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Verve Pipe, Wally Pleasant at two-day River Rock Concert

Thursday, May 26 @ The Avenue Café, 2021 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 18kknd, $7, 8 p.m. To save $10 on pre-sale tickets, visit: riverrockconcert.com

The first ever City Pulse River Rock Concert features a stacked lineup of legendary local acts. The two-day concert, sponsored by the Lansing Medical Cannabis Guild, happens at Adado Riverfront Park. The bands kick off June 10 with a special performance by the Verve Pipe, which formed in East Lansing in 1992. For the first time ever, the band performs its landmark, platinum-selling “Villains” LP in its entirety. The breakthrough alt-rock album, which produced radio hits like “The Freshman,” “Photograph” and “Cup of Tea,” turned 20 this year. Adding to the ‘90s nostalgia is an opening performance by anti-folk singer/songwriter Wally Pleasant, who also cut his teeth in the ‘90s East Lansing music scene. Following the album-centric theme, Pleasant performs his debut record, 1992’s “Songs About Stuff,” cover-to-cover. Triple Lindy, a local ‘80s cover band, also performs. Gates open at 5 p.m.

Then, on June 11, the River Rock Concert hosts a roster of emerging local bands and solo acts. Singer/songwriter Stefanie Haapala, indie rockers Elliot Street Lunatic, hiphop artist James Gardin and pop punk outfit City Mouse provide the evening’s soundtrack. The evening also includes City Pulse’s Top of the Town Party, which celebrates the winners of this year’s contest. (See p. 9 for more on the Top of the Town Party.) The Grand American Fish Rodeo presents a variety of riverthemed events earlier that day.

The River Rock Concert is a fundraiser for Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art, which runs the MICA Gallery in Old Town and hosts Old Town JazzFest and Michigan BluesFest.

Lansing Medical Cannabis Guild presents the City Pulse River Rock Concert

Friday, June 10:

5 p.m. — Gates open 6:30 p.m. — Triple Lindy 8 p.m. — Wally Pleasant performs “Songs About Stuff” 9:20 p.m. — The Verve Pipe performs “Villains”

Saturday, June 11:

3:30 p.m. — Gates open 4:30 p.m. — James Gardin 6:30 p.m. — Stefanie Haapala 8 p.m. — City Mouse 9:30 p.m. — Elliot Street Lunatic

Fishbone at Mac's Bar

Thursday, June 2 @ Mac’s Bar, 2600 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. All ages, $23/$20 adv., 7 p.m.

Known for its dynamic, fast-paced blend of punk, funk, ska and hard rock, Fishbone gained a cult following in the late 1980s thanks to a string of acclaimed records. The Los Angeles-based outfit, led by vocalist/ saxophonist Angelo Moore, formed in 1979 and gigged across the city with contemporaries like Thelonious Monster and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. By 1983, Fishbone signed with Columbia Records and recorded a single and an EP. In 1986, the group dropped its debut full-length, “In Your Face,” and opened a national tour for the Beastie Boys. Since then, the band has continued to release records on various labels, most recently 2014’s “Intrinsically Intertwined” EP. The band headlines June 2 at Mac’s Bar; openers are Downtown Brown, Frank and Earnest and Matt Wixson's Flying Circus.