Night 8 - Detroit Rock City

Detroit is known for a lot of things.  Some good, some not so good. I suppose everyone has a story and a special place in their heart for The D. But when a major rock and roll band writes a song proclaiming you The Rock City, then you know that the music scene is nothing to frown upon.  And Detroit does not disappoint. From warehouses for techno and trance to grungy clubs, if you are a band in the area and can't find a place to play, you aren't trying very hard.

But if you are going out on the town, you sometimes miss some of the more obvious places.  Of course, you probably know about some of the bigger venues and events (which we will get to), but when there is so much indie awesomeness, the big 'chain' places get ignored.  Which shouldn't always be the case.  So maybe you are a suburbanite who hasn't been downtown for a long, long time. The Hard Rock Cafe is a great place to start seeing Detroit and music again. Look, they have only been there since 2003.  And they are in a big corporate behemoth of a building that is owned by a company that hired The Hip Hop Mayor after he was deposed from office.  But if there is good music, would you go?  Of course you would.  The real question is, did you know The 313 Hard Rock has music?

I would normally stay away from the touristy things.  But if you are a Detroit music fan, it is probably worth checking out.  The normal, somewhat kitschy memorabilia is on the walls and throughout, but with a D slant.  They even have one of The Nuge's guitars!  Is the food a little overpriced?  Yeah, a little, but it is good.  But when you go to the Hard Rock, you go for the atmosphere.  And if you happen to check the schedule, you might see a very, very intimate acoustic set with a great band.  Had a nice dinner there whilst dealing with some serious issues and saw a band I would normally never think to see, live, about five feet from me.  And they ended the night by climbing on the bar and doing their finale.  And for about an hour there, life was all right.  

With the Hard Rock, you know what you are getting, so it will probably be a good time.  Then maybe you can check out some other events in some different venues.  And really see what The D has to offer.