NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – This summer's large-scale "Homecoming Concert" in Central Park will be headlined by Paul Simon, Jennifer Hudson and Bruce Springsteen, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.
The mayor said he'll have more details soon but that the three musicians offered to perform at the August concert.
“Three amazing artists have stepped forward and said they want to be a part of the comeback of New York City. They want to help us do this. And we’re just really appreciative to all three of them,” de Blasio said at his daily briefing.
The concert will come 30 years after Simon's memorable Aug. 15, 1991 Central Park concert, which was recorded and released as a live album and concert film.
Springsteen's return to Broadway last weekend was itself a step in the city's recovery from the pandemic. “He is beloved in New York City in an extraordinary way even though he happens to come from New Jersey—no one's perfect,” de Blasio said.
The mayor said Hudson, an Oscar and Grammy winner, is “someone who captures the grit and determination that we're all feeling as we fight through this crisis.”
The concert will be part of a weeklong "Homecoming" celebration to declare that the city is bouncing back from the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is going to be a great moment for this city, marking our rebirth, marking our comeback,” de Blasio said. “And it’s going to be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history.”
The Mayor's Office has asked music industry giant and Brooklyn-born Clive Davis to produce the show and sign up musical stars, with an emphasis on New York artists.
Early plans call for a three-hour set for 60,000 people that would also be broadcast worldwide. The majority of tickets will be free with some V.I.P. seating, officials previously said.
There would be vaccinated and unvaccinated sections at the concert, with about 70% of tickets offered to those who are vaccinated, the Mayor's Office has said.
De Blasio said there are “definitely more acts coming” and that “we obviously want to see a big crowd experience this.”
Dan Gross, the city’s executive director for citywide events, said the concert would take place on the Great Lawn, which has a maximum capacity of 60,000 people.
“It’s going to be the same setup that you would see at your other standard events, so for example Global Citizen or anything in years past,” Gross said. “We’re very excited, and it’s going to be a historic event, to say the least.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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