Arts Music & Culture

NYC 'Homecoming' Show Will Star Bruce Springsteen And More, But You Have To Be Vaxxed

by Andrew Limbong

The crowd at a 2011 concert at Central Park's Great Lawn.
The crowd at a 2011 concert at Central Park's Great Lawn. Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced the full lineup for the city's big upcoming "Homecoming Concert." The list covers a range of artists from classic rock mainstays to contemporary rap stars: Patti Smith, Paul Simon, Lucky Daye, The New York Philharmonic, Polo G, Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas and more.

The concert will be held in Central Park on August 21st. A proof of vaccination will be required to enter, and masks will be optional. 80 percent of the tickets will be made available for free.

"This is a celebration of our city, of every working family who faced incredible challenges last year and overcame," said Mayor de Blasio in a statement. "This is a celebration for you."

The announcement is coming at the start of a delayed summer-music festival. The Newport Folk Festival is currently happening in Newport, R.I. Lollapalooza is this weekend in Chicago, Il. But it's also happening as increasing concerns over the delta variant has the Centers for Disease Control revising its guidance on some fully vaccinated people wearing masks.

The concert is being billed as a part of New York City's "Homecoming Week," promoting movie screenings, concerts, restaurants and more to help boost beleaguered businesses hit hard by the pandemic closures. One of the concert's producers, music industry titan Clive Davis, said the show will celebrate "the reopening of New York City."

The show will also be broadcast live on CNN, if you don't live in New York City or just want to skip the crowds all together.

The full list of performers is below:

  • Jon Batiste

  • Andrea Bocelli

  • Kane Brown

  • LL Cool J

  • Elvis Costello

  • Lucky Daye

  • Earth, Wind & Fire

  • Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds

  • Cynthia Erivo

  • Jimmy Fallon

  • Jennifer Hudson

  • Wyclef Jean

  • Journey

  • The Killers

  • Gayle King

  • Don Lemon

  • Barry Manilow

  • The New York Philharmonic

  • Polo G

  • Carlos Santana

  • Paul Simon

  • Patti Smith

  • Bruce Springsteen

  • Rob Thomas

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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