Summer concerts: Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, Beyoncé lead Detroit lineup

Summer in Michigan means lots of things to lots of folks. But for music fans, this is feasting time.

Concerts are set to come thick and fast for the next several months, with packed schedules at metro Detroit’s amphitheaters, arenas, stadiums, theaters and parks.

While most shows have been announced at this point, there remain a few still to be revealed soon, promoters say.

This week, $25 discounted tickets will become available for more than 140 Michigan concerts — at venues including Pine Knob, Little Caesars Arena and Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre — through Live Nation’s annual Concert Week promotion.

Here’s a rundown of summer concert highlights — just a taste of the music action happening around metro Detroit. Full schedules are available at venue websites.

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Music roaring in the Lions' den

Luke Combs recently drew 53,000 to kick off the busiest concert season in the history of Ford Field — nine nights of concerts that will include several of the year’s biggest global tours. In part because of the pandemic, it has been a while since we’ve seen some of these A-list stadium acts in Detroit.

The Ford Field itinerary includes doubleheaders from Taylor Swift (June 9-10), Morgan Wallen (June 29-30) and Metallica (Nov. 10 and 12), with the heavy-metal heavyweights expected to perform entirely different sets each night as their 2023 touring wraps up in Detroit.

Also on the agenda are Ed Sheeran (July 15) and Beyoncé (July 26).

Ford Field officials are advising concertgoers to plan ahead and get situated early: If you haven’t been to downtown Detroit on a weekend in recent years, you may not realize how bustling and congested things can get these days.

Comerica Park, which had its own record-breaking concert summer in 2022, has just one show on the books this year: a stadium spectacular from Pink (Aug. 16).

Under the stars at Pine Knob Music Theatre

After a busy 50^th anniversary season that saw the return of the beloved Pine Knob name, the Clarkston venue is booting back up as it vies to maintain its title as the world’s top-performing concert amphitheater.

Tim McGraw will kick off the season May 20, topping a WYCD Hoedown lineup with Chris Janson and Kassi Ashton. Other marquee country shows at Pine Knob include Dierks Bentley (June 2), Eric Church (June 23), Jason Aldean (Sept. 8) and hot breakout artist Jelly Roll (Aug. 17), while Willie Nelson — who turned 90 last month — will lead an Outlaw Music Festival (Sept. 22) that’s as much jam-band as it is country, featuring the services of Bob Weir, the String Cheese Incident and more.

Summer staples such as Dave Matthews Band (June 27), Santana (June 29) and Foreigner (Aug. 30) line the bill, while Lansing guitarist Billy Strings will bring his acclaimed bluegrass to a sold-out Pine Knob on June 16 for his biggest Michigan headlining show to date.

The Cure will play its first area concert in nearly two decades with a June 13 visit, part of a musically diverse Pine Knob summer that includes hip-hop (Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa), hard rock (Godsmack and Staind) and a homecoming performance by the newly reenergized Anita Baker.

For the full schedule of 40-plus Pine Knob shows, head to 313Presents.com.

Lighting up Little Caesars Arena

The summer concert season in recent decades was dominated by outdoor venues, but the action has revved up inside, and LCA will be humming these next few months.

That includes some of pop’s veteran headliners: Janet Jackson’s five-act Together Again Tour will arrive May 24, Madonna will play her first Michigan homecoming show in eight years on Aug. 5, and Duran Duran will perform Sept. 16 as it winds up its year-long Future Past Tour.

A 50th anniversary hip-hop celebration will be led by LL Cool J with guests including the Roots and DJ Jazzy Jeff (Aug. 18), while Drake is promising a production spectacle when he plays an LCA doubleheader July 8-9.

Kid Rock, performing just a handful of U.S. dates this year, will stage a two-night stand July 14-15, with fellow Michigan act Greta Van Fleet playing the biggest Detroit show of its career Sept. 8.

Among the other shows on tap are Paramore (June 7), the Jonas Brothers (Aug. 24), Barry Manilow (Aug. 22) and a final stand by Aerosmith, joined by the Black Crowes (Sept. 18).

Full schedule is at 313presents.com.

A season of farewells

While history has taught us to never say never when it comes to artist goodbyes, several big names have declared their intentions to retire from the road.

They include Buddy Guy (June 24, Meadow Brook), Foreigner (Aug. 30, Pine Knob), 50 Cent (Sept. 17, Pine Knob) and Aerosmith (Sept. 18, LCA), along with a pair of artists who loom large in Detroit rock lore: Ted Nugent will bring his Adios Mofo Tour to Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre on Aug. 11, while Kiss will play LCA on Oct. 20 as it winds down its long-running End of the Road World Tour.

The amphitheater scene

Pine Knob rules the roost, but metro Detroit’s other summer amphitheaters will be reliably hopping.

At Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights, One Direction alum Louis Tomlinson (June 2) and Italian buzz band Maneskin (Oct. 1) will bookend a season that includes hot nights with Melanie Martinez (July 8), Yellowcard (July 13), Walker Hayes (Aug. 5), Darius Rucker (Aug. 10) and Hozier (Sept. 14), while Grosse Pointe pop artist Quinn XCII will play June 17 in his biggest homecoming show yet. Full schedule is at 313presents.com.

Detroit’s Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre will lend its riverside charms to a schedule to include the traditional Wednesday Jazzy Nights Series (Incognito, Spyro Gyra, Will Downing and more), with weekend dates including Anthony Hamilton (June 10), Kool & the Gang (June 30) and Maxwell (July 28). Full schedule is at thearetha.com.

At the bucolic Meadow Brook Amphitheatre in Rochester Hills, Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy (June 9) will kick off a season featuring Elvis Costello & the Imposters (June 28), Tori Amos (July 9), Tedeschi Trucks Band (July 14), Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats (Aug. 4) and more. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will rosin its bows with hard rock in a performance of Def Leppard music on July 6. Full schedule is at 313presents.com.

Wildwood Amphitheater in Lake Orion is rolling out a schedule that includes its free Tuesday night concert series, starting June 13, with a lineup of local artists (Thornetta Davis, Jim McCarty, Killer Flamingos). Ticketed events will feature tribute bands paying homage to stars including Prince, Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, the Beatles and more.  Full schedule is at www.orion.events.

Festival extravaganza

The biggest change on the Detroit festival calendar this year is the disappearance of Mo Pop, the indie-rock fest that had graced the riverfront since 2015.

But the city’s other signature festivals are well intact, starting with Movement on Memorial Day weekend (May 27-29), when 115-plus electronic music acts will take over Hart Plaza, led by headliners Basement Jaxx, Charlotte de Witte and Underworld. Full schedule is at movement.us.

On the other end of the summer, the Detroit Jazz Festival will hit downtown Sept. 1-4, featuring artist-in-residence Karriem Riggins and three newly minted NEA Jazz Masters, Regina Carter, Louis Hayes and Kenny Garrett. Full schedule is at detroitjazzfest.org.

Faster Horses will mark its 10th anniversary at Michigan International Speedway (July 14-16) with a high-profile country music lineup that includes headliners Luke Bryan, Shania Twain and Zac Brown Band. Full schedule is at fasterhorsesfestival.com.

And a 25th anniversary is in store for Arts, Beats & Eats, set to hit Royal Oak on Labor Day weekend. A music lineup will be unveiled later this summer.

And more to do downtown

Clubs and theaters such as the Fox, Fillmore Detroit and Saint Andrew’s Hall will be buzzing as always, along with the Sound Board at MotorCity Casino and Music Hall, where the schedule includes shows presented in tandem with the Hollywood Casino at Greektown.

And there will be a host of free music in downtown Detroit’s parks, including Saturday night shows at Beacon Park, weekly from June 10 to Aug. 26. Campus Martius Park will host local acts at its Thursday evening beach parties starting June 8, with Cadillac Square presenting lunchtime acoustic music on Fridays starting June 9.

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit summer concerts: Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, Beyoncé lead lineup