Even though Charlie Huhn has performed in places throughout the country during his 34 years as a professional musician, he still gets excited at the thought of playing in Lansing.
“I’ve played everywhere from Madison Square Garden to the (Los Angeles Memorial) Coliseum and all points in between,” said Huhn, who is the lead vocalist and guitarist for blues-based rock ‘n’ roll band Foghat.
Foghat is one of the many acts scheduled to perform at the 13th annual Common Ground Music Festival, which begins Monday and will continue until July 15 at Adado Riverfront Park, 300 N. Grand Ave., in Lansing.
Malinda Barr, media coordinator and spokesperson for the event, said the festival features bands representing a variety of genres, including country, rock and pop.
Ska-punk band Sublime with Rome, rock acts Bush, Joe Walsh, The Wallflowers and Three Days Grace, along with country performers Kevin Costner & Modern West and Eric Church all are slated to headline a night at the weeklong festival.
Barr said the lineup for this year’s festival includes more pop and rock groups than in the past to cater to the increasing amount of younger event attendees.
“The whole festival is about music and experiencing all different kinds of music,” she said.
This summer’s Common Ground also will feature shows by several disc jockeys throughout the week, which is something Barr said has not been done before.
Lansing resident Brian Payne, who performs as DJ Cutt Nice, will return to the festival for the second time Tuesday.
Payne, who made his first appearance at Common Ground two years ago, said he is particularly enthusiastic about this upcoming performance because of the opportunity to potentially connect with members of Morris Day and the Time, which is a funk group whose music the DJ admires.
“I’m pretty excited because I’m sure I’ll get the chance to meet them, and they’ll be able to see just a little bit of my skills and what I do,” he said.
Huhn also said he eagerly is awaiting his group’s turn to take the stage at Common Ground because this event is something he and his bandmates have wanted to participate in for quite some time.
Since Huhn grew up in Michigan and attended MSU, he said playing at the festival is especially exciting for him.
Foghat will perform Tuesday night on the Auto Value Main Stage, and Huhn said audience members should expect a fun and lively show.
“(Fans can look forward to) a lot of good-time rock ‘n’ roll music that really gets you going and keeps you feeling good and brings a smile to your face and makes you want to sing along,” he said.
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