Jeff Daniels downtown Mount Pleasant performance draws huge crowd

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Max and Emily’s Summer Concert series Saturday concluded with a twang — guitar twangs, that is.

The echoes of former Central Michigan University student Jeff Daniels’ strumming carried through downtown Mount Pleasant, drawing in the biggest crowd in series history with well over 1,000 people in attendance.

A sea of eyes surrounded the actor, who decked out in full CMU attire and sat upon a small makeshift stage on Broadway Street. Lawn chairs also packed the road, which was closed to thru traffic.

Daniels made his way to the stage, guitar in hand, in the early evening. His RV was parked feet away from the stage. The enthusiastic audience erupted with applause, some even rising to their feet.

Mount Pleasant resident Jan Ball was most enthusiastic about the venue for the event.

Jeff Daniels performs Saturday during the Max and Emily’s Summer Concert Series on Broadway Street in downtown Mount Pleasant. (Jeff Smith/Staff Photographer)

“There is something about outdoor live music that is very special,” Ball said. “I think it’s great, especially for a college town. We should have more of this sort of stuff.”

Clouds loomed over the outdoor event, but the audience seemed unconcerned. Many of Daniels’ songs contained references to Michigan, first kicking off the night with a song about “Mount Pleasant on a Saturday night.”

He also sang about the Upper Peninsula, the Detroit Tigers and songs about his acting career.

Daniel’s son, Ben, also performed when Jeff took a short break.

Mandy McCue, a Mount Pleasant senior and Max and Emily’s employee, said the event is all about bettering downtown.

“We think it’s a really cool thing to do for the community,” McCue said. “We’re hoping to better the downtown and bring people downtown.”

The Red Cross Infant Food Pantry and the CMU Marching Band collected donations of diapers, formula and cash throughout the concert. An estimated $1,000 dollars was collected in donations.

“We got great feedback,” McCue said. “We hope to do the same thing next year, if not bigger and better.”