Seeing Diana Ross, Jack White and Eminem live in concert is something that anyone who enjoys live music would proudly love to cross off their bucket list. Now imagine seeing them all on the same stage, on the same night and in their hometown of Detroit. It’s almost too good to be true.
Luckily for us, that’s exactly what happened when Michigan Central Station celebrated its grand opening Thursday night after being closed and practically in ruins for decades. Thanks to Ford, a company that first put Detroit on the map so many years ago, the Michigan Central Station was given a new life, and we were all lucky enough to celebrate with some of Detroit’s finest.
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When I first heard that the Michigan Central Station was going to have a massive concert to celebrate the reopening, I never in a million years would have thought that Diana Ross, Jack White, Big Sean and Eminem would perform. I thought there would maybe be one big name at this event, but this was some serious star power. Those four names could easily be the headliners for a music festival like Coachella, so to have them all perform on the same night in their hometown of Detroit? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime concert that will go down in the Detroit history books.
The evening started off with Ross taking the stage, and she was as iconic as you’d hope she’d be. At 80 years old, she is still doing the dang thing! She started with her 1980 hit “I’m Coming Out” and it was the perfect song for the occasion. Long has the Michigan Central Station sat empty, but now it is ready for its moment in the spotlight.
She also just seemed genuinely happy to be back performing in the city. I’m not sure what kind of strings Ford had to pull to get Ross to perform for this event, but whatever magic they used I’m glad it worked. It’s not every day that you get to see a music icon perform, let alone in the city that launched their career. It was a pinch me moment that I’ll never forget.
As the evening went on, the real star of the show became the Michigan Central Station. It didn’t matter if it was Big Sean performing or the Clark Sisters, I could not keep my eyes off that building. Seeing it all lit up in different colors was the most perfect backdrop for whoever was performing.
Another highlight of the night was a tribute to Bob Seger with performances from Melissa Etheridge, Fantasia and Jelly Roll. On paper this set of vocalists doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but somehow it really worked. Seger’s influence on music is endless, so it was nice to see what each performer brought to his catalogue of songs, especially Fantasia. She won “American Idol” for a reason!
The end of the night saw a face-melting performance from Jack White that would make any fan of his happy. Starting with an old White Stripes song called “Hotel Yorba” (which is about a very real hotel located in Southwest Detroit) was absolutely perfect, and he really got the crowd going when he did “Seven Nation Army.” Hearing the crowd sing along to the song’s signature guitar riff was really special.
And just when you thought the night was wrapping up, Eminem took to the stage. Everyone at the concert pretty much knew he was at least going to make an appearance, but the fact that he performed, too was just the icing on the cake. You just knew he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to perform in Detroit, especially on a night like that.
It was an amazing night for a city that has been through so much. We all know that Detroit can be the butt of a joke from people who’ve never been here before, so when an opportunity like this comes around to show the world what Detroit is really like, it’s a moment that you want to savor and take in.
There’s a lot to be proud of when it comes to Detroit, but when something so monumental like this happens to the city, you can’t help but feel elated and full of joy. Detroit has always been worth bragging about, and even more so now that the Michigan Central Station is back and better than ever.
The Michigan Central Station is now open, and you can sign up for tours that will run Fridays and Saturdays through the end of August.