Venue Tower at the BOB - 20 Monroe Live - House of Blues/Live Nation Venue

[joeDowntown]

2 hours ago, mgreven said:

Maybe I'm just being positive, but I'm glad to see at least some paint.  That plain concrete looked so bad to me but the painted part does improve that side a lot. Here's assuming they'll finish it! Maybe they didn't like the color and stopped?

Oh, to be clear-  I like the painted sections way better than concrete. Just perplexed why they stopped. Being a House of Blues type venue, I was hoping maybe they were holding out for some murals and crazy artwork.

Joe

[x99]

The painted concrete does look a lot better than the bare concrete walls.  Someone should tell the GRAM.

[GR8scott]

Also the signage is ridiculously boring, I would hope they end up going for some kind of retro theater sign 

[droonus2000]

Tonight I talked to an artist painting a mural on the side of the venue. The same guy that did the angel across from RPC.  Appearently, there is supposed to be multiple murals around the outside all being done during ArtPrize. He just got started yesterday due to beauracy between land managers. Gilmore loves it, Live Nation is pissed. Partly because that side is where buses have to park. So the artist has to move his crane van everyday.   No idea what he is painting. He said abstract guitar.

This is exactly what I wanted, some art to draw one though the ally, and something for hotel guests to look at in the future.

[EastownLeo]

On 9/29/2017 at 10:59 PM, droonus2000 said:

Tonight I talked to an artist painting a mural on the side of the venue. The same guy that did the angel across from RPC.  Appearently, there is supposed to be multiple murals around the outside all being done during ArtPrize. He just got started yesterday due to beauracy between land managers. Gilmore loves it, Live Nation is pissed. Partly because that side is where buses have to park. So the artist has to move his crane van everyday.   No idea what he is painting. He said abstract guitar.

This is exactly what I wanted, some art to draw one though the ally, and something for hotel guests to look at in the future.

I also have a friend painting a mural on 20 Monroe.  Looks like they are trying to add some color, and use some local talent.

[joeDowntown]

That's great! I was hoping that was the reason they left it unfinished.  I'm surprised that Live Nation doesn't like it. House of Blues does a great job buying outsider art and I've always liked the quirkiness of their venues / restaurants.  

Joe

[droonus2000]

7 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

That's great! I was hoping that was the reason they left it unfinished.  I'm surprised that Live Nation doesn't like it. House of Blues does a great job buying outsider art and I've always liked the quirkiness of their venues / restaurants.  

Joe

That was my thinking too. Live Nation venues usually have great art inside and out. There is plenty inside here. Maybe it's just that manager. He said the LN  person  was very unpleasant to deal with, but Gilmore was ectastic.

[GRDadof3]

53 minutes ago, droonus2000 said:

That was my thinking too. Live Nation venues usually have great art inside and out. There is plenty inside here. Maybe it's just that manager. He said the LN  person  was very unpleasant to deal with, but Gilmore was ectastic.

As long as it's good. Some of the murals done around here lately have been pretty sad. Look to the murals around the Eastern Market in Detroit for high quality stuff. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=eastern+market+detroit+murals&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS737US737&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHz9CqutPWAhXJQSYKHX-2DXUQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=710

[GR8scott]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

As long as it's good. Some of the murals done around here lately have been pretty sad. Look to the murals around the Eastern Market in Detroit for high quality stuff. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=eastern+market+detroit+murals&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS737US737&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHz9CqutPWAhXJQSYKHX-2DXUQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=710

Yea gota step up the mural game. Denver has some really cool ones 

[EastownLeo]

From what I hear, it is the approval by the management that is the major issue.  Artists want to be truly creative and put up good images, but owners and manager are scared and things end up more flat. To be careful.

[thebeerqueer]

2 minutes ago, EastownLeo said:

From what I hear, it is the approval by the management that is the major issue.  Artists want to be truly creative and put up good images, but owners and manager are scared and things end up more flat. To be careful.

That sounds more likely. For an 'art'crazy town like GR, a lot of our public art leans towards the non-threatening, safe and bland. There are definitely a exceptional pieces  though. 

[droonus2000]

18 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

As long as it's good. Some of the murals done around here lately have been pretty sad. Look to the murals around the Eastern Market in Detroit for high quality stuff. 

 

Eastern Market is fantastic! Have you seen the Z Deck in Detroit? I think it's the best parking ramp interior  ever designed. 

I agree a lot of recent murals are safe. I wish developers or the city would hire internationally known artists and just say "do your thing".

https://www.google.com/search?q=detroit+z+deck&prmd=sinv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjT_MvMstXWAhVJ2oMKHZM_BPEQ_AUIEigC&biw=1024&bih=672&dpr=2

[HavingAhoot]

15 hours ago, droonus2000 said:

Eastern Market is fantastic! Have you seen the Z Deck in Detroit? I think it's the best parking ramp interior  ever designed. 

I agree a lot of recent murals are safe. I wish developers or the city would hire internationally known artists and just say "do your thing".

https://www.google.com/search?q=detroit+z+deck&prmd=sinv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjT_MvMstXWAhVJ2oMKHZM_BPEQ_AUIEigC&biw=1024&bih=672&dpr=2

That alley way with the pop up bars, art and cafe lights was something pretty cool too.  GR needs more of this even if it gets critiqued being "Hipster". 

[wingbert]

I wish more of these would return.  I loved that graffiti and thought the city should've embraced it more.

  

     

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, HavingAhoot said:

That alley way with the pop up bars, art and cafe lights was something pretty cool too.  GR needs more of this even if it gets critiqued being "Hipster". 

Totally. The alley that runs next to San Chez all the way down past Stella's would be an excellent spot to replicate this. An attempt to do an alley street art festival in that alley was tried a few years ago but ran into issues with historic preservationism. As in, you can't paint any of the original brick walls with murals in Heartside District, only walls that have been built recently. Too bad, it would be pretty cool. 

The giant mural on the back of the Harris Building ran into that recently, and they were trying to get Bob Dykstra to have it removed. I think it fizzled out though from people coming out in support of it. ie the mural is still there:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/06/dont_fret_mural_grand_rapids.html

 

[thebeerqueer]

1 hour ago, wingbert said:

I wish more of these would return.  I loved that graffiti and thought the city should've embraced it more.

  

     

I fully agree! These pieces were great!

[Allison Slater]

What about the former Arcade next to Flannagan's?  Just need to relocate the dumpsters and give the pavement a good wash.

[Pattmost20]

5 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Totally. The alley that runs next to San Chez all the way down past Stella's would be an excellent spot to replicate this. An attempt to do an alley street art festival in that alley was tried a few years ago but ran into issues with historic preservationism. As in, you can't paint any of the original brick walls with murals in Heartside District, only walls that have been built recently. Too bad, it would be pretty cool. 

The giant mural on the back of the Harris Building ran into that recently, and they were trying to get Bob Dykstra to have it removed. I think it fizzled out though from people coming out in support of it. ie the mural is still there:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/06/dont_fret_mural_grand_rapids.html

 

My buddy went to high school with that "Don't Fret" guy. He had a few original works of his hanging around his apartment last time I went to visit. It would be a huge shame if they took that down.

[GRDadof3]

There's a request before the planning commission coming up to redesign the beer garden at the BOB. No full packet yet so no renderings yet (online anyway).

[discgrab21]

On 6/2/2018 at 5:14 PM, GRDadof3 said:

There's a request before the planning commission coming up to redesign the beer garden at the BOB. No full packet yet so no renderings yet (online anyway).

I have been wondering about that lately.  The place has been open nearly 18 months, and they haven't done a thing for the "beer garden".  Definitely interested to see what they have in mind.

[GRDadof3]

New Beer Garden imagery. Bring out your pitchforks and fangs.   

*Maybe that yellow was the only yellow color available in the CAD system.  

[metrogrkid]

[GVSUChris]

13 minutes ago, metrogrkid said:

I saw this on Friday in the PC Agenda Packet and honestly I had so few cares left or feelings to give this I thought "whatever just build it and let's be done with this project." 

I won't even waste energy hating it at this point and am simply hoping that it will be vibrant and vital and bring energy to that strange plaza. This is really all I have to say anymore about anything related to the BOB. 

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, GVSUChris said:

I saw this on Friday in the PC Agenda Packet and honestly I had so few cares left or feelings to give this I thought "whatever just build it and let's be done with this project." 

I won't even waste energy hating it at this point and am simply hoping that it will be vibrant and vital and bring energy to that strange plaza. This is really all I have to say anymore about anything related to the BOB. 

I don't understand why they didn't just stick with the original design. It at least had a color scheme that complimented the rest of the project. Now they have the old brick BOB, the pseudo modern addition with the big sails, 20 Monroe North Art Neuvieau (?), the cube, and now Grand Woods Lounge. 

[Guest]

Where's the garden?