Detroit’s Concert of Colors to return to The Aretha, announces full lineup
The riverside amphitheater will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a performance by Chicago R&B singer Mavis Staples
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Detroit’s Concert of Colors is coming home.
On Tuesday, organizers announced the long-running annual world music festival is returning to The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, the riverside venue formerly known as Chene Park that hosted the event from its launch in 1993 until it moved to Midtown in 2006 due to funding.
“Fans have asked for years to host the festival at current locations but also back at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre and in true Concert of Colors style, we listen to what people want and try to provide it all for the love of free music,” festival executive director Ismael Ahmed said in a statement. “Our goal has always been to let the people make the decisions, so this year you can listen to artists like Mavis Staples with her big beautiful voice right on the Detroit Riverfront; it’s the perfect backdrop for a Detroit summer evening.”
The festival, billed as the largest free global music festival in the Midwest, is set for July 15-20.
It will be held at the Aretha on Friday, July 18 to celebrate the venue’s 40th anniversary with performances by Chicago R&B singer Mavis Staples, Moroccan-French band Bab L’ Bluz, Ohio funk act The Luv Locz Experiment, and African dancer Shashu Amen-Ra.
In addition to the Aretha, the festival will continue to take place in venues in and around Midtown, including the DIA, Third Man Records, and the College for Creative Studies.
Other highlights include Nigerian act Femi Kuti, son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti; California progressive soul band War; New Jersey indie rock band Yo La Tengo, the Detroit acid jazz trio of Kassan Belgrave, Allen Dennard, and DJ Melo; and festival fixture the Don Was Detroit Allstar Revue, performing a tribute to Detroit blues with the help of local acts like Thornetta Davis, Laith Al-Saadi, and Mitch Ryder, among others.
“The Concert of Colors is a unifying event that exemplifies everything wonderful about Detroit,” Was said. “This year’s All Star Revue will celebrate the vibrant musical legacy of Detroit Blues so you know we’re going to have fun! I look forward to seeing all of our friends there.”
The event has relied on grants and corporate sponsorships over the years, though that funding has become less reliable. Last year, the state of Michigan granted funding to the festival for the first time.
The full lineup and more information is available at concertofcolors.com.
