While some students plot courses across the country toward music festivals of grand scale, those strapped with cash and in town for the summer need look no further than neighboring city Lansing for a smaller, more affordable lineup of national and lesser-known local bands.
The festival, Common Ground, runs from July 7-12 and takes place in Lansing’s Adado Riverfront Park, and each evening offers a different genre.
This year is Common Ground’s sweet sixteen, Meridian Entertainment Group marketing director Jenna Meyer said, and the lineup has some national heavy-hitters, from Meghan Trainor, to The Band Perry, to Snoop Dogg.
“We offer a great array of talent from your national headliners to your local bands,” she said.
Some of the biggest past headliners include Journey, Twenty One Pilots and Big Sean.
MSU alumnus Troy Villanueva said he’s been going to Common Ground the past few years and will be going again this year because he loves concerts, especially when they’re not too expensive.
He said he feels the musical lineup could be much better, but can’t complain.
“I’d like to see Misterwives, Empire of the Sun and a few of my friends are performing too — Cyrus, Packy and the Spektators,” he said.
Lansing resident Parios Williams said she regularly attends Common Ground and is looking forward to it this year, particularly because her fiance might perform.
Besides her fiance, Williams said she’s also looking forward to seeing Tech N9ne, Snoop Dogg and Misterwives perform.
“I think it’s so awesome they have indie pop bands that are playing to get them more popular,” she said.
“I think it gives a platform for not just big acts like Snoop Dogg but also a platform for kind of punk-pop sets that aren’t on mainstream radio.”
Williams said one of her favorite things about Common Ground is how local it is. She said it’s great to not have to travel to a big city for a fun music festival.
Also, she said a lot of the money from the music festival goes back into the Lansing community, which she thinks is great.
Meyer said locality is a huge factor of Common Ground’s appeal.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for people to see some great music in our backyard,” she said.
“It’s not often that some of the performers come through Michigan, let alone Lansing. It’s really one of the only opportunities that you get to see some of these acts in Lansing.”
In addition to music, Common Ground also provides a variety of foods to patrons.
Williams said different restaurants and food trucks from the mid-Michigan area come to the festival, so it’s a great way to taste new, local foods.
General admission for each evening ranges from $30 to $40, according to Common Ground’s website. A six-day general admission pass costs $109.
