{"id":6238,"date":"2026-08-31T05:49:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T05:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/sonic-lunch-draws-hundreds-to-liberty-street\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T05:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T05:49:08","slug":"sonic-lunch-draws-hundreds-to-liberty-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/sonic-lunch-draws-hundreds-to-liberty-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Sonic Lunch draws hundreds to Liberty Street"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\" style=\"--aspect-ratio:calc(2400 \/ 1597)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\">\n<figure><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Fans cheer during the Ax and the Hatchetmen performance in Liberty Plaza during the Sonic Lunch Concert Series Thursday, Aug. 20. <i>Vivian Tai\/DAILY.<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/store.pub.umich.edu\/michigan-daily-buy-this-photo\/\">Buy this photo.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" alt=\"Ax and the Hatchetmen sings into a microphone.\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-615424\" data-id=\"615424\" data-aspect-ratio=\"2400 \/ 1597\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=2048%2C1363&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=2000%2C1331&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1894.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Ax and the Hatchetmen perform in Liberty Plaza during the Sonic Lunch Concert Series Thursday, Aug. 20. <i>Vivian Tai\/DAILY.<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/store.pub.umich.edu\/michigan-daily-buy-this-photo\/\">Buy this photo.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" alt=\"Audience members watch Ax and the Hatchetmen perform onstage.\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-615426\" data-id=\"615426\" data-aspect-ratio=\"2400 \/ 1597\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=2048%2C1363&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=2000%2C1331&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1888.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Fans cheer during the Ax and the Hatchetmen performance in Liberty Plaza during the Sonic Lunch Concert Series Thursday, Aug. 20. <i>Vivian Tai\/DAILY.<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/store.pub.umich.edu\/michigan-daily-buy-this-photo\/\">Buy this photo.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" alt=\"Ax and the Hatchetmen sings into a microphone.\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-615425\" data-id=\"615425\" data-aspect-ratio=\"2400 \/ 1597\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=2048%2C1363&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=2000%2C1331&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/viv.NEW_.SonicLunchConcert.08.20.2026_1907.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Ax and the Hatchetmen perform in Liberty Plaza during the Sonic Lunch Concert Series Thursday, Aug. 20. <i>Vivian Tai\/DAILY.<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/store.pub.umich.edu\/michigan-daily-buy-this-photo\/\">Buy this photo.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"\/><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"\/><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">East Liberty Street was blocked off from South Division Street to South Fifth Avenue every Thursday over the summer for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soniclunch.com\/\">Sonic Lunch<\/a>, a local concert series started by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankofannarbor.com\/\">Bank of Ann Arbor<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soniclunch.com\/about\">18 years<\/a> ago to entertain downtown workers during their lunch breaks. Hundreds of local community members and out-of-town fans flocked to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2gov.org\/parks-and-recreation\/parks-and-places\/liberty-plaza\/\">Liberty Plaza<\/a> Thursday, Aug. 20, to watch\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ohlymusic\/?hl=en\">Ohly, a Detroit-based indie artist<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axandthehatchetmen.com\/?srsltid=AfmBOor9e1gGkiGwi1n-J-3ajSbTdWf9FB_WWYQpCJOZa-2rsirCol7s\">Ax and the Hatchetmen,<\/a> a six-member indie rock band, perform on a hot summer afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with The Michigan Daily, event organizer Matthew Altruda said Sonic Lunch started out smaller, but it has grown to the point where street closure is necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s rare for us to do under 1,000 people \u2014 the whole city takes their lunch break with us,\u201d Altruda said. \u201cWe used to not close the street every week. We just had it in Liberty (Plaza), but now we have to close the street because of our crowds.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sonic Lunch also invites local restaurants to serve food at stands during their concert, yet despite the growing crowds, Altruda said he is struggling to find restaurants willing to serve food during the lunchtime event.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo be completely honest with you, back in the day doing this festival, I had to turn restaurants away, and in 2026, I have to beg them,\u201d Altruda said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t have the staff to do it; people just aren\u2019t doing lunches anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connor Lyman, LSA junior and concertgoer, had previously heard Ax and the Hatchetmen live. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Lyman said he was excited to hear their newer work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know a lot of their music, so it was great because I knew a lot of the songs that they played,\u201d Lyman said. \u201cIt was cool to see some of the new work they did, cool to see like the harmonizing guitar stuff that they did, and the horns are always great.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Axel Ellis, the band\u2019s lead singer, said the crowd\u2019s cheering kept them energetic on stage, even in the heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEveryone was so nice,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cIt was like such a sweet turnout, and it was like the sun came out, and then it got real hot, and everyone kept all the energy up, which keeps us up, and it\u2019s an exchange of vibes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Altruda said he focuses on a diverse lineup when choosing which artists to invite to perform.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI try to have a very diverse lineup of female and male headliners,\u201d Altruda said. \u201cWe\u2019ve done that forever. We want to be as diverse as possible. I want 12-year-old girls to come to my concert and see a female playing the bass and be like, \u2018I want to be a bass player.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final performance in this summer\u2019s concert series was on Thursday and featured two female artists, <a href=\"https:\/\/mavisstaples.com\/\">Mavis Staples<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meisemones.com\/\">Mei Semones<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Altruda said that while diversity in both identity and music genre was a priority when booking musical guests, he prioritized quality when deciding concert lineups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI try to book everything for everyone, but I also need to make sure they\u2019re really, really good,\u201d Altruda said. \u201cThe goal with Sonic Lunch for me a lot of the time is if people show up and don\u2019t know who the band is, they\u2019re gonna leave a fan because we bring quality every week.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Daily Staff Reporter Rebecca Borlace can be reached at<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/ann-arbor\/sonic-lunch-showcases-ax-and-the-hatchetmen-draws-hundreds-to-liberty-street\/mailto:rborlace@umich.edu\"><em>rborlace@umich.edu<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fans cheer during the Ax and the Hatchetmen performance in Liberty Plaza during the Sonic Lunch Concert Series Thursday, Aug. 20. Vivian Tai\/DAILY. Buy this photo. Ax and the Hatchetmen perform in Liberty Plaza during the Sonic Lunch Concert Series Thursday, Aug. 20. Vivian Tai\/DAILY. Buy this photo. Fans cheer during the Ax and the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2813,4365,4378,5392,609,663],"class_list":["post-6238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-draws","tag-hundreds","tag-liberty","tag-lunch","tag-sonic","tag-street"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6240,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6238\/revisions\/6240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}