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Michigan Central concert among most memorable evenings of homegrown music in years

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Michigan Central concert among most memorable evenings of homegrown music in years

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What does Detroit renewal sound like? Thursday night, it was loud, soulful, righteous and swelling with pride. 

On one of the most memorable evenings of homegrown music shared by the city in many years, Diana Ross switched on the party, Jack White turned up the dial, and Eminem brought it all to a crescendo at the resurrected Michigan Central Station.  

About 20,000 eager concertgoers piled into Roosevelt Park for the much-anticipated free event, held to celebrate the reopening of the 111-year-old, long-abandoned train station following its dramatic makeover by Ford Motor Co. More than a dozen genre-spanning musical acts — along with athletes, actors, civic officials and community figures — took the stage to create a special moment with the onsite crowd and others tuning in from across the region and world. 

The tapestry of Detroit music was set against the striking backdrop of the handsomely lit Michigan Central, a longtime relic of decay transformed into an 18-story landmark of hope. 

The show, produced by a team of top-end music and broadcast veterans, was crisp and polished, managing to serve up a fresh highlight every few minutes.  

Ross launched the evening with time-tested elegance, taking the stage in a billowy, sequined orange gown and a buoyant “I’m Coming Out,” part of an 11-minute set capped by her Motown classic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Like most of Thursday’s performers, she was backed by a versatile house band led by musical director Adam Blackstone. 

The setting sun that greeted Ross eventually gave way to the nightfall that would accompany Eminem’s potent finale — where the Detroit Symphony Orchestra added its grandeur to a set punctuated by fireworks and special guests. 

More: After 3 decades of darkness, Michigan Central Station reopens with epic celebration

More: ‘Detroit, we love you’: Eminem caps memorable night at Michigan Central Station

For Thursday’s audience, Eminem was a not-so-shocking surprise: Going into the show, he’d been billed as an executive producer though not listed on the performer lineup. So buzz was palpable as DSO musicians quietly got situated on the stage and Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford, stepped out to introduce the next performance. 

The Detroit rapper, stalking the stage in a hoodie and playing his first hometown show in a decade, was in strong voice and tight flow while unleashing a four-song set that kicked off with his new retro-vibed hit, “Houdini.” 

He moved on to “Sing for the Moment” with guest Jelly Roll, who sang the hook made famous by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, before welcoming hometown hip-hop guru Trick Trick for a high-performance take on their 2005 collaboration “Welcome 2 Detroit.”  

Eminem at last made his way to “Not Afraid” as the DSO’s strings brought a cinematic feel to his rousing 2010 song of triumph over tribulation. 

That was a fitting closer for Thursday’s communal celebration of Detroit resurgence: “Come take my hand,” Eminem rapped in the chorus. “We’ll walk this road together through the storm.”  

White had preceded Eminem with a reliably explosive performance backed by his longtime touring band. A rendition of the White Stripes’ “Hotel Yorba” — his festive homage to another area landmark — gave way to a scorching cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Hear My Train a Comin’” topped with White’s slide-guitar frenzy. 

“I thought it might be all right if I played a couple of songs that were written a few blocks from right here,” the southwest Detroit native announced. 

Having strapped on his well-weathered Kay Hollowbody guitar, White dove into the Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and went on to whip up a neighborhood singalong of the seven-note riff that has become a global anthem. 

Earlier, Big Sean spoke passionately about the revival of Michigan Central, centerpiece of a 30-acre campus positioned by Ford as a leading-edge technology and innovation hub. The train station saw a whole lot of Detroit history, the rapper pointed out: the rise of the auto industry, Motown, the 1967 riots, the city’s 2013 bankruptcy. 

“It’s been here longer than all of us,” he said. (With the possible exception of “some of y’all OGs,” anyone 111-years-old and up, he cracked.) 

Michigan Central, like Detroit, went through hell and back. 

“The fact that it’s gone through all this pressure, it’s a diamond that came from the rough,” Big Sean said. 

The rapper’s performance included his bright and funky new song dedicated to his 1-year-old son with Jhené Aiko.  

On a night that included in-person appearances by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan — along with onscreen commendations from former President Barack Obama and General Motors CEO Mary Barra — music played the central role. 

A tribute to Bob Seger featured Melissa Etheridge (“Mainstreet”), Jelly Roll (“Turn the Page”) and a very invested Fantasia in a Tina Turner-esque rendition of “Shakedown.” The three then linked up for “Old Time Rock and Roll.”  

A vividly outfitted Clark Sisters, backed by the Greater Emmanuel choir and joined by Kierra Sheard, delivered a medley of their gospel hits capped by an effervescent “You Brought the Sunshine.” 

Old-school Detroit hip-hop reigned during a dedication to the late hip-hop producer J. Dilla, with Slum Village offering a lush “Fall in Love” and Common performing his uplifting Dilla-produced hit “The Light.” 

In a show designed to run 90 minutes (it ultimately clocked in at 108), there’s only so much music to be squeezed in. 

Still, it’s not nitpicking to point out there was no spotlight on Aretha Franklin. No Stevie Wonder, no Temptations, no Marvin Gaye. No nod to jazz, no Grande Ballroom-era rock. That might speak to the vastness of Detroit’s musical heritage, sure. But those were glaring omissions in a show touted as a comprehensive survey of the city’s legacy. 

Nevertheless, Thursday’s Michigan Central concert was a symbolic mile marker for Detroit: a gush of creative vibrance and a coming-together amid a burgeoning revival. 

If the event sometimes came off like a supersized promo for Ford’s ambitious development, you could forgive the rah-rah approach. It’s hard to knock a nearly $1 billion investment and a well-intentioned recognition of Detroit community, complete with “what up doe” greetings from the stage throughout the night. 

The Michigan Central concert reveled in a unique American place: a city that has intermingled cultures while innovating industry and building important things, battling its demons while fighting for triumphs. That mix — raw, yearning, hardworking, combustible — long ago ignited a distinct approach to art. It’s been influential across the world, and it was the common thread onstage Thursday night. 

Resurgence is a real sense in Detroit, a city where resilience is inborn and tougher tests have been endured.   

And at Michigan Central, with music at the forefront, that cultural confidence reigned. Amid the nostalgic sounds and historical images, the mood was optimistic, forward-looking, defiant. Detroit knows what it has given the world, what it might be poised to give the world, and it was proud to show it off. 

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com. 

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