NYS Music 202​0

Tag: Central Park Summer Stage

  • Simon & Garfunkel in Central Park: The Concert that Restored a Historical Destination

    Picture Central Park today. Beautiful bridges and architecture throughout a green, shaded landscape. A place where people can enjoy their hour lunch break, or a destination for buskers trying to earn some cash. In the 1970’s, the park had been a completely different atmosphere. Crime, graffiti and decay structured the park.

    Simon & Garfunkel
    Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon

    On Sept. 19, 1981, Simon & Garfunkel raised around $51,000, performing at the Central Park Stage which had free admission. Their concert would forever change the entire vibe of the famous park and helped it thrive to where it is today.

    The concert was a year after Elton John performed for around 300,000 people, wearing his iconic duck suit. Among the artists that also performed in Central Park were Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band and Garth Brooks.

    Simon & Garfunkel
    Simon & Garfunkel in Central Park, 1981

    Although most of the concerts drew enormous crowds, and made a lasting impact on Central Park being a destination for great musicians, Simon & Garfunkel literally cleaned up the park with the money they raised from merchandising, CD sales and TV and video rights.

    The show was broadcast live on HBO, then was recorded and released as the duo’s first live album.

    http://www.michaeldoret.com/
    Poster by Michael Doret

    Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel made history that day and drastically improved the state of Central Park. As a result of the impact they made, the park became a popular tourist attraction. There were no “sounds of silence,” when it came to the cheers of the 500,000 people in the audience.

    Setlist: Mrs. Robinson, Homeward Bound, America, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, Scarborough Fair, April Come She Will, Wake Up Little Susie, The Everly Brothers, Still Crazy After All These Years, American Tune, Late in the Evening, Slip Slidin’ Away, A Heart in New York, The Late Great Johnny Ace, Kodachrome/Maybellene, Bridge over Troubled Water, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, The Boxer

    Encore: Old Friends / Bookends Theme, The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy), The Sound of Silence

    Encore 2: Late in the Evening (Reprise)

  • On this day in 1980, Elton John rocked Central Park dressed as Donald Duck

    On Sept. 13, 1980, Elton John performed for around 400,000 people in Central Park. The sun was out, people were gathered (less than six feet apart), and Sir Elton was wearing a Donald Duck suit.

    Elton John Donald Duck
    Sir Elton John performing, “Your Song” while wearing his legendary duck suit.

    It might seem surreal, now, to imagine 400,000 people in the same place, at the same time, dancing and enjoying themselves. With Nigel Olsen on drums and Dee Murray on bass, the original Elton John Band created a legendary experience.

    The concert was part of Elton John’s 1980 World Tour, supporting his latest album 21 at 33. He played top hits “Bennie and the Jets,” “Your Song,” and of course, “Tiny Dancer,” and added some new ones in there too, like “Little Jeannie” and “Sartorial Eloquence.”

    Imagine all the people. Elton John paid tribute to his long time friend John Lennon by performing a cover of Lennon’s classic tune, “Imagine.” A few months later Lennon would be murdered by Mark David Chapman. Sir Elton said this made it too painful to perform the song ever again.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy2VmfgEaag

    Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, started playing piano at a very young age, so it comes to no one’s surprise that he has plenty of awards under his belt. With two Academy Awards and four Grammys, John has and always had quite the reputation as being a musical genius. The latest tribute to the icon is the acclaimed film “Rocketman,” starring Taylor Edgerton as Elton John throughout his career; the movie would also land Elton John and writing partner Bernie Taupin an Oscar for Best Original Song with “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.”

    Seeing Elton John, Donald Duck suit and all, singing “Your Song,” will never be forgotten as part of one of the most legendary concert experiences in Central Park of all time.

  • The Decemberists announce 20th Anniversary tour

    The Decemberists have announced dates for their 20th anniversary summer tour, including a performance at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette on August 15 and Central Park Summer Stage on August 20.

    The group, who first formed in 2000 in Portland, Oregon, will embark on a summer tour headed from the Pacific Northwest to the Northeast, with a final stop at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on August 22. 

    “Twenty years ago, in a basement practice space in Portland, Oregon, a bunch of musicians threw together under the name The December Brides, a name that lasted only a few hours before it was marginally improved to The Decemberists,” says the band’s frontman Colin Meloy. “On such occasions, it seems fitting to throw some kind of party. And so we’re heading out on the road, we Decemberists, to celebrate the work we’ve made over the last two decades.” For more information and tickets visit decemberists.com.

    The Decemberists 20th Anniversary National Tour Dates

    Jul. 28 – KettleHouse Amphitheater – Missoula, MT

    Jul. 29 – Paramount Theater – Seattle, WA

    Jul. 31 – Edgefield – Troutdale, OR

    Aug. 1 – Edgefield – Troutdale, OR

    Aug. 3 – The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, CA

    Aug. 4 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA

    Aug. 6 – Gallivan Center -Twilight Concert Series – Salt Lake City, UT

    Aug. 7 – The Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO

    Aug. 8 – CrossroadsKC – Kansas City, MO

    Aug. 10 – Surly Brewing Co – Minneapolis, MN

    Aug. 11 – Auditorium Theatre – Chicago, IL

    Aug. 14 – Roy Thompson Hall – Toronto, ON

    Aug. 15 – Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards – La Fayette, NY

    Aug. 16 – Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts – Vienna, VA

    Aug. 18 – The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA

    Aug. 19 – The Boch Center-Shubert Theatre – Boston, MA

    Aug. 20 – Central Park SummerStage – New York, NY

    Aug. 22 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN

    *All shows are with Fruit Bats, except August 8

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