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

$25 concert tickets

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.

Stadium spectaculars

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.

Welcome back

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.

Festival feats

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.

Big crop of country

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).

Top of the pops

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.

R&B treasure trove

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.

A Latin phenomenon

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.      

Homegrown hot nights

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.

A swan song

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.

Scattered rain showers will move across Southeast Michigan as a cold front approaches overnight.

Some patchy fog will develop after midnight into Sunday morning. Lows will be in the upper 50s to 60 degrees. Winds will be out of the southeast at 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday

Be prepared for the chance of scattered showers through the early afternoon as the activity pushes to the east on Sunday. A high-pressure system will replace the morning’s cloudy and rainy weather with areas of sunshine in the afternoon and early evening. Highs will be in the lower to mid 70s. Northwesterly winds will be 6 to 12 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. The weather will be pleasant for evening and nighttime Cinco de Mayo festivities. Beneath mostly cloudy skies, lows will be around 50 degrees.

Monday

Monday, it will be partly cloudy with highs in the upper 60s to 70 degrees. Nighttime temperatures will fall to the upper 40s to 50 degrees.

Tuesday

The chance of showers and thunderstorms will return Tuesday. A warm front will boost temperatures a few degrees, but a cold front will closely follow. Highs will be in the lower to mid 70s with lows around 60 degrees.

Wednesday

Wednesday, it will be partly cloudy with the chance of an isolated shower during the day. Highs will be in the upper 70s to 80 degrees. The chance of rain will increase during the evening and night. Lows will be in the upper 50s to 60 degrees.

Thursday

A low-pressure system will drift over Lower Michigan and give the state a continued chance of a few showers on Thursday. The air will be cooler behind the system with highs in the lower 70s. Lows will be in the upper 40s and lower 50s.

Friday

Friday, we will have a mix of sun and clouds with the chance of an isolated shower. Highs will be in the mid 60s. Lows will be in the mid 40s.

Next Saturday

With similar conditions, expect highs in the mid 60s and lows in the mid 40s. It will be partly cloudy, but a stray shower will be possible.

Almost all of the damage occurred in the third inning.

The Detroit Tigers had won each of the first five starts from right-hander Casey Mize this season, but the Mize-led winning streak came to a halt in Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees.

A mistake to Anthony Rizzo, who hammered a middle-in fastball for a three-run home run, with two outs in the third inning came back to bite Mize and the Tigers. The Tigers lost, 5-3, to the Yankees in the second of three games in the series at Yankee Stadium.

“The two-out execution will be frustrating for him,” manager A.J. Hinch told reporters in New York, “because he was close to being out of innings. He just had a hard time ending two big innings that they scored in. Other than that, I thought he was quite effective.”

FIRST GAME OF THE SERIES: Missed scoring opportunities cost Tigers in 2-1 loss to Yankees

The homer from Rizzo put the Yankees ahead, 5-1, to cap a four-run third inning. Mize battled into the sixth inning in his sixth start, but he finished with five runs allowed on nine hits and one walk with six strikeouts across 5⅓ innings, throwing 93 pitches.

The Tigers (18-15) have dropped back-to-back games to open their three-game series in New York, part of a six-game road trip.

The four-run third began when Mize walked Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ leadoff hitter, on six pitches. The next batter, Juan Soto, hit a splitter for a ground-ball single underneath the glove of diving first baseman Spencer Torkelson.

And then Aaron Judge — the 2022 American League MVP — turned on an up-and-in splitter for an RBI double. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead on Judge’s double and never looked backs.

Mize was nearly out of the third after picking up two outs and then throwing a first-pitch strike to Rizzo. He needed just two more strikes to strand the bases loaded, but Rizzo hit a 95.3 mph fastball on the inside of the plate for a 411-foot three-run home run, making it 5-1.

The Yankees scored their first run in the first inning on Giancarlo Stanton’s RBI single with two outs, tying the game at one run apiece. Mize allowed three singles in a row with two outs in the first before stranding runners on the corners.

The good news for Mize is that he struck out six batters.

He generated 14 whiffs on 51 swings — a 27.5% whiff rate — with seven fastballs, one slider and six splitters. His splitter had a 55% whiff rate in his sixth start, up from 34.8% in his first five starts.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

Riley Greene rakes

The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

It was all Riley Greene.

Greene, the leadoff hitter, refused to swing at two pitches outside of the strike zone from right-hander Clarke Schmidt to work ahead in the count. He hammered a third-pitch cutter — located down and in — for a solo home run to right field. It was no short-porch shot in Yankee Stadium, however, as Greene hit the ball 360 feet with a 101.4 mph exit velocity.

INJURED: Tigers pitching prospect Jackson Jobe placed on injured list with hamstring strain

Greene, hitting .276 with a .953 OPS, has eight home runs in 34 games this season, putting him on pace for 38 homers. As for Saturday’s game, Greene finished 1-for-3 with two strikeouts and one hit-by-pitch.

Two other runs

The Tigers scored their other two runs in the fourth inning.

The two-run inning began with Wenceel Pérez’s line-drive single in a full count. He scored from first base on Matt Vierling’s triple off Schmidt’s two-strike sinker on the inside part of the plate.

The triple from Vierling made it 5-2. The Tigers tacked on their third and final run of the game — cutting the deficit to 5-3 — when Colt Keith hit a sacrifice fly to right field.

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Schmidt allowed three runs on four hits and zero walks with seven strikeouts in five innings, throwing 91 pitches. Right-handed reliever Luke Weaver also played a key role in the win for the Yankees, as he covered 2⅓ scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Torkelson, hitting .205 without any home runs in 31 games, worked out of the seventh spot in the lineup for the first time since the 2022 season, falling all the way from the two-hole on Opening Day.

Torkelson went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Saturday’s loss. He grounded into a double play on the first pitch of his at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, destroying any chance of the Tigers coming back against right-handed reliever Clay Holmes.

“If anybody goes through it this way and is not frustrated, then they don’t have a pulse,” Hinch said of Torkelson. “This has been a tough time for him. We know it. We’re supporting him. He’s got to fight his way out of it, and he will.”

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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