this week in music

LET’S STAY (IN) TOGETHER: A BENEFIT FOR THE APOLLO THEATER

apollo

Who: “Captain” Kirk Douglas, Kool & the Gang, Gary Clark Jr., Robert Randolph, Ray Chew, Michael McDonald, Lil Buck & Jon Boogz, Keb Mo, Celisse Henderson, Infinity’s Song, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Warren Haynes, Celisse Henderson, Ziggy Marley, Vernon Reid, DJ Reborn, DJ D-NICE, Dionne Warwick, Doug E. Fresh, Roy Wood Jr. and the 125th St. neighborhood
What: Virtual benefit concert to support the historic Apollo Theater
Where: The Apollo Theater website and Facebook page
When: Thursday, June 4, free with advance RSVP (donations accepted), 7:30
Why: The virtual Apollo Theater gala benefit was supposed to take place June 2, but it was delayed because of Blackout Tuesday, the music industry’s response to the government’s mishandling of the George Floyd protests and police brutality. Opened in 1934 on West 125th St. as a place where black musicians could play to black audiences, the Apollo is a landmark in African American history. In moving the date of the gala, the institution explained, “The Apollo Theater stands with #TheShowMustBePaused. In observance of Blackout Tuesday and in solidarity with our artists, neighbors, and the global community, our benefit — Let’s Stay (IN) Together — has been rescheduled from June 2 to June 4.” On Thursday night, the virtual celebration will have even more to say about the state of race in America; among the performers are “Captain” Kirk Douglas of the Roots, Kool & the Gang, Gary Clark Jr., Robert Randolph, Ray Chew, Michael McDonald, Lil Buck & Jon Boogz, Keb Mo, Celisse Henderson, Infinity’s Song, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Warren Haynes, Celisse Henderson, Ziggy Marley, Vernon Reid, DJ Reborn, and DJ D-NICE, along with appearances by Dionne Warwick, Doug E. Fresh, and Roy Wood Jr. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted, with proceeds going not only to the theater but to local merchants and small businesses. And as the Apollo states on its website, “Love Black People Like You Love Their Culture.”

RESISTANCE: TORI AMOS IN CONVERSATION WITH ESQUIRE’S JEFF GORDINIER

tori amos

Who: Tori Amos, Jeff Gordinier
What: Online book launch
Where: 92nd St. Y online
When: Thursday, June 4, $10, 5:00
Why: On the back cover of her new book, Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage (Atria, May 2020, $26), North Carolina Music Hall of Famer Tori Amos writes, “What follows in this book is my journey to engage, examine, and then reassess the artist’s role in society and, by doing so, to create a way forward for us as we commit to resist those dark forces that would wish to subjugate us instead of lifting us up and giving a voice to be the best in us. . . Join me on the path of resistance — of the art that will set us free.” Resistance has come to mean a whole lot more during this pandemic and the George Floyd protests, so it should be fascinating to hear Amos, an activist whose albums include Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink, Boys for Pele, and Native Invader, talk about that with Esquire’s Jeff Gordinier on June 4 at 5:00, bringing together the personal and the political as part of the continuing 92nd St. Y at Home programming. Registration is ten dollars, with proceeds going to 92nd St. Y’s Help Now campaign.

THE NERVE TANK: THE ATTENDANTS 2020

Brookfield Place

Who: Admiral Grey, Bizzy Barefoot, Brandt Adams, Irene Hsi, James (Face) Yu, Julienne Marié, Karen Grenke, Mark Lindberg, Robin Kurtz, Stacia French
What: Virtual reimagining of 2011 interactive performance at Brookfield Place
Where: Arts Brookfield website
When: Live each Wednesday in June, replayed Sundays in June, free, noon – 6:00
Why: In May 2011, the Nerve Tank presented the three-day performance installation The Attendants at the World Financial Center Winter Garden, an interactive work in which the audience could text barefoot actors in dark suits, gloves, and sunglasses moving inside and around a large transparent plexiglass cube; you can see clips from the show, in which the actors respond to the texts with only their body, here. The New York City-based Nerve Tank is teaming up again with Arts Brookfield for The Attendants 2020, which will take place in the small rectangular box of the internet instead of a large cube in a spacious, lovely atrium, a different kind of confinement. Part of the #BFPLatHome program, The Attendants 2020 will be performed live every Wednesday in June (June 3, 10, 17, 24) from noon to 6:00 and will be replayed every Sunday (June 7, 14, 21, 28) at the same time. Chance Muehleck conceived the piece and wrote the lyrics; the director and choreographer is Melanie S. Armer, while Stephan Moore composed the score and designed the sound. The prerecorded voices are Annie Dorsen and Jonathan Vandenberg; the cast features original Attendants Karen Grenke, Bizzy Barefoot, Stacia French, James (Face) Yu, Robin Kurtz, Mark Lindberg, and Irene Hsi in addition to Admiral Grey, Brandt Adams, and Julienne Marié, responding from wherever they are sheltering in place, prepared to address current issues that have the whole world on edge.

SONGS FOR OUR CITY

A wide ranger of performers will participate in “Songs for Our City” coronavirus response challenge online in June

Who: Alice Ripley, Ethan Slater, Rob Rokicki, Drew Gasparini, Molly and the Memphis Thunder, Starbird & the Phoenix, many more
What: Specially commissioned songs performed live online
Where: Times Square Alliance Facebook and YouTube
When: Tuesdays & Wednesdays through June 17, final concert June 21, free, 7:05
Why: Shortly after recovering from a serious bout with Covid-19, Broadway superstar Brian Stokes Mitchell started sticking his head out the window of his apartment at Ninety-Eighth and Broadway at 7:05, following the 7:00 clap honoring health-care and other essential workers, and singing “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha — he played Cervantes/Quixote in the 2002 Great White Way revival. He began doing it to strengthen his voice but eventually had to stop because he was creating too large a crowd that was not social distancing and not paying attention to vehicular traffic. The Times Square Alliance has combined the idea behind that popular tribute with its annual Broadway Buskers outdoor concert series to inaugurate “Songs for Our City,” a virtual songwriting challenge in which performers will sing original commissions responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The event will take place at 7:05 on the first three Tuesdays and Wednesdays in June, culminating in a grand finale on June 21 as part of the Make Music New York festival.

Both a competitive challenge in which winners will receive cash prizes (everyone is invited to vote online) and a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, “Songs for Our City” features an impressive lineup of guest singer-songwriters, who will be focusing on the theme of community: Lauren Elder, Donnie Kehr, Anthony Norman, Rob Rokicki, and Starbird & the Phoenix on June 2, Leslie Becker, Max Sangerman, Heath Saunders, and Ethan Slater on June 3, Jaime Cepero, F. Michael Haynie, Alice Ripley, Will Van Dyke & Jeff Talbott, and Tim Young on June 9, Drew Gasparini, Molly and the Memphis Thunder, Will Taylor, and Joel Waggoner on June 10, John Arthur Greene, Marcus Paul James, Janet Krupin, and Alexander Sage Oyen on June 16, and John Krause, Jennifer Sánchez, Dru Serkes, and Mike Wartella on June 17. “As the entity responsible for taking care of and celebrating the Theater District, this is a symbolic and simple way for us to continue to showcase and support Broadway performers who create their own original work throughout June,” Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins said in a statement.

WE ARE ONE PUBLIC

Who: Todd Almond, Troy Anthony, Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Danielle Brooks, Michael Cerveris, Glenn Close, Jenn Colella, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Claire Danes, Danaya Esperanza, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Fonda, Nanya-Akuki Goodrich, Holly Gould, Danai Gurira, Anne Hathaway, Stephanie Hsu, David Henry Hwang, Oscar Isaac, Brian d’Arcy James, Nikki M. James, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Audra McDonald, Grace McLean, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Margaret Odette, Sandra Oh, Kelli O’Hara, Mia Pak, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Hyde Pierce, Jay O. Sanders, Liev Schreiber, Deandre Sevon, Martin Sheen, Philippa Soo, Meryl Streep, Trudie Styler, Sting, Will Swenson, Shaina Taub, Kuhoo Verma, Ada Westfall, Kate Wetherhead, more
What: Virtual gala celebrating the Public Theater and special honorees
Where: Public Theater website, Facebook, YouTube
When: Monday, June 1, free with RSVP (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: Among the cultural institutions I miss the most during the pandemic is the Public Theater. Founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and located on Lafayette St. since 1967, the Public features six spaces for theatrical productions including Joe’s Pub, home to cabaret, comedy, and concerts as well. In addition, the Public has been offering us Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte for nearly sixty years; this summer’s scheduled shows were Richard II and As You Like It in addition to Cymbeline from the Mobile Unit.

The Public, which has been streaming previous performances from Joe’s Pub and presented the best new Zoom play about the pandemic, Richard Nelson’s What Do We Need to Talk About?, available on demand through June 28, will hold its annual fundraising gala online on June 1 at 8:00, a virtual ninety-minute, one-time-only cavalcade of stars honoring actor Sam Waterston and philanthropists Audrey Wilf and Zygi Wilf. Cochairs Kwame Anthony Appiah, Candia Fisher, Joanna Fisher, Laure Sudreau, and Lynne Wheat have amassed quite a lineup, with appearances by Glenn Close, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Claire Danes, Jane Fonda, Anne Hathaway, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sandra Oh, Kelli O’Hara, David Hyde Pierce, Liev Schreiber, Martin Sheen, Meryl Streep, Sting, and many more. (The full lineup is above.) The evening will be directed by Kenny Leon and hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, with music direction by Ted Sperling; the event is free, but donations are accepted to support the Public, one of New York City’s genuine treasures.

PROJECT PRIDE: VIRTUAL CONCERT AND TIME CAPSULE

project pride

Who: Ari Shapiro, Alex the Astronaut, Big Freedia, Bright Light Bright Light, Cameron Esposito, Courtney Barnett, Claud, Dorian Electra, Girl in Red, Jake Shears, Joy Oladokun, Kat Cunning, Madame Gandhi, mxmtoon, Nakhane, Pabllo Vittar, Pet Shop Boys, Roxane Gay, Indigo Girls, SOKO, Tig Notaro & Stephanie Allynne, Tunde Olaniran, Rufus Wainwright, VINCINT, more
What: Virtual Pride celebration
Where: Smithsonian Pride Alliance YouTube page
When: Sunday, May 31, free with advance RSVP, 8:00
Why: June is Pride Month, and the festivities honoring the LGBTQIA+ community, especially here in New York City, have grown exponentially, particularly over the last few years with the fiftieth anniversary of Stonewall and, in 2020, the fiftieth anniversary of the parade itself. Among the parties that will not be held during the pandemic are the Pride Luminaries Brunch, the Rooftop Party, the March, Teaze, Pride Island, and PrideFest, although NYC Pride is planning such virtual gatherings as the Criminal Queerness Festival June 9-29, Savor Pride, a Garden Party on June 22, the Human Rights Conference on June 25, the Rally on June 26, Pride 2020 Dragfest June 19-21, a Runstreet Virtual Pride 5K Art Run June 20-28, and more. Everything kicks off May 31 at 8:00 with the Smithsonian Pride Alliance’s “Project Pride,” a free, livestreamed concert and time capsule, a collaboration with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and others. Hosted by NPR’s Ari Shapiro, the event will feature appearances by Courtney Barnett, Jake Shears, Pet Shop Boys, Roxane Gay, Indigo Girls, Rufus Wainwright, Tig Notaro & Stephanie Allynne, and many more, accompanied by art and historical artifacts from the Smithsonian collections.

STREAMING OUTTA FENWAY: THE DROPKICK MURPHYS WITH BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

dropkick

Who: Dropkick Murphys, Bruce Springsteen
What: Live benefit concert streamed from Fenway Park benefiting Boston Resiliency Fund, Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, and Feeding America
Where: Dropkick Murphys Facebook
When: Friday, May 22, free, 6:00
Why: Baseball might not have started yet, but one of its classic locations will be the setting for what should be a blistering evening of furious music. The Boston-based Dropkick Murphys will become the first band to play a livestreamed show from an empty stadium when they take the field at Fenway Park, hitting the grass and dirt of the infield diamond for a benefit concert on May 29 at 6:00. The band will be performing a full electric set, joined for two songs by Bruce Springsteen, one tune by the Boss, the other by the Murphs, with Springsteen chiming in from his Jersey home. Bruce and the E Street Band previously took the stage in the shadow of the Green Monster on September 6, 2003, and Springsteen teamed up with the Dropkick Murphys on the 2013 charity song “Rose Tattoo” and “Peg O’ My Heart” from the 2011 Going Out in Style album as well as for a riotous live triple play at the Boston House of Blues on March 18, 2011; in addition, Murphys frontman Ken Casey joined the E Street Band for a rendition of Bruce’s Celtic rocker “American Land” in 2009 in Massachusetts. The show is raising money for the Boston Resiliency Fund, Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, and Feeding America.