Concerts, like dimly lit chandeliers, are more impressive outdoors and are more enchanting when adorned with strategically placed glow sticks. Catch alluringly illuminated musicians with this GrouponLive deal to the Cowpie Music Festival at Shagbark Farm in Caledonia. For $35, you get one weekend pass for general admission to all the performances and a first-come, first-serve spot at the campgrounds on Friday, August 10 and Saturday, August 11 (up to a $70 value). Doors open at noon on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Every year, the Crissman family rounds up the 125 head of Angus cattle at Shagbark Farm and moves them aside, handing over more than 100 acres to the Michigan Heritage Music Association for its Cowpie Music Festival. Now in its 10th year, the two-day festival champions the music of west Michigan with more than 40 bands in a jam-packed schedule spread over two stages. Anticipated groups include Motor City Josh & The Big 3, which, led by its eponymous frontman, dishes up rock-tinged blues, thick with sauntering guitar solos and growling vocals. Also taking the stage, Gunnar and the Grizzly Boys truck in infectious Americana, with frontman Gunnar Nyblad's twangy drawl animating stories about such country-boy concerns as drinking whiskey, dreaming of fame, and conclusively determining whether scarecrows are just pretending to not be alive. Roster McCabe's reggae-infused rock delights fans with improvisational sets that make each show unique by mixing fresh jams and crowd favorites. Adding a dash of metal to the weekend’s lineup, hard-rocking quartet Wayland continues to gain converts on the back of their churning melodies and the explosive energy of lead singer Mitch Arnold.
Shagbark Farm provides guests hundreds of campsites perfect for bunking down under the stars or testing a pillow fort’s real-world durability. More than 50 vendors ply their wares to showgoers, offering band merchandise, tasty food, and local craft beers from Founders, Bell’s, and New Holland Brewing.