Shadow Show
Concert of Colors
July 20, 2025
I’m always advocating for things to be free.
Festivals, concerts, art openings, museums, any cultural anything.
It’s not easy for cultural institutions to do. I’m not pretending it is, especially at a time when federal funding for the arts is under threat under the current presidential administration.
But here’s what happens in a city like Detroit when the cultural powers that be can swing it: The demographics at these events end up being an accurate representation of the city because there’s no issues around access, who can be there, who can afford it, etc.
That’s the power of Concert of Colors, which is billed as “one of the nation’s longest-running, largest, free and global music festivals.” It’s a mix of artistry and activism, with multiple stages and venues and nonprofits preaching their causes among international food trucks with most of the festival rooted inside and outside the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit’s cultural district.
Major acts included Femi Kuti, WAR, Asha Puthli, Mavis Staples, Yo La Tengo and more. I’ll write about some of those this week, but I want to focus on one of the most appetizing local acts: Shadow Show.
I had the opportunity to introduce them before they took the stage. My off-the-dome intro is a decent description of the sound: “Are you ready to have your mind cosmically melted by the psych-rock, 1960s sound of Shadow Show?!”
It’s mod. It’s a take on psychedelic music from the 1960s that isn’t far removed from Detroit legacy acts like The Frost. If you’re looking for some introductory tracks to get a feel for Shadow Show, here are a few: “Mystic Spiral,” “Radiant Hue,” and “Baba Yaga.”
As a three-piece, the sound the band delivers feels bigger. And there are moments of intense Detroit garage rock from yore. (A track they delivered tricked me into thinking they were covering the Stooges in their “Raw Power” era).
It speaks to the diversity of the music Concert of Colors has presented for over 30 years, starting as a humble block party before growing into a landmark Detroit institution. An all-woman trio that has been playing together since they were kids, performing in bars to main stages at a festival to touring the world and representing the city that informed their sound as they go.
This set was a 4:30 p.m. Sunday performance that opened to a modest crowd that slowly grew. And the biggest props I can give them beyond this being the best performance I’ve ever seen them do is the fact that people stayed, danced and got introduced to one of the best bands Detroit has to offer, in one of the best settings you could possibly see them (on the front lawn, on a perfect weather day, of the Detroit Institute of Arts, one of the best art museums in the country).
Psych-garage rock in Detroit is alive and well, and Shadow Show is leading the charge.
