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How the Michigan Central concert healed my Detroit-loving heart

Beautiful landmark’s revival is full-circle experience

Rapper Big Sean performs during "Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central" on Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) (Carlos Osorio, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

DETROIT – Not to sound dramatic, but as a native Metro Detroiter and a longtime admirer of the city of Detroit, Thursday night’s concert at the Michigan Central train station actually healed something in me.

OK, that’s a little dramatic. But it’s true.

The Detroit train station closed down in 1988, which was before I was born. But the station has still been a huge part of my life.

I grew up outside of Detroit, but still spent a lot of time in the city throughout my childhood. With my family’s ties to and love for Mexican Town, we were often visiting the area.

And nearly every stop in Detroit also meant a visit to the beautiful Michigan Central Station.

DETROIT, MI - JULY 3: The Michigan Central Station building sits abandoned with the windows knocked out behind Roosevelt Park in Corktown on July 3, 2004 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) (2021 Tom Szczerbowski)

Some may not have seen the beauty at that time, though, with the barbed wire fencing and smashed windows that looked like eerie teeth. It wasn’t exactly welcoming, and could have easily been the set of a horror film.

FILE - The abandoned Michigan Central Depot train station in Detroit is shown on Jan. 21, 2010. Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford Motor Co., and his wife Lisa Ford are raising $10 million to help ten Detroit nonprofit organizations that serve young people start endowments. Lisa Ford said the campaign comes alongside Ford's investment in the refurbishment of the long abandoned train station. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio File) (AP2010)

But in my young eyes, the train station was this monstrous monument that had the power to transport me back in time. You could feel the building’s history and the importance, even in its darkest hours. Good or bad, this landmark became a symbol of my understanding of Detroit. This city was great; this city is great.

And finally seeing this iconic structure brought back to life with such fervor this week only solidified that sentiment. We don’t love Detroit because it’s the most beautiful city, but this city deserves to be beautiful because we love it.

The Michigan Central reopening concert on Thursday, June 6 felt like a healing, full-circle moment for me. To watch all of that life and light take place in front of this landmark that has felt so dead for so long was rejuvenating for my soul.

Performers did an incredible job, and the production itself was fun to watch. But, as my colleague Jack Roskopp put it: Michigan Central Station was the real star of the show, and it kept my attention the whole time.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JUNE 06: Jack White performs at Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central" on June 06, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images) (2024 Scott Legato)

With the station officially reopening after decades of disintegration, I feel a renewed sense of excitement for a city I was already excited for. I can’t wait to set foot in the train station for the first time in my life after having to admire it from afar.

Of course our city has its share of problems, but Detroit’s forward momentum only seems to be growing stronger -- and the people here deserve nothing less. How lucky we are to witness it.

---> Poll: Who had best Michigan Central concert performance?

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JUNE 06: A general view of Michigan Central Station before the Michigan Central Station Opening Celebration concert on June 06, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) (2024 Aaron J. Thornton)
The interior of the Michigan Central Station is seen, Monday, May 13, 2024 in Detroit. A once hulking scavenger-ravaged monolith that symbolized Detroit's decline reopens this week after a massive six-year multimillion dollar renovation by Ford Motor Co., which restored the Michigan Central Station to its past grandeur with a focus squarely on the future of mobility. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
The entrance to the Michigan Central Station is seen, Monday, May 13, 2024 in Detroit. A once hulking scavenger-ravaged monolith that symbolized Detroit's decline reopens this week after a massive six-year multimillion dollar renovation by Ford Motor Co., which restored the Michigan Central Station to its past grandeur with a focus squarely on the future of mobility. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

About the Author
Cassidy Johncox headshot

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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