Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble Credit: Courtesy

Whether you know musician Don Was from his stint co-fronting 1980s new wave outliers Was (Not Was) — their “Spy in the House of Love”  is still a stone-cold jam — producing albums for the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt and the B-52s; or even directing the Brian Wilson doc I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times, one thing for certain is that Was will always surprise you with a new creative facet.

So it is that Was is stepping out from behind the production desk to helm the Pan-Detroit Ensemble — an outfit that includes credentialed Blue Note Records vets (did you know Was is also prez of that label?) — on a tour that brings the classic, hard-charging musical spirit of the Motor City to Judson’s. Expect covers ranging from the Temptations to the Grateful Dead to Curtis Mayfield.

7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, Judson’s Live, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $46.91-$70.51.

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This article appears in Feb. 11-17, 2026.