Under the Big Apple Circus Tent
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center Plaza
Monday, January 3, free, 7:00
Tuesday, January 4, mezzanine $25, ringside $30, 7:00
www.rockandrollcircusparty.com
On December 11, 1968, the Rolling Stones hosted the Rock and Roll Circus, an unpredictable mix of music and mayhem with the Who, Marianne Faithfull, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, clowns, a fire eater, a flying trapeze act, and the one-night-only supergroup the Dirty Mac, consisting of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. Vance Garrett Productions, Jessica Resler of Muffin Cupcake, and visual artist Adarsha Benjamin are trying to recapture some of that old magic with a new three-ring extravaganza of music and acrobatics they are also calling the Rock and Roll Circus. On January 3 at 8:00, Japanther, the Pharmacy, Voxhaul Broadcast, the So So Glos, and Electric Tickle Machine will team up for a free concert under the Big Apple Circus tent in Damrosch Park, while Ariel Pink, Amazing Baby, Aska + Nick Zinner, and Saint Motel will be part of a ticketed show ($50) January 4 that will also include acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, balancing acts, and other performers from the Big Apple Circus, led by ringmaster Acid Betty, the Fiercest Hybrid Drag Queen in New York City. (OK GO were initially scheduled to headline Tuesday night but have been replaced by Ariel Pink, whose HAUNTED GRAFFITI disc has made many year-end top-ten lists.) Both nights will feature local food trucks, various specialized pop-up shops, sponsored bars, and other booths. While it might not quite be the Stones, the Who, and other musical legends, this Rock and Roll Circus 2.0 is a cool collection of hot indie bands worth checking out. The Big Apple Circus, comprising an international roster of acts from the United States, Bulgaria, China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mongolia, and Russia, continues at Lincoln Center through January 9 before heading to Boston April 2 – May 15 and then coming to Queens May 21 – June 12.