For nearly two decades, the Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue has been a Concert of Colors fixture — a celebratory night of Motor City music featuring a cast of homegrown performers.
But this Sunday, the revue is taking a twist: While Detroit musicians still fill the bill, the theme is a bit different. Rather than a strictly hometown topic, the show is billed as an evening of songs about “Peace, Love and Understanding.”
“It’ll give you a little respite from the election year,” Was told the Free Press in May, ahead of the festival announcement. “You’ll be able to get away for an hour and a half and not think about that.”
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Headlining the evening is Berkley-bred pop-rocker Marshall Crenshaw (“a good old friend who still sounds wonderful,” Was said), leading a lineup that also includes Steffanie Christi'an, Milton Bennet, Herschel Boone, Carolyn Striho, Corktown Popes, Gretchen Gonzalez Davidson, Julie Benjamin, Kara Meister and Mike-E.
They’ll be accompanied by a house band featuring Was on bass alongside some of the seasoned musicians he’s performed with for years, going back to his Was (Not Was) days.
The “Peace, Love and Understanding” concept wasn’t the original plan. Indeed, the Oak Park native said, there was “a whole elaborate theme” involving dancers that is now mothballed until next summer, thanks to a suggestion from Chris Taylor, the revue’s longtime sound engineer.
“He said: ‘You know what the world needs right now? Some peace and love. That should be your theme,’” Was recounted. “I thought: Hmm, man, that’s right on. So we did a 180 on the spot.”
The all-star revue is an annual highlight at the free Concert of Colors, the multiday, multicultural music celebration in Midtown Detroit. Festival activities kicked off Wednesday and will run through Sunday.
The revue will start at 8 p.m. Sunday in the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
And it’s not the only Concert of Colors contribution this year from Was, the decorated producer, musician and Blue Note Records president. He’ll also be part of a Friday event at the Detroit Historical Museum celebrating the late, great Detroit band MC5.
The event will include an MC5 panel discussion with Was, Ann DeLisi, Leni Sinclair and Peter Werbe starting at 4:45 p.m. It will be followed by a live performance of MC5 and John Lee Hooker songs with bandleader Tino Gross and musicians including Was, Johnny (Bee) Badanjek, Wendy Case, Scott Morgan, Garret Bielaniec and Mike Smith.
The MC5 festivities will follow the 4 p.m. Friday premiere of "Tales from the D," a forthcoming Detroit PBS series produced by Gross and filmmaker Tony D'Annunzio ("Louder than Love"). The inaugural episode, to be screened at the Detroit Historical Museum, includes an interview with Was and footage of the historic jazz venue Blue Bird Inn.
Full Concert of Colors schedule and details are at www.concertofcolors.com
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