GRAND RAPIDS, MI — With Acrisure Amphitheater set to open in May, there’s lots of enthusiasm among live music fans for the riverfront venue’s inaugural 2026 concert season.
Which performers are on the public’s wish list?
There was no shortage of suggestions in an unscientific MLive poll, where 28 readers listed everyone from Michigan native Billy Strings, The Cure, Metallica, Lana Del Rey, John Mellencamp, Def Leppard, Bob Seger and many more.
Except for Billy Strings, the 32-year-old bluegrass singer, songwriter and guitarist who grew up in Ionia County and has risen to national stardom, there were no repeat requests. Three readers asked for a performance by Strings in the unscientific survey.
Acrisure Amphitheater is located along the Grand River at 201 Market Ave. SW in downtown Grand Rapids.
The venue has capacity for 12,000 concertgoers, with 7,000 seats under a covered canopy, roughly the size of a football field, and a lawn that can accommodate 5,000 people.
The first peek at the venue’s opening season was unveiled Monday, when officials announced that country pop star Russell Dickerson is set to perform at the amphitheater on May 30, 2026.
While Dickerson is the first artist whose upcoming performance at the amphitheater has been announced, he won’t be the first act to perform at the venue, according to ASM Global, the company that will manage, oversee and book events at Acrisure Amphitheater in partnership with Live Nation.
Other concerts, including the opening performance, are expected to be announced in the weeks and months ahead.
Rich MacKeigan, the regional general manager of ASM Global in Grand Rapids, previously said he expects the amphitheater’s first season to include between 30 and 35 concerts, and that he expects a diverse lineup with performers from a host of genres represented.
“The quantity and the quality of shows that are either locked in or trying to be solidified is really, really strong,” he said.
Acrisure Amphitheater was developed through a public-private partnership between private development firm Grand Action 2.0, the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority, the city of Grand Rapids and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
Construction of the $184 million amphitheater is more than halfway complete. The venue is owned by the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority, and is being funded through a mix of public and private dollars.
The venue is named after Acrisure, the Grand Rapids-based financial technology company that provided a $30 million contribution to the project.