So! It’s down to 18days before Super Bowl 40 or what I call Motionless Motown. I am a grand support for the city of Detroit and for all the effort that the city has been doing since Jan 2005 to put it’s best face on for the Super Bowl. So why am I so upset at the NFL in it’s treatment of Motown. Could it be that in the past few weeks everything from a casting call from the NFL to get locals to be on field at half-time, they ask for a age limit of the pretty people they wanted on the filed.....you all have to be under45yrs of age. Wait what’s the average age of the Stones and isn’t the fan base us babyboomers(are we turning 60 this year babyboomers). So tell me is this impression that the NFL has no real understanding of Motown. Stop! Listen to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It Onâ€?....made for a Super Bowl half-time song. Don’t get me wrong I love the Stones dearly..since they are apart of my youth, I do miss Marvin Gaye not being around, but we can’t totally blame the NFL. Motown Records left Detroit back in the early 70’s  and those artist that stayed I still see on the streets of Detroit...Hi! Councilwomen Martha Reeves.... we may be aged and some of the originals are no longer in the lineup of those original Motown acts, but we have a new group of Detroiters that are out there from the nationally known to those local acts that still call Motown home still.
I hope those that come to the Super Bowl that you’ll be blown away at what growth is here in the city, in it’s night life and the people are warm to welcome you here beyond just a sports game. It’s nice to see Stevie Wonder be part of the Pregame performance. Our city has something great to offer you year around, a beat a city ready to be reborn again with that spirit that once was the music of  America. So put on your snowshoes and come dancing in the streets with us all here

For what your city/team(s) did to Barry Sanders and Cecil Fielder, im suprised detroit got the superbowl game.

Hey Alex...

Nice post on the Motor City... Detroit has always intriqued me, and Motown tunes are some of my faves.  But hey... I heard Detriot was one of the 'murder capitals' of the world.  Time to spread the love dude...

Unfortunately, the perception of Motown and the reality of Motown still merge in too many areas of the city.  Detroit Police put up what they called Mini-stations then kind of walked away from the idea.  This may be one of the abandoned ones but it leaves a bad feeling in your gut as you drive by to see the entire city block locked up, including the cop station.

There is however a rebuilding going on the city and the core city area is expanding.  Hopefully the city can reinvent itself to something more than nostaglia for what once was one of the most influential soul and R&B centers on the planet.