Top 10 Common Ground acts of all time
Lansing's Common Ground Music Festival celebrates 16 years this summer. That's a lot of shows.
Since 2000, more than 1 million music fans have attended the festival, bringing more than $50 million to the mid-Michigan community. Grammy winners, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Country Music Awards winners— they've all played the festival.
We're getting nostalgic and counting down the top 10 Common Ground acts of all time, in random order. Of course, these only scratch the surface, but they're each a significant part of the Common Ground story.
• Alice Cooper
Don't mess with the Coop! Alice Cooper brought his shock-rock to Common Ground in 2004 and 2010, complete with blood-drenched stage antics and "School's Out" anthems. He got "killed" in the process — several times. "It can't be one anymore!" Cooper told the LSJ. "It used to be, they'd hang Alice. Now they hang me, they cut my head off, they put a giant hypodermic needle in me, they put me in a box with giant spikes, and Alice just keeps coming back."
• Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert
Isn't it cool with you catch an up-and-comer at a show only to see them get really popular a few years later? That's what happened with Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton. Both country music artists played Common Ground before they were major names, albeit different years. Lambert played Common Ground in 2007, while and Shelton was at the festival in 2002. Now, both are among the hottest country acts around and, of course, married to each other.
• 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down was one of the most successful bands to break out of the early-2000s post-grunge climate — a time when rock was searching for an identity following the '90s grunge whirlwind. The Mississippi-based group hit the big time in 2000 when "Kryptonite" went to No. 1 on the rock radio charts.
3 Doors Down headlined Common Ground's rock night in 2003 and again in 2009. "After we got signed and started touring, it happened for us pretty quick, but there was still that time when I wasn't sure what was going to happen," lead singer Brad Arnold told the LSJ about the band's success. "When the song ("Kryptonite") took off, it kept us busy for a long time, and then other songs came along, and by the grace of God, we've been doing this for 14 years."
• Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire played Common Ground in 2002 and returned last year. The band's blend of funk, soul, disco and gospel revolutionized popular music in the '70s and earned the legendary group a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Bass player Verdine White says the guys always have a blast playing outdoor shows: "There are always tons of people having a great time."
• REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon became a household name in the early '80s with memorable songs like "Keep on Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling." The tracks hit No. 1 on the radio charts, sending the guys on worldwide tours and making REO Speedwagon arena rock icons.
The guys played Common Ground in 2004 and 2008.
"We are still doing what we love to do, and we get a lot of joy from the whole experience. So we try to share the joy we feel from still being about to do what we love," lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kevin Cronin told the LSJ.
• ZZ Top
Common Ground welcomed a few sharp dressed men to the festival in back in 2004: ZZ Top. Dusty Hill, Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard make up the Texas-based blues-rock band, best known for song staples such as "La Grange," "Tush," "Cheap Sunglasses" and, yes, "Sharp Dressed Man."
"It's an honor to keep playing, and still hear our songs on the radio," Hill told the LSJ. "For example, last night we played in Orlando, and there was a young guy in front who couldn't have been more than 16. He seemed to know the lyrics to all the songs, even the older ones. That always surprises me, but it's enjoyable."
• Snoop Dogg
Who could forget when Snoop Dogg took over Common Ground in 2008?
He took the stage donning former MSU guard Drew Neitzel's jersey and delivered his signature rap style in front of one of the festival's biggest audiences.
He's back this year.
• Stone Temple Pilots
Remember when Scott Weiland and the DeLeo brothers played nice and reunited their beloved Stone Temple Pilots? That was back in 2008, and the following year, they playing only a handful of summer shows, including a massive one at Common Ground. These days, Weiland is touring solo and Stone Temple Pilots have regrouped with a new lead singer, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.
• Ludacris
Atlanta-based rapper Ludacris pulled in the biggest crowd of 2010 with more than 14,000 people at the show and then came back to perform at the festival in 2013. "I would say there's no one way to pinpoint my music," Ludacris told the LSJ. "I think I'm very versatile, so some songs are for the club and in some I'm trying to teach a lesson."
• Eric Church
Eric Church was the biggest draw at Common Ground in 2012, packing more than 12,000 country music fans into Adado Riverfront Park. Michigan has always been a stronghold for the country singer-songwriter. "Early on, it was just one of those places that caught on," he told the LSJ. "I don't know if it's because the makeup of the towns there similar to what I'm grew up, but our music goes over better. Michigan has always been a special place for us."