Hello, Pine Knob

The Pine Knob season is nearing the end of its 2024 season, and the next to last weekend of the year will be a loud one.

On Friday, September 27th, Korn, Spiritbox and Gojira play at 6:30 p.m.

The next night, Saturday, September 28th, is the annual Riff Fest, which will feature Godsmack, Seether, Asking Alexandria and others.

Jane's Addiction had to abandon the reunion tour of its original lineup because of turmoil within the band. Before all that came down, however, we spoke to drummer Stephen Perkins about the first Lollapalooza Festival during the summer of 1991, which was one of the most legendary shows in Pine Knob's 52 year history.

Hard rockers Staind will be back at Pine Knob on Wednesday, September 11, for a second show there in just over a year. It will be the heavy rock quartet's seventh show at Pine Knob, and guitarist Mike Mushok tells us why Pine Knob is one of his favorite places to play.

Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top are continuing their Shaper Dressed Simple Man tour, which the two classic rock acts launched last year and are bringing back to Pine Knob for another stop on Friday, Sept. 13.

Judas Priest isn't playing at Pine Knob this time, though -- it's at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheater on Tuesday, Sept. 17 -- but the British heavy metal group has its own history at Pine Knob, including an Ozzfest appearance during 2004. Frontman Rob Halford is another who has nothing but good things to say about Pine Knob.

We're nearing the end of August, but there's still plenty of music coming to Pine Knob -- nearly a dozen shows, in fact, making for one of the busiest post-Labor Day weekend seasons ever.

Coming this Friday, Aug. 30, is Alice Cooper, the Detroit-born, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shock rocker on his tour with Rob Zombie. We can expect more of the same joyfully macabre entertainment his time, too -- but with a twist.

Then, a look inside the business of concert merchandise with Bill Blackwell of Blackbird Vending in the latest episode of "Hello, Pine Knob!"

On this week's episode, we talk to a trio of Pine Knob mainstays. 

The Doobie Brothers share why they believe their music has endured so long, Bret Michaels explains why Parti Gras will not only sound good, but smell good, and Incubus tells tales of past Pine Knob performances. 

The season is speeding by, and July is turning into August with a couple of notable shows from some of our favorite rockers. 

Creed is in the midst of its first concert tour in 12 years, which, among other things, is marking the 25th anniversary of its multi-platinum sophomore album Human Clay. Creed performs with 3 Doors Down and Finger Eleven on Wednesday, July 31.

Sammy Hagar brings his The Best of All Worlds Tour to Pine Knob on Friday, August 2.

Plus Melissa Etheridge shares her many memories about playing Pine Knob, from opening for Bruce Hornsby to her own headlining shows.

Finally, we thought we'd remember a particularly historic show. It was Talking Heads final appearance in the metro area, on August 11, 1983.

For this episode, we've connected with some of Pine Knob's upcoming acts -- I Prevail, Train, REO Speedwagon and Chicago -- as well as another frequent visitor, to share their memories about playing the venue and to let us know what we can expect for their appearances this year.

First up is Carlos Santana discussing what to expect at his 2024 performance at Pine Knob this Tuesday. This year Santana's show also coincides with the 55th anniversary of the Woodstock festival, where the group made its name. 

Next, we talk with 99.5 WYCD to prepare for their annual Hoedown concert. The 99.5 WYCD Hoedown has been around since 1983 and has been held at Pine Knob since 2016. The two-day event will headline Luke Bryan and host a different collection of supporting acts each night. To get ready, we gather the gang from 99.5 WYCD — including Tim Roberts, Rachel Hunter, Steve Grunwald, Rob Stone and Holly Hutton  — to talk festival tips and favorite Hoedown memories. 

Styx and Foreigner return to Pine Knob, on Saturday, June 15. The two classic bands are out on tour, with John Waite, marking it the first time in a decade they've hit the road together.

During the mid and late 70s, Andy Freeberg and Darryl Pitt served as Pine Knob's official photographers, spending night after night at the theater chronicling performances by just about every act that played there. Andy studied at the University of Michigan and has had his work published in publications such as Time, Fortune, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice and Der Spiegel. 

Darryl cut his teeth taking photos at Pine Knob and subsequently went on tour with several artists he met at Pine Knob, including Crosby, Stills and Nash, Diana Ross, Liza Minelli, Harry Chapin and Neil Diamond, leading to his images being exhibited at museums in Paris, Tokyo and Zurich.