Detroit — Another chapter in Detroit's revival was written, sung and celebrated Thursday as 20,000 people descended on Roosevelt Park in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood for a star-studded concert that celebrated the rebirth of Michigan Central Station, an iconic landmark that spent decades as a symbol of the city's decline.
The show was nothing short of a love letter to Detroit as a vast range of musical styles were presented on stage in front of the renovated facility, ranging from pop to rock, soul to rap, techno to gospel. Motown legend Diana Ross kicked off the official concert proceedings with some of her biggest hits, including "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down."
And it ended with hometown rapper Eminem, the pride of Warren, doing a four-song set backed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra that included "Welcome 2 Detroit" with Trick Trick and his current release, "Houdini."
The festivities began in intense winds, but they could not stop the 80-year-old Ross from sparkling in a flowing orange dress as she encouraged the crowd to dance with her. In the first 15 minutes of the show, she sang her own songs as well as beloved Motown hits.
"I thank you, Detroit," she said during her song "Thank You." "Thank you for being home."
Ross, who grew up in Detroit's Brewster-Douglass low-income housing projects, returned to the Motor City to highlight the reopening of the Michigan Central Station, a nearly $1 billion renovation project of the closed train station and surrounding campus that was undertaken six years ago after Ford Motor Co. bought the facility.
The sold-out, 90-minute outdoor concert featured a lineup of musical performances and short films, all a tribute to Detroit in some way.
Melissa Etheridge, Fantasia and Jelly Roll all paid tribute to Michigan's Bob Seger, who was born in Detroit. Etheridge played Seger’s “Mainstreet,” a single from Seger’s 1976 album "Night Moves."
Fantasia performed Seger’s No. 1 hit “Shakedown,” which appeared in the 1987 film "Beverly Hills Cop II." The movie follows Eddie Murphy character Axel Foley, a Detroit cop, as he travels to California to help try to find out who tried to kill his friend — yet another Detroit homage in a long series.
Country music's Jelly Roll sang “Turn the Page.”
Nearly every genre was covered: Rappers Common, Illa J and Slum Village paid tribute to J Dilla, Illa J’s brother and a former member of Slum Village. J Dilla, who died at 32 in 2006 from lupus and a blood disorder, is still considered one of the most influential hip-hop producers ever.
Gospel group the Clark Sisters performed a series of their songs, which have been widely credited with helping to bring gospel music to the mainstream. Detroit DJ Sky Jetta played techno music for an energetic crowd.
But it wasn't just music — the event brought a plethora of celebrities from virtually every industry. Barry Sanders, the iconic former Detroit Lions running back, was greeted with loud chants of his own name as he presented with current Lions players Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Actor Sam Richardson made short introductions, as did comedian Loni Love, Judge Greg Mathis and actress Sophia Bush, who said her venture capital firm will be housed in Michigan Central Station, of course.
Toward the show's end, Jack White played a 10-minute set that featured songs that he said were written just a few blocks from where he was performing. That included White Stripes' megahit "Seven Nation Army," complete with pyrotechnics.
Eminem, who helped to produce the entire event, closed the show with "Sing for the Moment" and "Not Afraid."
He left the crowd just before the end of his last song with a short message. "Detroit, we're up. I love you," he said. "Our city’s up. Let's f------ go!”
'Gateway for opportunity'
From speakers to attendees, everyone seemed to realize the magnitude of the event. After being introduced by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. called Thursday night "a dream come true."
"There were many doubters who didn't believe our mission was possible," Ford told the crowd. "We all are proud of this, and this city is where the American dream was born. This station was the gateway for opportunity for many generations."
He finished by saying the station's revival gives "notice to the world … that Detroit can change the world, and we can do it right here at Michigan Central.”
The attendees said they came to celebrate Detroit, wearing Lions football jerseys, Corktown T-shirts and even Michigan Central Station merchandise. Some came for a memory, whether to celebrate the train station's reopening, grab a chunk of turf from the refurbished park where the concert was being held or looking for a musical memory from a big-time star or an act they had never heard before.
Others realized they were witnessing a unique moment in Detroit history. Natalie Munro of Detroit told her friend Jaida Uphaus that Thursday's concert would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"This is a huge, huge moment for Detroit. I don't think people realize it," Munro said. "You have Diana Ross, Jack White … Big Sean. You have some of the classics and the DSO all coming out here. You're not going to ever get a concert like this."
Around the side of the stage, fans could get a bit closer and clamored to snag a square of grass or space on the walkway for a good sight line. Rea Maci and Chiyellow Onuigvo, both of Detroit, were soaking in the sun there as streams of concertgoers still funneled in from Michigan Avenue before the concert.
“We actually both worked on projects with Michigan Central Station for the past year,” Onuigvo said. “To see it coming to fruition now is really interesting.”
Detroit draws Iowans
The concert drew people from around Metro Detroit and as far away as Iowa. Lori Pierce and Alexa Groth, a mother and daughter from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were the first people in line Thursday for the Michigan Central concert, arriving near the entrance of the event between 9:30 and 10 a.m., Pierce said.
They drove 11 hours to get to Detroit, she said. Pierce and Groth said they were having a “blast” and listening to music as they waited to get into the concert, whose doors opened a little after 6 p.m.
“People are saying hi to us, which never happens where we’re from,” said Groth, 33.
Only three people were in line for the event as of 12:45 p.m. Pierce, a 57-year-old resident of Mount Vernon, Iowa, said she and her daughter often go to concerts together.
Groth said she has been “obsessed” with Detroit since she was 11 or 12. She learned about the history and became a fan of music by Detroit artists. She and her mom visited Detroit for the first time last September to go to a 50 Cent concert.
“We’re from Portland, Oregon, originally, so we’ve been in big cities and been a part of that before, but this city is so special,” Pierce said. “This city has people like we’ve never met before, who just talk to you on the street, and people are just like so kind and nice here. It truly feels like a magical wonderland to us, you know.”
“It’s my Disneyland,” Groth chipped in.
Drey Skonie, 38, a singer and songwriter from Detroit, dressed for the occasion wearing a bolo tie, bright green trousers and what he described as an "old Detroit train station vibe." Skonie said people wear the city with pride and the station reopening is historical.
"We know where the city has been, and we've stuck it out," Skonie said. "We're the people that have stuck it out to see how the city is coming and where it's going, so it's a celebration of growth in the city for us."
Skonie attended with fellow Detroiter Brandi Keeler, 35, who said she'd always heard stories about the station from older family members and friends.
"As a lifelong Detroiter it's really important to be a part of the changes that are happening in the city, the updates, the developments," Keeler said. " I feel like this is a historic moment. I know in my lifetime the train station has never been open. … I think it's really cool to see it coming back."
They were excited for all of the Detroit artists, from Big Sean to Eminem and especially Diana Ross.
Fans arrive early
Behind the station, before the concert at a pop-up bar on Bagley, Melissa Close from Woodhaven rattled off the hits she hoped to hear during Thursday's show: Eminem's "Lose Yourself," Diana Ross' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and Jack White's "Seven Nation Army." Only Eminem didn't come through.
She was proud that she grabbed the tickets before the Michigan Central website crashed the first time, one of three separate drops of free tickets. And she was most excited about celebration of the station's restoration.
"We wanted the tickets before we knew who the acts were," said Close, 47. "I’m excited to see what type of part that DSO plays a role in this."
"I feel like I’m checking off a bunch of bucket list items with this one event," she continued. "Eminem is a no-brainer. I hope he performs because I saw him at the (former) Palace (of Auburn Hills) with Dr. Dre a long time ago, and his passion for Detroit with the Lions has made this all the more exciting."
Ahead of the event, the station held a charity event for the Children’s Endowment Campaign, allowing those who donated and VIPs a first look at the station, which opens for public tours Friday through June 16. Tickets for tours are also sold out.
Before the concert, leaders also held an honors ceremony recognizing the Detroit artists. Duggan and Ford Philanthropy President Mary Culler honored Patti Smith, Jack White, The Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard, Illa J and Slum Village for their "contributions to Detroit’s great musical heritage as well as their roles as global ambassadors and community leaders." Smith also accepted the honor posthumously for her husband, Detroit guitarist Fred Smith.
Inside the park, 19 local food trucks and restaurants, such as Detroit Mini Donuts, Pizza Plex, the Lobster Truck and Al-Ameer, set up concessions, which attracted long lines after the gates opened. Officials said no alcohol was allowed at the "dry event."
The last train left the station in January 1988, and the massive Corktown building just south of Michigan Avenue and east of Vernor was closed and decaying for decades before Ford bought it in 2018. In total, $940 million eventually will be spent renovating the 30-acre property and nearby buildings, according to Ford. Over the last six years, 3,100 workers put more than 1.7 million hours into its construction.
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Staff Writers Anne Snabes and Melody Baetens contributed.
