The weeklong musical event will continue until July 15 at Adado Riverfront Park, 300 N. Grand Ave., in Lansing. During the seven days of performances, more than 40 acts representing a wide range of genres will be featured.

“It’s an opportunity for everyone to come together in an outdoor venue and listen to some great music,” said Malinda Barr, who is the media coordinator and spokesperson for the event.

During its early years as a band, Pop Evil, which originated in Grand Rapids, performed often in East Lansing at venues such as Dublin Square, 327 Abbot Road.

The group since has gained popularity, and Kakaty said members now gear the majority of their attention toward touring nationally. But performing at Common Ground is something Kakaty said he has wanted to do for a long time.

“We’ve spent a lot of our early years playing in East Lansing,” he said. “We couldn’t be happier to get back to Lansing.”

Before Pop Evil took the stage at approximately 7:15 p.m., Michigan-based rock group IAMDYNAMITE performed for an audience of enthusiastic fans.

Chris Phillips, drummer and vocalist for the group, said he and his bandmate Christopher Martin have played with many of the other acts on Monday’s bill, including the night’s headliner Bush and rock band Candlebox. Phillips said he was excited at the thought of reuniting for another show.
“It’s kind of funny that we all got back together,” he said.

Even though Monday night’s show was the duo’s first time at the festival, Phillips said he expected to play for a sizable audience of familiar faces, since the group’s hometown of Milan, Mich., is located so close to Lansing.

“I know we have a lot of people coming out just from our area,” he said. “This could be the largest crowd we’ve ever played in front of.”

Lansing resident Matricia Surlmine was one of the many IAMDYNAMITE followers present at the group’s show.

Surlmine, who said she loves the band’s music and enjoyed hearing it performed live, positioned herself in the front row of the audience to get an up-close view of the group members in action.
“It was cool to actually see them play,” she said.

Lansing resident Kristin Smrek said although she wasn’t very familiar with the group’s music, after watching IAMDYNAMITE perform, she instantly became a fan.

Smrek said she was impressed that the band’s two members were able to carry themselves as if they were a typical four or five-member group.

“It’s really hard to put out that much music with two guys,” she said.

Smrek has attended Common Ground every year except for the first, and she said she is looking forward to experiencing the remainder of the week.

“This is year number 13, and I’m excited to see what they’ve got going on this year,” she said.