Thousands attend star-studded 'homecoming' New York concert
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, December 19, 2024


Thousands attend star-studded 'homecoming' New York concert
Spectators wait for the "We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert" in Central Park on August 21, 2021 in New York City. Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Paul Simon are set to headline a massive Central Park concert Saturday meant to signal New York City's "homecoming" in the wake of the pandemic's worst devastation there. Kena Betancur / AFP.

by Maggy Donaldson



NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Paul Simon headlined a massive Central Park concert Saturday to mark New York City's "homecoming" in the wake of the pandemic's worst devastation there.

But a hurricane heading towards the US east coast along with a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant threatened to dampen spirits at the star-studded event, expected to host some 60,000 people.

People streamed onto Central Park's Great Lawn Saturday afternoon, as the New York Philharmonic played rousing renditions of classics including "New York, New York."

Groups of revelers cheered and danced, snagging spots by laying down picnic blankets ahead of five hours of live music that kicked off at 5 pm (2100 GMT).

While attendees were thrilled to be at a live public event again, many were also still concerned over Covid-19, despite vaccination requirements.

All attendees aged 12 and over had to provide proof of vaccination, except for those prevented from getting shots for reasons of disability. Masks were not required at the outdoor event, except for unvaccinated children.

"At least everyone is vaccinated" at the shows, said Ilana Gomez, who was most excited to see guitarist Carlos Santana's band play.

"Music is what I missed the most" during the pandemic, the 27-year-old told AFP, adding that it was "amazing" to be with so many people but that she thought it wasn't "the best idea" to have such a large event.

'We are back'

Speaking on local radio Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the concert was meant as a marker of recovery.

The celebration was planned "to really tell people New York City was back, to tell the whole world," he said.

The pandemic hit New York hard in early 2020, and has left more than 33,000 people dead.

But life-long New York resident, Bill Thompson, said he was "more guarded than ever."




Despite lingering coronavirus concerns, the 69-year-old said "it's a joy" to see the city coming back to life.

"It feels so free to be able to enjoy what people have missed for so long."

In the week leading up to Saturday's show, the city hosted a series of hip-hop concerts across the New York boroughs, featuring performances from Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, KRS-1, and Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah and Raekwon.

Except for VIP spots, tickets are free for Saturday's concert, which also features performances from Jennifer Hudson, LL Cool J and Barry Manilow.

Henri threats

Some 68 percent of adult New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, though cases have ticked up recently to more than 1,850 a day, a 19 percent increase in two weeks.

The unvaccinated population continues to face risks of both contracting the virus and feeling its worst effects.

"My heart goes out to everyone who suffered," said attendee Laurie Ramirez, an educator in her 50s.

She won a ticket to the event because of her essential worker status during the pandemic.

"It's extraordinary. It's the most beautiful thing" to be here, she told AFP.

The threat of bad weather also cast a slight pall over the revelry, as US meteorologists upgraded storm Henri to a hurricane on Saturday, predicting landfall on the US east coast on Sunday.

Henri was anticipated to miss New York City by miles, but could still cause tropical storm conditions beginning Saturday night.


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

August 22, 2021

Out of storage and onto walls, the Uffizi spreads its brand

Chuck Close's uneasy, inevitable legacy

Diving among ancient ruins where Romans used to party

Exhibition reveals lost stories of works of Nazi looted art

'The opposite of airlines': When larger audiences require fewer seats

Thieves hit entrance buildings of Berlin's Victory Column

Thousands attend star-studded 'homecoming' New York concert

Exhibition examines how artists have defined and constructed "space" from the 1960s to today

SF Camerawork's esteemed auction returns online this September with work by over 60 artists

Taliban vow to protect Afghan cultural heritage, but fears persist

The struggle to save a house of music, and its legacy

A celebrated Afghan school fears the Taliban will stop the music

Tethys Art in Southampton opens group show 'Les Femmes'

Twenty-fifth edition of miart will be held 17-19 September

Exhibition of new works by Mikala Dwyer on view at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

Gallery Weekend Berlin announces participating galleries and artists

Exhibition explores the significant dialogue between Max Bill and the Argentine avant-garde

A fun place to play, if the show fits

A quiet summer at Edinburgh's festivals

Eloise Greenfield, who wrote to enlighten Black children, dies at 92

Horsens Kunstmuseum presents a mid-career retrospective of distinctive New York artist

Shahzia Sikander's exquisite, entangled worlds

Sound installation after dark captures the daytime bustle of Brighton Beach basketball court

Tom T. Hall, country music's 'storyteller,' is dead at 85




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
(52 8110667640)

Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful