Wildwood Amphitheater brings tribute acts to Oakland County
In recent years, this once-underutilized outdoor venue has expanded with a family-friendly concert series
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With families expected to be tightening their belts this summer, Oakland County’s Wildwood Amphitheater is touting its outdoor concert series as a cheaper alternative for live music.
“What’s a Taylor Swift ticket these days?” says Brian Major, the executive producer for Orion.Events, which operates the venue in a partnership with Orion Township. “Ours were $20, and our show was every bit as much fun. And the kids scream their heads off. It was enjoyable. A lot of times our shows are the first concerts kids go to.”
The series started as a way to better utilize the 5,000-capacity amphitheater amid the 2020 pandemic, when indoor spaces were closed. For the past five years, it has offered regular family-friendly programming with an emphasis on tribute acts, or artists who replicate the real thing for a fraction of what tickets would otherwise cost.
At the time, the amphitheater was holding few events. “Back then, it was being used maybe five to 10 times a month,” Major says, adding, “When I saw what was going on and the potential that the venue held, I said, ‘Well, what are you guys doing on weekends? … Why don’t we book tribute artists? And our first season, I think we did 30 or 40 shows.”
Major, who comes from experience working with the Arts, Beats & Eats festival in Pontiac and Royal Oak as a stage manager and talent buyer, says tribute acts have become popular in recent years.
“A lot of the stuff that I enjoyed — Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Doors — they’re not touring anymore, but there is a demand to see them,” Major says. “It was an inexpensive alternative to spending $200 to go to [another venue] to see a show. You know, we were $10 to $20 for a ticket. It made sense. It was affordable. It was a load of fun.”
Major says the partnership with Orion Township has resulted in improvements made to the amphitheater, which opened in 2010, including the installation of an updated lighting truss and a concession stand made from a repurposed shipping container. “We’re always tinkering with the lighting, you know, trying to enhance it,” he says. The venue now also includes a merch booth for artists and a photo booth.
Orion.Events is also expanding its food options this summer, Major says, adding that the venue hosts rotating food trucks on the weekends.
The 2025 season opens on Friday, May 30 with a fundraiser for the Lake Orion Fireworks headlined by Ladies of the 80’s, a tribute act to women like Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, and Blondie.
Other tributes include Shady, an Eminem-inspired rap act backed by a live band, on Saturday, June 21. The season is capped by In the Flesh: Echoes of Pink Floyd, which includes a light show, on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Beyond tribute acts, the venue is also set to host a “Concert for Conservation” on Saturday, June 14 headlined by rising Michigan country act Sadie Bass. The event is presented by Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to protect wetlands and wildlife.
A series of free Thursday concerts starts on June 5 with the North Oakland Concert Band.
The free concerts are “great for families, especially these days where budgets are tight,” Major says. “We’re cheaper than a babysitter.”
Major adds that there is no cover for children under 12, and parking is also free.
“Unlike going to the bigger amphitheaters, you can be in and out of our parking lot in 15 minutes, not two hours,” he says.
Major estimates that “90% of the bands we book are tribute artists, and 90% of the tribute artists that we booked were local.” Local bands often serve as opening acts, he says.
“You want to get your Aerosmith fix, you get on the lawn, you lay back, you listen, and you won’t know the difference,” he says. “You won’t know the difference, except in your wallet.”
You can read the full lineup for the Wildwood Amphitheater at orion.events or in the Metro Times summer concert guide.
Wildwood Amphitheater is located at 2700 Joslyn Ct., Orion Twp.
