Year one drew more visitors than projected. The better story is what happened on the sidewalks around the venue, and what’s already taking shape for next summer.
On the night “Weird Al” Yankovic played Acrisure Amphitheater, the staff at Vertigo Music on Division Avenue didn’t need to check the concert calendar. The customers told them. Record store employee John Serba recalled the staff looking around and thinking, “Hey there’s a bunch of people wearing Hawaiian shirts.” They watched as kids trailed their parents down the block, and fans drifted in looking for records.
Repeat that scene across nearly 50 shows, averaging roughly 8,000 fans apiece according to venue General Manager Rich MacKeigan, and you have the amphitheater’s first season. Early projections called for 300,000 visitors a year. According to Grand Rapids Chamber data, nearly 400,000 came downtown for shows at the amphitheater in 2026.
The People Who Built It Came First
The first crowd on the lawn didn’t buy tickets. In early May, before the official opening, a private Contractor Appreciation Music Festival welcomed the crews who built the venue, along with their families and friends. More than 1,200 workers took part in the project, and organizers fielded over 9,000 ticket requests.
The following Friday, Lionel Richie cut the ribbon and headlined the first public show, with Michigan’s own The War and Treaty and Brian Vander Ark opening. “I can officially say, you’ve got yourself an amphitheater,” Richie told the crowd.
The next day belonged to everyone else. The free community celebration brought 20 local artists to the venue’s stages, from the Grand Rapids Ballet to New City Kids, alongside local food vendors and self-guided tours. The day ended with a community drone show. Months earlier, when organizers opened the lineup to local performers, Grand Action 2.0 Executive Director Kara Wood made the intent clear: “The Acrisure Amphitheater is a community asset.”
What Fifty Show Nights Did for Downtown
A few blocks from the gates, Zabhaz owner Janna Marris began scheduling extra staff and keeping her vintage shop on Division open later on show days. Out-of-towners came in looking for something to wear to the concert that night. “Typically the metal shows do the best,” she said in a WOOD TV report on the venue’s downtown impact.
At Lantern Coffee Bar and Lounge, a 10-minute walk from the venue, transactions ran about 30% above normal on event nights, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business reported. The boost helped the shop pay for its annual bulk espresso order entirely in cash for the first time. Lantern also supplied coffee backstage for touring crews and talent. A block from the venue, Founders Brewing Co. saw show-day transactions jump 66% over the same days a year earlier and grew its staff by 25% to keep up.
Hotels felt it too. Experience Grand Rapids reported occupancy at near-record levels on concert nights. A few weeks into the season, Molly Ketchum, executive director of Studio Park’s Arts Marketplace, summed it up simply: “It’s been really great downtown.”
The Encore Is Already Booked
Dave Matthews Band skipped its usual metro Detroit stop for only the second time in 20 years and booked two nights in Grand Rapids instead. That kind of draw is continuing into year two, with artists booking 2027 dates before the first season was even over. Reggae favorites Stick Figure announced a 2027 date when the venue was only four events in. This fall, two national tours went a step further and chose Grand Rapids for their final night.
Greta Van Fleet will close its nearly 60-city North American and European tour in Grand Rapids at the end of July, wrapping up in the band’s home state. Less than two weeks later, Matchbox Twenty ends its 30th anniversary tour on the same stage. For a venue with a single season behind it, two tour finales in one summer is a strong start.
More dates are on the way. “It is still early, but the calendar is looking good so far,” MacKeigan told Crain’s, adding that he expects to announce more shows in the coming months. Neighbors are planning for year two as well. Gimme’s Par and Grill, near Monroe Center, has bought two eight-person shuttle carts to carry customers between nearby parking ramps and the amphitheater.
Next summer will bring another change downtown, with Amway Stadium on track to open in spring 2027 as the home of AC Grand Rapids, just as the amphitheater begins its second season.
When the lawn opens again, give the blocks around it a little of your evening before the music starts. Follow the band T-shirts down Division for a while. Stop into a shop that stayed open late for the crowd or grab dinner somewhere you’ve never tried. Make one of those stops part of your own show night.
