Diana Ross, Eminem and Jack White perform for thousands as former Detroit eyesore returns to life
Some of Detroit’s greatest musical exports performed at a concert celebrating the historic reopening of an 18-story structure that long had symbolized their hometown’s decline
DETROIT (AP) — A myriad of Detroit’s greatest musical exports, including Diana Ross, Eminem and Jack White, took to the stage Thursday night in a pulsating sonic spectacle held on the eve of the historic reopening of an 18-story structure that long had symbolized their hometown’s decline.
The 90-plus-minute “Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central” celebrated the city’s refurbished train station, which opens to the public on Friday, six years after Ford Motor Co. took control of the building and more than three decades since the last train pulled out.
The vacant Michigan Central Station fell into disrepair and became emblematic of the Motor City’s decay. That is until 2018, when Ford announced it was buying the building and adjacent structures as part of the carmaker’s plans for a campus focusing on autonomous vehicles.
“Six years ago, we gathered here, and we dreamt of what was possible. We dared to dream that this station, which had become the symbol of a broken city, could once again shine as a symbol of the Motor City,” Bill Ford, his namesake company's executive chairman, told the crowd before Ross, the Motown superstar, opened the festivities with “I'm Coming Out.”
