Grand Rapids Michigan Not Dying but instead Scene of Greatest Music Video Ever Made

Although I'm from the east side of Michigan, I still feel pride in our state when I watch the following video that was produced in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is a massive city wide lip sync; a single long recording shot of residents singing along with Don McLean's "American Pie" that features the entire cityscape of Grand Rapids put together in amazing technical skill. Roger Ebert called it "the greatest music video ever made."

The motivation for this was Newsweek naming Grand Rapids as a 'dying city'- and that magazine couldn't be more wrong. Although a decade or more ago it might have been, today behind the generous donations of great business leaders, smart policies by politicians, and a good old Midwestern can-do spirit, it is now a city on the rise. From Art Prize to the Griffins to the nearby sand dune beaches of West Michigan, if you are looking for a great city to visit and spend some time in, Grand Rapids is it.

And now this video- it is amazing, down to the last shot of a city that is not dying but is on the rise. It is great- check it out!