#tinydesk • The light and powerful @DonWas and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble breathes fire into a Grateful Dead classic ⚡️
Watch the full performance at the link in our bio, only on npr.org/tinydesk or @nprmusic 's YouTube❗️
Photo: @moogiem | Maia Stern/NPR
A Concert of Colors tradition returns 🎶
The Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue takes the stage Saturday, July 18 from 9:00–11:00 P.M. inside the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts for this year’s special presentation:
✨ “A Salute to The Scene” ✨
Celebrating the legendary Detroit dance show that aired on WGPR-TV throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the evening will be hosted by Ann Delisi (@anndelisi ) and Nat Morris (@thescenedanceshow ) and feature performances from Detroit music legends and special guests including Steffanie Christi’an (@steffchris ), Carol Hall, Herschel Boone (@herschel_boone ), Mike Ellison (@_mikeellison_ ), Isis (@iamtherealest2everdoit ), Sir Harry Bowens, Donald Ray Mitchell, Felix Morris, Phayme (@phayme ), and Carson Mac (@dukeofmacc )
Part of Concert of Colors 2026, Detroit’s free global music festival bringing five days of music, culture, and community to Midtown Detroit.
📍 Detroit Film Theatre at the DIA
🗓 Saturday, July 18
⏰ 9:00–11:00 P.M.
✨ Free admission
Explore the full schedule at concertofcolors.com
#ConcertOfColors #DonWas #DetroitMusic #DetroitCulture #DetroitEvents #LiveMusicDetroit #MidtownDetroit #DetroitFilmTheatre
JUST ANNOUNCED: New August dates for Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble! Catch them in your town. Go to DonWas.com or link in bio for more info & tickets.
Excited to be part of Telluride Jazz Festival, August 7–8, 2026 in Telluride, Colorado.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 25 at 10 AM MDT →
@telluridejazzfestival
JUST ANNOUNCED: Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble are excited to be joining the 2026 Outlaw Music Festival. They’ll be hitting the road in August with an incredible lineup, and you’re not going to want to miss it! Presale tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 24 th at 10 AM. Use code OUTLAW26. Go to outlawmusicfestival.com/presale for tickets.
Our Song of the Week is Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble's performance of “Help/Slip/Frank” by the Grateful Dead.
Recorded just days after the world learned of the passing of Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir, Was and his band’s performance carries extra sentimental weight.
LISTEN via the link in our bio
#mountainstage #CWV #songoftheweek #livemusic #NPRmusic
Looking forward to seeing you at the @bigearsfestival , Knoxville - we play on Saturday March 28, 11pm at the Tennessee Theater.
Then Germantown Performing Arts Center @gpacluv , Germantown Tennessee on Sunday March 29th, 7.30pm. See you there!
Meet Wayne Gerard, @wgerard211 , guitarist in the Pan Detroit Ensemble.
Wayne Gerard Milton is a Detroit-born guitarist, composer, and producer rooted in live performance and feel-driven guitar playing. A full member of Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, he brings a player’s instincts to everything he does—writing, producing, and performing with an emphasis on interaction, dynamics, and controlled musical risk. His work includes a Grammy nomination, feature-length film scoring, and collaborations with artists such as Bob James, Patti Smith, Dr.Fink, Wayne Kramer, and Dennis Coffey, all shaped by a Detroit sensibility grounded in groove, restraint, and real-time connection.
