DETROIT (WXYZ) — Registration for the reopening celebration of Michigan Central Station in Detroit is set to resume after the website crashed and forced ticket sales to pause on Tuesday.
Registration will resume Wednesday at 9 a.m. with two different links for the events. Michigan Central released the following statement Tuesday evening:
We appreciate your patience and understanding while we worked through technical difficulties caused by overwhelming demand for tickets. We apologize for the inconvenience. We quickly identified the problem, but to ensure access to tickets is as fair as possible and allow time to communicate updates, we paused registration Tuesday. We look forward to celebrating the historic renovation of The Station with the community in June!
Ticket registration was scheduled to open to the public at noon on Tuesday. But around 1 p.m., Michigan Central officials released a statement saying registration for Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central and the OPEN House experience was temporarily paused “due to overwhelming demand.”
Photos from people trying to get tickets show it having a problem establishing connection, and the website wouldn't load.
"I really want to see it because it’s the highlight of the city’s rebirth," Evan Kelly said. "Actually, my family has roots in Detroit. So, I have pictures of my brother growing up as a little kid in the train station right before it closed down."
Michigan Central’s statement Tuesday afternoon is below:
We appreciate everyone’s excitement to participate in our Michigan Central OPEN celebration.
Due to overwhelming demand, we have temporarily paused registration for Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central and the OPEN House experience to ensure fairness in retrieving tickets.
Tickets are not sold out. We apologize for the inconvenience and will share a new date and time for ticket availability.
Please stay tuned for more information.
Zack Herman was one of the lucky ones who got a few tickets before the website crashed. He said he's not surprised the website crashed.
"I was fearing that it would and then when I clicked the link, it went right to Eventbrite and it worked," Herman said. "I mean, that seems to be the MO now for pretty much any big event in the city is tickets go on sale, website crashes, everyone complains on social media."
The event will be hosted by Ford and Michigan Central and includes an opening night concert on June 6 and then OPEN House from June 7 to June 16 with a first look inside the station's ground floor.
Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
VIDEO: Concert, open houses planned to celebrate debut of Michigan Central renovations
"I set a number of reminders and I'll have the website up and ready just before it goes live again," Ryan Jakubowski said.
Tickets for the concert can be found here. OPEN House tickets can be found here.
Watch our report about a father-daughter ironworker duo working on rehabbing the station below
Officials say the first commercial occupants will begin moving in during the fall.
“There’s no place like Detroit, and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase the city through its own incredible artists,” said Executive Producer Jesse Collins, founder and CEO Jesse Collins Entertainment. “We’re going to create an unforgettable welcome party for Michigan Central with this new chapter in Detroit history that celebrates the visions of these unique performers who are bound together by a shared love of their city.”
“We are thrilled to be a part of honoring the city of Detroit with a special night of celebration, community, and musical brilliance,” said Executive Producer Dionne Harmon, President, Jesse Collins Entertainment. “Detroit’s musical and cultural impact on the world is undeniable and we look forward to spotlighting its legacy on June 6 with the reopening of Michigan Central.”
“We can’t wait to bring the city of Detroit, and its legendary performers, together at Michigan Central to show the nation how incredibly powerful Motor City is,” said Executive Producer Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, SVP, Specials, Jesse Collins Entertainment. “The city’s rich history will shine throughout the production and we promise a memorable evening full of vibrant performances and entertaining surprises.”
