Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers has been named the American League Cy Young award winner.
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The days are getting longer. The temperatures are getting warmer. And the nights are about to get a lot louder.
For millions of music fans across metro Detroit and Michigan, summertime spells prime concert season, and there’s another bonanza of stuff on the way for 2024.
The summer schedule will feature acts from across the spectrum — rock, country, hip-hop, pop, R&B, electronic music and more — as part of the humming array of live music at big venues, small clubs, major festivals and community events.
At Pine Knob Music Theatre, the state’s leading summer music hot spot, the roasted-almond stands and drink machines have already revved up for a season that will feature nearly 50 concert nights.
On Thursday, the Clarkston amphitheater — which traditionally has ranked among the most-attended summer venues in the U.S. — notched the earliest start in its half-century history with a rock bill featuring the bands Primus, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle.
The Pine Knob action will resume May 22 with Neil Young, part of a five-month season scheduled to wrap up Sept. 28 with WRIF-FM’s Riff Fest, headlined by the veteran hard rock band Godsmack.
The 2024 season doesn’t wield quite the firepower that ruled in 2023, when Detroit’s summer calendar was loaded with mega draws such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Morgan Wallen, Drake and Ed Sheeran. Ford Field, the region’s largest venue, hosted nine shows and more than half a million concertgoers for the busiest stretch of music in the stadium’s 22-year history.
Indeed, last year was the biggest ever for the North American concert business, as the live-events industry continued to revel in a post-pandemic rebound: The top 100 tours alone generated $6.63 billion in grosses, according to data collected by the trade magazine Pollstar, with at least $1 billion of that coming from Swift’s Eras Tour.
This summer is teeming with hot shows, and here we break out some highlights for what’s coming through October. Note that these bullet points — along with the assorted venue schedules we’re providing at freep.com — are just a taste: There’s plenty more notable and compelling stuff ahead at spaces big and small across southeast Michigan.
Concerts galore: Long list of artists coming to metro Detroit venues this summer
The 10th edition of Live Nation’s Concert Week promotion will start Wednesday and run through May 14, with more than 170 Michigan shows offering $25 seats. Dates include shows at Comerica Park, Little Caesars Arena, Pine Knob and other metro Detroit amphitheaters, along with theaters and clubs across the state. Details: livenation.com/concertweek
Promoter AEG Presents is offering its own $25 tickets, on sale Tuesday through May 15, for shows at the Masonic Temple Theatre and Royal Oak Music Theatre, including Sum 41 (Sept. 14), Lyle Lovett (July 23) and Daryl Hall’s coheadlining visit with Elvis Costello (July 8).
More: Live Nation’s $25 concert ticket sale starts this week
For both promotional events, the discounted tickets are billed as “all-in” — meaning $25 flat, with no service fees or other charges.
Ford Field will follow its record-setting concert year with a trifecta of country nights, starting with Zach Bryan on June 20. It’s part of a fast, remarkable rise for the Oklahoma artist and U.S. Navy veteran, whose only Detroit show until now was a Majestic Theatre gig in 2021.
He’ll be followed at the downtown stadium by George Strait (July 13) and Kenny Chesney with the Zac Brown Band (Aug. 10).
For Chesney, this will be the 12th headlining performance in the Lions’ den, the most for any artist since the stadium’s 2002 opening. His August visit with Zac Brown will feature Detroit’s Uncle Kracker in the opening slot.
At Comerica Park, there are two shows on the docket: Def Leppard and Journey will serve up rock hits July 18, while Green Day will bring its Savior Tour with guests Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid on Sept. 4.
The summer schedule includes a handful of folks we haven’t seen in a while, including the reunited rock band Creed, which will play Pine Knob on July 31 before returning Nov. 20 for a night at LCA. Those will be the first Creed shows here in 12 years for Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti and company.
Smooth-singing George Strait, a pioneer of country music stadium concerts, will make his first Michigan appearance since his avowed retirement tour in 2014. Strait is now firmly back in the saddle and headed to Ford Field on July 13 with Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town in support.
Hip-hop veteran and freshly minted Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Missy Elliott, meanwhile, will play the first Detroit headlining show of her career when she hits LCA on Aug. 15 with Busta Rhymes and Ciara. Her last major Motor City performance came as part of Eminem’s Ford Field stand in 2003.
Neil Young has been no stranger to Michigan venues in recent years, but his May 22 Pine Knob visit will be the first with his band Crazy Horse since 2004.
The Movement festival will hold down its traditional Memorial Day weekend spot on Detroit’s riverfront as the much-loved techno event returns to Hart Plaza, May 25-27. Performers on six stages will include headliners Fatboy Slim, Richie Hawtin and Solomun, part a lineup of international acts and Detroit veterans — including hometown musical pioneer Kevin Saunderson in a set with actor-DJ Idris Elba.
On Michigan’s west side, Electric Forest will kick into action June 20-23, presenting another sprawling lineup of electronic artists and jam bands, with headliners to include Pretty Lights, String Cheese Incident, Disco Biscuits, Charlotte de Witte and more.
Faster Horses, July 19-21 at Michigan International Speedway, will reassert its status as one of the biggest country music events in the U.S., this time with a country-rock crossover bill led by Hardy, Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson.
Concert of Colors, set for Midtown Detroit, July 15-21, will unveil full details this week, including the fest’s artist lineup, an expanded venue list and a new series of neighborhood events happening throughout the summer.
For Labor Day weekend, a pair of local traditions will return: The Detroit Jazz Festival will take over downtown with a four-day lineup led by drummer great Brian Blade, the 2024 artist-in-residence. Arts, Beats & Eats will be back in Royal Oak for its 27th installment, with performers to be announced later this summer.
More: Detroit Jazz Festival unveils 2024 artist lineup, led by artist-in-residence Brian Blade
And the latest edition of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, boasting a heavyweight lineup that includes Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp, will make its way to Pine Knob Sept. 15.
Country music has wrangled an increasingly significant role on the summer touring circuit, and that will play out this season in amphitheaters such as Pine Knob, where highlights include the top-notch Tyler Childers and a doubleheader from Luke Bryan as part of the WYCD Hoedown (June 28-29).
Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights is brimming with country offerings, including Parker McCollum (June 8), Billy Currington (June 14) and Brothers Osborne (June 15), along with several acts of the outlaw variety: Whiskey Myers (July 6), Jamey Johnson (July 18) and Cody Jinks (Aug. 17).
Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, who broke big with “Take Me to Church” in 2013 and just topped charts across the world with “Too Sweet,” will headline Pine Knob on May 31. Other biggies at the amphitheater include Maroon 5 (June 21), Janet Jackson (July 2), Imagine Dragons (Aug. 12) and Glass Animals (Aug. 24).
LCA will also welcome brotherly trio AJR on June 30 and Jennifer Lopez on July 31. Billie Eilish, fresh off another round of Grammy and Oscar wins, will arrive Oct. 7 for the second Detroit arena performance of her career, while Pink will serve up a twofer there Oct. 14-15.
Meghan Trainor, playing metro Detroit for the first time in eight years, will wrap up Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre’s season when she performs Sept. 30.
The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre will fill Detroit’s riverfront with soulful sounds and smooth jazz, kicking off its season June 5 with Lalah Hathaway and a summer of Motor City favorites including the Isley Brothers (June 16), Kem (Aug. 2) and Sheila E (Aug. 14). More shows at the Aretha will be announced in coming weeks.
Following his big comeback moment at the Super Bowl halftime show, Usher is headed to Little Caesars Arena for a Sept. 12-13 doubleheader on his Past Present Future hits tour.
Also at LCA, Jhené Aiko will bring her Magic Hour Tour on June 19, Xscape and SWV will summon ’90s energy Aug. 9, and Maxwell will serenade audiences Oct. 11.
Last month, Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny notched a milestone show at a sold-out Little Caesars Arena, drawing 16,000-plus for a night of all-Spanish-language pop music. There’s some broader context to that Detroit breakthrough: The Recording Industry Association of America, which tracks streaming stats and album sales, recently reported that Latin music revenues in the U.S. hit $1.4 billion last year, up 16% from 2022.
Now, less than a year after his own local sellout at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, Mexican singer Peso Pluma is poised to headline LCA on June 1 as Latin music’s growth accelerates in Detroit. Following the summer concert season, Colombia’s Shakira will play the same downtown arena Dec. 15 as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran world tour.
Beyond the array of local talent you’ll find nightly across metro Detroit’s clubs and bars, there are some notable homecoming performances in store: Gladwin-bred rapper NF will play the biggest Michigan show of his career with a May 14 visit to LCA, while Detroit metalcore quintet I Prevail is set for a July 13 headlining spot at Pine Knob.
Motown mainstay Kem will light up the Aretha amphitheater on Aug. 2, and there’s an exciting new jazz project from some well-pedigreed local veterans: Don Was, Dave McMurray and Luis Resto will make their Motor City debut as the Pan-Detroit Ensemble on May 24 at Orchestra Hall.
There’s always an end of the road, and this summer’s most notable goodbye will come from Jeff Lynne’s ELO, whose Over and Out Tour plays LCA on Oct. 9, putting a bow on a 54-year run for the adventurous pop-rock project once known as Electric Light Orchestra.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
Over the past years, Malik Beasley has suited up for countless different franchises across the NBA. His journeyman voyage continued this summer when he inked a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons in free agency.
Through the first few weeks of the season, Beasley is looking like one of the best value signins of free agency. His outside shooting has provided a much-needed dynamic to Detroit’s offense, and he is putting up some of his best numbers in the process. Beasley is currently averaging 15.4 PPG and shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc on 9.1 attempts per game.
Along with having success on the court, Beasley seems to be enjoying his new life outside of basketball as well. During a recent appearance on The Detroit Pistons Podcast, the veteran sharpshooter opened up on how Detroit is a bit of a second home for him.
“My mom’s from here born and raised,” Beasley said. “My mom used to bring me out here every summer with my sister. To be out here right now playing for the Pistons is a dream come true. It’s like my second home…I’m just glad to be here.”
At the moment, Beasley finds himself in the midst of one of the best offensive streaks of his career. Despite shifting between the second unit and starting lineup, he has racked up five straight 20+ point performances. Beasley has notched a season-high 26 points on two occasions in the past week, once against the Milwauke Bucks and once against the Washington Wizards.
Between his complementary play on the court and being a veteran leader behind the scenes, Beasley has been a huge addition to the Pistons this season. His presence on and off the floor has been a catalyst to their impressive start to the year.
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) – A well-known Detroit-area pastor has died after police say he was struck by a car driven by an undocumented immigrant. Now his family is wondering why that driver was let go as they grieve.
The word “Heartbreak” does not even begin to describe what Teri Singleton had been feeling in the days since losing her husband, 72-year-old Stephen Singleton.
“I had to sit and watch my husband of 53 years die in front of me and then to know that the person who did this is walking around is very difficult to deal with,” said Teri Singleton.
He was a well-known area pastor, who would do anything for anyone. Police say he was struck by an undocumented immigrant as he crossed the street in Rochester Hills earlier in November. Singleton died several days later.
“He had almost every bone in his body broken,” said Singleton. “He had his collarbone fractured, internal organ damage, and his skull was cracked. He had two craniotomies in the hospital.”
Family members say Pastor Singleton was a dedicated servant of god and a former medic who traveled to New York City to help injured victims of the 9/11 attacks. He gathered at a church there with other religious leaders to pray and spoke about it with FOX 2’s Amy Lange in September 2023.
“After everybody had prayed, he started saying the Lord’s Prayer, and he said it with a whisper, he said it with a shout, he said it with a sing, and then he said it with so much passion that it brought me to tears,” Stephen Singleton said. “I wanted to save somebody. That’s-bottomline.”
He also helped in the search for survivors. It would be local medics who would desperately try to save Singleton’s life after he was hit by a man driving a 2013 Ford Focus as he crossed Rochester Road at Avon. He had just gone for his usual morning walk.
“He’s been coming back within, I’ll say, 45 minutes at the most. He didn’t return. I was sitting there waiting,” said Teri Singleton. “I was actually less than a block away from where it happened.”
Detectives say that the driver was a citizen of Columbia. US Customs and Border Protection determined he entered the US illegally and was released pending a future date in federal court. That’s the most painful part for the pastor’s family.
“He’s dead and they’re walking around. That’s bothering me,” Teri said.
For now, they continue their quest for justice…while staying in faith and love.
“I will not be angry because this has happened,” said Stephen’s daughter Ruth. “I refuse to be angry. I will still love like my Dad taught me to.”
They have also put together a Go-Fund-Me page, hoping to give Pastor Singleton the dignified send-off he deserves.
“He was a loving person who cared about everybody,” said Teri Singleton. “I mean, the whole neighborhood, everybody in our community has come to my door. They didn’t even see the name on the report, but they knew him because of his habits.”
FOX 2 has reached out to government sources to see exactly why the suspect was released and when the next court date will be. Police say Singleton was wearing a reflective vest and was walking in a properly marked cross-walk when he was hit.
Police believe speed or alcohol were factors in the crash.
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers has been named the American League Cy Young award winner.
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