00:00We're out for rockin' road trips, and what a view. What a magnificent view. There's only one venue in all
00:05of Detroit, maybe in all the world, definitely in all the world, that has this view of Canada, and that
00:10is the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater.
00:12From its beginnings as Shane Park to becoming one of the city's premier concert destinations, this riverfront venue has welcomed
00:19generations of music fans and some of the biggest names in entertainment.
00:23No one knows that story better than Malik Mousy. His family has helped shape the amphitheater's legacy for more than
00:29two decades, and today he's taken us behind the scenes of one of Detroit's most iconic stages.
00:35When it was originally opened, my mother, she was the director of the Council of the Arts for the city
00:40of Detroit under the Cominette Young administration.
00:42So when they first had the plan to do this venue, she was over-programming it.
00:48Me and my brother would just roll down the hill and pick up trash.
00:532004, when our family business had taken over fully the venue, I've been here every day since.
01:00Wow. Originally, the Aretha was only like 2,000 seats, and you said it was just like a grass hill?
01:05It was just a grass hill. No roof.
01:06You were rollin' down it. No roof, yeah.
01:07No roof, nothin'.
01:09Yep.
01:09Today, the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater holds 6,000 people.
01:12Correct.
01:12You said another 1,000 up on the lawn, and it has this amazing tarp and is more than just
01:18a lid on the Aretha.
01:20What else do you use this amazing tarp for?
01:23We actually project the concert on the ceiling to create this immersive experience.
01:27You have to be here to witness it.
01:28So what we do is we project on the smooth area.
01:31So this whole smooth area here is a large, like, 80 by 80 foot screen.
01:36Same thing over there.
01:37Crazy.
01:38Yeah.
01:39Here you never have to leave the show.
01:40Unless you're in the urinal or the stalls.
01:43At which point, we thank you for leaving the show.
01:44We need you to focus.
01:45Yeah, we need you to focus on what you're doing at that point.
01:47But meanwhile, in between, well, you know, you have plenty of areas to go get food, beverage,
01:53sit down and...
01:54Feel the water.
01:56Hear the sound and still feel like you're not missing something.
02:00Yeah.
02:00And then you can see it, you know.
02:02The setup of the venue, like, it's very open.
02:05Like, you feel like you're not that far away from the artist.
02:07There's not a bad seat in the house.
02:08It's really, really an intimate setting.
02:11And how low the stage sits, you know, you're right there.
02:16So as we just had with Babyface, we did the walkthrough with Security.
02:20Do you think he's going to go into the crowd?
02:21No, he's not.
02:22He doesn't go into the audience.
02:23I'm like, when they see how easy it is to get from here to the fans, they take that step
02:28down and they go.
02:29Yeah.
02:29Which makes it even more of an experience, you know.
02:32So, very cool story.
02:34Malik was telling me.
02:35What are some of the bands that have had come together moments here at the Aretha on stage?
02:40Some of the hip-hop acts as far as, like, EPMD and Salt and Pepper, Earth, Wind & Fire, New
02:47Edition, quite a few people were able to get their full groups back together here in Detroit
02:52on this stage.
02:53For whatever reason.
02:54It had to be tempting with that view, I'm telling you, man.
02:57That had to be tempting.
02:59Yeah, you know, and the graduations that happen here, and that boat pulls past and they hit
03:03the horn.
03:04Boom, boom.
03:05And that's the tip of the iceberg, man.
03:06The Aretha Franklin Amphitheater.
03:08If you haven't already seen a show here, you need to.
03:10And if you have, you know what we're talking about.
03:12Rockin' Road Trips with WCSX.
03:14Don't miss it.
03:16Don't miss it.
03:16Come experience it if you haven't already.
03:19The Weird, The Wild, The Wonderful Rockin' Road Trips with 94.7 WCSX.
03:26This Rockin' Road Trips is brought to you by Faygo.
03:28This summer, when you're looking for zero sugar, go with the flavor.
03:30Go with Faygo Zero Sugar.
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