NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- What do Jennifer Hudson and the New York Philharmonic have in common? They're just two names that'll be performing at "WE LOVE NYC," the homecoming concert commissioned by Mayor De Blasio to celebrate the city's comeback.
In an exclusive interview Wednesday with 1010 WINS, legendary music producer Clive Davis said, "We wanted to make sure that all genres of music were covered."
Davis, of course, was instrumental in planning the event alongside the organization LiveNation.
Speaking about the artists tapped to perform at the event, he couldn't recall who he reached out to first; however, he did say, "in no particular order, I spoke with Earth, Wind & Fire and I spoke with Patti Smith and with Cynthia Erivo, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen...all those artists said 'Yes.'"
Recalling how the project was first pitched to him, Davis also told WINS, "I received a call from the Mayor, and he was intent upon having a special event which would signify the official return of New York to the world, the great contemporary culture capital."
When De Blasio added that "the Park commission and the city event organization had approved the Great Lawn of Central Park to be the site of the event," and asked if he could, "use [his] resources to put together a unique, unforgettable concert to mark the occasion,' Davis said, "Yes."
Since that call, Davis told WINS that he, "got together with LiveNation...and we've really been working 24/7 to make the night of August 21 unforgettable."
With the help of his son Douglas, and countless others, he's been hard at work trying to make sure it's just as safe as it is fun too.
With the delta variant of the coronavirus still on the rise, the Brooklyn native has been hard at work trying to make the event just as safe as it is fun.
When asked what producing the event meant to him as a native New Yorker, Davis said, "To me, it really is a single honor. It's both challenging [and] gratifying...Music is being used to affect millions of people."
He also expressed gratitude that the program would air exclusively on CNN telling WINS, "This will be broadcast worldwide, it'll be streamed on YouTube, it'll go out on radio...music will carry the day."
Despite claiming that the lineup was complete, Davis teased that, "there will be surprises."
Andrea Bocelli, The Killers, LL COOL J, and a slew of others are scheduled to appear at the event, but despite the stacked lineup, Davis confirms each artist will only be "contributing an average of two songs, for timing purposes.
"We must end before 10pm with the regulation of the city," he added.
Summing up his anticipation of the event, Davis stated, "I always keep my fingers crossed I never take anything for granted but, knowing what the artists are performing, it's spine tingling and it should be wonderful and amazing."
"WE LOVE NYC: The Homecoming Concert" will go live on the Great Lawn in Central Park on Saturday, August 21 at 5pm. For additional details and free tickets, please visit nyc.gov/HomecomingWeek.
All attendees are required to present proof of vaccination.
