Your Outdoor Summer Concert Guide 2015

By: Amber Ogden | May 18, 2015
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If you’re the type who likes to attend concerts (what other type is there?), it’s more than likely that summer is your favorite season. Why is that? Because it’s officially outdoor concert season!

While most of us enjoy seeing live bands year round, there’s something much more pleasant about listening to your favorite musician outside on a sunny day instead of waiting to see him or her in a crowded club as you shiver outside in the middle of winter. There are plenty of outdoor music venues in Metro Detroit, including the following:

DTE Energy Music Theatre, 7774 Sashabaw Rd., Clarkston, was originally known as Pine Knob and has been around for 43 years. The amphitheater seats over 15,200 people (7,202 in the pavilion and approximately 8,072 on the lawn), and the audio system was just upgraded three years ago.

This season, catch a few of these shows at DTE Energy Music Theatre:

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  • Eddie Money, May 22
  • Lana del Rey, May 31
  • Mumford & Sons, June 16
  • Lady Antebellum, June 19
  • Third Eye Blind and Dashboard Confessional, June 25
  • Dave Matthews Band, July 7
  • Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa, July 10
  • Def Leppard, July 17
  • Kelly Clarkson, July 26
  • Tim McGraw, Aug. 2
  • Kid Rock, Aug. 7 through Aug. 22
  • Foo Fighters, Aug. 24
  • Jason Aldean, Sept. 18

Meadow Brook Music Festival, 35554 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills, opened in 1964 and originally served as the summer home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. These days, concerts of all genres are held at the 7,700-seat amphitheater.

Buy a ticket to one of the following acts at Meadowbrook this summer:

  • Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, June 9
  • David Gray and Amos Lee, June 22
  • Lindsey Stirling, June 26
  • Sublime with Rome, July 25
  • Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, July 27
  • Jim Gaffigan, Aug. 7
  • Umphrey’s McGee, Aug. 15
  • Jackson Browne, Sept. 6
  • Alt-J, Sept. 22

Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights, offers both lawn and pavilion seating, and the venue opens approximately an hour and a half before showtime.

Shows at Freedom Hill this summer include:

  • Clutch and Mastodon with Graveyard, May 23
  • Charlie Daniels Band with The Outlaws, June 18
  • Buckcherry with Hoobastank (part of Stars and Stripes Festival), June 26
  • Whitesnake with The Answer, July 3
  • Judas Priest with Pop Evil, July 15
  • Harry Connick, Jr., Aug. 1
  • The Beach Boys and The Temptations, Aug. 9
  • Juanes, Aug. 16
  • Counting Crows with Citizen Cope and Hollis Brown, Sept. 10
  • Rick Springfield with Loverboy and The Romantics, Sept. 18

Chene Park Amphitheater, 2600 Atwater St., Detroit, is situated along Detroit’s waterfront, so you not only get to see a great show, but one with a great backdrop! Season tickets are also available for Jazzy Nights, a weekly concert series that takes place on Wednesdays.

Take in one of the following shows at Chene Park Amphitheater this season:

  • Boney James and Dave McMurray, June 3
  • Najee, Meli’sa Morgan and Alex Bugnon, June 10
  • The Gypsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo, June 19
  • George Clinton, SOS Band, Mary Jane Girls and Cameo, July 10
  • Fantastia and Anthony Hamilton, July 31
  • The Family Stone and Maceo Parker, Aug. 12
  • Erykah Badu and Nas, Aug. 15
  • Aretha Franklin, Aug. 22

Rockin’ on the Riverfront Summer Concert Series is held on the Riverfront as well, outside of the GM Renaissance Center. The free series is back for its 10th season this summer, and concerts run from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the following Friday nights:

  • Doobie Brothers, July 10
  • .38 Special, July 17
  • Dennis DeYoung, July 24
  • Burton Cummings, July 31
  • Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Aug. 7
  • Kansas, Aug. 14

Comerica Park, 2100 Woodward Ave., Detroit, may be your home away from home this summer for baseball games, but it also serves as an awesome outdoor concert venue! So far, these are the two shows set in stone:

  • The Rolling Stones, July 8
  • Zac Brown Band, Sept. 12

Enjoy the sunshine and the sounds for as long as you can, Metro Detroiters! Grab your friends, a block of tickets and take in a few outdoor concerts this summer. It’ll make the music sound sweeter, I promise. 

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