Year after year, on a random walk through the Diag, you may hear the blare of speakers and turn your head to see picnic blankets and orderly lines of foldable tables set up on State Street. SpringFest has finally arrived. It’s an event best when stumbled upon, and as live music floods your ears and the delicious smell of food vendors makes your stomach grumble, it’s hard not to take part.
As the name implies, SpringFest celebrates the transition into the warmer days. It provides an opportunity for the Ann Arbor community to reconnect with one another after being separated by the biting cold of winter. This year was no different; festival-goers were ready to celebrate the shy return of the sun, surrounded by physical and metaphorical warmth. The performances burst with the same renewed energy. One of the many University of Michigan clubs that took to the stage, Groove, exemplified this in the pounding of their drumsticks. With an almost unnatural enthusiasm, they ran from trash cans to buckets to ladders, jumping back and forth as they hit each in sharp choreography.
At SpringFest, there’s something for everyone: local bands highlight their original work or spin their own takes on well-worn classics, and the music is as diverse as the community it comes from. House party hit band “998,805 Beers” showed a veteran side — complemented by the professional setup of the MUSIC Matters’ stage — they produced a polished take on indie rock, alternating between covers and originals. 512 did a beautiful cover of Geese’s “I See Myself,” capturing the same energy of the original production but with more vigor in the barking vocals of the chorus. Payton&Annabelle provided a different sound, a tone more in character with fall than spring. They covered multigenerational hits like “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” by Paul Simon, and Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” with an original mix of jazzy guitar, raspy vocals and pounding drums.
Behind the stage, on the intersection of State St. and N. University Ave. was a smattering of vendors. Food trucks were sold shaved ice, sliders and empanadas. Representatives from M-Dining handed out free tasters of campus-grown salsa, and a variety of organizations and businesses advertised themselves. By giving other student organizations — such as VIPs, a/squared, the Michigan Songwriters Collective and more — a chance to showcase their work, SpringFest reinforced a sense of community among University students, with some of them even competing in the event’s annual wing-eating contest.
Don Beckwith — a representative from Rocket Mortgage — outdid every other competitor, though, eating an impressive 24 wings. In an interview with the Michigan Daily, Beckwith states, “I regret nothing.”
SpringFest is special because it brings out a sense of community in University students and Ann Arborites alike, reminding them why sticking out the winter is so important. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, SpringFest brand partnerships co-manager Alaina Newton said it best: “From elders to babies, everyone was outside together enjoying SpringFest … and that’s why music matters.”
Daily Arts Writers Joe Bogdan and Caroline Nowik can be reached at joebogdn@umich.edu and cnowik@umich.edu.
