It's A Beautiful Night in Detroit

As of 5:30 p.m., the crowd was starting to stake out

spots to hear the music along the riverfront.

Kids playing in the fountain in back of the stage

It's going to be a wonderful night to rock out with Mark and Mitch!

Shop, Dine, Play and Stay at the Ren Cen Friday Nights

To ensure the best concert seating arrangements for any of the Rockin' shows, make sure to get to the riverfront as early as possible to set up camp.

To do this, we always recomend to people to make the Ren Cen your desitination for a whole night out on the town -- afterall, the concert is free and there are so many neat things to do (like take a tour, shop or eat!), so bring a group of friends so some can hang in the seats while the others check out what this sweet Detroit icon has to offer.

Prime example: To gear up for Mark and Mitch coming to rock Detroit on Friday, we decided to check out Pure Detroit in the Ren Cen for some cool motor city inspired concert gear. Here's some of our favorite finds:

313 - The best area code for rock in the midwest!

Fitted Hat - $24

Detroit Soul, Detroit Funk...Whatever way you put it, Pure Detroit's got it!

T-Shirts - $24

Detroit Mugs - $8.99

Pure Detroit is located in Tower 400 on Level 1 in the Ren Cen (across from Allegra Print & Imaging). The store specializes in Detroit and GM-themed apparel, bags, purses and glassware and is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

For more information on Ren Cen Shops and resturants, please visit www.gmrencen.com.

Great White of Soul: Detroit's Own Mitch Ryder

“Hollywood. That’s where I could’ve gone if I wasn’t such a punk. If I just learned to bend over and say thank you a little more politely, it could’ve been great."

—Mitch Ryder

This quote from Mitch sums up exactly the kind of nitty-gritty Detroit attitude we all like to hear and can't wait see in action on stage at this Friday's concert.

A Hamtramck native, Ryder is often noted for his gruff, wailing singing style influenced by Little Richard and his dynamic stage performances influenced by the late James Brown. As a teen, Ryder sang backup in a black soul group known as the Peps, but racial animosities interfered with his continued presence in the group.

Ryder formed his first band, Tempest, when he was in high school, and the group gained some notoriety playing at a Detroit soul music club called The Village. Ryder next appeared fronting a band called Billy Lee & the Rivieras, which had limited success until they met songwriter and record producer, Bob Crewe. Crewe renamed the group Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, and they recorded several hit records in the mid to late 1960s, most notably, the smash hit "Devil with a Blue Dress On."

Ryder’s last successful ensemble release was Mitch Ryder's Detroit in 1971, which featured the drummer from the original Detroit Wheels, then called Detroit. The album saw Ryder moving from his earlier soul music-influenced sound to a guitar-dominated hard rock sound more in keeping with the early 1970s.

In 1983, Ryder returned to a major label with the John Mellencamp-produced Never Kick a Sleeping Dog. The album featured a cover of the Prince song, "When You Were Mine," which was Ryder's last foray into the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. Ryder continues to record and tour, and his influence is felt in the music of such blue collar rock artists as Bob Seger, John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen.

Here's a few fun facts about Ryder:

• Actress Wynona Ryder took "Ryder" as a stage name, after seeing a Mitch Ryder album in her father's collection.
• “Little Latin Lupe Lu” is known for being one of the best Detroit rock songs of all time.
• Ryder was born under the name of William Levise, Jr.

Check out Ryder belt out hits such as "Sock It To Me, Baby" and "Good Golly Miss Molly" this Friday at 8 p.m. on the Detroit Riverfront.

See you on the Plaza!

- Downtown Detroit Diva

Catch Rock Patriot Mark Farner This Friday!

This Friday, July 11, Detroit-area music fans will have a wonderful opportunity to see two Michigan natives rock the Riverfront Plaza stage with two FREE concerts starring local legends Mark Farner and Mitch Ryder.

To celebrate, we're honoring the veterans of rock in our blogs today and tomorrow, starting with Mark.

For a little history on the Flint native, we did a little digging and came across his MySpace page, which had some great tunes and a lot of great information about the legendary rocker.

Here's a part of the information included on his page that gives us a glance into the history behind the singer (Adapted and rewritten by Rob Whitehurst) .

Yes, it’s the same songwriter. The same guitarist. That same unmistakable voice that powered Grand Funk Railroad to 12 platinum and 15 gold albums.

Mark Farner is a true rock ’n roll legend. He found fame and success at the age of 20 as the leader of one of America’s most successful rock bands, Grand Funk Railroad. With GFR, Mark recorded 17 albums with total sales of more than 25 million records, and toured the world, which isn’t bad for a guy who only had three formal guitar lessons.

As a teenager in a garage band, Mark played the usual dates - school dances, VFW halls, wedding receptions and the like. After leaving high school, Mark entered the professional world, working with The Bossmen, Terry Knight and the Pack, then just the Pack (this time without Terry Knight, but with future Funk drummer Don Brewer).

In 1969, Mel Schacher, who had been a member of ? and the Mysterians, was invited to join Mark and Don, and power trio Grand Funk Railroad (named after the Grand Trunk Railroad in Michigan) was born.

But it wasn’t until the Atlanta International Pop Festival in July 1969 that GFR first caught anyone’s attention. The only unsigned act on the show, Grand Funk Railroad played before 180,000 people in 110-degree heat and the acclaim was instantaneous. Following their Atlanta appearance, the band was signed by Capitol Records and their first album On Time, was recorded and released within four months.

In early 1977, Grand Funk Railroad called it quits, and after taking a year or so off, Mark Farner signed a solo deal with Atlantic Records and issued two critically acclaimed albums: Mark Farner and No Frills.

In 1981, a reunited Grand Funk Railroad recorded a new album, Grand Funk Lives for Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, and a second album, What’s Funk, shipped in 1982. Mark released 4 contemporary Christian albums from 1983 through 1994. His continuous touring schedule kept him in contact with both his longtime Grand Funk fans, and the new fans that first noticed Mark during his solo years.

In 1995, Mark toured with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, then toured with The Northwest Airlines All-Stars before reuniting with Don Brewer and Mel Schacher to record their Bosnia album for Capitol-EMI. Grand Funk Railroad toured in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and was named to Pollstar’s Top 100 Tours of 1998. VH-1’s "Behind The Music" on Grand Funk Railroad has been airing since early 1999.

Today, Mark is still traveling the world, both with the All-Starr Band and fronting his own band, N’rG, pleasing GFR fans everywhere and continuing the legend begun with Grand Funk Railroad!

All we know is we can't wait to see him perform "Rock 'N Roll Soul" live on Friday!

- Downtown Detroit Diva

Feel free to email rockinontheriverfront@gmail or check out GMRenCen.com if you have any questions about the show.