Protesters march outside Kid Rock show at Little Caesars Arena
The new Little Caesars Arena opened with a spectacle long before controversial performer Kid Rock ever took the stage.
Two hours before showtime, about 200 protesters gathered in Grand Circus Park to march up Woodward in protest of Rock's appearance.
For 90 minutes or so, Kid Rock fans and protesters shared the sidewalks of downtown Detroit peacefully, though often profanely, trading f-bombs and the occasional middle finger.
"God bless Donald Trump," shouted a man holding a can of Heineken beer in one hand and a cigar in the other, as he stared down from the terrace of the Hockeytown Café at the protesters 30 feet below.
"Go back to Livonia," shouted a protester farther up the block on Woodward, when a Kid Rock fan shouted at her.
Dozens of Detroit police officers, Wayne County sheriff reserves and private security officers kept close watch.
Inside the arena, the spirit was festive as fans explored the restaurants, bars and merchandise booths, mostly giving positive reviews about the new $863-million facility.
Kid Rock took the stage just after 9 p.m., launching his set with the new song "Greatest Show on Earth" surrounded by an array of circus characters.
He followed with a modified version of the political "stump speech" he premiered last week in Grand Rapids, adding a passage about gay rights and transgender restroom controversies.
"Whatever you have between your legs should determine the bathroom you use," he told a roaring crowd. He offered no confirmation about plans for a suggested U.S. Senate run.
Biker parade
Outside as the protesters passed the arena, a blattering parade of motorcycle club members — 200 bikes or more — streamed north about 6:30 p.m. and kept going. Some revved their motors to deafening levels at the crowd on the sidewalk outside the arena.
About 7 p.m., a group of 75 or so protesters who had temporarily blocked the I-75 service drive near the Fox Theatre marched to the northeastern entrance of the arena and danced and chanted "Education not gentrification," a reference to public funding used to build the arena.
A woman with a megaphone occasionally shouted "Shame!" as concertgoers passed by toward security gates to the arena, but there was no violence.
"Whose city?" former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib shouted in a bullhorn at the protesters who responded, "Our city!"
Other chants included "No justice, no pizza," in referene to the Illitch family which owns Little Caesars Pizza and helped build the arena and "What do we want? Justice. When do want it? Now."
Signs included:
- Schools not stadiums
- No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA
- Education, not gentrification
- Justice for Floyd Dent
- Jews for equitable redevelopment
- F--- Nazis
- F--- Kid Rock
Sam Riddle, an activist with the National Action Network who served prison time in a Southfield City Hall corruption scandal, called Detroit a "bastion of white supremacy" and said the choice of Kid Rock to open the arena was an insult to Detroiters.
"Kid Rock is a purveyor of hate," Riddle told the crowd in the park, which was mostly people of color. The majority of the Kid Rock fans shouting back were white.
Riddle's presence at the march seemed to infuriate many Kid Rock fans, who recited Riddle's rap sheet to some of the protesters.
"Sam Riddle? The man's a criminal," said Tom Lipari, 56, of Eastpointe, after shouting at protesters marching past the arena. "Nothing wrong with protesting but to follow Sam Riddle ..."
Lipari said he likes Kid Rock's music and thinks he's done a lot for Detroit.
"Slap in the face"
Tyrone Allen, 69, a lifelong Detroiter and Purple Heart recipient from Vietnam, disagreed, calling Rock's presence an affront to Detroiters.
"It is really offensive," he said. "We have artists who are real Detroiters" who could have been chosen.
Read more:
Kid Rock denies Detroit Free Press credentials for Little Caesars Arena concert
Kid Rock's Facebook post to haters: 'P.P.P.P.P.S. I LOVE BLACK PEOPLE!!'
Sam Riddle calls out 'hypocritical' Detroit Red Wings for hosting Kid Rock
The protest follows several days of social media smack talk between Kid Rock, his supporters and protesters who object to him performing in Detroit.
Among the protesters Tuesday were members of Black Lives Matter and Students for a Democratic Society, a 1960s-era radical group that reformed a chapter at Wayne State University two years ago.
"He's a fascist with everything he's said," said Brandon Stout, 20, of Detroit, who carried a banner with the SDS logo. "We're out here to oppose Kid Rock and to oppose this new arena."
John Brenner, 19, of Pontiac marched with Stout. He said the new arena cost hundreds of millions of dollars, in a city where schools are underfunded and the poverty rate is high.
"And to have Kid Rock as the opening act is really a slap in the face of the community," Brenner said.
Katrina Kennedy, 58, of Southfield, held a sign with Kid Rock's face under a Ku Klux Klan hood and the words "White supremacist performs in arena funded by black and brown tax dollars."
"I'm just passionate about what's going on in politics now and this election in November," she said. "I want to be heard."
Christian Kocis, 17, wore a bright red Make America Great Again hat when he attended the show with his mom, Kay Kocis. The teen pulled his mom away from a tailgate when he heard that a protest group had gathered near Grand Circus Park. The protest was almost like an opening act.
"I've never seen one in person before," the Fraser High School senior said, before running into the center of the group to shoot video.
"I like to walk around and make a little joke here and there, just jab at ourselves for how divided we've become when really we need to come together," he said, after he emerged unscathed from the protesters. "It was really peaceful."
His mom agreed.
"I think it's great that it's peaceful, as long as it doesn't come to violence, but it has become violent in other parts of the country too often and it shouldn't," Kay Kocis said.
The pair snapped photos of the protest before walking toward the arena with friends.
Confederate flag
At least one Kid Rock fan wore a Confederate flag, a symbol Rock himself used for years as part of his show before abandoning it amid protests that it celebrates hatred.
"The last time we checked we were all born free and she wears the Confederate flag, not because of racism but because it's your right as an American," said a friend of the woman, who declined to give her name.
The woman wearing the flag mentioned Riddle as a reason for it. Riddle has been critical on social media of Rock for his past use of the symbol.
She said her name was Kyre, but slipped into the security area without giving her last name.
Other Kid Rock fans rolled their eyes at the protesters.
"I think it's ridiculous," said Sherrie O'Brien, 54, of Davison, who attended with her husband, Patrick. "Kid Rock is not a racist. These people need to find better things to do with their time."
“I think the energy is great. I think it’s a first-night crowd. Everybody is excited about the arena, and the people that are here are here to see him,” said Lynn Orlowski of Royal Oak. “It looks great. They’ve come to hear something different, which is what you’ll get with Kid Rock.”
Contact John Wisely: 313-222-6825 or jwisely@freepress.com. Staff writer Brian McCollum and freelance writer Ashley Zlatopolsky contributed to this report.