Chasing Away Worries: Chris Stapleton on Friday for the first of two nights at Van Andel Arena. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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When Southern soul and country artist Chris Stapleton launched his two-night run at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena on Thursday with his latest single, “Bad As I Used to Be,” it must have seemed like a tongue-in-cheek message to concertgoers.
“I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me,” he sang. “Yes, I’m just as bad as I used to be.”
Of course, avid fans knew they hadn’t seen the last of this acclaimed singer, songwriter and guitarist (with many likely seeing him twice this week alone), and if he was bad as he used to be, then his “bad” is actually very, very good indeed.
That’s because Stapleton represents a new breed of country artist, one whose eclectic take on the genre ranges from the pure soul (not a lick of country here) of “Think I’m in Love With You” and “Cold” to the Southern-rock fueled “Parachute” and “Arkansas” (which featured opener Mike Campbell on rollicking rock guitar) to just plain rock ‘n’ roll, old-school country and alt-country-hued bliss.
Cowboy Hats & Boots: The order of the day for many. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Translation: There’s absolutely none of the replicant, country-pop pap that’s taken a foothold (OK, stranglehold) on the scene.
Stapleton — backed by a six-piece band and backing singer — does it all in refreshingly modest fashion without posturing or artifice, blessed with a resonant, dynamic voice that induces chills on songs such as “Cold” and “Sometimes I Cry.” Indeed, Michigan rock hero Bob Seger reportedly was in the house Thursday — appropriate, considering that Stapleton and Seger share raspy, soulful vocals that infuse their music.
Of course, while on the subject of vocals, the capacity crowd of fans sang along to the multi-award-winning artist’s most-beloved hits (“Nobody to Blame,” “White Horse,” “Parachute”) and spent much of the night on their feet.
“There are no worries tonight,” Stapleton told the packed audience ahead of the band’s take on “Worry B Gone,” and fans gleefully pushed any of those aside for this tour stop on the “All-American Road Show” — a stop which kicked off with a robust set from Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs.
Campbell, the longtime lead guitarist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, electrified many in the audience with an energetic smattering of his own tunes (“Wicked Mind,” “F— That Guy”) as well as covers of Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “You Got Lucky” and “Listen to Her Heart,” while insisting, “We’re not a Heartbreakers tribute band.”
“You’re now all members of the ‘Knob Mob,’ ” Campbell declared to cheers and a standing ovation as he left the stage.
Luckily, he returned during Stapleton’s set to unleash one of the highlights of the evening: a blistering cover of Petty’s “I Should Have Known It.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Chris Stapleton, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs
Photos by Derek Ketchum
TajMo: Back at Meijer Gardens on Thursday, heading to Interlochen today. (Photo/Katy Batdorff)
Blues icons Taj Mahal, 83, and Keb’ Mo,’ 73, made sure to let a rapt audience Thursday evening at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park amphitheater know that there’s “Room on the Porch” for everyone.
Touring under the “Room on the Porch” banner — also the name of their latest collaborative studio album and its lead track — the longtime friends extended a similarly gracious energy to the audience, repeatedly underscoring the sentiment that “everyone’s welcome,” “speak up” and “be yourself.”
Buoyed by unfailingly ideal weather and a mostly seated but tuned-in (and seemingly upbeat) crowd, TajMo — the portmanteau under which the two legends record and tour — cruised through a tidy 90-ish minute set of new material (“She Keeps Me Movin,’” “Better Than Ever”) as well as cuts from their 2017 studio album, “TajMo,” (“Don’t Leave Me Here”) plus a smattering of covers, including a few Mahal classics (“Queen Bee” getting a particular rise out of the fans).
The pair — who last hit the Meijer Gardens stage together in 2018 — were backed by a searing six-piece band, with the exception of a mid-show acoustic duo set that highlighted the performers’ respective unique-but-compatible approaches to a storied American artform.
Texas singer-songwriter Abraham Alexander opened up the evening, adding to an impressive list of headliners the rising musician has supported, among them Leon Bridges, Black Pumas, Mavis Staples and Gary Clark Jr. (who happens to perform June 22 at Meijer Gardens).
Missed the show? TajMo performs again tonight (Friday, June 13) at Kresge Auditorium at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Tickets, starting at $35, are available online here.
UP NEXT AT MEIJER GARDENS: Rick Springfield with John Waite, Wang Chung and Paul Young on Sunday, June 15. Tickets, $91-$93, available online here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal, Abraham Alexander at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Steve Baran and Katy Batdorff
