Common Ground Festival 2014: It all kicks off July 8, includes six days of concerts on three stages

common-ground-festival-2014.jpg

Common Ground Music Festival features multiple bands on three stages for six days at Adado Riverfront Park in downtown Lansing. This year's festival is from July 8-12, 2014.

(Courtesy photo)

Common Ground Festival 2014

When: July 8-13, 2014
Where: Adado Riverfront Park, downtown Lansing
Tickets: Various prices for each day; Festival pass $99.50 for adults, $35 for kids
Contact: Call the main office at (517) 267-1502 or go to commongroundfest.com

LANSING, MI -- It all begins tomorrow.

The 15h annual Common Ground Festival opens with 12 bands on three stages as organizers brace themselves for thousands of fans who will come to Adado Riverfront Park over six days.

"We are expecting a great week with some excellent music, and we're anticipating a full house on opening night, Tuesday, July 8th with Brand New, Circa Survive, The Hold Steady and more," said Jenna Meyer, marketing director for event organizer, Meridian Entertainment Group.

Brisk ticket sales indicate big audiences this year to see 311, Justin Moore, Big Sean and more.

"We are expecting about 50,000 people over the week and ticket sales have been up this year so we are anticipating some great crowds," Meyer added.

Over the years, the festival has highlighted more than 350 artists, including 38 Grammy
Award winners and 21 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

New this year: The first event of the 2014-2015 Ultimate Painting season will take place July 10-12 at Common Ground in a space called The Terminal. It will be the first time that the competition has come to Michigan, and it will feature Michigan artists competing in a live painting event.

All paintings will be auctioned off after each round with proceeds supporting the artists. The winner of the preliminary rounds advance to the finals on July 12 to compete for $1,000 and a spot in the Ultimate Painting National Tournament of Champions.

But concerts are the big attraction each day.

The current announced festival lineup is:

Tuesday, July 8: Brand New, Circa Survive, The Hold Steady, Say Anything, The Front Bottoms, Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band, Braid, So So Glos, You Blew It, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Seahaven.

Wednesday, July 9: 311, Violent Femmes, The Wailers, Flobots, OPM, The4ontheFloor, Radical Something, The Weeks, Squirrel Shaped Fish, Ben Kenney.

Thursday, July 10: Justin Moore, David Nail, Gord Bamford, Jacob Powell, Julia Sheer, Hugh Bob & the Hustle, Chelsey Danfield.

Friday, July 11: Big Sean, Juicy J, Ace Hood, Machine Gun Kelly, Chevy Woods, Berner, Tay Rhodes, cyRus, L Soul, Ill Natured, Hitman with DJ Klaverflav, James Gardin.

Saturday, July 12: Fitz and the Tantrums, Dr. Dog, Jukebox The Ghost, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr, The Orwells, X Ambassadors, Royal Teeth, Chappo, The People's Temple, Ryan Beatty, Action Item.

Sunday, July 13: Earth Wind & Fire, the Robert Glasper Experiment, Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers, AHSAN, Dee Hibbert & Company.

John Gonzalez is a statewide entertainment writer for MLive. Email him at gonzo@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.