GRAND RAPIDS, MI — If you were a fan of punk music in the 80s, you probably remember Violent Femmes, a popular acoustic alt-rock group.
Now, Violent Femmes is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its self-titled debut album with the Grand Rapids Symphony.
The symphony announced the concert collaboration on Tuesday, April 18, as this year’s “mystery concert.” The concerts will take place on Oct. 6 and 7 this fall.
Released in 1983, the Violent Femmes debut album featured hits like “Blister in the Sun,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” and “Kiss Off.”
Though the master recordings of the album have been lost for over 30 years, the band will play the album, in its entirety, with the Grand Rapids Symphony. As the songs will be performed exactly as they were on the album, the performances will include explicit lyrics, so the concerts may not be suitable for young ears.
Tickets for the Violent Femmes and Grand Rapids Symphony concerts are on sale now for new and returning Grand Rapids Symphony subscribers. Tickets will become available to the general public on Aug. 1. The Violent Femmes tickets are eligible for the “create your own” subscription three-concert package.
Currently, tickets for the concerts, which both begin at 7 p.m. at DeVos Performance Hall, start at $19 plus a processing fee.
To become a Grand Rapids Symphony subscriber, contact patron services staff at 616-454-9451 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Original Violent Femmes members Gordon Gano and Brian Ritchie will be part of the full orchestra experience in October. The concert will be conducted by Bob Bernhardt.
Other concerts in the Grand Rapids Symphony 2023-24 lineup include Edward Elgar’s cello concerto, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Eroica symphony, a night of Stars Wars music, “The Godfather” in concert, “Black Panther” in concert and more.
A full list of the 2023-24 Grand Rapids Symphony schedule is available online at grsymphony.org/2023-2024.
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