NYS Music 2023

Category: NYC Metro

  • Beetlejuice Breaks Box Office Record During Final Week on Broadway

    On January 8, Beetlejuice, the smash hit musical, took its final bow after 679 performances on Broadway. The widely loved musical set a new box office record at the Marquis Theatre for the second week in a row. After eight weeks of performing, Beetlejuice earned a gross of $2,462,667.

    beetlejuice

    Through Tiktok, YouTube and other social media platforms, Beetlejuice has attracted a new and engaged crowd to Broadway. For a total of 679 Broadway performances, the production had 313 regular performances and 366 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre.

    Beeetljuice first premiered on Broadway on Thursday, April 25, 2019. It was presented by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Mark Kaufman and Langley Park Productions, Kevin McCormick. The musical won Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award due to David Korins’ scenic design. Beetlejuice was nominated for eight Tony Awards including “Best New Musical.”

    Beetlejuice is based on the 1988 Academy Award®-winning Geffen Company motion picture presented by Warner Bros. and directed by Tim Burton. The musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, an unconventional teenager whose life changes after encountering a recently deceased couple and the white faced green haired demon, Beetlejuice. When Beetlejuice is called by Lydia to frighten anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter unleashes a (Nether)world of pandemonium, and the biggest sandworm Broadway has ever seen.

    The production was directed by the Tony Award winner, Alex Timbers. Beetlejuice’s lyrics were written by Tony Award nominee Eddie Perfect and a book was authored by Tony award nominees Scott Brown and Athony King.

    Beetlejuice starred two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman, Elizabeth Teeter, Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler, David Josefsberg, Obie Award Winner Adam Dannheisser, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Michelle Aravena, Kelvin Moon Loh, Zonya Love, Danny Rutigliano, and Dana Steingold.  It also features Kate Bailey, Will Blum, Julian DeGuzman, Natalie Charle Ellis, Brooke Engen, Eric Anthony Johnson, Jesse Jones, Katie Lombardo, Andrew Kober, Elliott Mattox, Mateo Melendez, Maxx Reed, Graham Stevens and Michael Bryan Wang.

    Launched on December 7, 2022 Beetlejuice will be taking the show on the road with a 26- City Tour. Performances begin on Tuesday January 10, at the Cleveland’s Playhouse Square. Tickets for the Beetlejuice national tour are available now.

  • Rochester-Based Chamber Ensemble fivebyfive Impress in Performance at Chamber Music America Conference in NYC

    Rochester’s collaborative chamber ensemble fivebyfive impressed the crowd at the Chamber Music America Conference in New York City during their performance on Jan. 6.

    fivebyfive
    fivebyfive, photo by Becky Yee.

    fivebyfive, the artist-led Rochester-based ensemble, formed in 2015 with a simple mission, to engage audiences by performing music of leading and emerging composers. Composed of a flutist, clarinetist, electric guitarist, bassist, pianist, and audio/video engineer, the group advocates for creators who are underrepresented in the field and chooses to collaborate with artists across disciplines, while staying committed to performing new music.

    Laura Lentz, the flutist and Artistic Director for the group, said that the group likes conveying messages beyond the music. “Our goal is always to push boundaries while creating community-building experiences. We often use video and animation or poetry—even glass-blowing–to convey a message,” she said. She was elated to be performing at the Chamber Music America Conference on January 6.

    The national conference was held January 5-8, 2023 at the Westin New York in Times Square to bring ensemble music professionals together to network and share information. Fourteen ensembles were chosen to perform off-site at DROM, fivebyfive included. At the CMA conference performance, fivebyfive’s repertoire included two commissioned works, “a tiny dream” composed by Anthony R. Green and Of Breath and Fire by composer/harpist Amy Nam. In a statement, Nam said that she was “thankful for the privilege to work with a team of musicians who share my motivation of igniting curiosity and joy in their audiences.”

    The ensemble members are now back in Rochester, preparing for a 3-day residency next month at SUNY Fredonia where members of the ensemble will teach, play, and guide developing artists. Lentz said that the group “love[s] working with enthusiastic students and expect to meet many at Fredonia. We’ll share sessions on topics like creating videos and forming a musical group such as ours.” To keep up to date on the group and their future shows, go here.

  • In Focus: Cavetown & Others Play Charity Show at New Venue Racket

    On Wednesday, January 11th, Robin Skinner held his first annual This Is Home benefit show at the new NYC venue Racket that opened just a few days prior. Better known by his stage name Cavetown, the 24-year-old indie-pop artist played alongside artists like Mxmtoon, Chloe Moriondo, Penelope Scott, Yot Club, Cafuné, Spookyghostboy, and Sydney Rose. With doors opening at 7, hundreds of excited fans lined up hours in advance for a night of jamming, dancing, raffles, and an overall fantastic show. All proceeds from the show went directly to the New Alternatives resource for LGBTQ+ homeless youth.

    Cavetown
    Cavetown

    The UK-based singer began his music career at age 13 by uploading videos of his original music to YouTube and sharing songs on the streaming service Bandcamp. He previously played in March of 2022 at the Terminal 5 venue with Spookyghostboy on the guitar. Being a part of the community himself, Skinner plans to host this fundraiser show yearly in support of LGBTQ+ charities. 

    Spookyghostboy took the stage at 7:30, playing a fifteen minute set for his first live performance in over three years. Also known as Austin Thomas, the indie-pop artist began his career in 2012 with the release of his first EP called The Forest Summer.

    Cavetown
    Spookyghostboy

    Sydney Rose, a singer-songwriter from Georgia who gained popularity after her covers of “Turning Page” and “Home” went viral on TikTok, entered at 7:55. Also playing a fifteen minute set filled with beautiful vocals during songs, “Idk What I Did” and two unreleased ones, the rising artist put on a phenomenal performance.

    Cavetown
    Sydney Rose

    Yot Club, the lo-fi bedroom pop artist from Mississippi also known as Ryan Kaiser, played many songs like “YKWIM” and “Fly Out West” during his set. His unique and distinguishable sound which he created through his masterful songwriting, producing, mixing, and mastering could be heard throughout his fifteen minute set. He is set to tour in North America between February and March of 2023. 

    Cavetown
    Yot Club

    Penelope Scott, evoking comedic, chaotic, and straightforward lyrics with her edgy guitar did not fail to put on an incredible performance with her unique songwriting and vocals. She played unreleased songs as well as some from her popular self-produced album Public Void, which gained massive popularity in 2020.

    Penelope Scott

    Next on the list was Cafuné, a native New York duo consisting of singer-songwriter Sedona Schat and producer Noah Yoo. The two, creating indie-pop tracks like “Tek It” and “Talk,” met at NYU in 2014 and have been making music ever since. Their song “Tek It” went viral just last year and the band is now signed to Elektra Records. Schat and Yoo are starting their North American tour in February 2023 and are set to have a New York show on March 28th at the Bowery Ballroom. 

    Cavetown
    Cafuné

    Chloe Moriondo entered shortly after as the second-to-last opening act. A close friend of Cavetown’s and featuring on many songs of his like “Snail” from his Sleepyhead album and “grey space” from his recent worm food release, Moriondo excitedly jumped and sang along to songs like “Plastic Purse” and “I Eat Boys.” Rocking her cyberpunk outfit, pink hair, and iconic eyelashes, the indie-rock singer amazed ecstatic fans with her powerful vocals. Beginning her music career as a teenager by posting song covers to her YouTube channel, she quickly got the attention of Skinner and has opened for him during past tours.

    Chloe Moriondo

    Mxmtoon played the last opening set at 10, performing songs like “prom dress” and “seasonal depression” from her the masquerade album—which Skinner helped produce. She also sang “mona lisa” from her recent album release, rising. The bedroom-pop artist from northern California played a captivating and electrifying set with her signature instrument—the ukulele—and encouraged the audience to sing along with her.

    Mxmtoon

    The intimate Racket venue, with a capacity of 650 and looking fresh and newly furbished, hosted a wonderful show. Being much smaller and more intimate than his last NYC concert, the chill and refreshing vibe was evident as Robin interacted with his young and delighted fans. The fully-acoustic set of each artist and the gift-giving of fans added to this happy mood. Mxmtoon accepted many fan gifts like hand-sketched art and an egg-shaped stuffed animal which she named upon arriving. A bouquet of flowers surprised Sydney Rose as she exited the stage, and Robin received a variety of pictures, flags, and letters. Spookyghostboy came out to announce the raffle winners, which included prizes like vinyl pressings and one signed custom Cavetown Fender guitar. Skinner showed the crowd his new “blue chrome ombre” nails and asked whether the New York water gave them “crazy good hair.”

    Cavetown Setlist: Lemon Boy, 1994, Idea of Her, fall in love with a girl, Juliet, frog, wasabi, a kind thing to do, worm food, This Is Home

    Cavetown
    Cavetown
    Cavetown
    Cavetown
    Cavetown
    Cavetown
    Cavetown

  • “Here Lies Love” to open on Broadway in Summer

    Opening on Broadway this summer is Here Lies Love, the immersive disco-pop musical based on the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution of the Philippines.

    Here Lies Love

    Entertainment Weekly called Here Lies Love a “completely immersive theater experience with infectious melodic spirit.” It is a groundbreaking musical about former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos and her astonishing rise to power, and her fall at the hands of the Philippine People Power Revolution. Here Lies Love comes from the minds of Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner David Byrne and Grammy Award winner Fatboy Slim. The show premiered at The Public Theater in 2013, returned from 2014-2015, went to London’s Royal National Theatre in 2014, and most recently opened at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2017.

    In a statement, the producers of the musical said “As a team of binational American producers––Filipinos among us––we are thrilled to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway! We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theatre. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show. See you on the dance floor!” The Broadway Theatre’s traditional proscenium floor space will transform into a dance club environment, where audiences will stand and move with the actors.

    Here Lies Love is choreographed by Olivier Award nominee Annie-B Parson and directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers. The creative team also features a long list of award winners, including three-time Tony Award nominee David Korins (scenic design), Tony Award winner Clint Ramos (costume design), Tony Award winner Justin Townsend (lighting design), and three-time Tony Award nominee Peter Nigrini (projection design).

    A wide variety of standing and seating options will be available throughout the theater’s reconstructed space, with more details to be announced soon. To get first access to tickets, sign up here.

  • Bayside Tours NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge In March

    Esteemed punk band Bayside has announced they are hitting the road next month for their “Just Like Home Tour.” Joining them will be I Am The Avalanche and Koyo, making a stop at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge on March 8th and 9th. 

    Bayside Tours NYC's Le Poisson Rouge In March

    In addition to the new EP, Bayside have announced that they will be hitting the road this winter for the Just Like Home Tour. The lineup pays homage to the band’s local scene, with fellow New Yorkers I Am The Avalanche and Koyo providing support on the month long run. The Just Like Home Tour kicks off on February 10th in Houston, with stops to follow in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, New York City, and more. 

    Last year Bayside shocked their fans with The Red EP, as well as their cover of Kacey Musgraves’”Rainbow.” They then closed out 2022 with their latest single “Go To Hell”. With The Red EP, fans see Bayside refining their unique brand of punk rock even further. The EP’s three songs offer powerful, hard-hitting melodies that draw upon the band’s heavier influences. You can be sure that they are just getting started, with more music to come soon. 

    “We wanted to go out and do some places that are a little smaller than what we’ve been doing the last few years. We really cut our teeth in a lot of these venues and we can’t wait to get back to some of them for the first time in ages,” shares the band.

    Bayside Tours NYC's Le Poisson Rouge In March

    Bayside has deep roots in New York (they are named after the Queens neighborhood where they formed), so it is not out of place that they wrote a song dedicated to one of the state’s most famous vacation getaways. When most people think of Montauk they often have wonderful memories of their time on the beach, eating lobster with their families, or visiting the Montauk lighthouse. However, when Bayside wrote “Montauk,” they made a conscious decision to avoid all of the pleasant memories they might have had and took a more negative, yet humbling, approach to writing about the seaside town. They wanted to remind people that unfortunate circumstances can occur in amazing places, and sometimes saying goodbye is the hardest part of life.

    Upcoming Tour Dates:

    2/10 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall

    2/11 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater

    2/12 – Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room & Garage

    2/14 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater

    2/15 – Garden Grove, CA @ Garden AMP

    2/16 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues

    2/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco

    2/18 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall

    2/20 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall

    2/21 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox

    2/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex

    2/24 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre

    2/25 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre

    2/26 – Chicago, IL @ Metro

    2/28 – Milwaukee, WI @ Th Rave

    3/1 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s

    3/3 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall

    3/4 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House

    3/5 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre

    3/7 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

    3/8 + 3/9 – New York, NY @ LPR

    3/10 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage

    3/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

    3/12 – Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall

    To check out more by Bayside and to purchase tickets for their upcoming shows, click the link here.

  • Specialists to hold Album Release show at Brooklyn Made on January 13

    The Specialists, a New York City-based funk collective, will hold an album release party at Brooklyn Made on Friday, Janaury 13 featuring Will Leet and Bentley Robles.

    specialists album

    Founded by guitarist Will Harden and bassist Mikey Rotunno, Specialists have a sound that is cultivated by Harden’s powerful vocal and compositional style and Rotunno’s masterful production laced with frequent harmonies and hip-hop verses. The duo began with a tradition deemed Funky Friday, releasing new music on consecutive Fridays, leading to a polished, funk-rock listener experience. 

    Specialists’ most recent EP, Glass, is the precedent to their upcoming album, Hole in the Wall. Music fans will appreciate the subtle, jazz-influenced intricacies of their playing and listeners will be taken away into the sonic spectrum, with ease, thanks to their devotion to listener accessibility and pop influence.

    specialists album

    Hole ln The Wall has come to define the sound that the funk-rock band has always been seeking. With changes to their recording process from the help of legendary recording studio Sabella Studios their sound has taken on a new edge and polish while retaining their signature mix.

    After Specialists’ winter tour in January 2022, the band began writing with influences from the cities they performed in and the artists they met. For example, “Why Do You?” offers a country-rock swing track influenced by the classic sound and culture of Nashville, TN. Touring more frequently, Specialists have catered their songwriting to the reception of their newly gained fans. Having such a dance-oriented crowd on tour, the band wrote “Birdseye” and “Hole in the Wall” just for the occasion. Their latest single, “Glass,” covers more ground as well, pleasing the ears of R&B and pop music fans, creating a well-rounded, attention grabbing and energetic album the band have put their hearts and souls into.

    Joining Specialists will be Will Leet, a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, known as the lead guitarist of international touring act, Sammy Rae & The Friends. Will’s music is an eclectic mix of rock, folk, country and baroque pop, with influences ranging from Kacey Musgraves to the Grateful Dead. In September 2022, Leet released his debut full length record, Come Back Roses, a community-sourced, crowdfunded project that was the product of 7 years of songwriting with his co-writer, Chris Burns. When life was put on hold in 2020, Will had nothing left to do but pour every ounce of himself into these songs.

    Also joining Specialists will be an artist hailed as “the future of pop” by Monster Children, Bentley Robles. One of the defining voices of the New York underground, Robles is boisterous, impassioned and unapologetically queer, a Chicano synthpop artist born and raised in Los Angeles and now thriving in Brooklyn. His singles “kim kardashian” and “don’t listen to this song” (a collaboration with Gregory Dillon) also debuted with acclaim by METAL, Pride.com and more.

    Tickets for Specialists with Will Leet and Bentley Robles are available here.

  • Chuck Garvey to return to the road full-time with moe.

    Just two weeks after his very special appearance at moe.’s New Year’s Eve performance in Philadelphia, founding guitarist Chuck Garvey has announced that he will be returning to the road full-time for the band’s 21-date winter 2023 tour.

    moe chuck garvey walls capitol theatre
    Chuck Garvey projected onto the walls of The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – photo by Filip Zalewski

    The tour will kick off on Long Island with the January 19th performance at The Paramount in Huntington, recently named the top club worldwide, by PollStar.

    Thank you for your well-wishes and your donations, without which my recovery would not have happened, This year has been a really long, difficult one for me, but a rewarding one, in that I learned what a person needs to do to achieve goals. Some are basic, everyday things like speech, and some are more about universal things that I noticed about family, friends, and community that keep us all afloat.

    Garvey in a letter home to fans, in November

    The long-awaited announcement comes 13 months after Garvey suffered a stroke, just after the band’s Halloween 2021 performance, which would not have happened without the support of the moe. community, according ot the band.

    Bassist Rob Derhak, who himself battled cancer and took time away from moe. in 2017, gave perspective to Chuck’s return to the band:

    This past year has been a trying time for moe., as a band. We were faced with an unthinkable decision of replacing our brother Chuck with another guitarist. Suke stepped in and stepped up. He brought his unique style, unparalleled talent, and hyper-focused work ethic into the group. Without his help, we wouldn’t have been able to survive the last year, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are eternally grateful. Thank You Suke Cerulo.

    Rob Derhak

    See Chuck Garvey on tour with moe this winter, which covers much of the Northeast and Southeast. Get tickets at moe.org.

    moe. 2023 Winter Tour Dates

    Thursday, January 19 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY
    Friday, January 20th – 9:30 Club – Washington, D.C.
    Saturday, January 21st – Wellmont Theater – Montclair, NJ
    Friday, February 17th – State Theatre – Portland, ME
    Saturday, February 18th – State Theatre – Portland, ME
    Friday, February 24th – Palace Theater – Albany, NY
    Saturday, February 25th – Palace Theater – Albany, NY
    Thursday, March 9th – Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
    Friday, March 10th – Mars Music Hall – Huntsville, AL
    Saturday, March 11th – Minglewood Hall – Memphis, TN
    Sunday, March 12th – Vinyl Music Hall – Pensacola, FL
    Wednesday, March 15th – Music Hall – Charleston, SC
    Thursday, March 16th – The Plaza Live – Orlando, FL
    Friday, March 17th – Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
    Saturday, March 18th – Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL
    Sunday, March 19th – PV Concert Hall – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
    Tuesday, March 21st – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
    Wednesday, March 22nd – Jefferson Theatre – Charlottesville, VA
    Thursday, March 23rd – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
    Friday, March 24th – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
    Saturday, March 25th – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA

  • “The Marvelous Mr. Mizrahi” returns to Café Carlyle, Feb. 14-25

    Isaac Mizrahi will return to Café Carlyle in February with his all-new show, “The Marvelous Mr. Mizrahi,” for a two-week residency, running from Valentines Day through the 25th.

    Accompanied by his band of jazz musicians – led by Ben Waltzer – Mizrahi will perform a range of tunes from Arthur Freed to Grace Jones. The New York Times notes that Isaac Mizrahi “qualifies as a founding father of a genre that fuses performance art, music and stand-up comedy.”

    The Marvelous Mr. Mizrahi
    The Marvelous Mr. Mizrahi

    Isaac Mizrahi has worked extensively in the entertainment industry as a performer, host, writer, designer and producer for over 30 years. Along with his annual residency at Café Carlyle, Isaac has performed at various venues across the country such as Joe’s Pub, The Regency Ballroom, several City Winery locations nationwide and comes to the Carlyle fresh from his run as Amos Hart in the Broadway production of CHICAGO.

    Mizrahi is also the subject and co-creator of Unzipped, a documentary following the making of his Fall 1994 collection which received an award at the Sundance Film Festival. He hosted his own television talk show, “The Isaac Mizrahi Show” for seven years, has written three books, and has made countless appearances in movies and on television. He served as a judge on “Project Runway: All-Stars” for the series’ entire seven-season run. Previous residencies of Mizrahi’s at Café Carlyle were sellouts, receiving widespread critical acclaim.

    Performances will take place at Café Carlyle from February 14-25 (Tuesday-Saturday) at 8:45pm. Weekday pricing begins at $100 per person for General Seating, $150 per person for Premium Seating, and $85 per person for Bar Seating. Weekend pricing begins at $135 per person for General Seating, $185 per person for Premium Seating, and $100 per person for Bar Seating. Reservations can be made online via Tock. Café Carlyle is located in The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel (35 East 76th Street, at Madison Avenue).

  • Steve Aoki Announces First U.S. Tour Since Pandemic, Stop at Terminal Five, New Single “New York” Out Now

    Steve Aoki announces his first U.S. tour since the pandemic started, with a stop at Terminal Five on March 16. He also announced a new single titled “New York” with Regard, featuring mazie out now.

    Steve Aoki
    Steve Aoki, Photo Credit: Jana Schuessler

    Steve Aoki is a 2x-GRAMMY-nominated music producer, artist, fashion designer, entrepreneur, and Dim Mak Records founder. He has been described by Billboard as one of the most in-demand entertainers in the world.” He holds the Guinness World Record for “Most Traveled Musician in a Single Calendar Year,” performing at nearly every top festival worldwide, including Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, Lollapalooza, Fuji Rock Festival, Tomorrowland and Electric Daisy Carnival.

    Aoki has collaborated with an impressive list of artists, including BTS, Maluma, Snoop Dogg, Linkin Park, blink-182, One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, Machine Gun Kelly, and Lil Uzi Vert. He released three Platinum singles, six Gold singles, and over ten Top 10 radio records in his career. Aoki recently released his album HiROQUEST: Genesis, featuring collaborations with Taking Back Sunday, Mod Sun, Kane Brown, and more, and sold a staggering 27K+ CDs. His ongoing HiROQUEST brand is a growing extension of him and the worldwide community he created through his music, welcoming all into his universe.

    Steve Aoki

    Aoki announced his brand new fiery single “New York” featuring multi-platinum DJ and producer Regard and up-and-comer alt-pop artist mazie. Regard has amassed a worldwide following since the release of his chart-topping 2019 hit “Ride It,” and has gone on to achieve over 10x Top 10 single chart placements globally. mazie went viral on Tik Tok for her song “dumb dumb,” which amassed 70+ million cumulative streams, and her debut album “blotter baby” is coming out in 2023. Together on the track, the three come together to make the pop anthem of the year.

    Aoki also announced a winter run of dates, his first since the pandemic started. The 12-city run sees him wrapping up in Terminal Five on March 16. Ticket information can be found here.

    HiROQUEST: GENESIS TOUR DATES:

    Wed, Feb 22 / Montreal / New City Gas

    Thu, Feb 23 / Toronto / Rebel

    Fri, Feb 24 / Chicago / Aragon

    Sat, Feb 25 / Las Vegas / Hakkasan

    Wed, Mar 1 / Washington DC / Echostage

    Thu, Mar 2 / Austin / Stubb’s

    Fri, Mar 3 / Dallas / Factory at Deep Ellum

    Fri, Mar 3 / Las Vegas / Omnia

    Thu, Mar 9 / Denver / Mission Ballroom

    Fri, Mar 10 / Los Angeles / Shrine Expo

    Sat, Mar 11 / San Francisco / Bill Graham

    Sat, Mar 11 / Las Vegas / Omnia

    Wed, Mar 15 / Boston / Big Night Live

    Thu, Mar 16 / New York / Terminal 5

    Sat, Mar 18 / Las Vegas / Omnia

  • Patti Smith Celebrates 76th Birthday at Brooklyn Steel

    As 2022 was wrapping up its final week, Patti Smith returned to Brooklyn Steel for two nights on December 29 and 30 to celebrate her birthday (which coincided with the second evening). Brooklyn Steel was flooded with fans for the shows, seemingly sold out on the evening we attended and sold out on Dec. 30. The venue’s size and layout made it an excellent atmosphere for an intimate performance.

    patti smith brooklyn steel

    In her true spirit, Smith’s show was an amalgamation of poetry, beauty, and fierceness wrapped in a blanket of rock and roll. The show featured her high energy songs such as “Free Money,” “People Have the Power,” and her mainstay take on Them’s “Gloria.” Earlier that day, the world had lost iconic British fashion designer and cultural influencer Vivienne Westwood. Many musicians had taken to social media to pay tribute to her, and Smith dedicated her song about sadness and loss “Redondo Beach” to Westwood after saying a few words.

    patti smith brooklyn steel

    A motif of the evening was time, given the impending change of year and two more important milestones – the birthdays of both Smith and her long-time collaborator and guitarist Lenny Kaye. While taking a brief break mid-set, the band covered “Time Won’t Let Me,” “If I Could Turn Back Time,” and “Time Is On My Side” while a cover of The Chambers Brothers’ “Time Has Come Today” came later in the show. With Kaye’s birthday a few days prior, Smith rallied the audience for a round of “Happy Birthday” for his day (Smith had her birthday moment with the sold-out crowd the next evening, with cake!).

    Along with Patti Smith, her band includes Lenny Kaye and her son Jackson Smith on guitar, Tony Shanahan on bass/keys, and Jay Dee Daugherty on drums. Smith’s tradition of performing shows for her birthday (and by nice coincidence, celebrating the upcoming New Year) is one not to miss.

    patti smith brooklyn steel

    Patti Smith – Brooklyn Steel – December 29, 2022

    Setlist: Dancing Barefoot, Redondo Beach, Free Money, Ghost Dance, Because the Night, My Blakean Year, Nine, Pissing in a River, Time Won’t Let Me (>) If I Could Turn Back Time, Time Is on My Side, One Too Many Mornings, Peaceable Kingdom / People Have the Power, Summer Cannibals, Ain’t It Strange, Time Has Come Today, People Have the Power

    Encore: Happy Birthday to You, Gloria

    patti smith brooklyn steel
    patti smith brooklyn steel
    patti smith brooklyn steel