Latest news with #CityParksFoundation
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Questlove to Be Honored With ‘SummerStage Icon Award' at 2025 City Parks Foundation Benefit
Though born and raised in Philadelphia, Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson has become something of a New York City fixture ever since Jimmy Fallon brought in The Roots to be the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon more than a decade ago. If there's a cool event in the city – a concert underplay, a charity fundraiser, a hard-to-get-into party – chances are high that Questo will be there, either as a guest enjoying himself or as a DJ providing the vibes based on his inestimable knowledge of music and music history. Come September, the Grammy-winning hip-hop drummer and Oscar-winning filmmaker will be honored by New York's City Parks Foundation with the SummerStage Icon Award at its annual fundraiser. The City Parks Foundation, through its Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Festival, provides free arts and cultural programs to New Yorkers and helps bring public spaces to life (CPF describes its ethos as 'thriving parks mean thriving communities'). More from Billboard 2025 New York SummerStage Line-Up Includes Soccer Mommy, Roots, Rakim, James Blunt, Femi Kuti & More Tomorrowland Goes on as Scheduled After New Mainstage Erected: Watch the Livestream YURIYAN RETRIEVER Talks Debut Solo Single & Ambition to Become a Genre of Her Own The organization's 2025 dinner and dance party fundraiser will take place Sept. 25 at the SummerStage venue in Manhattan's Central Park and will wrap with a private dance party DJ'd by Questlove. Additionally, the event will find the City Parks Foundation honoring Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment (Barclays Center/New York Liberty/Brooklyn Nets owners) with the People & Parks Award. Tables and tickets for the event are available here. The Roots are slated to play SummerStage at Queens' Flushing Meadows-Corona Park this Sunday (July 20). This year's SummerStage lineup also includes Soccer Mommy, Femi Kuti & The Positive Force, Rakim, Celia Cruz Centennial Celebration, Big Freedia, Camilo, Jessica Pratt, Bob Sinclair, IZA, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Awich, Frankie Negrón, La Sonora Poceña and Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues. You can find more about the 2025 SummerStage lineup here. Questlove received three Primetime Emmy nominations on Tuesday (July 15) for his work on three different programs: outstanding directing for a documentary/nonfiction program for Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music; outstanding music direction for SNL50: The Homecoming Concert; and outstanding documentary or nonfiction special for Sly Lives! (Aka The Burden of Black Genius). These are his first Emmy nods. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Tim McGraw cancels upcoming Colorado performance due to back surgery
Country music icon Tim McGraw is taking a necessary pause from the stage as he recovers from recent back surgery. McGraw, 57, was forced to pull out of his upcoming performance at the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) event in Colorado, which was scheduled for July 21. Advertisement 'Cross Canadian Ragweed will step in for Tim McGraw as he recovers from back surgery to open the Last Cowboy Standing Show on July 21 in Fort Collins — and we couldn't be more thrilled,' PBR announced in a statement on their official Instagram page. The American country-rock band reunited after a lengthy 15-year hiatus and shared how ecstatic they were to take the stage, as they sent their well-wishes to McGraw. 'The band is back together and ready to bring the house down in an unforgettable night of world-class music and the greatest bull riding on earth. You won't want to miss it,' the announcement read. 3 Tim McGraw performs onstage during City Parks Foundation 2023 Dinner & Concert Benefit at Central Park SummerStage on September 28, 2023 in New York City. Getty Images Advertisement 'We're sending our very best to Tim for a quick recovery and hope to see him at a future PBR event.' It's unknown why McGraw needed back surgery. Reps for McGraw did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 3 The reason why McGraw needed back surgery still remains unknown. Advertisement The 'One Bad Habit' crooner's canceled performance comes after he previously stepped away from a starring role in an untitled bull-riding show set to air on Netflix, according to Deadline. The outlet reported that he was set to star and executive produce the show, but a source claimed that he stepped back because he needed to have back surgery, which would require recovery time. Meanwhile, in May, the country star shared a health update during a podcast interview. 3 Tim McGraw is introduced to the crowd before the start of the Music City Rodeo at Bridgestone Arena Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Advertisement 'I can tell you that after double knee replacements and three back surgeries and now a torn rotator cuff and a ruptured disc, all the things that are going on, there were times this year that I thought this might be it,' he said on the 'TL's Road House' podcast. 'This might be time to hang it up.' McGraw shared at the time that he had to do his fitness routine and workouts carefully. 'I can't move quickly, there's no turning real quick to do something,' he remarked. 'Everything has to be very intentional; everything that I do has to be very methodical. I have to do cold plunges, I have to do infrared saunas. I have to do massages.' The country star kicked off his Standing Room Only Tour on March 14, 2024, and has scheduled dates until October 25, 2025.
CBS News
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
SummerStage, New York City's free concert series, is opening. Here's who you can see.
The SummerStage free concert series throughout New York City kicks off Wednesday night in Central Park. Marcus Miller, a Grammy award-winning jazz bassist, will be the headliner on opening night at 6 p.m. He will be joined by Tank and the Bangas and The Soul Rebels for a night of New Orleans jazz. Gates will open at 5 p.m. at Rumsey Playfield. The outdoor performing arts festival will be held all summer in Central Park and 13 other parks in all five boroughs. More than 70 shows are scheduled, featuring salsa, jazz, hip-hop, indie-rock, dance, opera, pop, and soul. "You can see the Roots in Queens, that's going to be really great. Big Freedia is going to be in Brooklyn. Lettuce, that's a jazzy, funky band, is going to be in Coney Island. We have Rakim, who's going to be performing on Staten Island. So there's a huge number of artists," said City Parks Foundation Executive Director Heather Lubov. The Roots perform during the Roots Picnic at Mann Center For Performing Arts on June 01, 2025 in Philadelphia. Julia Beverly/WireImage She said the festival will also highlight lesser-known artists. "We're doing a number of showcases, particularly in Central Park. We have Aussie Day, which features a lot of up and coming singer-songwriters from Australia. We have Canada Day, which is similar. Mike's Young World, which is a hip-hop festival in Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn. It's going to feature local artists from the community," Lubov said. This will be the 39th season of SummerStage. You can find more information about all of the shows in their online brochure.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Some lawmakers trying to get Kehlani's Central Park SummerStage concert reinstated
A group of New York City Councilmembers are fighting a decision to cancel a free Kehlani concert in Central Park. The lawmakers argue City Hall is trying to hamper free speech. The Adams administration, however, is holding firm. The concert was part of the city's SummerStage concert series, which brings free concerts to New Yorkers in parks across the city. The R&B singer was supposed to headline a Pride Month benefit show in Central Park. "This is clear retaliation for political dissent," City Councilmber Tiffany Cabán said. Cabán has co-signed a letter with 12 others urging the City Parks Foundation, the nonprofit which hosts the series, to "reverse the cancellation." The concert was dropped after First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro wrote the City Parks Foundation expressing concern about security around the show. "We have zero tolerance for antisemitism and zero tolerance for creating security concerns and the use of public facilities," Mastro told CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer. Mastro pointed to the the decision by Cornell University last month to drop the singer from their lineup for what they called "antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments." Her music video "Next 2 U," opens with the phrase "long live the intifada" and features dancers waving Palestinian flags. Intifada, an Arabic word for "uprising" or "resistance," is seen by some as a call for violence against Jews. "For the millionth time, that I am not antisemitic nor anti-Jew," Kehlani said in a video, also posted on Instagram. "I am anti-genocide. I am anti-the actions of the Israeli government. I am anti-an extermination of an entire people. I am anti-the bombing of innocent children, men, women — that's what I'm anti." Cabán argues the cancelation is an example of broader threats to free speech, but critics say taxpayer money should not fund the controversial artist. "If the concert were to be reinstated, it would send a message to New Yorkers that their concerns and the fact that their identities have been attacked by this artist are being ignored," American Jewish Committee New York director Josh Kramer said. "It is a very scary and dangerous thing to allow and have a mayor and his administration use their power to threaten an organization out of existence simply because they disagree with the views of an artist," Cabán said.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
City Council calls to reinstate Kehlani and Noname SummerStage performances
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — Multiple New York City Councilmembers are calling on the City Parks Foundation to reinstate SummerStage performances for singers Kehlani and Noname. Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Dr. Nantasha Williams sent a joint letter to the City Parks Foundation on Tuesday urging leaders to reverse the cancellation and condemning New York City Mayor Eric Adams for what they're calling political pressure. More Local News 'When political pressure leads to threats against a permit that could impact an entire season of public performances, it puts our civil liberties at risk. Free speech is not optional,' said Williams. 'It's a right and it must be protected, especially when the voices being targeted are the very ones most often pushed to the margins.' More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State R&B singer Kehlani was originally set to perform on June 26 in honor of Pride but was canceled due to 'concerns for security and safety' from the Mayor's Office, according to a social media post from SummerStage. The cancellation came shortly after Kehlani was pulled from Cornell University's Slope Day festival for comments related to Gaza. Noname, who has similarly been outspoken about Gaza, was scheduled to headline a Juneteenth show. 'These cancellations are not about safety, they're about silencing. Black and brown artists have always spoken honestly about the world as it is and as it should be. That's what Pride and Juneteenth demand of us: truth-telling, not retreat,' said Williams. In a statement provided to PIX11 News, City Parks Foundation Executive Director Heather Lubov said: 'To clarify – City Parks Foundation SummerStage did not cancel the Juneteenth/Noname benefit concert. This cancellation is a matter between Live Nation, the producer of the concert, and the artist. A reason for cancellation was not provided to SummerStage. City Parks Foundation made the difficult decision to cancel the Kehlani concert in response to the security concerns raised by City Hall. The concerns also suggested that our license to operate SummerStage would be in jeopardy if we let the concert go on. The Mayor's Office cited the controversy surrounding Cornell University's decision to cancel Kehlani's concert at the University, as well as security demands in Central Park and throughout the City for other Pride events during that same time period. We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds. However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerns, the concert has been cancelled. SummerStage is proud to be a platform for artists from around the world to perform and make arts accessible for all New Yorkers in their neighborhood parks. While artists may choose to express their own opinions, their views may not necessarily be representative of the festival. SummerStage events are intended to bring together all sectors of the New York City community and we look forward to welcoming more guests throughout the summer.' Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
