Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith are reportedly lining up a duet to help music mogul Clive Davis bring live music back to New York City.
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently recruited the famed producer to curate the billing for a new mega gig, tentatively titled The Official NYC Homecoming Concert in Central Park, and now Davis has secured Springsteen, Paul Simon, and Jennifer Hudson as headliners, with Smith also rumoured to hit the stage in August.
“Bruce will do a duet with Patti Smith,” a source told the New York Post’s Page Six.
Insiders claim Diana Ross was also approached about taking part in the hopes of recreating her famed 1983 takeover of Central Park, but she declined as she has no plans to perform until she heads out on tour next year.
Mayor de Blasio confirmed the three headliners in a news conference on Thursday, stating, “It is going to be a great moment for the city, marking our rebirth, marking our comeback, and it’s going to be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history.”
An exact summer date has yet to be officially announced, but previous reports suggested the fun will take place on 21 August.
Additional artists are set to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The hours-long event, designed to mark the Big Apple’s comeback after the Covid-19 shutdown, is expected to draw 60,000 attendees and be broadcast on TV worldwide.
The news of Springsteen’s involvement emerges days after he helped bring Broadway back to life on Saturday night by kicking off a 30-date limited engagement of his solo show at the St. James Theatre.
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