For more than 30 years, Michigan Central Station sat vacant and abandoned, a shell of the once bustling train depot that transported passengers across the Detroit River to Windsor and places as far away as Chicago and New York.
But on Thursday, the Detroit landmark again was the star of the show, as 20,000 people gathered at Roosevelt Park outside the Corktown building for an all-star concert celebrating its grand reopening.
“Live From Detroit: The Concert,” was a soulful, rocking and, at times, spiritual production, paying tribute to the city’s homegrown artists and their contributions to genres spanning R&B, hip-hop, rock, gospel and techno. Motown icon Diana Ross opened the concert with the Pride Month anthem, “I’m Coming Out.” The 80-year-old, who grew up in the now-demolished Brewster-Douglass housing projects, went through a few more songs in her catalog such as “Upside Down,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Thank You.”
The event streamed live on Peacock, NBC’s online video platform and broadcasted locally on WDIV-TV (Channel 4) and it is free Local 4+ app. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford and CEO Jim Farley made appearances.
The concert kicked off Ford Motor Co. and Michigan Central’s “Michigan Central OPEN,” an 11-day celebration featuring short films, appearances by local leaders, exhibits, entertainment and art installations, as well as an open house of the renovated station.
Other Thursday highlights included rapper Big Sean, who introduced a new song and played hits like “Bounce Back” and “Blessed.” He also spoke on Michigan Central’s revival.
“The fact that it’s gone through all this pressure, it’s a diamond that came from the rough,” he said.
Gospel greats The Clark Sisters brought the church to Roosevelt Park, where they belted out songs like “Blessed and Highly Favored” and Jack White riled up the crowd toward the end of the show with his songs, “Hotel Yorba” and “Seven Nation Army,” complete with pyrotechnics and other special effects.
Even non-Michigan artists sang songs that had ties to Detroit. Chicago rapper Common joined hip-hop group Slum Village on stage to perform his hit song, “The Light,” which was produced by the late J Dilla. And singers Jelly Roll, Fantasia and Melissa Etheridge honored rock and roll legend Bob Seger by performing “Turn the Page,” “Shakedown,” and “Mainstreet.”
The special guest of the concert was Eminem, who executive produced the show with his longtime manager. The rapper closed out the 90-minute event with his new single, “Houdini,” and performed the hometown classic, “Welcome 2 Detroit,” with Trick Trick.
“Detroit, we love you,” Eminem said at the end of his set.
For Friday, performances include Urban Arts Orchestra featuring De’Sean Jones, with special guests Charity, Dames Brown, and Royce da 5’9. Saturday will include sounds from Detroit DJ Theo Parrish, with the Urban Art Orchestra, Scott Z and Yukiko, Maurissa Rose and others from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday is featuring Pride programming with artists Isis Damil, India Solomon, Ahya Simone and more from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
After the 11-day reopening celebration wraps on June 16, Michigan Central will begin a phased reopening of the station over the next several months as restaurant, retail, and other commercial and community-focused partners open in the space.
The first floor will be open to visitors for self-guided tours from 5-9 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays from June 21 to Aug. 31. Expanded hours will be announced for the fall.
Michigan Central part of Detroit’s rebirth
After the gates to Roosevelt Park opened Friday Abe and Loreal Selley of Livonia found a spot on the grass to wait for the show and eat tacos.
The couple said their grandparents have memories of the train station and are glad to see the building renovated. They plan to attend the open house this weekend with their three children.
Loreal said Michigan Central is part of Detroit’s rebirth.
“It’s a historical landmark,” she said.
Meanwhile, Michael and Melissa Tyus of Ferndale remember the train station’s heyday. In elementary school in the 1960s, Michael went on a class trip to Ann Arbor and, around the same time, Melissa took a family trip to Arizona.
With Michigan Central being closed since 1988, seeing it now gives Melissa a sense of pride, she said.
“I lived in Detroit most of my life and watching it go from being a train station to being hollowed out, elements destroying the structure; it makes you happy to come now and see that it’s all put back together, perhaps even better than it was before,” she said. “It just adds to all the other wonderful things that are going on in Detroit.”
While Michigan Central is set to become a hub for Ford Motor Co. and eventually retail and a hotel, Michael hopes to see train services resume in the building.
“I’m hoping once again, we’ll be able to take a train ride out of here. That would be really great,” he said.
Westland resident Danuelle Calloway said she plans to come back to Michigan Central sometime this summer for a self-guided tour. Calloway said she used to worry that the city would demolish the building, but is glad Ford took on the project to restore it.
“It shows the investment in the city and how much we can do to showcase its beauty,” she said.