Wednesday evening, residents of Lansing's Riverfront towers, 601 North Cedar St., and nonresidents alike watched and listened to hard-rock band Cinderella at Common Ground Music Festival — without shelling out the $29 for a single-day ticket.
Through some trees and a metal fence littered with advertisement banners, spectators were able to peek over the Grand River to spy the West Main Stage.
Hearing the bands was not a problem from across the river because Cinderella seemed to have the volume pumped up to 11 with hair-metal band Poison prepared to hit the stage next.
Williamston resident, 43, Shelly Brannan sat comfortably on the grass with her boyfriend — 35-year-old Scott Carpenter, also from Williamston.
"Well, I wish I was in there, yeah. But this is fine too because then you're not all bunched in a great big crowd with the weather being really hot," Brannan said.
Brannan, who bought tickets for many of the concerts at Common Ground in years past, said she still thinks the ticket prices are reasonable, but didn't purchase one because her work schedule cuts into the showtimes.
Both Brannan and Carpenter said that the security guards lining the fence were nice to them.
Marvin Combs, 39, and his 27-year-old wife, Tameka Combs, who recently came to Lansing from Chicago, sat on a concrete step outside of Riverfront apartments, located on Cedar Street between Saginaw and Shiawassee streets.
Tameka Combs wasn't familiar with Cinderella, but enjoyed keeping to herself and relaxing with her husband.
Riverfront apartment resident Jerry Smith, 59, stood with fellow tenant, 54-year-old Sue Dunbar, behind the fence. Smith doesn't mind the noise, but refuses to buy tickets because he only looks forward to one or two acts each year and believes tickets are overpriced.
This year, Smith looks forward to listening to Etta James and the Roots Band and Mavis Staples on Saturday night. He went on to say that he has never had a problem with rowdy crowds in the complex's grassy backyard.
"Couple of drunks occasionally throw up, drink too much, sitting around and go to sleep, but that's about it," Smith said. "No real problems, absolutely not."
Lansing resident Jesse Dodge, 24, set up lawn chairs with his brother and second cousin behind the fence.
"I had to pay rent. I couldn't buy tickets," Dodge said.
Tickets aren't overpriced in Dodge's opinion. He said he will be enjoying the concerts regardless of whether or not he buys tickets, but will be attending the Ted Nugent concert on Sunday night because another one of his cousins will give him a ticket.
