Line-up

Headliner
Mat Kearney Last time in Grand Rapids: 1 year ago

Venue

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

1000 E. Beltline Ave. NE, 49525, Grand Rapids, MI, US

meijergardens.org

Capacity: 1,900

View upcoming concerts

Additional details

Doors open: 19:00

Concert in your area for Rock, Indie & Alt, Folk & Blues, Pop, and Hip-Hop.

Find out more about Rock, Pop, and Hip-Hop.

Mat Kearney biography

After his new found Christian faith saved him from the downward spiral he found himself in during college, Mat Kearney began to channel his beliefs into his music with popular results.

Born in Oregon and accidentally dubbed Mathew rather than Matthew after a mistake was made on his birth certificate (something he didn’t realize until 8th grade), a trip to Nashville first sparked Mat’s interest in music. After getting out of a rough patch in college, Mat began developing his own fusion of acoustic music with spoken word and rapped vocals, testing it out at coffee shops in the area.

After meeting producer Robert Marvin and agreeing to help him move house to Nashville, Mat began to record demos with Robert and realized he’d found a new home. With Nashville as his new hometown Mat pressed forward and released his debut album ‘Nothing Left to Lose’ in 2006 and whilst it was a slow builder, the album has now sold over 450000 copies with many of its songs appearing in popular TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs.

His next two albums, ‘City of Black and White’ and ‘Young Love’ capitalized on his new found success and were chart successes, both topping the Christian charts and placing at 13th and 4th respectively. Even after TV appearances and shows all over the US (even one in a plane), he still remains humble about his success saying "It still feels surreal every night. I'm so grateful and honored to be doing what I'm doing".

Live reviews

I saw Mat Kearney at Almost Acoustic Christmas in 2011 in Fort Myers, Florida, and in January, 2012 at the Ritz Ybor in Ybor City, Florida. Mat Kearney’s blend of acoustic guitar mixed with soulful rapping creates a unique concert experience. Mat’s phenomenal stage presence will have you feeling the emotions of his lyrics throughout the performance. He engages with the audience in an intimate way so that you feel he is singing directly to you.
The variety of his songs will have you dancing, clapping, smiling, and possibly even tearing up. From his slower, more emotional songs like "Breathe In Breathe Out," to his more upbeat songs like "Hey Mama," you will hear a diverse range of music. He makes sure to play his hits including "Closer to Love," "Nothing Left to Lose," and "Ships In The Night." His beautiful melodies will be playing in your head for days after the concert. His inspiring lyrics will have you leaving the concert feeling positive and refreshed.
One of the highlights of one of the concerts I attended was an onstage dance party with the fans during Mat’s encore. A few girls jumped onstage from the crowd and started dancing with Mat, and instead of getting security to kick them off the stage as some artists would do, he started pulling more fans up onstage, my sister and friend included! It was an awesome way to end the show. Mat has a unique connection with his fans that you will be sure to experience at his live show.

Anonymous