Femi Kuti

CityFest is about the music
Andrea Daniel / Special to The Detroit News

The 2007 Comerica CityFest (formerly the TasteFest) is one huge block party. There are activities for families, a Street Market featuring local retailers, and there's all the food you can purchase to eat from more than 40 Michigan restaurants. But it's really all about the music (maybe that's why the name was changed) and there's plenty of it.

To help you plan which of the four stages to plant yourself during the five-day festival, here are the must-see acts at CityFest.

Demon Days: An Official Planet E Selection, an All Day Special (noon Wednesday; Pure Detroit Stage)
Native Detroiter, techno producer/DJ Carl Craig has described Demon Days as a traveling series of electronic music events with the concept to "party like it's 1999." This time, he presents Detroit Live, featuring Marcus Belgrave, Wendell Harrison, Kelvin Sholar, and DJs Recloose, DJ S2 and New York-based DJ Gamall and a special surprise guest.

Femi Kuti & Positive Force (5:30 p.m. Wednesday; Motor City Casino Main Stage)
Nigeria-born Femi Kuti continues the Afro-beat legacy of his father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, flipping it with a blend of European club rhythms and American neo-R&B and hip-hop beats. Kuti utilizes the whole stage, bouncing from saxophone to vocals to keyboards and with the band Positive Force, complete with African dancers, the act goes beyond high-energy.

Weird Al Yankovic (8:30 p.m. July 5; Motor City Casino Main Stage)
Weird Al is the king of the parody. He's spoofed songs by Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Usher, R. Kelly and Eminem. Why wouldn't you want to see a man who uses the slogan, "Dare To Be Stupid"?

The Wailers, featuring Elan (5:30 p.m. July 5; Motor City Casino Main Stage)
As in Bob Marley and the Wailers. The band has gone through numerous changes with the death of Marley, but they remain committed to the legendary reggae music that put them on the map. Elan has sung the words of Marley so convincingly that it's said Carlos Santana thought he was one of Marley's children.

Tumbo Bravo (2:30 p.m. July 7; metroPCS Jazz & Blues Stage)
From this local five- to seven-piece Cuban Jazz combo you'll hear original mambos, cha chas, rumbas and boleros and some classic Cuban jazz tunes. A good time is bound to happen when Latin music comes from the stage.

Bobby 'Blue' Bland (3 p.m. July 8; Motor City Casino Main Stage)
This is a performance for pure Southern blues and soul lovers. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bland has contributed to blues music since the late '50s. With hits like "Farther Up the Road" and "That's the Way Love Is," this brand of the blues will be a crowd pleaser.

PicNap Poetry Detroit Slam Team (noon, July 8; metroPCS Jazz & Blues Stage)
The Detroit team recently won the championship at the '07 Rust Belt Slam competition in Cleveland, Ohio. This group brings performance poetry with high adrenaline and a raw message.

Cetan Clawson (6 p.m. July 8; New Center Council Park Stage)
The Detroit rock scene will be well represented on the Park Stage. One highlight is an afternoon of very young bands, including 19-year-old guitar whiz Cetan Clawson.

Andrea Daniel is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.

Carl Craig