Since 2001, the Pine Knob identify had survived solely in spirit on the venue rechristened DTE Power Music Theatre, conjuring the outdated summer season attraction of loud and festive live performance nights north of Detroit.
Now, that basic identify is headed again to the marquee: Pine Knob Music Theatre is once more the official designation for the beloved Clarkston amphitheater, which routinely ranks among the many top-grossing within the nation.
The Pine Knob renaming was revealed Friday morning by venue operator 313 Presents, following the expiration of DTE Power’s 20-year naming deal in late December. New companions United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) and Trinity Well being had been additionally introduced as a part of a multiyear settlement that can hold “Pine Knob” intact for a while to come back.
The corporate additionally unveiled a emblem that harks again to the Pine Knob authentic — together with the classic, Seventies-style font — with a brand new twist on its woodsy summer season theme.
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The revival of the Pine Knob identify, coming because the amphitheater embarks on a fiftieth anniversary celebration, will likely be music to the ears of Michigan music followers, lots of whom continued to make use of the outdated moniker years after the swap.
For concertgoers who got here of age within the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, it may additionally function a shot of nostalgic consolation after practically two years of pandemic-induced upheaval within the live-music world.
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Affection for the outdated identify ran deep, turning into a badge of authenticity for performers and audiences: One of many best applause traces for a visiting artist was an enthusiastic “Howdy, Pine Knob!” from the stage, whereas attire makers discovered a cottage trade with shirts and different objects sporting the slogan “I Nonetheless Name it Pine Knob.”
The resurrection of a basic identify marks a uncommon reversal within the trendy leisure and sports activities world, the place company naming sponsorships have turn out to be a multibillion-dollar enterprise and key income supply. Only a handful of A-list live performance venues have withstood the renaming pattern, amongst them New York’s Madison Sq. Backyard, L.A.’s Hollywood Bowl and Colorado’s Purple Rocks Amphitheatre.
And now Pine Knob, one of many oldest and most profitable U.S. amphitheaters constructed explicitly for in style music, will rejoin that listing of venerable names.
313 Presents touts the Pine Knob renaming as a nod to the previous and a brand new imaginative and prescient for the longer term. The corporate is a three way partnership between the Ilitch and Tom Gores leisure operations, additionally overseeing exhibits at Little Caesars Area, the Fox Theatre and several other different venues. The amphitheater was acquired by Gores in 2011 when he bought the Detroit Pistons, the Palace of Auburn Hills and associated pursuits from the Davidson household.
“It’s an incredible milestone. It’s good for the fiftieth anniversary. The summer season music season is a ritual for individuals in our a part of the world,” mentioned Howard Handler, president of 313 Presents. “That is the place you spend plenty of nice summer season nights. We’re actually excited for the ‘22 season and the way forward for this complete factor.”
The journey to restoring the Pine Knob identify began in 2020, when “we realized the potential to reimagine the partnership mannequin,” Handler mentioned.
Handler, a metro Detroit native who headed off for government advertising and marketing work with the NFL, Madison Sq. Backyard and Main League Soccer, returned to Michigan in late 2019 to take the 313 reins. He mentioned he was struck by the enduring resonance of the Pine Knob identify practically twenty years after it was retired.
“We realized that DTE was unlikely to return (as naming sponsor), that their priorities had modified, and that we had been ready to have some completely different conversations,” mentioned Handler, citing talks with UWM and Trinity Well being. “We instructed them our primary thought — ‘hey, we’re fascinated about bringing the unique identify again’ — and each of them had been actually, actually excited. They thought it was the neatest factor, and so they needed to take part.”
It concerned what Handler referred to as “an intensive course of to replace the model,” together with analysis that exposed youthful audiences had been aware of the Pine Knob identify. 313 Presents officers additionally interviewed a whole lot of venue company, distributors and artists.
Troy agency Simons-Michelson-Zieve was enlisted to design the brand new emblem, charged with tapping Pine Knob’s emotional connection within the area whereas giving the logo a contemporary spin.
“We landed on the clear favourite that touches the suitable buttons when it comes to music, summer season, enjoyable and outdoor. We put it via the wringer,” Handler mentioned. “We hope it strikes the suitable stability between tipping our hat to the wealthy reminiscences and nostalgia, whereas being a up to date tackle the scenic panorama that’s symbolic of Michigan’s premier summer season live performance vacation spot. It’s classic, but it surely’s additionally meant to look towards the longer term and be very a lot a twenty first century model.”
The Pine Knob rechristening comes as a part of an anniversary season that can formally mark 50 years on June 25 — the date in 1972 when David Cassidy inaugurated the venue with a day live performance. The Clarkston amphitheater, opened by Joe Locricchio and Gary Francell and operated by the Nederlander household, turned a go-to summer season spot for touring bands and native acts comparable to Bob Seger, who in the end performed 33 dates on the venue.
The venue acquired by Invoice Davidson from the Nederlanders in 1990.
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As summer season amphitheaters — “sheds” in trade parlance — more and more turned the spine of the touring enterprise, Pine Knob soared. By the ‘90s, it repeatedly ranked first in attendance amongst North American amphitheaters, typically drawing practically 1,000,000 concertgoers yearly.
The venue reassumed that throne in 2019, the final full 12 months of exhibits earlier than the pandemic, main the nation with 598,617 in attendance, primarily based on knowledge compiled by the commerce journal Pollstar.
DTE Power bought naming rights for Pine Knob forward of the 2001 season in an preliminary 10-year deal valued at $1 million yearly. It adopted the merger of Detroit Edison and Michigan Consolidated Fuel, as DTE turned the corporate’s public-facing identify. The utility launched into a high-profile branding marketing campaign throughout the area, inserting its emblem at heart ice in Joe Louis Area and behind centerfield at Comerica Park.
DTE renewed the amphitheater deal in 2010 with one other 10-year contract, although new phrases weren’t disclosed.
DTE Power mentioned in a Friday assertion it bought the naming rights in 2001 “to solidify the corporate identify amongst customers in its service territory.”
“Having achieved our purpose, we made the choice to let the contract expire and return these {dollars} again to DTE operations,” the assertion learn.
Pine Knob’s new companions will function prominently on the venue: United Wholesale Mortgage will take over unique naming rights on the west entrance and parking zone. Trinity Well being will do the identical on the VIP entrance and parking zone.
The 2022 anniversary season is shaping as much as be amongst Pine Knob’s busiest in a few years, mentioned Dave Clark, president of Stay Nation’s Michigan division. Stay Nation books and promotes the majority of the schedule in Clarkston.
This summer season’s calendar already features a host of exhibits initially scheduled in 2020 and 2021, however postponed amid surges of COVID-19 instances, and coming weeks will carry a barrage of recent present bulletins, together with Pine Knob mainstays and first-time headliners, Clark mentioned.
Clark celebrated the revival of the Pine Knob identify as a transfer that can click on with older music followers whereas serving as a dose of “retro cool” for youthful patrons.
“That venue has confirmed to be the glue that holds artists and followers collectively,” Clark mentioned.
Contact Detroit Free Press music author Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or [email protected]
