Here’s Who Will Perform at the Michigan Central Reopening

The Thursday ceremony will be executive produced by Eminem and feature performances by Diana Ross, Jack White, Big Sean, and Common.
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Photograph by Stephen McGee

Michigan Central has revealed the artist lineup for its June 6 reopening ceremony — and it’s stacked. The event is slated to feature the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Diana Ross, Jack White, Big Sean, Common, Illa J, Kierra Sheard, Melissa Etheridge, Theo Parrish, Slum Village, The Clark Sisters, Sky Jetta, Jelly Roll, and Fantasia, among others. The 90-minute outdoor concert will be executive produced by Eminem and Def Jam CEO Paul Rosenberg.

It will include three presenters from the Detroit Lions — retired running back Barry Sanders, along with current quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Other presenters include comedian Mike Epps and actress Sophia Bush.

Though the event is sold-out, it will air on WDIV (Channel 4) from 8-11 p.m., and can be streamed live on Peacock. Additionally, NBC will air an hourlong primetime special on Michigan Central June 9 that begins at 7 p.m.

Thursday night kicks off 10 days of festivities celebrating the opening of Michigan Central. From June 7-16, Michigan Central’s first floor will be open to the public, allowing visitors to view the newly restored station. Then, from June 21 through the end of August, the first floor will remain open for self-guided tours Fridays 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In 2018, Ford Motor Co purchased the long-abandoned train station, first built in 1913. Since then, the company has put over $950 million into its restoration. The improvements include 4,200 new light fixtures, 3.5 million gallons of water being pumped out of the basement, and the replacement/restoration of over 102,000 square feet of windows, according to Michigan Central.

On June 3, Michigan Central released the first public renderings of a park it’s building on the station’s former rail yard. The park will include gardens, playgrounds, event spaces, and “tech-enabled zones.” It will be located along the Joe Louis Greenway, a planned 27.5 mile trail system that will span from the riverfront to Highland Park, Dearborn, and Hamtramck.

By the end of the year, it plans to move about 1,000 of its employees (and 2,500 by 2028) to the Michigan Central district, a 30-acre campus in Corktown that includes Newlab Detroit, a tech incubator that opened last year in the Albert Kahn-designed Book Depository building. It hopes the station and its campus will attract large companies to Detroit, with “cultural, technology, community, and convening spaces designed to inspire creative collaboration between established companies, universities, growing startups, youth initiatives, students, and other stakeholders,” according to a press release.