BLED Fest Shakes Hartland

The constant stream of tweets on bledfest.com is proof enough that Saturday’s alternative rock concert was, again, a crowd pleaser: “Today is a day we’ll never forget,” tweeted WayToFall. And, “Bledfest, you complete me,” came from UTGMelanie.

For the seventh year, BLED Fest shook Hartland to its core, building more commanding force each time and concert-goers couldn’t be more thrilled with how it turned out.

“I love it here. It’s been absolutely amazing,” Rachel Browder of Howell said.

And after three years of rocking out at the all-day annual event, she came prepared.

“You wouldn’t think so, but it (schedule) makes all the difference,” Browder said while pointing to her jotted down notes and starred off items on a printed schedule.

Six stages (labeled as A-F) were assembled indoors at the Hartland Performing Art Center inside where 71 bands (some from as far as Atlanta, GA) performed throughout the day. To the left of the main doors, smaller bands appeared while those expected to draw a larger audience such as Norma Jean, Eisley, and I Am The Avalanche performed on stages A and B.

The Hartland venue inside the is a huge step up from where the concert originally started — at founder Ben Staub’s house — but spectators still noticed how tight it was.

“It feels way more crowded than last year. I mean, normally I can find my friends pretty easily but this year it’s been impossible,” Browder said.

BLED Fest's Facebook page reported close to 2,800 in attendance, which follows years where roughly 2,000 last year and 1,700 the year before.

Nate Dorough, owner of Fusion Shows, had said before Saturday that considering the growth in numbers, the all ages show may eventually need a bigger venue.

“We’re extremely grateful to be at the PAC  and we try to take care of the facilities as much as we can,” Dorough said. “But we’re growing quickly.”

The jam packed setting was noticeably stuffy, but no one seemed to care as mosh pits broke out and crowd surfers flung through the air. First timers to the show, Lights at Sea (a Grand Rapids band), felt they experienced really positive feedback from the crowd.

“Considering this is a hardcore concert and we’re a rock band, we had a good turnout. Probably 200 people showed up,” drummer Rob Burt III stated. “We’re trying to tour more this summer and this is the right way to start off.”

In fact, lead singer of the ska/punk band We Are The Union, thanked the crowd for coming so amped up.

“You guys are doing great. I know I’m doing great too. It’s the last few days of a tour when we’ve been on the road for 30-40 days and I’m like ‘I just want to sleep in my own bed!’ So I’m feeling good right now.”

Merchandise vendor for the Rochester, NY, band Such Gold Joe Piehler was excited to be apart of the action, too.

“It’s been insane. T-shirts are selling like crazy. Everyone has been excited today because it was our singer’s first day back from being out and I think they have gotten a lot of support here.”

Almost every hallway was lined with band ”merch” for sale as attendees represented their favorite bands ranging from metal to folk to indie pop.

This year BLED Fest attracted rockers from all over Michigan, including Grand Ledge and Cadillac, although no bands came from Hartland. For 16-year-old Rebecca Rodney of Grand Ledge, this was the right way to begin her summer.

“Compared to how much movie tickets are these days, this was worth it," she said. "You get a ton of exposure to different kinds of music. Who can argue with that?”