You Say DTE Energy Music Theatre, City Style Says Pine Knob

Throwback Pine Knob T-shirts available at City Style in Berkley celebrate the stubborn refusal of many Metro Detroiters to use the popular music venue's new name, which was adopted more than 10 years ago.

The outdoor amphitheater that opened in Clarkston in 1972 was known as Pine Knob Music Theatre before it was renamed DTE Energy Music Theatre in 2002, according to its website. However, generations of music fans who saw their first concert at the venue, tailgated in its parking lot or spread blankets out on its hillside seating area did not acquiesce to the change, prompting Muskegon-based Superieur Brand Clothing to create the T-shirts.

"(The Pine Knob T-shirt) is one of our best-sellers," City Style co-owner Carrie Vestrand said Monday. "I think it's the nostalgia of it – we all still call it Pine Knob."

Vestrand said she discovered the shirts thanks to Rock on Main Clothing Company in Northville, which also carries them and referred a sales rep to City Style.

The Berkley boutique carries a charcoal men's version in sizes S-XL for $25 and XXL for $28, as well as a heather gray women's version in sizes S-XL for $30, Vestrand said.

[Do you call the venue DTE Energy Music Theatre or Pine Knob? Leave a comment!]