Metallica To Rock Orion Music Festival On Detroit's Belle Isle In June
DETROIT (WWJ) - They're the perennial favorites of heavy rock fans everywhere and this summer, it looks like Metallica will land on Belle Isle as part of the "Orion Music + More" festival.
The city of Detroit has apparently approved a plan for the island to host the music festival on June 8 and 9, 2013. Detroit City Councilman Ken Cockrel said the approval was given while the council was on vacation, which is odd.
"I have never known of that process being used to approve events like this. Typically, the process is used to approve contracts," Cockrel told WWJ's Sandra McNeill.
And it looks like the Orion Music + More festival will be calling the Motor City home for at least the next three years. According to documents from the Detroit Recreation Department dated Nov. 29, the department entered into a revenue contract with the festival to produce the event "for a period of several days during the summers of 2013, 2014 and 2015."
The documents state that the city is guaranteed $100,000 for 2013, $100,000 for 2014 and $250,000 for 2015 -- with opportunities to earn additional revenue if admissions, sponsorships and food/beverage sales from the festival hit certain marks. The revenue will be used to make capital improvements on Belle Isle and at various other parks in the city, according to the documents.
Cockrel said with enough security and traffic control, the festival could be a big success.
"As long as there's the proper security and traffic control procedures are put in place, I don't see any reason why, you know, this event should not be a huge success. It should not only be good for the city but also good for the festival organizers and for people that are into hard rock," he said.
And you can bet Cockrel, who described himself as a big fan of Metallica and heavy metal, will be among the crowd.
"Would I bang my head? Yeah, if I had any hair," he said with a laugh. "Well I could still bang my head, I just don't have the long hair that flows... Actually, the last time Metallica was in town, I actually went and saw them at the Joe Louis Arena back in '09. So, this potentially could be a great show."
Aside from Metallica, other bands expected to play the two-day festival include Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Cage the Elephant and comedian Jim Breuer.
Over 25,000 fans reportedly turned out for the inaugural Orion Music + More festival, which was held in June 2012 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Festival organizers say more details, including ticket information, will be announced in February. For more information, visit www.orionmusicandmore.com.
