Spring Concerts at Crofoot Festival Grounds Prove that Live Music is Set to Make an Epic Return this Summer

For live music enthusiasts, including myself, we’ve long awaited our first concert back since the onset of the pandemic. Finally, joined by hundreds of fellow music fans, I had the pleasure of ending the drought by attending the Mt Joy and Michigander concert at the Crofoot Festival Grounds, in Pontiac MI, on Friday May 7.

With tickets being sold by pods, which can hold up to 4-6 people, the concert was held in the large parking lot across the street from the Crofoot complex to accommodate proper social distancing between groups. Masks were required, and the combination of social distancing and the outdoors made it the perfect concert setting as we slowly transition back to normalcy.

Hundreds of fans braved mid-40 degree temperatures and a persistent rain to attend the event, which after a short delay, began when the Detroit area band Michigander took the stage and performed their first ever single “Nineties”. From there, Michigander performed songs from their hit EP “Everything Will Be Ok Eventually”, which was released in March 2021, while mixing in fan favorites “Misery”, “East Chicago, IN”, and “Reds”.

Despite performing to an audience holding umbrellas and draped in blankets, Michigander got the crowd on their feet and singing along to popular songs “Let Down” and “OK”. Michigander displayed why they are one of the hottest emerging bands in Alternative Rock with their smooth vocals, highly relatable lyrics, and an addictive collection of songs that this young writer can’t stop listening to.

Photo Credit: Kris Herrmann

As the nighttime set in, critically-acclaimed indie rock band Mt Joy took the stage, less than a year after releasing their second studio album, “Rearrange Us.” Mt Joy opened with their hard-hitting album opener “Bug Eyes,” and mixed their set to include classics from their self-titled first album. Mt Joy famously took time to ”jam out” as a band in between almost every song, showing off their incredible talent as musicians, which is beloved by their fans and has made them a touring must-see.

Despite having frozen fingers and toes by the end of the night, and driving around for 30 minutes trying to find someplace open that served hot chocolate, I couldn’t have imagined a more fitting way for my first concert back in the State of Michigan. Michigander and Mt Joy gave extraordinary performances, and Crofoot delivered on providing a fun and safe environment to enjoy a concert once again. If last Friday night was any indication, live music is set to make an epic return in Summer 2021.

This piece was written by Clayton Skinner, Communications Intern at Fresh Coast Perspective.