Detroit music royalty unite to unveil Ford’s Michigan Central [PHOTOS]

We never thought we’d see the day. After being abandoned for nearly 40 years, Detroit’s Michigan Central Station has been revived with Ford Motor Co. spending almost $1 billion to transform the old train station into its new corporate campus.

And Ford spared no expense unveiling the new Michigan Central to the public on Thursday, with a star-studded concert featuring some of the biggest names in music from the Motor City and beyond. Performers included Diana Ross; rapper Big Sean; a Bob Seger tribute from Melissa Ethridge, Fantasia, and Jelly Roll; a J Dilla tribute from Common, Slum Village, and Illa J; gospel music from the Clark Sisters and Kierra Sheard-Kelly; techno sets by Sky Jetta and Theo Parrish; a searing performance by Jack White (who covered “Hear My Train a Comin’” by Jimi Hendrix); and a closing set by Eminem, who served as the event’s executive producer. The evening opened with performances by the Gavin Family, reflecting the Irish heritage of the nearby Corktown neighborhood, while the all-female ensemble Mariachi Femenil represented the Latino community of Southwest Detroit. Officials like Bill Ford, Mayor Mike Duggan, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer were also on hand to commemorate the occasion. Here’s everything we saw.