Local Event: MI Fest, Downsized Success

Saturday’s first annual MI Fest at Michigan International Speedway, in Brooklyn Michigan, was for the most part – a success.

The infant festival, headlined by Michigan native Jack White and the Raconteurs, was expected to host nearly 10,000 attendees, but numbers were surprisingly less than projected.

On Sept. 16, one day before the festival, the festival dropped several local bands (including our friends Bear Lake), as well as their third stage, due to low-ticket sales. MIS officials did not release ticket sales data, but plenty of seats were undeniably left unfilled.

The revised line-up encouraged a sharper focus on a fewer number of artists – whose styles ranged from country, to rock and even hip-hop (Black Milk).

Here is the revised line-up:

MI FEST STAGE
The Raconteurs 10:00
Sheryl Crow 8:15 – 9:30
Ronnie Dunn 6:45 – 7:45
The Romantics 5:30 – 6:15
Mark Farner 4:10 – 5:10
Jeff Daniels 3:05 – 3:50
Wendy Starland (Special Performance) 2:30 – 2:45
Mitch Ryder 1:25 – 2:10
The Ben Daniels Band 12:30 – 1:00

GRANDEE STAGE
The Rockets 7:00 – 8:00
Ty Stone 5:30 – 6:30
JEFF the Brotherhood 4:25 – 5:10
Black Belles 3:30 – 4:00
PUJOL 2:40 – 3:10
Black Milk 1:50 – 2:20
Thornbills 1:00 – 1:30
Shock Wave 12:00 – 12:30

Notable performances included Jeff Daniels’ “Tiger Fan Blues” (hardly relatable now), Black Milk’s hip-hop styling, and Sheryl Crow’s rocking set list. This line-up was loosely followed, pleasing the crowd by ending with more of what they came to see – Jack White.