De Blasio plans to not only go out with a bang but also to ensure NYC reopens with one
New York City — If by chance you're some tourist setting foot in Times Square for the first time, chances are at least once you'll hear someone blurt: "New York City . . . the city so nice they had to name it twice!" There's a musical quality that seemingly floats thru the NYC air indeed.
Apparently Mayor de Blasio, before finishing this final term, plans to ensure New York City's reopening is celebrated with theme music. In piecing together "NYC's soundtrack," first up, the mayor had to get legendary record producer Clive Davis on board. And de Blasio did just that.
He personally reached out and asked the Brooklyn-born Davis.
“I was greatly honored,” Davis says. And with such acceptance, as the saying goes: Let's get this show on the road!
Perhaps Davis, less than a year away from turning 90, like de Blasio hopes to add another highlight to his legacy. And few feats are as great as hosting a celebration for the ages in Central Park. After all, the City That Never Sleeps is just waking up from a nightmarish pandemic.
So far Davis has remained tight-lipped about the surprise performances, tentatively scheduled for August 21. Ah, but if history repeats — New Yorkers can expect a celebration for the ages! As for history and NYC, whenever coupled together for concerts on the Great Lawn, the record-breaking crowds have been every bit as great as the performances and the Lawn itself.
“This concert is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Mayor de Blasio said. “It’s going to be an amazing lineup. The whole week is going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before in New York City.”
Davis is among the most successful record producers in history. And so, given that he's produced icons that range from Whitney Houston to Bruce Springsteen, when Davis says he plans to have eight “iconic” stars perform a three-hour show for 60,000 attendees, not to mention being televised worldwide for millions at home, let's just say — expect a magical evening!
No city can boast of having more homegrown iconic musicians than New York City. From Jay-Z to Lady Gaga, the City of Dreams birthed them all. No wonder Chris Bonanos of Curbed wrote it would be "hard to imagine a New York artist who’d reject the call if it came."
I can't imagine a "no thanks." But I can imagine, say, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys linking up again, as did they a few years back at her surprise NYC show.
Perhaps one of the reasons this planned concert is expected to be so grand, in scale, is partially due to its being the mayor's swan song. And as I'm sure you can understand, the mayor wants to end his seven-year-long run with a bang. Better yet, a Big Bang!
Even the event's working title sounds grand: “The Official NYC Homecoming Concert in Central Park.”
In short, with NYC intent on announcing its recovery from an unprecedented pandemic, perhaps Mayor de Blasio somewhat feels like the third sprinter in a 4x400 relay race, nearing the anchor:
He's a few steps away from finishing the job and handing off the baton to NYC, as the final sprinter sets to celebrate reopening!