Gene Simmons, Rick Ross to headline music festival at Utica stadium

July 23rd, 2026

Read Full Article Here: https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2026/07/21/gene-simmons-rick-ross-uspbl-fall-classic-festival-utica-uwm-field/90993865007/

Written By: Brian McCollum

A pair of heavy hitters will take over a popular Utica baseball complex in September as the United States Professional Baseball League launches its first music festival.

Gene Simmons (Kiss) and hip-hop star Rick Ross will co-headline the inaugural USPBL Fall Music Classic, a three-day fest that will also feature previously announced headliner Chris Janson.

The festival will happen Sept. 18-20 at UWM Field, with Janson in the Friday night headlining slot, Ross on Saturday and Simmons on Sunday. Tickets are on sale now at the USPBL website or through the UWM Field box office (248-759-5278).

“When we envisioned the Fall Music Classic, we wanted to create much more than a concert series — we wanted an annual event that brings people together through music while celebrating artists who have shaped their genres and generations,” USPBL founder and CEO Andy Appleby said in a prepared statement.

The festival bill also features a slate of support acts each night:

• Julia Cole and Michigan’s Mac Watts will open for Janson on Sept. 18.
• Detroit rap veterans Trick Trick and Esham will open for Ross on Sept. 19.
• Detroit pop-rock band Kaleido and vocalist Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent) will open for Simmons on Sept. 20.

Acts were announced Tuesday, July 21 during a media event at Royal Oak’s Rock & Brews, co-owned by Simmons and his Kiss partner Paul Stanley.

The family-friendly USPBL, founded in 2016, features the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers, Eastside Diamond Hoppers, Utica Unicorns and Westside Woolly Mammoths, who play their games at the 4,000-capacity UWM Field.