 |
||
|
||
Lawn chairs not included By Terry Oparka From Southfield to West Bloomfield to Eastpointe and everything in between, municipalities offer free concerts in the summertime. Chances are good that wherever you are in metro Detroit, you don’t have to drive very far to enjoy a wide variety of music under the stars this summer on the cheap. And if you don’t mind buying a ticket, there are even more chances to hear music performed in the great outdoors. The Sun Messengers have been a staple of the Detroit summer concert circuit for more than 25 years. The rhythm and blues band is the official band of the Detroit Pistons and plays 10 to 15 concerts during the warm weather months. The band’s past gigs include Sterlingfest, Troy Daze, Music on the Plaza in Grosse Pointe, the In the Park concert series in Birmingham’s Shain Park and concerts in Veteran’s Memorial Park in St. Clair Shores. “We play in several cities every year,” said Sun Messengers’ band leader and baritone sax player Rick Steiger. “It’s great to get outdoors.” He said the band tries to make each outdoor venue they play in summer an annual event. “We’ve been around a long time. Some of our fans have followed us from their club days 20 years ago, and they bring their families.” Cindy Stewart, community affairs director for the city of Troy, which offers Jazz on the Corridor, Movies, Music and Moonlight, and entertainment at the annual Troy Daze Festival, said that she tries to include a variety of musical styles in the summer lineups — jazz, swing, funk, rock and pop — to feature music that will appeal to everyone. Although you have to buy a ticket to enjoy the music, comedy, family fun and symphony concerts at Meadow Brook Music Festival, “There is no better way to enjoy a nice summer night,” said Jeff Corey, director of public relations for festival parent company Palace Sports and Entertainment. Meadow Brook headliners include Crosby, Stills and Nash; Chris Issak and George Thorogood, and comedians like Tracy Morgan, Frank Caliendo and Chelsea Handler. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will once again play the under the stars at Huron-Clinton Metroparks this summer. Presented by Target, the concerts are free with a vehicle entry permit. Kent Lake at Kensington Metropark, Lake St. Clair at Metro Beach Metropark, Stony Creek Lake at Stony Creek Metropark, and the woods and waters of Willow Metropark will provide the surroundings for the classical sounds. DSO Resident Conductor Thomas Wilkins will lead the orchestra in a variety of light classical and pop music. Headliners at Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Sterling Heights this summer include Boz Scaggs, Al Green, Mick Fleetwood, Poison, Boys II Men, Sugar Ray, Bow Wow, and Huey Lewis and the News. |