Originally Published in the Detroit Free Press
By Brian McCollum
Detroit Free Press Pop Music Critic
July 13, 2014
It was the kind of fun, freewheeling night where history shook hands with 2014 and both came out better for it.
Before a mostly packed house Saturday night at 2,000-capacity Orchestra Hall, native son Don Was hosted a diverse collection of Detroit-related performers to take on Bob Seger’s beloved 1976 concert album, “Live Bullet.” Was’ latest Detroit All-Star Revue capped the day for Concert of Colors, the free fest that will wrap up today in Midtown Detroit.
“Bullet” holds a cherished spot in local rock lore, and for artists ranging from teen rocker Blaire Alise to 67-year-old Spyder Turner, Saturday brought a sense of hometown duty to go with a wide-open musical mandate: Play it how you want.
Marshaling an eclectic roster of acts this way often produces a misstep or two, but Saturday’s performances were solid from top to bottom. The array of styles — from gritty soul to Southern rock to Arabic singing — were a testament to both the Concert of Colors mission and the versatility inherent to Seger’s album.
A house band of keyboardist Luis Resto, drummer Terry Thunder, guitarist Brian White and sax man Dave McMurray also popped in and out, backing numbers like Nadir & Steffanie Christian’s sinewy “Lookin’ Back.”