from “le détroit” · the strait
Don Was and his Detroit All Star Revue will salute WGPR-TV's 'The Scene' at the DIA on July 18, in a set dedicated to late Concert of Colors founder Ismael Ahmed.
The Don Was Detroit All Star Revue will perform "A Salute to The Scene" at this year's Concert of Colors, the festival's official lineup shows. The set runs 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 18 at the Detroit Film Theatre inside the Detroit Institute of Arts. Guest hosts are Nat Morris, the original host of The Scene, and WDET broadcaster Ann Delisi.
The Scene aired on WGPR-TV from 1975 to 1987, Detroit's answer to Soul Train, broadcasting young Detroiters dancing to funk, R&B, and early techno acts such as Cybotron. WGPR-TV was the nation's first Black-owned and operated television station. "Nat Morris, along with The Electrifying Mojo, totally changed the culture in Detroit and, in doing so, impacted music globally," Don Was said in a statement carried by the Metro Times.
Was is a Detroit-rooted record producer and president of Blue Note Records whose Concert of Colors appearances have anchored some of the festival's largest evenings. This year's revue includes Stephanie Christi'an, Carol Hall, Herschel Boone, Mike Ellison, Isis, Sir Harry Bowens, Donald Ray Mitchell, Felix Morris, Phayme, and Carson Mac, with a house band of Dave McMurray, Luis Resto, Jeff Canady, Wayne Gerard, Mahindi Masai, Prof. Vincent Chandler, John Douglas, and Brian Roscoe.
Was dedicated the performance to Ismael Ahmed, who launched Concert of Colors in 1993 and built it into one of metro Detroit's largest free music festivals. Ahmed, who also co-founded the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services and once served as a Michigan cabinet official, died January 31, 2026. "He was a great Detroiter and a great American, whose entire life was devoted to bringing people together in the name of liberty and justice for all," Was said.
The rest of the 2026 program at the DIA includes "Miles From India," a celebration of Miles Davis reimagined through Indian classical music, on July 15; Sean Blackman's In Transit and the Cambodian pop band Dengue Fever on July 18; the J Dilla-inspired Burnt Sugar Arkestra, also July 18; and Grammy-winning U.K. reggae band Steel Pulse on July 19.
The 35th annual Concert of Colors runs July 15 to 19 across Midtown Detroit venues. Admission is free. Full schedule at concertofcolors.com.
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