Tonight at Top of the Park: 'Dinosaur' show, the Macpodz, Tree City, Alejandra O'Leary and more
Tonight is Day 13 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.
Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:
OVERVIEW
5 p.m. - Erth's "Dinosaur Petting Zoo" - special family performance
5-8 p.m. - KidZone - kids activity tent
5 p.m. - Gwenyth Hayes -blues/jazz
6 p.m. - Alejandra O'Leary - pop / rock
7 p.m. - Erth's "Dinosaur Petting Zoo" - special family performance
7 p.m. - Tree City & the ContraBand - hip-hop
9 p.m. - The Macpodz & Friends - blues / R&B
11 p.m. - After Dark with DJ Maxx Makau
ENTERTAINMENT DETAILS
Erth's "Dinosaur Petting Zoo" - 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
A 45- to 60-minute family performance, held on the lawn of the Power Center, in which the company interacts with the crowd by introducing them to a menagerie of creatures and walking the various prehistoric puppets through the audience for people to see up close and to pet. Admission free; donations appreciated; blankets and early arrival recommended. Additional performances at 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Gwenyth Hayes - 5 p.m. (Grove Stage)
Ann Arbor native Gwenyth Hayes is an ever-evolving, diverse jazz vocalist and bass guitarist. Recently returning to Michigan after a 3-year stint as a “first call” bassist on the competitive Chicago blues scene, her original jazzy arrangements include sultry torch songs, smooth soul, and popular songs.
Ann Arbor-based singer/songwriter Alejandra O'Leary plays melodic rock n' roll music that merges beautiful vocals, great pop hooks, and old-school sweetness.
Performing since: 1995
Home base: Ann Arbor
Style of music: Songwriter pop meets rock 'n' roll
Members: Alejandra O'Leary, Jimmy Sindelar, Jamie Church, Tom Bellinson
Day jobs: Tutor for high school students, U of M pharmacy student, salesman, computer guy
Favorite road food: Coffee, lots of coffee
Favorite stage outfit: Shirt about wolves
Musical hero: The Beatles
Website: www.alejandraoleary.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alejandraoleary
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/alejandraoleary
Tree City & the ContraBand - 7 p.m.
Tree City is an Ann Arbor-based hip-hop group consisting of 3 MC's and a DJ/MC (Cheeks, Clavius Crates, General P., and DJ Cataclysmic). Formed in 2005 after they met as teens at Neutral Zone, they've been supplying eardrums with their unique brand of hip-hop ever since, most recently releasing "Thus Far."
The Macpodz - 9 p.m.
The Macpodz are a guitar-less five piece jam band specializing in an eclectic and highly danceable mix of rock, jazz, funk, and fusion that the band calls "disco bebop.” Appearing tonight with a variety of special guests. Macpodz appearances are usually a Top of the Park highlight.
Video Q and A with the Macpodz
DJ Maxx Makau - 11p.m. (The Grove)
After Dark puts a new “spin” on festival moonlighting. Every Friday and Saturday night, The Grove at Top of the Park hosts a late-night chill lounge after the stage bands stop playing.
Performing since: Pro 2007, Hobby since Age 9
Home base: Ann Arbor, Metro Detroit
Style of music: Hip Hop, RnB, Urban, Afro-Beat, Afro-Pop, Top 40, Reggae, Dancehall
Band name backstory: Friends called me Mak or Maks, short for Makau. I was Dj Maks at first but finally settled on Dj Maxx.
Day jobs: Accounting / HR Admin
Favorite road food: Meat
Favorite stage outfit: T- Shirt and headphones
Musical hero: James Brown, DJ Jazzy Jeff
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
The Roots Lounge, presented by AnnArbor.com
Stop by The Roots Lounge, a new feature at the festival this year, presented by AnnArbor.com. With free public WiFi available through 20/20 Communications, it’s a place where you can post, share, tweet, read or just relax, listen and enjoy. And if your smartphone or tablet runs out of juice, stop by and use the free charging station.
Tonight visit with Ann Arbor’s 107one’s personalities as they host the stage performances in the adjacent Grove from 5-7 p.m. After 11 p.m., stop by After Dark as DJ Maxx Makau turns up the heat in The Grove and get your complimentary AnnArbor.com glow bracelet in The Roots Lounge.
KidZone - 5-8 p.m.
As described by the festival, "An interactive area for our youngest concert-goers, the Kidzone tent provides a fun and safe area for children and their parents to discover and explore a wide variety of hands-on activities with different community partners. From getting temporary tattoos, creating homemade instruments, or jamming out rock band style, KidZone offers different nightly activities for families at Top of the Park."
Top of the Park takes place in front of the Rackham Building on East Washington Street. In addition to the daily entertainment, a variety of local food vendors will also be on hand each night. For more information, see the Summer Festival website, and watch AnnArbor.com for complete coverage of festival events.
View Summer Festival Top of The Park 2012 in a larger map
Comments
rm1
Fri, Jun 29, 2012 : 2:50 p.m.
We saw part of the "Dinosaur Petting Zoo", by the Australian troupe ERTH, on a May trip to England. As we wandered casually through a large open square, there was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. There was a guy inside, making it walk, and the rest of it -- tail, neck and head, tiny forelegs -- were animatronic, and impressive, as were the snorts and growls it emitted. A young woman walked around with it, whether to help it navigate (probably not good visibility from inside), or to mitigate the sense of menace, I don't know. A woman standing near us exclaimed "it's just like the real thing" -- by which I suppose she meant, just like Steven Spielberg's creatures in Jurassic Park etc. Aren't these folks at the Summer Festival for several days?