Tag Archives: The Piano Men

Van Singel goes rock ‘n’ roll with a night of Elton John, Billy Joel music

Matthew Banks as Billy Joel in “The Piano Men.”

By Kathy Richards

Van Singel Fine Arts Center

 

“The Tribute to Sir Elton John & Billy Joel!” is a night of hit songs, energetic performances, and outrageous costumes. It’s a true rock n’ roll concert at its finest coming to the Van Singel Fine Arts Center in Byron Center on Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m.

 

Sir Elton John and Billy Joel tribute artists have joined forces to create The Ultimate Tribute rock n’ roll show. Initial concert events have been highly successful with all involved raving about their intensity on stage. Just like the original tour, each artist performs a Solo Set with a killer rock n’ roll band, and then culminate the show with a “Face to Face” set which features both of them playing together on two pianos trading off lyrics on each song they perform. Both Capturing Billy Joel and Sir Eltons’ captivating entertainment prowess, piano skills and unbelievable outrageous costumes from the 70’s to present day!

 

Reserved seating is $37 for adults and $22 for students (high school and younger). Reserve seats by calling the Van Singel box office at (616) 878-6800 or purchase on-line at www.vsfac.com. The box office is open Monday – Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

 

The Van Singel Fine Arts Center is located on 84th Street & Burlingame Ave SW in Byron Center, just 1.5 miles west of US-131 in Byron Center. The Fine Arts Center features free parking.

 

Please note: The Van Singel Fine Arts Center sits at the east end of the Byron Center High School which is part of a $68 million dollar bond construction project. Because of the construction, parking will be limited at the east of the facility where the Van Singel is located. Patrons attending evening events may have to park in the lots off Burlingame and enter the building on the west end (near the gym/swimming pool) and walk through the school to the Van Singel. Signage will be placed to help direct patrons.

 

The Weekend Edition: Things to do for Sept. 22 – 25

Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

It might be a little cloudy this weekend, but that should not stop  anyone from venturing out. And there is plenty to do with ArtPrize rolling in this week.

 

So to help fill your weekend calendar, here are just a few things we spotted that we thought you might enjoy:

 

ARTPRIZECP15Thursday, Sept. 22: ArtPrize kicked off on Wednesday and you have until Oct. 9 to see it all. The radically open international art competition is mostly located in downtown Grand Rapids and is walkable. New are eight ArtPrize Hubs serving as welcoming centers and voter registration. The hubs are Center City Hub @ GRAM, 101 Monroe Center NW; Heartside Hub @ UICA, 2 W. Fulton St.; Hillside Hub @ Women’s City Club, 254 E. Fulton St.; Rumsey Street Hub @SiTE:LAB, 333 Rumsey St. SW; Monroe North Hub @ DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW; Westside Hub @ the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW; Meijer Gardens Hub, 1000 E. Beltline NE; and the ArtPrize Hub/Headquarters at 41 Sheldon Blvd SE.

Round one voting ends Oct 1 with the final 20 announced Oct. 2. (Note only two entries per venue will be allowed to advance to the top 20.) Round 2 voting ends Oct. 6 with the winners announced Oct. 7. For more information, visit artprize.org.

 

witter

Friday, Sept. 23: The Grand Rapids Symphony kicks off its Pops season with the concert “The Piano Men,” featuring pianist Jim Witter. The concert, which is at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. NW, will feature some of the most popular hits of Billy Joel and Elton John accompanied by a multi-media musical journey. Tickets are $90 – $15. For more information, visit grsymphony.org.

 

Courtesy of @grcivictheatre instagram
Courtesy of @grcivictheatre instagram

Saturday, Sept. 24: David Lindsay-Abairee’s play “Good People,” about the struggles of the lower middle class, wraps up its run at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre this weekend. Showtime for tonight is at 7:30 p.m. at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. The last show is Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 – $16. For more, check out the review by Susanne Ablaitis or visit grtc.org.

 

Of you can head over to Caledonia for the Harvest Festival from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Hosted by the Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce, this family-friendly event includes a hayride, pumpkin decorating, a hay maze, face painting, games, music, an antique tractor display, food samples from area restaurants and a baked goods sale by the Caledonia Women’s Club.  There is also a Scarecrow Contest. For more information, visit www.caledoniachamber.com/harvestfestival.

 

https://vimeo.com/51718023

Sunday, Sept. 25: Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb bring their “One to One” tour to Grand Rapids Wealthy Theater, 1110 Wealthy St. SE. Barrigar and Mazengarb share a musical chemistry and stage presence seldom found around musicians. The duo’s repertoire constants of original and arranged music of guitar instrumentals and vocal duets. They have been influenced by Americana, Jazz, Country Western, and Classical music. The two perform at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit Wealthy Theatre’s website.

 

BONUS EVENT: Dorr’s New Salem Corn Maze will be hosting its annual Wusrt Festival Ever this weekend with lots of music and fun. This Friday is the country/southern bands No One’s Home, Double Barrel and Dani Jamerson. Saturday, gates open at 11 a.m. with a host of activities such as the Human Hamster Ball Race and live music starting at 4 p.m. The Outer Vibe caps off the two-day event with a performance from 9:30 p.m. to dusk. Tickets are $5/Friday and $10/Saturday. Also all the haunted attractions start that weekend as well. For more information, visit www.newsalemcornmaze.com.