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8952 Grand River Blvd. Detroit
In the fall of 1966, The Grande (pronounced gran-dee) Ballroom, located at 8952 Grand River Blvd., reopened its doors to the public. Under the new ownership of Russ Gibb, a local radio DJ, the Grande became a beacon to the suburban Detroit youth culture, which lacked a true focal point for its flourishing underground rock scene. Inspired by San Francisco’s Fillmore Ballroom, Gibb transformed the Grande from dance hall to iconic rock ballroom. With the help of poet/activist John Sinclair and his local artist collective, Trans Love Energies, Grande’s unique aesthetic quickly attracted the youth of Detroit’s northern suburbs.
Adorned with a Moorish architectural style, the Grande was built in the 1920’s and housed a large, spring-suspended hardwood dance floor. The ornate décor juxtaposed with the grit of Detroit’s rock scene made the venue an inspired and ethereal experience unique in the Midwest. It didn’t take long for the concert venue to attract national acts such as The Who, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Doors, Janis Joplin, and Cream. But always at its center was the house band, The Motor City Five. Known as the MC5, this local band played the Grande nearly every weekend, and typified the raw raucous energy of local rock acts.
Today the Grande Ballroom stands as an abandoned, decaying shadow of its once-grand self. |
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