Devin Craft, left, 17, of Lansing eats with Cortney Weaver, 17, of Lansing by the Grand River during Common Ground Music Festival at Louis F. Adado Riverfront Park. Craft and Weaver came to the festival to see Snoop Dogg perform.
Lansing residents Alyshia and Verlinda Roberson have camped out for seven nights straight in front of the opening gates at Lansing’s Common Ground Music Festival since it began nine years ago.
Each year, the mother-daughter duo has taken what they call a “vacation” from work and slept in folding chairs just to be the first ones to enter the summer music festival.
“I love everything about Common Ground,” Alyshia Roberson said. “There’s great music, friendly people and you are always guaranteed to see someone you know.”
Two main stages are set up for music lovers and area residents to take in the sounds and atmosphere at Louis F. Adado Riverfront Park, 300 N. Grand Ave. in Lansing. This year’s festival includes a 33-musical-act lineup, which began performing Monday and will play through Sunday in Michigan’s capital city.
The diversity in the music is something Malinda Barr, spokeswoman for Common Ground, said organizers always try to keep in mind when planning the festival.
Past headliners have included Hinder, Montgomery Gentry, Pretty Ricky, Peter Frampton and Los Lonely Boys.
But Barr said this year’s festival is even bigger.
“This year is probably our best lineup,” Barr said. “We have a tremendous amount of diversity within the acts, and also have more big-name performers than ever before.”
Common Ground especially excited to have performers such as Snoop Dogg, Lyle Lovett and Trace Adkins, Barr said, because they usually perform for bigger audiences and in bigger venues.
However, with more than 94,000 people in attendance each of the first two nights of the festival, Barr said Common Ground is quickly growing in popularity and drawing in people from all over mid-Michigan. A few hours after Alyshia and Verlinda Roberson set up camp, they said other dedicated fans filled in behind them — starting around 4 a.m.
“When other people got here it was nice because we were able to take shifts,” Verlinda Roberson said. “When we needed to get up, someone else would watch our seats.”
Bringing acts to the stage
Careful planning is involved to find acts that can appeal to everyone’s tastes and create a well-rounded atmosphere.
“We really strive to get a good diverse group of acts, so the festival is not limited to a certain group of people that like a certain kind of music,” Barr said.
Barr said Common Ground is a place a place families can come and enjoy together.
“It’s great to see the crossover in the people we get each day,” Barr said. “Not only can everyone have a good time here, but you start to feel a sense of community … like everyone is coming together.”
Single-day tickets to Common Ground range from $26-39 per person, and weeklong passes ranges from $85-$95 per person.
“Anyone that comes here will be able to enjoy some type of music throughout the week,” said Verlinda Roberson.
Ted Clark, an MSU finance junior who had waited in line for more than four hours Wednesday, said coming to Common Ground helps to expand his taste in music.
“There is such a variety here that it really brings in people from all walks of life,” Clark said.
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Originally from East Lansing, Clark has been coming with his family and friends to Common Ground for four years. He said he enjoys everything about the festival.
“I’m looking forward to all the music tonight, especially REO Speedwagon,” he said.
Getting ready to rock
Although Snoop Dogg was not set to perform for more than two hours, excited teenagers and college students filled the lawn in front of the west stage Wednesday — ready for the show to start.
“I have been looking forward to this all summer,” said Dominic Gereld, a Lansing Community College student. “When I heard Snoop Dogg was coming to Common Ground, I was like ‘No way, that’s sweet!’”
The diversity of the acts translated into diversity in concert goers, with a younger and more energetic crowd fighting for front row spots to experience the sounds of Snoop Dogg on Wednesday night.
Tuesday’s lineup, which included Lao Tizer Band, drew an older and more laid back demographic, as fans swayed back and forth to the band’s jazzy sound. Lansing resident Larry Peters said he is attracted to the band’s classical and Latin-influenced sound.
“It’s more of a relaxing mood over here,” Peters said. “It’s nice because it’s less crowded, and I don’t have to fight for a spot to sit.”
Across the river Tuesday night was a completely different vibe, as Sammy Hagar, formerly of Van Halen, took the stage, creating a frenzy within the crowd of rock ‘n’ roll fans.
As Hagar belted out “I Can’t Drive 55,” a crowd of all ages rose to their feet and grooved to the music, shouting out lyrics and playing air guitars.
“I came to see Hagar, of course,” Bellevue resident Diane Vansickle said. “I have been a fan of his since I was 13, and came tonight (Tuesday) because I knew he would put on a great show.”
Although it was Vansickle’s first time attending Common Ground, she said she made the 45-minute commute with her husband and friends. The festival, she said, was more entertaining than she could have ever imagined.
“I already have plans to buy a weeklong pass for next year,” she said. “The atmosphere is so inviting and there really is something everyone can enjoy.”
