Summer at Pine Knob revs up: Nearly 50 shows, new parking options, diverse food offerings
As Pine Knob Music Theatre dives into its 2024 season, the Clarkston amphitheater is touting nearly 50 nights of concerts, new premium parking access and an expanded presence by a popular neighborhood restaurant.
The Pine Knob action officially got underway with a May 2 show by Primus and other bands — the earliest opening in the venue’s 52-year history of summer concerts.
More: Concerts galore: Long list of artists coming to metro Detroit venues this summer
But now things are set to come thick and fast, starting with a Wednesday visit from Neil Young & Crazy Horse, part of a season lineup that includes Hozier, Hootie & the Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band, Luke Bryan, Janet Jackson and more from across rock, pop, country, R&B and hip-hop.
Officials from 313 Presents were on hand Friday for Pine Knob’s latest annual media event, where president Howard Handler trumpeted more than 110 summer concerts at the company’s stable of metro Detroit venues, which also include Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, Little Caesars Arena, the Fox Theatre and Comerica Park.
“It’s all about the soul of Detroit that radiates through everything we do,” he said.
Handler was joined by College for Creative Studies (CCS) student Kat Sutherland, whose warm, high-energy design was selected as Pine Knob’s official 2024 commemorative poster. Sutherland’s work was part of the second annual collaboration between 313 Presents and CCS, in which students work with venue executives to create poster submissions.
The limited-edition poster will be handed out at select events this summer, including Hootie’s June 6 Pine Knob show.
Also new for patrons at Pine Knob — along with Meadow Brook and Michigan Lottery — is the option to purchase parking spots within close walking distance of entry gates. Dubbed Premier Parking, the feature is available as an add-on during the checkout process at Ticketmaster. More details are at the 313 Presents website.
Pine Knob ticketholders may now also buy Express Lane passes for entry into the amphitheater through an exclusive gate, avoiding general entrance lines. Those, too, are available as add-ons during Ticketmaster checkout or at the Ally East Box Office.
Concertgoers should be aware of ongoing road construction on I-75, north of Sashabaw Road, which is likely to cause backups this summer. Venue officials are encouraging fans to plan accordingly for show nights, including early travel and carpooling. Pine Knob’s parking lots typically open three hours before showtime.
A dining smorgasbord for concertgoers
Plenty of new food offerings await general, season and VIP ticket holders this season, including items from a popular nearby restaurant. Smoked chicken wings, specialty sandwiches and some healthful items are among some of the new options.
A new restaurant option is the Fed at Pine Knob with a curated menu from the Fed restaurant in Clarkston. The Fed, named so because it’s in a former federal bank in Clarkston, had a space in Pine Knob’s Treehouse by Lume last season, but the restaurant has expanded and taken over the space previously occupied by the Coppercraft Club.
“We really wanted to take it (the space) and make it an experience for concertgoers to remember this space,” Fed owner Sarah Schneider said. “I want this to elevate your experience and be an addition to an already wonderful, amazing time.”
Schneider said concertgoers can expect “homemade from scratch” food that is “very thoughtfully sourced.”
The Fed’s executive chef, Michel Agustin, said its Pine Knob food selections are a tribute and twist on sandwiches from various U.S. cities. There's the Chicago beef sandwich, a Florida Cubano and the Hometown Chicken Sandwich, which salutes Lansing. It consists of pulled chicken, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese and scallions.
The Fed’s Los Angeles Drunk Chip features its house potato chips layered with carnitas, pico and pickled onion and served with a sambal/kewpie mayonnaise mixed with yuzu juice. Augstin said it pays homage to the Asian community in Los Angeles.
Levy executive Scott Johnson once again has curated a menu with several items from its on-site smoker, which debuted last season. Levy is the food and beverage partner for the Fox Theatre and the three amphitheaters run by 313 Presents.
At the Trinity Health VIP Ivy Lounge, available to season ticketholders, Levy features new items with health in mind. They include a spring mix antipasto salad, Mediterranean gyro nachos and oat-peanut butter-chocolate power balls for dessert. Levy’s other items include an Italian sub sandwich and pulled pork nachos and chicken wings that are spice-rubbed and smoked.
Pine Knob Music Theatre, 2024 concert schedule
May 22: Neil Young + Crazy Horse
May 28: 21 Savage
May 31: Hozier
June 6: Hootie & the Blowfish
June 7: Nate Bargatze
June 11: Tyler Childers
June 14: A Boogie Wit da Hoodie
June 15: Foreigner and Styx
June 18: New Kids on the Block
June 21: Maroon 5
June 22: Hank Williams Jr.
June 23: James Taylor and His All-Star Band
June 25: Santana and Counting Crows
June 26: Dave Matthews Band
June 28: Luke Bryan
June 29: Luke Bryan
July 2: Janet Jackson
July 6: KIDZ BOP
July 7: Third Eye Blind
July 10: Niall Horan
July 13: I Prevail and Halestorm
July 16: Alanis Morissette
July 17: Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago
July 21: Train and REO Speedwagon
July 23: Limp Bizkit
July 31: Creed
Aug. 1: Dan + Shay
Aug. 2: Sammy Hagar
Aug. 4: John Fogerty
Aug. 6: Thirty Seconds to Mars
Aug. 7: Five Finger Death Punch
Aug. 12: Imagine Dragons
Aug. 15: The Doobie Brothers
Aug. 23: Bret Michaels
Aug. 24: Glass Animals
Aug. 30: Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper
Sept. 4: Pitbull
Sept. 7: Avril Lavigne
Sept. 10: Cage The Elephant
Sept. 11: Staind, Breaking Benjamin
Sept. 13: Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top
Sept. 15: Outlaw Music Festival: Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp
Sept. 19: The Marley Brothers
Sept. 21: Megadeth
Sept. 27: Korn
Sept. 28: Godsmack
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pine Knob summer preview: Nearly 50 shows, premium parking, new foods
