The Struts Were In Love With The Camera At The Fillmore Detroit

Aug 7

"A night that felt like rock & roll still has something to say."

Detroit knows how to host a rock concert, and tonight The Fillmore was alive in a way that made you recall why people still show up, why they still wait outside the building hours in advance, still scream when the house lights dim, still sing along to every word like it's the last thing holding them together. This was not a tour date for The Struts and Dirty Honey, this was a statement. Like the scene wasn't dead after all.

Dirty Honey came out swinging with fire. No smoke, no projections, no pretension. Just a band that gets on stage and plays like they mean it. Marc LaBelle's vocals cut through the room with that raspy confidence that's made for the Fillmore's red velvet walls, and John Notto's guitar work was clean and dirty and loud all at once. There's something retro about them, sure, but they're not looking to be a revival act. It's swagger without the costume. They hit hard, tight, and without trying too hard to sell it. “When I’m Gone” and “California Dreamin’” landed as expected, but it was their energy that had people in the pit nodding like they’d already heard it before. Familiar in the best way.

By the time The Struts took the stage, the room was hot. Literally and metaphorically. The lights dropped, and the scream that went up felt like it belonged in an arena. Luke Spiller strutted out like he was headlining the damn world. There's a reason the guy's constantly being likened to Mercury, it's not just the voice or the glam, it's the control. The man owns a crowd. Every move is calculated, every pause timed, every outfit a mood. But the thing with The Struts is that none of it comes off as empty. You never forget they’re a band, not just a frontman and a light show.

The Struts launched into “Primadonna” with all the bombast you’d expect, and the crowd was in from the first downbeat. But it was hearing the Everybody Wants album in full that gave the night a deeper pulse. Detroit loves that record. You could sense it in the number of people singing along to "Put Your Money On Me" and "Could Have Been Me." It was not nostalgia, either. It was a connection. Ten years later, those songs still sound massive live.

Spiller didn't sing, he commanded. Adam Slack's solos were razor-sharp as ever, and the rhythm section held the chaos in rein without skipping a beat. Gethin's drums thundered. Jed's bass tone rattled your spine in the best possible way.

And the newer songs? They held their own. They took their place with the classics quite happily. No one went to the bar during them — which speaks volumes.

The crowd was a mix of newbies, old fans, and those who seemed to have stumbled upon the concert and were forever changed. You could feel it, people weren't watching. They were in it. And that's the beauty of The Struts. They don't play, they pull you in. And Dirty Honey? They struck the match.

This was not simply a night of solid bands playing solid music. It was a reminder that glam can still be dirty, that vocals can still reach for the rafters, and rock & roll, when played with heart, still moves people.

Detroit showed up. The bands delivered. The Fillmore shook.