Detroit and music have a symbiotic relationship. Our fine city has been shaped by our musical history, just as the people of the city have influenced music. One of Detroit’s nicknames is Motown after all.
Our region is stocked full of great musical artists from all genres and this weekend they will be put in the spotlight during the Detroit Music Weekend.
This is the first year for the Detroit Music Weekend, and there is some pretty impressive musical talent booked for this festival.
This year’s festival will pay homage to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Madison Street will be renamed Aretha Franklin Avenue on Thursday evening. On Friday night there will be an Aretha Franklin tribute show at the Music Hall.
Aretha Franklin will perform her first free concert in 13 years on Saturday evening during the festival – and possibly, her last show in Detroit.
While Aretha Franklin is the headliner for the festival be sure to check out the other acts on Saturday. The festival has four stages and there are 40 performances scheduled.
There are some pretty impressive names on the line up, I know I’m looking forward to seeing Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Melvin Davis, and Tuxedo featuring Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One.
It might be called the Detroit Music Weekend, but there will be more than musical performances. You will be able to see Shakespeare in Detroit, Torch With A Twist, Ballet Detroit, PuppetART, and 10-year-old poet King Thomas Moore on the two Showcase stages.
You can find the entire schedule of all of the performances on the Detroit Music Weekend website.
Admission to the festival is free however, there are three shows that you will have to purchase tickets to. Those shows are the Aretha Franklin Tribute on Friday night, Tuxedo featuring Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One and DJ D-Nice on Saturday night, and the R&B Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Sunday night.
The DMW will be located in the entertainment district along Madison Street between Brush, John R, Randolph, and Center Street.
