summercelebration.com
• Framed Summer Celebration certificate
• 16 concert tickets to a 2011 show of your choice (except the "big show")

These packages are ideal for a business to contribute to the festival and give the tickets to either employees or clients.  The tickets can be all for a single show or broken up among the different concerts.

*******************

Now for the ULTIMATE concert experience we have the Celebration Stars VIP Package!!

You and a guest will have reserved concert seats up front to the left of the stage (as you're facing the stage).  Enjoy prime seating in the first five rows for each show of the festival.  Whenever you arrive your seat will be there waiting for you.  No need to stand in line to get into the venue because you will have a special entrance. 

Amenities:

• Two reserved seats for every show
• Raised "Stars Party Deck" (this is in addition to the reserved seating in front of the stage)
• Tented area
• Catered meal
• 100 beverage tickets
• Private bar
• Private restroom
• Complimentary water & soda

 

Parking:  Come and go as you please during Summer Celebration with one special parking pass for the Depot parking lot each day.  The Depot offers the closest parking to the festival grounds

Share with Friends!  This is designed with sharing in mind.  Each concert is individually packaged so that you can use it yourself or give it to your friends, relatives, or co-workers

The Celebration Stars VIP Package can be yours for $5000!  Those interested should call the Summer Celebration office at 722-6520.

******************

Club Celebration offers the same amenities as the Celebration Stars package but does not include the reserved seating in front of the stage or the parking pass.  This package can be purchased for $2500.

Amenities:

• Two reserved seats for every show
• Raised "Stars Party Deck"
• Tented area
• Catered meal
• 100 beverage tickets
• Private bar
• Private restroom
• Complimentary water & soda

Please follow us on Twitter @MuskSummerCel and Facebook www.facebook.com/MuskegonSummerCelebration

 

Tonight was such a memorable night!  When the lineup was originally announced, I know there were some grumbles about having 2 tribute bands and an American Idol "wannabe" perform on the 4th of July.  However, after what I saw tonight I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  From start to finish I thought tonight was one of the best nights this year.  The only thing I am upset about is that I forgot my memory card for my camera at home so I don't have any pictures of this wonderful night! 

For tonight I brought my husband and my 2-year old daughter.  It was the only concert we brought my daughter to, but figured that tonight was as family oriented as it could get.  Since we had my daughter along we sat pretty far in the back near the food vendors on the hill.  I felt as if I was on a 5 hour long picnic with my family, it was great!  When we arrived, Live Bait had already been playing for a couple songs.  I was under the impression before getting there that Live Bait was a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, but in fact they perform so much more than just Jimmy Buffet songs.  I love Jimmy Buffet as much as the next person, but I was happy to hear other older favorites as well.  "Stir It Up" by Bob Marley, Dobie Gray's "Drift Away," Shaggy's "Angel," Steve Miller Band's "Joker," and Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" are just some of the non-Buffet covers the band sang.  It was a fun show - I especially liked the conga and limbos lines - nice touch!  It was the perfect setting for this type of music.  The band sounded a lot like Jimmy Buffet most of the time and were talented as well as entertaining.

Matt Giraud hit the stage not too long after that and came out of the gates singing the Black Crowes' hit "Hard to Handle."  This was a great way to enter the stage and let everyone know that he was ready to put on a fantastic show.  He went on to sing a few more covers: "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson and "Georgia" by Ray Charles. Needless to say nobody compares to those greats, however Matt did an amazing tribute to both of those idols of his.  The man has soul!  He then sang a couple original songs "Whatever It Takes" and "I miss you tonight" that left me seriously wanting to purchase his CD or download the album off iTunes.  He went on to introduce the next medley of songs by explaining that he asked his fans on Twitter and Facebook to throw out suggestions of pop songs they would like to see him cover.  This is what they came up with: "Bad Romance" (Lady Gaga), "Tick Tock" (Ke$ha) "Party in the USA" (Miley Cyrus), and "Empire State of Mind" (Jay-Z and Alicia Keys).  He had a sense of humor about it stating "Yes this is really happening" when he got to the Miley Cyrus song.  Throughout the entire set Matt was right on point with stage presence, song selection, vocals, the whole nine yards. 

Last to perform of the night was tribute band Echoes of Pink Floyd.  I am sure that die hard Pink Floyd fans will say that this band doesn't compare, but for the average fan as myself, I think they were pretty darn close!  Honestly, I would prefer to pay the cheaper ticket price and just see these guys over the originals any day!  They played all Pink Floyd songs so they covered all the favorites, "Another Brick in the Wall," "Money," "Comfortably Numb," etc.  To each of their songs they had a state of the art laser light show accompanying the music.  This was especially brilliant closer to 10pm and after when the sun had gone completely down. Echoes created a nice, relaxing atmosphere for families to sit back,  chill out, and enjoy the lasers and music. 

To end the already perfect night, we had the pleasure of experiencing the enormous fireworks display that were also set to music.  Every second of the fireworks performance felt like what would typically be the "grand finale" of any other fireworks display - only this lasted the entire show.   What I liked most about the music it was set to was the variety of genres of music it covered - both old and new as well as rock, pop, classic, etc.  There was something in the show for everyone.  But above all, it was the fireworks themselves that made the entire evening.  It is hard to describe in words how awesome fireworks can be, but at times it seemed the entire sky was filled with fireworks everywhere.  Being at Heritage Landing was definitely the place to be!  It felt like the fireworks were going to land right on us and I don't think it would have been as magical without the music along with it.  Loved every second of it!!

This was absolutely the best possible way to end Muskegon Summer Celebration 2010. I loved that the 4th of July was a cheaper, more family oriented night than the rest.  I was happy with Summer Cel deciding to spend less money on the acts for that night and more money on the fireworks to end it all with a bang!  They really hit it out of the park tonight!

As the festival comes to a close, I can't help but reflect back on the past 11 days and think about what a great ride it has been!  As I mention before, this was my first year getting involved with MSC and I am so proud that this was the year I chose to do it.  I think the concert lineup was great, couldn't have asked for better weather(!!!!!), some of the new things they tried were big hits (i.e. 50/50 raffle and the new and improved fireworks), and I am looking forward to making next year even better!  Thank you to all of our volunteers that make the festival run smoothly and thank you to those buying the tickets and coming out in support!  It has been an incredible 11 days!!

Local to Grand Rapids band, Brena, took the stage first.  They were winners of Battle of the Bands contest and it was understandable as to why.  They were full of energy while singing many original songs and entertained the growing crowd well.  They have a large following in West Michigan and many supporters came out to see them and made some new fans along the way.

Other than that what a disappointing night!  Maybe I am bummed because I had very high expectations for tonight's concert.  It was the concert I was most looking forward to.  I saw Candlebox in concert my senior of high school in '97 at the L.C. Walker Arena.  It was the first rock concert I had ever been to and I believe the first concert without my parents.  I remember feeling so cool and so adult that night and they just blew me away.   I was hoping that some of the magic would be recreated tonight.  Then, to have them lined up with Tonic, I thought it was going to be extra awesome.  The songs I know of Tonic are mostly ones that are played on the radio, but they happen to be really great songs.  So, in my mind, the expectations of tonight were pretty high and that I suppose would be my own fault and hence the disappointment.

Let me back up a bit though.  The entire night was not lost.  Default ended up to be the surprise of the night cranking out catchy rock tunes.  Any band that comes out to a recording of Homer Simpson chanting the band's name is going to be a winner.  Scientist: "Well, Homer, I guess you're the winner by default."  Homer: "Default? Woohoo! The two sweetest words in the English language: De-fault! De-fault!  De-fault! De-fault!"  The band then launched into "Sick and Tired," "Comes and Goes," "Made to Lie," "Little Too Late," and a few others before ending it with their most popular song "Wasting My Time" and then "Deny."  It was a quick set but the audience was feeling it and the entire band was really into it with the guitarists jumping all over the stage.  It was all very high energy and entertaining.  I really didn't know what to expect from Default, but they impressed me.

  

Next came Candlebox... they weren't bad by any means.  I had a good time, I enjoyed them, but just didn't get the same rush I felt when I saw them before live.  They had a very limited time on stage and I think if they had more time I would have heard more songs that I enjoy.  They sang "Simple Lessons," then a couple new songs, then their first ever single "Change."  After that song, lead singer, Kevin Martin, apologized for his "potty mouth."  He had been swearing quite a few times during the songs and in between as well which is a no-no at Summer Celebration.  The swearing doesn't bother me, but it was making me cringe because I know some others are sensitive to it.  He seemed to clean it up a bit after that.  Then after singing, "Blossom," he went down by the audience to shake the hands of those in the front area and talked about how the band is from Seattle and many other great bands are from Seattle and started to list them all.  This is the part that looking back it irritated me a bit because instead of talking about bands that we already know are from Seattle (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc) he could have been singing and performing the songs that we all love.  So after that he went into a medley of cover songs that were from groups that had inspired the band.  That is all well and good if you're performing an hour and half long show, but they only had 45 minutes.  I wanted to hear Candlebox songs!  So then Kevin announces that they have time for three more songs.  Finally, they perform "Cover Me" (one of my favorites), but then he suddenly says they only have time for one more song, which of course was their biggest hits and great song "Far Behind."  But what about "You," "Don't You," and other greats?  It was a good performance, but I would have liked more Candlebox.

 

The night just kept going downhill.  Tonic came out immediately singing their hit song "Open Up Your Eyes" followed by "Take Me As I Am" and then another hit "You Wanted More."  The whole middle section of the set was filled with lesser known songs such as "Sugar," "Daffodil," "Mountain," and "Release Me."  For Tonic, I have the opposite complaint as Candlebox... they didn't speak at all in between songs.  At most lead singer, Emerson Hart, would say "Thank you" and "This next song is called ____."  It wasn't until a very long guitar solo that he came down to the audience and spent a good deal of time shaking hands with the folks down there - half of which looked bored and didn't even care that much that he was in front of them.  Every time the camera would pan to the crowd, it would show mostly people just standing still with a few of them nodding their heads to the music.    The show ended with their single "If You Could Only See" and "Irish."  There wasn't an encore tonight, but that was okay because the majority of the audience had left at that point anyway and not many of the people left were chanting for one.  Also, I believe Tonic went over their time limit anyway.  There just wasn't anything special about the performance.  I felt like you could just put their CD in and crank it up and that would have the same effect.  They sounded good, they just didn't add any umph to their performance.  I don't fault MSC for booking these bands because I was extremely psyched to go see them and at the beginning of Candlebox I would say there was a good turnout (though I don't know actual numbers).  The bands, especially Tonic, just failed to deliver.  Well "you can't win them all" as they say, and considering the luck that Summer Cel has had this year with the great lineup, the absolutely perfect weather, and everything running smoothly, I suppose one concert that was mediocre isn't so bad.

  

For those who stuck it out through the entire concert, they were rewarded by an amazing performance in the lagoon by the West Michigan Burners.  These flame jugglers/tossers/whatever you want to call them were just amazing.  It was an added treat to be able to see them as part of the concert and those at the carnival also got the chance to see them for free.  They twirled long ropes with flames on them around and around and did many tricks with them including laying down on the floor of the barge while twirling.  Then they used hula hoops with fire all around them and did many tricks with the three people all staying in sync with one another.  At one point they seemed like they were human fireworks with huge sparklers coming off of them in every direction.  It was one of the most entertaining events of the night!

Well tomorrow is sure to be a fun filled day!  There's the last day of the Arts & Crafts fair downtown (11-4pm), the midway is still going on until 11pm, then Live Bait performs at 6pm, followed by Matt Giraud, and then Echoes of Pink Floyd which includes a laser light show.  All wrapping up with the new and improved fireworks (brought to you by Blue Chip Casino) which will be set to music at 10:20pm.  See you down there!

We arrived at the gate earlier to this concert than any previous ones - just after 5:30 p.m.  The front seating area was already filled and we had to sit back a fair distance to the left of the stage.  I figured the early attendance was a good sign and partly had to do with the opening band being a local Muskegon favorite, Yard Sale Underwear (YSU).  Their band plays pop songs mostly from the 80's and 90's and sets them to a rock feel without losing the integrity of the original song.  Dressed in their Sunday best, first up was Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative."  The audience quickly started dancing and singing along.  Next was "Hungry Like a Wolf" originally made famous by Duran Duran.  As each song played, I found myself excited to hear what the next song was going to be.  They went on to play "Baby Got Back," "Play That Funky Music,"  and a "Superfreak/Can't Touch This" Medley.  I have to say that my favorite though was Lady Gaga's "Pokerface."  Altogether it was just a fun, feel good performance.  The band finished it up by singing "Sweet Caroline" and "Purple Rain" in which singer, Josh Carnes', vocals just nailed it.  It was a great start to a fantastic concert night!

 

The venue was now filling up quite well and KC & The Sunshine Band hit the stage.  "(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty" was the opening song and everyone was doing just that.  Immediately everyone was on their feet ready to have a good time.  KC is now 59 years old and has a sense of humor about getting older.  He spoke to the younger generations in the audience and told them that he "was your mother's *Nsync" and "this is what Justin Timberlake will look like in 30 years."  Even though it was a bit like watching a cruise ship performance with the young dancers and the costume changes, it was still a great time and it was fun knowing every single song that they sang: "Get Down Tonight," "Keep It Comin' Love," "That's the Way I Like It," and "Get Down Tonight" just to name a few.  Long instrumental solos in each song were a good demonstration of the rest of the band's talent as well.  It was non stop entertainment the entire time the band was on stage.

  

Lastly, it was time for the B-52s to come on.  They sound and look like they haven't aged a bit over the years.  Still querky, still fun, and can still get everyone dancing.  The first song they sang was "Private Idaho" followed by "Mesopotamia."  Then they did a couple newer, lesser known songs like "Dancing Now" and "Ultraviolet." Then Cindy Wilson showed off her amazing vocals by singing "Give Me My Man Back" solo.  The band went on to sing more fun songs such as "Wig," "Roam," "Athens, Georgia," and "Cosmic Thing."  To end their set they played their most popular song "Love Shack."  It took me back to high school dances where this was always a staple of the night.  Then they came out for an encore to sing the much anticipated "Rock Lobster."  I do not know if I have ever been to a concert where so many people were smiling and having a good time the entire night long.  It was just a fun, light hearted night that anyone of any age could enjoy. 

  

Side story:  I had the pleasure of meeting a B-52 Super-Fan, Becky, after YSU performed.  She and her friends traveled from Frankenmuth and Detroit all the way to Muskegon just to see the B-52s.  She told me she fell in love with the band when she was 7 years old (she is now in her mid-twenties).  Becky caught the debut video of "Love Shack" on MTV and was then hooked.  She came to the concert fully equiped with a wig, boas, a stuffed lobster, a tamborine, and stickers that say "For A Good Time Call 6060-842" in referrence to the B52s song.  Becky intends on seeing them in concert five more times just this year!  She is friends with singer Cindy Wilson on Facebook and corresponds with her on there frequently.  At the end of the concert Cindy whispered into Fred Schneider's ear then he turned to the mic and said, "Thank you Becky!"  It was a memorable moment for Becky and her friends. 

 

My memory of Deadwood Stone, Brent James, and Chevelle all run together tonight.  I am sure there are distinct differences between these three bands, however the music was so loud and heavy that in my mind looking back I cannot differentiate between the three of them.  Maybe I should have prefaced this with the fact that really heavy metal isn't my favorite music genre.  I am aware that Chevelle has a fairly large following and I had heard a lot of people say that they went tonight more for Chevelle than Papa Roach, but to me there was just too much screaming in the performance.  I couldn't make out any words in order to note what song they were singing.  Also the sci-fi related recordings (in correlation to the band's latest album Sci-Fi Crimes)  that were played over the speakers between songs were distracting and annoying.  At times the band would even talk or play over them.  As I mentioned, it just was not my cup of tea, but I am sure their fans enjoyed the performance.

During the Chevelle set, I took a stroll over to the Tiki Stage to see Poor Boys Relief.  They had a decent crowd gathered to listen to them and they seemed to be really enjoying themselves.  It was a nice break from Chevelle for myself.

There seemed to be a long wait in between Chevelle's performance and Papa Roach coming on the stage.  Not sure why that happened and Papa Roach was 15 minutes late coming on stage, but as soon as they came on my whole mood changed.  Lead singer, Jacoby Shaddix, came on ready to rock!  He was immediately able to get everyone on their feet and recharged.  I could not believe how much energy he had throughout his entire performance.  I really felt like he was giving it 110%.  Also, I would like to point out that this band had the best use of lighting than any previous bands this year.  The changing colored lights that shined into the audience made the performance seem even more vibrant.  They performed songs such as "Lifeline," "Scars," "Forever," "Take Me," "Time is Running Out," and "Last Resort" throughout all of which, Shaddix had constant interaction with the crowd. This performance marked their last concert of their U.S. tour and I would say they went out with everything they had.  It was honestly one of the best rock concerts I have ever been to and would definitely see them again.  It amazes me how they were able to turn the whole vibe of the place, myself included, for the better by putting on an unbelievable show.  Not too many people left early and the majority of the people were standing the entire time.  Papa Roach rocked and I wasn't even that big of a fan of theirs before the concert.  I would now consider myself a fan.  It was great!

Tomorrow is Yard Sale Underwear, KC & The Sunshine Band, and B52's!! Another fun night lined up!

(for pictures from tonight's concert  or to comment on the blog go to www.facebook.com/muskegonsummercelebration )

Low-key is how I would describe this evening's concert.  Not sure if it's because it is a Wednesday night, or if it is because it's Day 7 of the concerts, or if the audience just didn't know the music that well, but there was definitely a low energy vibe going on at Heritage Landing tonight.

My friend, Beth, and I arrived around 6:30 p.m. just in time to catch Caleb Maitland perform.  He was the Battle of the Bands winner from Tennessee.  The part of his set that we were there for included all original music and sounded great.  It was obvious why he had won Battle of the Bands.

 

Next up was local favorite band Four Finger Five (4F5).  The trio has a huge following in West Michigan which has been starting to receive some national attention.  They sang mostly original music with a few covers such as Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight".  The crowd was increasingly growing in size at this point as was the number of people gathered up front in the fan standing area.  4F5 is a band of great talent and big sound coming from just three people.  It was great to see a local band have so many people on their feet and excited to see them.

 

In the middle of the evening, we ventured over to the Tiki Stage to see Dave Boutette perform.   I was stunned at how empty the Tiki area was.  I felt bad for Dave because there were only a handful of people listening to him on stage.  At one point he called out for the boaters to wave if they could hear him, but no one responded.  He was finishing up a medley that included "Stuck in the Middle With You" when we visited the area.  He sounded great, there was just nobody at that end of the venue for some reason.  The area around the food vendors on the pier were also empty.

 

At promptly 8:30 p.m. O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) came on the stage.  This is when the night turned to what I would call "low-key."  I would be curious to see what the attendance was at the start of O.A.R and what it was near 9:30 p.m. because it seemed in just an hour the attendance dropped by half.  These past seven days I have not seen an audience like this one where the front portion (the standing fan section) was so alive, having a great time, and probably thought this was the best concert ever, meanwhile everyone behind them was either sitting down looking bored or walking around looking bored.  I am a fan of the O.A.R. music that I have heard, though I did not know every song that they played tonight and I was really looking forward to this concert.  I was disappointed that the audience wasn't more into it (aside from the front section - they were rocking out!).  O.A.R sang favorites like, "The Wanderer," "Hey Girl," "Shattered," and "This Town" while also testing out a new song "Over and Over" in which they said they have only played once before live.  They ended it with one of their first songs ever recorded, "That Was a Crazy Game of Poker" and the audience finally seemed to come alive at that point.  People who had been previously sitting rose to their feet and sang along.  Despite telling the audience that they didn't have time to do "that whole go off stage thing and come back to play some more" they did end up playing an encore anyway.  Before singing their encore song "Night Shift," lead singer Marc Roberge thanked Muskegon Summer Celebration for having their act together and really being nice to them and treating them well.  You could tell that Marc was being truly genuine when he had stated that and I thought it was a nice touch.  While O.A.R. played well and sounded great, maybe it was their lack of involvement with the audience that left people feeling disengaged.   Still, I thought it was a good concert overall.

 

Tonight my husband and I and two of our friends had the pleasure of sitting in the Premier Seating area for the concert.  This seating area is arranged to the right of the stage and behind the large scaffolding with speakers.  This truly gave a backstage feel to the concert.  It also comes complete with its own port-a-potties, bar, and entrance/exit to the carnival area.  Very convenient and it beats waiting in the lines everywhere else!

We got there in time to hear Whoopee Kat play, but I didn't have the chance to take any pictures of them because we were just walking in.  They were a local rock cover band that kept the songs true to the originals.  Singing classic rock songs such as "Joanna" and "Brick House" they were able to get the audience pumped and ready for a night of nostalgic rock.

Then Foreigner came on stage and anyone could tell by the first strums on the electric guitar that it was going to be a fun night.  Heritage Landing was jammed packed and everyone came prepared to rock.  They started out by playing "Double Vision," "Cold As Ice," and "Dirty White Boy," before heading into some new songs.  Yes, apparently Foreigner has a new album coming out and we got to hear a sample of it.  The new songs still had that classic feel to them with the true Foreigner sound coming through.  Then it was back to what the crowd really wanted to hear with "Feels Like The First Time," "Urgent," and "I Wanna Know What Love Is."  The guitar playing was phenomenal and the amount of energy these guys had was unreal.  Their set was topped off with an encore in which they played an extended version of "Jukebox Hero."  I would go back to see Foreigner again by themselves because they were just that good. 
 

During the short break between Foreigner and Styx we stopped over to the Tiki Stage to see Jill Jack.  I wish we had more time to sit and listen to them because I thoroughly enjoyed what I did get to hear.  Jill's voice is a lower sometimes raspy edgy voice set to folk/singer-songwriter type style.  It was perfect set to the scene with the setting sun in the background.

 

Then it was a mad dash back to catch Styx coming on stage.  Just as Foreigner did, they came on stage ready to prove to everyone that they can still rock.  Turns out I am not as familiar with their music as I was Foreigner, and I was disappointed they did not sing Mr. Roboto.  That seems like that would be a classic that would have to be sung at every performance.  However, they did perform, "Too Much Time On My Hands," "Lady," "Suite Madame Blue," "Fooling Yourself," and "Sail Away."  The band is now comprised of band members from former bands such as Damn Yankees and Bad Company.  A highlight of the evening for me was when they sung the Damn Yankees hit "Higher."  I have to admit that I still miss Dennis DeYoung's vocals, stage presence, and charisma, but Lawrence Gowan did an amazing job on the keyboard as well as vocals... just lacking the same charisma for me.  They finished it up with doing an encore with "Blue Collar Man" and "Renegade." 

 

Unlike what the Chronicle reviewer said, I would have to say I enjoyed Foreigner more than Styx, but it's all up to personal preference.  It was a fun night full of nostalgia, but it did seem to fizzle a bit near the end.  The Chronicle reported an attendance of 16,000 people which has beat out any other concert yet this year!

Now that I have been through 6 days of concerts this year, I thought I would pass along some of my favorites and tips I have discovered along the way.  The best food in the place is BD's Mongolian BBQ.  It is located inside the carnival right near where you exit the concert venue.  The Mongolian Ginger Chicken is wonderful and well worth the $8 for the portion size you receive and for not eating fried food.  Ask for extra sauce on it to give it full flavor.  Next, for my fellow pregnant ladies out there and underage/non-drinkers, if you're buying pop or water, it is cheaper to buy it at the pop stands than the food vendors.  My favorite little stand is located to the left the stage under a tan tent next to the Miller Beer tent.  This is run by the Jr. Vikings and these boys really hustle to get you your drink and depending on where you're sitting, much more convenient than going all the way to the back.  Lastly, even though I have yet to win, playing the 50/50 raffle each night has been a lot of fun.  Watching the jackpot climb as the night goes on and thinking about what you would do if you won the money is exciting!  I think this was a genius idea for Summer Cel to do this year to not only bring in extra cash but also have someone walk away with a nice chunk of change.  They have made it easy by having volunteers walk around ready to hand you your numbers... you don't even have to leave your seat to play!  (Tonight's winning number was 130706).

 

It was a fairly cold and windy day down at the beach even though the sun was shining brightly!  Turtles seemed to be the popular theme, although there were also alligators, elephants, butterflies and an octopus.  Many of the people there looked to be experienced sculptors with their special tools and water spritzing devices.  The majority seemed to be from the Muskegon area, though I didn't have a chance to ask all of them.  It was a great event for families, friends, and couples.  Posted below are my favorites from the contest, however you can check out all of them on the facebook fan page www.facebook.com/muskegonsummercelebration The winners will also be posted on there later today after the concert.

 

 

 

 

  

To enjoy Here Come The Mummies one would definitely need a sense of humor and to not offend easily.  For tonight's concert, I had four other friends come along with me, and we had a fun time.  The Mummies cracked us up but at certain moments even we had to look away a little bit.  Dressed completely in mummy gear they sang songs that had sexual themes to them such as "Pants," "Booty," "VIP", and "Single Entrendre."  It wasn't just the lyrics that were more than raunchy but also gestures and the way the band was dancing on stage.  Like I mentioned, I enjoyed it and had fun, but I was also thinking, "uhoh, Summer Cel is going to get some angry letters about this one."  Some of it was over the top - such as the mummy that had a cowbell strapped to his waist and was doing pelvic thrusts in order for the stick to hit the bell.  The icing was when a superhero looking mummy came out wearing a helmet, cape, and red underpants singing "Libido Knievel" and instructed the audience to grab the butt of the person standing next to them.  The audience in general seemed to be accepting of the performance and have a good laugh about it all.  Afterwards a few mummies came out and were taking pictures with the concert goers.

Ludacris was actually what I would consider to be less controversial than the mummies were.  Many of his songs even were censored by skipping past the swear words that some of his songs contain.  He performed his songs that made him popular such as "Different Area Codes," "Fantasy," "Roll Out," and "Stand Up."  He also performed the songs which other artists made famous but he had a rapping role in the song such as "Glamorous" by Fergie and "Yeah" by Usher.  He saw that people were getting a little bit rowdy up in front and said that maybe they had been drinking a little too much and then admitted that he is a recovering alcoholic.  He gave a polite message about not drinking and driving and make sure you have a ride home.  The crowd seemed to stay under control for the most part - I know from the comments on Facebook this was a concern for some people.  There were a few instances where the security needed to get involved, but everything seemed to be handled properly and orderly.  I felt safe the entire time, the only thing I felt was OLD.  My friends and I are all 28-31 and we felt we were some of the oldest people in the bunch.  Ludacris at one point had the 30 year olds give a shout, then the 20-somethings, and then the under 20's.  Those under 20 definitely seemed to have been able to make the most noise and were the majority there. 

The chronicle just reported that 11,000 people were in attendance.  I am proud that Summer Cel not only had a rap artist this year, but they had such an A-list rapper at that.  The attendance being so high just proves that this is what Muskegon has been waiting for.   Ludacris had great audience involvement and genuinely acted like he wanted to be there and was having a good time doing it.  With just himself, a DJ, and a partner Lil' Fate on stage, it didn't take any special effects or elaborate stage props to make it an entertaining show.

Now that is what I call a Summer Celebration!!!  If anybody had any complaints about tonight's concert then I am pretty sure nothing in the world would please him/her.  It was amazing!!

If you were one of the thousands of people who had to hike it all the way down to the end of the line before entering the concert, I was right there with you.  We (my country fan friend Wendy and myself) parked down by the "Y" and trekked it all the way down to the lot kiddie corner from the LC Walker Arena where it also snaked around a few times as well.  We got our exercise though to work off the elephant ear I would consume later!  I was afraid we would miss Randy Houser, the opening act, but he came on stage just as we were putting our lawn chair down in our spot in the venue.  Great timing - sorry for anyone who may have come after that.

Randy Houser does not look like your typical country singer, but he sure sounded like one!  He was a good warm up act.  He sang quite a few songs in his 45 minute set including "Anything Goes," "Boots On," a new song "Man Like Me," and his hit "Whistlin' Dixie."

It was great to see Bucky Covington as a full blown recording artist and not just an awkward guy that he was on American Idol.  He really acted like he owned the stage, was comfortable and confident up there.  His set included "Father's Love," "Hold a Woman," "Good to Be Us," and many others.   He also took the time to mention more than once that he has a new album coming out in September.  His enthusiasm really got the crowd pumped up and it was just all around fun to watch.

Then at 9:15 p.m. the big screens came on and a 5 minute video of Toby Keith played.  It showed highlights from his career and him talking to the camera while he drove his truck.  The overall message of the video was that 10 years ago he thought his career was over and everyone said he was done.  He said that he just had to believe in himself and make a comeback.  That is when it flashed to all of the awards he had won in the last 10 years in a montage of the presenters opening the envelopes and reading off his name at each ceremony.  He ended the video message by saying, "Don't let anyone count you out."  Then the music started and Toby came on to stage in an oversized back of the truck.  He sung in the entire first song sitting on the bed of the truck that pulled onto the center of the stage.  The crowd was going nuts and singing the words to each of his songs.  He sang many of his hits including "American Ride," "I Wanna Talk About Me," and "Who's Your Daddy."   Then he did something I had never seen done at a concert before - he sang a duet with none other than Willie Nelson that was recorded on a video and played on the screen.   It was very unique and felt like Willie was right there with us while they sang, "Whiskey for my Men, Beer for my Horses".  He finished up his set with "How Do You Like Me Now," and "Should Have Been a Cowboy" along with the cover of Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold."  Heritage Landing was packed.  I heard that it was not completely sold out, but you would have thought that it was.  It was an awesome social event where I saw many people running into other people that they knew but hadn't seen in years.  It was just one of those nights that you didn't want it to end.

Toby then had a very special surprise for us.  He said usually this is when he would go off stage and come back and then sing a few more songs and be done.  But tonight he had something special.  His buddy was touring nearby and asked him to stop over to sing a few songs with him.  His buddy just happened to be David Allan Coe - legendary country singer/songwriter!!  It was unbelievable that we received an entirely additional concert as a bonus.  Coe sang with Toby for at least 5 songs and had a great time on stage.  He made Toby do his impression of John Connelly singing "Rose Colored Glasses."  It was such a treat and an unforgettable experience. 

THEN Toby still came out for an encore after all of that and sang "American Soldier" and "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue."  John Rich could take a lesson from Toby Keith, in my opinion.  Toby was an all 'round class act.  This is what a big ticket concert at Summer Celebration should be like.  People will be talking about this concert for years to come!

(Sorry for the lack of pictures - I was too far back to get anything worth publishing on here.  I will upload them to the Facebook page along with the professional photos we get in)

What a busy day!!  Summer Celebration really knows how to make the most of a Saturday!  We started the day out at the Art Van Grand Parade.  This was my daughter's first local parade she had been to (only other parade she watched was at Disney World).  It is always fun experiencing something through a child's eyes.  The parade was your typical parade with various bands, floats, and politicians, but still fun and exciting none the less.  There were a lot of candy and trinkets given away as well. For pictures of the parade please check on our Facebook page.  www.facebook.com/muskegonsummercelebration.

From the parade we ventured over to the Midway for a bit and then on to the Air Show.  This is the first time the Air Show has been at Heritage Landing and I think it was an excellent move.  My family and I sat at the top of the hill by a few of the food vendors and had a great view.  To me, this was so much more enjoyable than when it was out at the airport.  The sun was out and very hot at certain times, but there was a pretty consistent breeze coming off the lake which made it very enjoyable.  I also liked the fact that it wasn't far to go to get food or beverages.  When thinking about what was my favorite part of the show I have a hard time deciding between the Team MS760 Aerobatics planes the wing walker Ashley Battles, or of course the impressive F16.   The Aerobatics planes were twin planes that flew in sync with one another and did tricks around each other.  It was a nail biter because at times it really did seem like the two were going to collide.  The wing walker, Ashley Battles, was interesting because she stayed on the plane's wings without being strapped in or having a parachute while the plane does tricks.  She currently holds the world record for being able to stand on the wing of a plane for four hours!  Lastly, the F16 is always impressive with its speed and the big booming sound coming behind it.  A great moment was when it went straight up in the air three miles high so it was completely out of sight for what felt like  a couple minutes before it finally descending straight downward.

The only part of the air show that I would improve on would be the coast guard helicopter segment.  It demonstrated a water rescue but from where we were sitting it was about a 20 minutes of not being able to see anything going on because the helicopter was flying too low.  That being said, it was an absolutely amazing show that was well worth being actually AT Heritage Landing for and so happy that we have an Air Show again in Muskegon!  It was a great family event.

Now onto the concerts.... The opening bands were Paper Tongues, Civil Twilight, and Neon Trees.  All good yet completely different bands.  Paper Tongues had an amazing amount of energy and were definitely interesting to watch.  Their sound was a mix between Rock and R&B.  Of the three bands, they seemed the newest and most inexperienced, but still a very talented band.   Civil Twilight would be the band out of the three that I would most likely buy their album.  Their sound was much more subdued than Paper Tongues.  The style reminded me of One Republic or The Fray.  Their songs are not necessarily the best for an outdoor atmosphere, however.  I would say that Neon Trees had the most audience involvement and theatrical performance.  The lead singer, Tyler Glen, really worked the crowd and seemed very connected.  Their song "Animal" has been climbing the charts and I do think they are going to be big in the near future.  They seem to really attract the younger (high school) audience and will grow popularity.

To end the evening was headliner act Newsboys.  Up until this point the attendance seemed rather small.  I am not sure where everyone came from, but as soon as Newsboys hit the stage the venue felt packed.  Everyone rushed to the front fan standing area and was singing along to the music.  The band came out singing the beginning of the Black Eyed Peas song "I've Got a Feelin'" followed by their own "Wherever We Go."  They also went on to sing two new songs, followed by classic older Newsboys hits followed by a few DC Talk songs.  The lead singer, Michael Tait, just joined the band last year and he had previously been with the band DC Talk.  Although the band has been through a number of changes recently with their members, they were still able to rock and had a fresh new sound to them.  One of the cool things about the concert was the stage was extended into the audience on almost a catwalk looking runway that the band optimized to the fullest.  This was a fantastic way for more fans to be able to see them, take their picture, and feel connected to them.  Families of all ages attended and many seemed to be spiritually enlightened by hearing the music.  Newsboys put on an energy pumped performance all night long. 

Well that just about wraps up Summer Celebration day 3.  If you're intended on going to the Air Show tomorrow please be sure to wear sunscreen!  I had spf30 on and still got burned!  For pictures from all activities and performances tonight please check our Facebook fan page.

Tomorrow is Bucky Covington, Randy Houser, and TOBY KEITH!!  Tickets are still available!

I have to say if I was writing this blog ten minutes before the end, I would have had a different feeling about it.  The last ten minutes changed the entire mood for me.  So as I reflect, I will try to have the same attitude as I had during the moments and not let the ending cloud it.

For this concert I brought my country fan friend, Wendy along.  She is more familiar with the music than I am, so I thought she would have a good time and also help me out as well.  We arrived just after 6 p.m. and Brian Lorente & The Usual Suspects had just come on the stage.  They were the Battle of the Bands winner in the country category.  The band was a lot of fun, talented, and I can see why they won B.O.T.B.  They played a lot of their own music but also covers of a few more familiar country songs.  At this point there wasn't too much of a crowd there yet, but the people who were there were enjoying themselves and having a good time.  
                                                           

Before Emerson Drive came on the stage, Wendy and I checked out what was going on in the Tiki stage area.  On the way we stopped at the Michigan Lottery trailer and bought some lottery tickets so we could spin the wheel for other prizes.  It was a little fun thing to do and I won a keychain flashlight and a keychain sharpie marker while Wendy won a Michigan Lottery hat and sharpie keychain too.  Later we scratched off our lottery tickets and Wendy won $30!  Just a fun activity you might want to check out if you head down that way.  We also stopped for a moment to watch Uncle Betty on the Tiki Stage.  Seemed like the couple of times we were down there it was just during the instrumental solos, so I can't report on how good of singers they are, but they can play a mean banjo!  
                                                                                        

Then it was on to Emerson Drive.  I hadn't heard too much of their music before tonight aside from a song or two, but I am a fan after tonight.  Most of their songs were the perfect mix of country, rock & roll, and a little bit of pop.  They sang some new songs such as "Roses are Red." and some favorites "See You Again" and "Moments," as well as covers like, "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2.  The lead singer, Brad Mates, added personal touches by telling the audience that his wife just had their first baby 8 weeks ago and talking about how the band had been together the last 16 years - ever since high school.  He explained that they had been off the radio for a while due to "record label stuff" and he hopes that they have that all worked out now.  They played just under an hour and a half and it was entertaining the whole way through.  Emerson Drive had been to Summer Celebration a couple years ago and I would definitely see them another time and hope we have them back.
 


Around 9 p.m. John Rich came on to perform.  He gave a very patriotic performance and spoke of how he had just learned today on the way to Muskegon that the Governor of Michigan has instructed to put the flags at half mast any time there has been a fallen soldier from Michigan.  He acknowledged that Heritage Landing's flag was at half mast and he paid his respects.   He then recognized the veterans in the crowd by having them stand up or hold their hands in the air.  I was amazed at how many I could see just from my seat.  He said at one point "It has been my experience that the toughest Americans that ever walked are from this state."  He sang his hit "Shuttin' Detroit Down" as an ode to Michigan as well as "8th of November."

My favorite part of the evening is when John Rich was about to sing "Lost In This Moment With You" and he asked if there were any couples out there in love.  He said he was looking for a couple that was just so sloppy drunk in love they could hardly stand it.  He pointed to a young couple in the crowd and asked them to come on stage.  It was a very lighthearted moment and then John asked if they had ever heard his song "Lost In This Moment With You" and the man replied that the first time he had ever heard it was when he was beating cancer for the first time.  He went on to explain that he has beaten cancer 5 times and has had over 120 surgeries and they have been married 4 years.  This suddenly became a very special moment.  Rich said, "you just never know who you're standing next to in a crowd, do you?"  Rich went on to sing that song while the couple slow danced.  He also instructed them to "make out like crazy" when he turned it over to the crowd to sing and the couple did not disappoint - they gave quite the show!  It was all very fun and beautiful though.

Rich went on to sing a few new songs that were very high energy after that: "Country Done Come to Town" and "You Rock Me."  He finished up his set with "When You Get On The Whiskey" and "Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy."  The crowd was going nuts at that point.  That was by far Big & Rich's most popular song and everyone in the audience knew the words and were singing along. 

This is where my one and only complaint of the evening came in.  After "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" was through, John Rich left the stage and everyone was left wondering, "that can't really be it, can it?"  The ground lights came on, the P.A. music started playing, and it was clear that John Rich was not coming back out.  Still hopeful, there were a number of us that stuck around just waiting.  The remaining crowd cheered for him to come back on.  After this went on for about 5 minutes, the cheers turned into Boo's.  More people began packing up.  Finally, after more than 10 minutes, John Rich came back out dressed in a t-shirt and baseball hat.  It was obvious that his original intent was not to come back out.  He sang the Johnny Cash song "Walk the Line" as his band mates scrambled to get back on the stage to play along with him.  After the song had finished, Rich thanked the audience for such a warm reception that he said he was not expecting, and then he left the stage for good.  The concert just felt a little incomplete.  I do not think I have ever been to a concert that did not have an encore.  Then for the encore to only be one cover song was a little disappointing as well.  The people wanted more and were expecting more.  John Rich's entire concert (minus the extra 10 minutes of everyone standing around waiting for the encore) was only an hour long.  However, I will say he did put on a great show... we just wanted more!

Tomorrow is a jam packed day with the parade at 10am, the Air Show at 12:30pm, and then Paper Tongues come on at 6pm followed by Civil Twilight, Neon Trees, and Newsboys!

First concert of the season!!  Arrived to Heritage Landing this evening just before 6:30pm.  For this concert, I brought along my friend, Jake, who is a pretty big ZZ Top fan.  We walked in and were able to get a place to set up our chairs relatively close to the stage.  While facing the stage we were off to the left of it near one of the big screen TV's.  This had a fairly good view of the stage and what we couldn't see on the stage the TV screens came in handy for. 

Just as we sat down the opening band Mid Life Crisis was introduced.  They are an eight member cover band with incredible talent.  The songs ranged from "Take It Easy" by the Eagles to "China Grove" by Doobie Brothers to "Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)" by Elton John.  The band had great energy and got the crowd pumped and ready for ZZ Top. 

While waiting for ZZ Top to come on Jake & I decided to grab some food and check out the Tiki Stage. I insisted on stopping to get an order of Butterfly Fries.  This has become a staple in the Summer Celebration festival for at least the last 4-5 years.  They did not disappoint!  At the Tiki Stage was King Crabapple playing and they had quite a large crowd gathered to see them and take part in the Tiki Bar area drinking.  The always popular Hurricanes were seen in quite a few hands of the patrons of that area.  King Crabapple was casual in nature but proved to provide a fun atmosphere for that end of the venue.   

 Finally, it was time for the main act: ZZ Top!  The word I would use to describe them would be "smooth."  They have that same swagger they had when they first came on the scene 40 years ago. Being there reminded of seeing other icons such as Cher or U2 in concert.  These are legendary performers that you feel blessed to even be in their presence and have a chance to see them live.  Now, all three members at age 61, are still rocking as if they were 21 years old.  Still sporting the same beards, black suit coats, and sunglasses, they came out singing "Got Me Under Pressure."  The crowd came alive and roared as the band went through their first set of songs.  They went on to sing such favorites as "Cheap Sunglasses," "Party on the Patio," "Gimme All Your Lovin',"  Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs."  They performed for two hours straight with continuous back to back music.  Once in awhile lead singer, Billy Gibbons, would crack a joke or two, saying such things as, "yup, here were are after four decades... same three guys, same three chords."  One of the best parts about watching them is they truly look like they are enjoying themselves and having fun.  They have amazing stage presence and performance ability.  The band came back at the for an encore in which they sang "Viva Las Vegas," "LaGrange," and "Tush."  ZZ Top was so entertaining to watch that it felt as if they had only been on stage a short while.  It was a fantastic way to end the evening and to kick off the festival! 

 
 

Tomorrow is our first country night of the season with Emerson Drive and John Rich!

Well I am ashamed to admit that this was the first time I had ever attended the Plumb's Community Picnic.   I do not have previous years to compare it to, but I have to say that it completely exceeded my expectations.  When told that food was only going to cost 35 cents and that all games and activities were free, I envisioned mass chaos.  One person even commented on Facebook last week, "Won't be there........a chaotic mess! LOL"  I figured this person must know from experience and I was a little concerned about what I was getting myself into.

We arrived just after 6pm... parking was a bit of an issue, but that was to be expected.  Once the car was parked, my mom, my 2-year old daughter in a stroller, and I hiked it over to the main entrance.  Once there, we were greeted by volunteers wearing big smiles.  I was impressed because it was particularly hot and humid, but the gate volunteers seemed unaffected.  When we got through the entrance, the three of us just stopped for a second and stared.  There was just so much to do and so much going on that it warranted a minute to take it all in. The first thing that we came to on the path was Elmo.   My daughter was delighted to see him!  (Pictured here with some other person's gorgeous baby)
  

From there we went to grab some food under the Plumb's food and beverage tent.  I was surprised to see that we could walk right up and not have to wait long in line.  The workers really helped move things along and keep everything orderly.  I was also amazed at how many choices of food there were along with many healthy options.  Aside from hot dogs, chips, and pop as promised, there was yogurt, string cheese, gelatin cups, apples, potato salad, and macaroni salad.  My meal for my daughter and me came to just under $3.00.  Amazing!!  Can't beat that!

After we picked up and paid for our food we had a seat on the grass and ate while we enjoyed people watching.  My mom pointed out that there were a number of older folks there that did not appear to have families with them.  This was truly a community event.  All ages, races, backgrounds were well represented. 

From there, we moved on to the inflatable bounce houses that were set up.  There was only one that my daughter was big enough to go in, but we enjoyed watching the kids on the other ones as well.  Even though we had to wait in line for a bit for her to go in it, again everything was handled in an orderly fashion and I did not see anyone get upset by the way it was being regulated.       
                                                                                                                            

Then it was on to the Got Milk? promotional area where we had our Milk Mustache pictures taken.  This was so much fun to have a picture taken on the spot for free and to take with us as a souvenir.  The line for this took awhile to get through, but it was because it was such a popular booth... at least we got to enjoy our free chocolate milk while waiting.

My only regret was that we went over to the games section of the picnic last and they were all out of the cool Fruit Loops reusable bags that we saw so many people carrying around.  So my advice would be for people going next year that they eat then hit up games then worry about the bounce house activities.  

Lastly, we got in the long line for the Country Fresh ice cream.  I knew that ice cream was something that was going to be served there, but I had assumed it would be those tiny sundae cups that you eat with the wooden fake spoon.  Again I was surprised to find that these were full sized ice cream desserts and there was a choice of about 6 or 7 different ones to choose from and still only 35 cents!  While in line we were serenaded by the Shoreline Barbershop Chorus.  These men were fantastic!  Very animated and entertaining to listen to and watch while we waited in line. 

Overall, it was a fun, family experience and I wish I had taken advantage of this event in the years past.  I know the picnic being moved to Wednesday night instead of the usual Sunday was not a popular decision for everybody, but was necessary because of the Air Show.  I did hear quite a few people say that it was actually more convenient having it on a Wednesday night.  For myself, I loved having it in the middle of the week just before the festival begins.  It was kind of like the appetizer for the main course.  A number of people in the crowd were excited that the Midway was just getting up and running and one could just smell the anticipation in the air for the main events that are about to come starting tomorrow.  So on that note... I will see you tomorrow at the Mid Life Crisis/ZZ Top concert!

                    
Note: The ability to post a comment has been removed due to the amount of spam we were receiving.  If you wish to comment, please do so on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MuskegonSummerCelebration . Thank you!

Muskegon Summer Celebration continues to evolve year after year in response to the ever changing demands and suggestions made by its patrons.  A new thing we are trying this season is the addition of the Blog.  This is going to be a work in progress, but my hope is that you will find the Blog entertaining and informative.

Just a little background on myself to give perspective of where the Blog is coming from:  My name is Amanda Shunta and I was born and raised in the Muskegon area.  I love this town and believe in getting involved in different volunteer opportunities to make it an even better place.  This is my first year of involvement with Summer Celebration, but I have spent the year on the Publicity Committee and working on the Facebook Fan site to build the fan base and update everyone on the latest news and happenings.  It has been a great experience! 

Throughout the festival I will be attending the different events and reporting on them, giving my opinions, and reactions from other festival goers.  I do not have a press pass, I do not have special privileges… I will be entering and enjoying the concerts just as any other Average Joe would be.  Looking forward to giving you the scoop as if you were there with me.   First stop! Plumb’s Community Picnic tomorrow (Wednesday) from 4pm-9pm at Heritage Landing!  Hope to see you there!