Pine Knob is world's top music amphitheater for 2022

Took me by some surprise...

"Pine Knob Music Theatre tallied nearly $37 million in reported ticket sales to rank as the world's No. 1 concert amphitheater in 2022, according to year-end data released Friday by Pollstar magazine.

"The 15,040-capacity Pine Knob hosted 50 shows over the summer as it marked its 50th anniversary, including big dates from artists such as Zac Brown Band, Imagine Dragons, Jason Aldean, Stevie Nicks and a homecoming twofer by Kid Rock.

"Pine Knob topped L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl [[$31 million) to claim the top spot.'
https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com?publ...677a98_1348740

I saw Joni Mitchell there in 1974. And Linda Ronstadt circa then, too.

IIRC one of the performances took place the night that Nixon resigned. Memory is always tricky, but I seem to recall there was exuberant celebration in the aisles that night.

I've been to Pine Knob several times... ditto for Meadowbrook and Freedom Hill. Worst part about them is that when it is time to leave, you are stuck in traffic for quite some time just trying to exit the places... while concerts downtown and on the riverfront have more exits and not as much gridlock [unless Ford Field, Comerica Park, and Fox Theatre all end their functions together... then it's gridlock]. :eek:

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Originally Posted by Henry Whalley

I saw Joni Mitchell there in 1974.

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I did too. Didn't you ask me if I had any papers?

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

I did too. Didn't you ask me if I had any papers?

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Zig-Zags. Those were strange days indeed. Paranoia...

I seem to remember that there were at least a few naked streakers trying to outrun Pine Knob security. Who knows? I may have been one of them? Memory is funny that way. No sense asking a streaker for Zig-Zags. Where would we stow them?

Ah the Eddie Money and Anita Baker shows!

Years back I saw Paul Simon there with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Great concert.

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Originally Posted by Henry Whalley

Zig-Zags. Those were strange days indeed. Paranoia...

I seem to remember that there were at least a few naked streakers trying to outrun Pine Knob security. Who knows? I may have been one of them? Memory is funny that way. No sense asking a streaker for Zig-Zags. Where would we stow them?

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And would you really want them if they had them?

Many many years ago I and a couple of buddies used to scalp tickets around the parking lots there. Saw some pretty good shows with the leftovers.

Too bad for The Areatha Amphitheater. I thought that that the organizers were going to have more versatile lineup of entertainment going on there of different tastes such as Pop, Rock, Classical, etc.

Mostly I can't believe that people are willing to pay so much money to attend concerts!! When I started going to Pine Knob back in the mid-1970s, we always bought lawn tickets. We paid just $5 for the shows back then...Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Doobie Brothers, America, Beach Boys, Men at Work. While I've attended many concerts at Pine Knob and other Detroit area venues, I'm loathe to pay too much for a show that I can barely seen except via a large screen. Thus it's been several years since I saw a show at Pine Knob/DTE when I sat on the lawn for a show. It's been even longer since I sat in the pavilion there. The bigger venues no longer hold the allure they once did. Love the smaller theatres for a concert these days!

I don't like gravel parking lot - only worthy to walk on with military boots! Otherwise, I think the Aretha is known for its line up of R & B and Jazz [going back to the days of Al Jarreau]. Increasingly probably known for Hip-Hop too [not my fav genre - I'll pass on that]. I'm looking forward to the spring lineup.

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Originally Posted by stasu1213

Too bad for The Areatha Amphitheater. I thought that that the organizers were going to have more versatile lineup of entertainment going on there of different tastes such as Pop, Rock, Classical, etc.

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

And would you really want them if they had them?

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If the gum arabic is dry?

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

I don't like gravel parking lot - only worthy to walk on with military boots! Otherwise, I think the Aretha is known for its line up of R & B and Jazz [going back to the days of Al Jarreau]. Increasingly probably known for Hip-Hop too [not my fav genre - I'll pass on that]. I'm looking forward to the spring lineup.

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That is true that the Areatha is know for having R&B and Jazz acts performing there. However, a few years back the new director of Chene Park had said that she was going to focus on having variety of acts including Rock, Pop, and Classical acts performing at Chene Park. She was focusing on making the park verssatile and not only having black venues perform there. That would had been a great idea. Something had changed beside the name. The parking lots could had been paved and not left traveled. At one point the plans were to move Chene Park to where the Ford Auditorium was so that it could connect to Hart Plaza but those plans fell through. The Areatha could be a great as Pine Knob if the shortsightedness way of running the theatre as far as the type of acts to perform there changes.

^ Interesting. Who's owns the park now? Shahidah Mausi has run it for some time...

I was also not crazy for the car-breaks off their lot if you drive certain car models!

Shahida Mausi, owner of The Right Productions, celebrates 25 years in business

That name Shahidah Mausi rang a bell... then I found it... her late mother Joyce Garrett [1931-1997] was the "First Lady of Detroit" during much of the Coleman Young administration, as she was Young's love interest at the time.