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02 July 2021

Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen To Headline New York ‘Homecoming Concert’

Paul Simon Bruce Springsteen New York Homecoming Concert
Photo: Edward J. Westmacott/Alamy Stock Photo
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Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Jennifer Hudson are among the first batch of artists announced to headline the New York City “homecoming concert” in New York’s Central Park this summer.

While the concert, taking place on the park’s Great Lawn as part of a week long celebration of the city’s reopening, was provisionally scheduled for 21 August, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news conference Thursday that there are “a lot more details to come” about the event, which is booked in collaboration with the iconic music producer Clive Davis.

“This is going to be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history,” de Blasio said in a statement. “This is something for the ages.”

“Now why is all this happening? Because you went out and got vaccinated,” the mayor added, acknowledging the 9.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that have been administered throughout the city.

The concert is just one part of what will be a week-long celebration of New York’s reopening, which got a big boost on June 15 when Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted nearly all restrictions for business and social gatherings.

Davis has previously said that eight “iconic” stars will round out the show, with an audience of 60,000 expected.

Springsteen has already become a fixture of the city’s reopening, with his show “Springsteen on Broadway” reopening on 26 June and running through to 4 September While The Boss will perform on Broadway most Saturdays, a 21 August date is missing from the schedule.

“[Springsteen] is beloved in New York City in an extraordinary way,” de Blasio said, “even though he happens to come from Jersey — no one’s perfect.”

Simon famously performed in Central Park with Art Garfunkel in 1981, a performance memorialized in a concert album released the following year. He performed in the park again, solo, a decade later.

Davis took over Columbia Records in 1960s and signed Springsteen to the label in 1972. He also worked with Simon & Garfunkel, who released all their studio albums under Columbia. In 2006, Davis signed Hudson to J Records.

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