Grand Rapids Michigan is no stranger to entertainment. They have a venue called the Van Andel Arena that I have been to several times for concerts over the years. In fact, I still remember my first concert there. It was Green Day and Blink 182 way back in the 2000's and it was absolutely amazing. In addition to the Van Andel, they also have a great big conference center where special events are held pretty much every month of the year.
Now, for better or worse, there is a new venue in Grand Rapids if you want to catch a show. Right along the Grand River is the brand new Acrisure Amphitheater. When I saw the opening act for the venue was going to be Lionel Richie, I knew I had to get tickets. We had the chance to see him several years ago when he had his residency in Vegas. It was always a regret that we didn't buy the tickets, so finally getting the chance to see him was a no brainer.
We rolled into Grand Rapids around 4:30 PM, so we checked into our hotel and then went for a walk to get something for dinner. We ended up at a place called Gimmie's Par and Grill. It's a golf themed joint where they have a large bar area with every TV showing golf footage as well as a simulator on the upper level.
Neither myself or 
We started off with some soft pretzel bites that came with a really good pimento dip, but sadly that is where things kind of fell apart.
We quickly ate what we were comfortable eating and then we paid the bill and left.
It's too bad that Gimmie's was kind of a bust because there are so many good places to eat in Grand Rapids. I really felt like I missed the mark on that one. As we were heading back to our hotel, we decided to stop into The B.O.B. The BOB has been around for a long time in Grand Rapids and though it shut down for a short time, it's back open now. It's a three or four story bar with different sections on each level. The most important thing is that they had Coca Cola products, so we sat at the bar and had a few (more) drinks before we headed back to our hotel.
The Acrisure Amphitheater hasn't been without its controversy, between noise ordinances, parking issues, and other random things, there are some people who aren't too happy to see this project come to fruition. As an outsider though, I think it is an absolutely beautiful facility with only a few minor issues as far as I could see. The biggest issue is the fact that they didn't have dedicated lanes through the lawn section for people to get from the top of the hill to the bottom.
This led to people fighting their way through the crowd and just kind of jamming through any way they could. For example, see that girl in the first photo above in the red shirt (her back is to the camera)? So
Anyway, she eventually went around then goes back and complains to red shirt who promptly stands up and starts waving her arms at us and screaming. Which cause
All the people around us thought it was pretty comical red shirt reacted the way she did, and by the end of the night you could tell most everyone was getting tired of people trying to squeeze through them every five seconds. Perhaps my wife and I just aren't nice people, but it's shocking how people are so entitled these days that other people's personal space is an afterthought to them.
The opening act was a local guy named Brian Vanderark who you 90's kids might recognize from the band The Verve Pipe. He sang about five songs and then made way for the second opening act The War and Treaty. They are so freaking good, if you haven't listened to them, I encourage you to check them out. The do a little soul, a little country, a little blues, it's all over the place, but in such a good way. They are so talented and were a perfect opening act for the show.
Finally, Lionel took the stage and all I can say is wow! He started off with "Hello" which was a little shaky and I was worried if his voice could hold up through the concert, but he quickly got into a groove and he sounded just about as good as you would expect for someone who is 76 years old or so. We didn't eat or drink at the venue, but the vendor selection looked pretty high end which is about right for Grand Rapids. Beers were something like $20 a can which seems a bit high, but as I said, they need to pay for the new venue somehow!
Lionel sang all his hits and it was really a fantastic show. It's one of the few concerts that I found myself singing along to pretty much every song and actually dancing. Acrisure has a full slate of artists lined up for the inaugural season of the amphitheater, so if you find yourself in the Grand Rapids area and it isn't sold out, try to get yourself to a show!
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