Ismael Quintanilla III/Shutterstock
Vernon Reid (left) performs with Living Colour in 2018. Reid will perform with Burnt Sugar, The Arkestra Chamber as part of Detroit's Concert of Colors.
Detroit’s free multicultural music festival, Concert of Colors, is heading back to Midtown this July.
The extensive 2022 lineup was announced Wednesday, including international and local acts from jazz, hip-hop, rock, and beyond. It's going down July 16-24 across several venues including the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and more.
Burnt Sugar, The Arkestra Chamber will be performing with Vernon Reid on Sunday, July 24. That’s the Vernon Reid, the guitar player from Living Colour. An Alice Coltrane tribute with Marion Hayden and harpist Brandee Younger is set for Saturday.
The Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue will also return for the 15th year, this time with a tribute to Iggy Pop.
Other acts include Nafada: Arab Women in Hip-Hop, Texas-based rocker Alejandro Escovedo, Afro-Caribbean group Battle of Santiago, jessica Care moore, and Mollywop!
There’s also a whole host of other events planned like a Low Riders Regional Cruise-in, a Caribbean Carnival Day, a laser light show at the Michigan Science Center, and the debut of a documentary on the longstanding festival’s history.
Did we mention this is all free?
At a press conference on Wednesday, Concert of Colors co-founder Ismael Ahmed said the event will include multiple indoor and outdoor stages.
The festival went virtual in 2020 due to the pandemic and switched to a mixed format of live, broadcast, and steamed events in 2021.
“We intend to come roaring back from the period of COVID where we had to be virtual,” he said. “This year we’re gonna be very much live.”
Was, who described Detroit as a “beautiful ethnic rainbow,” said Concert of Colors represents the best aspect of Detroit and humanity.
“It’s important when you’re representing all the cultures of the world to represent the culture of Detroit,” he says. “I’m really glad to see everybody again… the event has a really warm feeling. It’s larger than the music.”
More information and the full lineup are available at concertofcolors.com.
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