A look at the most iconic diva performances in Central Park's long history
With the release of Diana Ross’s Live in Central Park DVD, a look at the most iconic diva performances in Central Park’s long history.
May 15, 2012By: Alex Erikson.
[[Diana Ross in Central Park in 1983)
It’s no secret that New York is a mecca for top-notch performances. Whether it’s a club on the Lower Lower East Side, a mega club in Midtown or a free concert in Central Park, our standards are high. Tonight at Therapy, Dustin Fitzharris celebrates the epitome of our high expectations with a DVD release party for Diana Ross Live in Central Park, with Broadway actress Natalie Joy Johnson performing and DJ Chuck McTague spinning Ross’s hits. When it comes to the divas that have performed free concerts in the park, though, these five top our list.
1. Diana Ross, 1983
Manhattan went into near meltdown the week [[July 21 and 22, specifically) that Ms. Ross danced her way onto the Central Park stage in 1983. Crowds of well over half a million [[some reports suggest over one million) swelled to see the songstress, only to have the first concert cut short by what seemed like falling buckets of water and tornado-force winds. In the DVD you can hear the nervousness in Ross’ voice as she realizes they may have a bit of a disaster on their hands, but the diva made a valiant effort to continue the show, telling the soaked audience “It took me a lifetime to get here. I’m not going anywhere.” Mother Nature won out that day, but on the next she was able finish her set without any weather-related interruptions, much to our delight.
2. Barbra Streisand, 1967
Babs put on the first of the Central Park diva concerts on June 17, 1967. It may not have been quite as much of a human stampede as Ross’s rain-soaked 1983 performance, but the 25-year-old Streisand did corral an audience of over 130,000 onlookers onto the Park’s Great Lawn. The 16-song setlist later aired as a TV special and sold as a live disc that’s since been certified gold.
3. Elton John, 1980
Okay, so Elton doesn’t exactly fit the traditional definition of a diva, but girlfriend was serving some serious face when she got on the Great Lawn stage on September 13, 1980 in a military-inspired piano-themed suit and cap to play what some call his best concert ever. The crowd at the free concert was at an estimated 400,000—rumors had swirled that John Lennon might show up—making it the second largest in Central Park concert history. Elton sat behind a white grand piano to play hits like “Benny and the Jets” and “Saturday Night’s Alright [[For Fighting).”
4. Carole King, 1973/2009
In 1973 Carole King also took to the Central Park stage for a free concert that saw swarms of up to 100,000. More recently, the lauded singer/songwriter returned to the Great Lawn to play a show with the Counting Crows, Alison Kraus, Gavin DeGraw and Jose Feliciano. We weren’t even thought of yet in 1973, but our head for nostalgia tells us the ’70s concert was probably the better of the two.
5. The Supremes, 1970
Diana Ross gave her final performance with The Supremes on January 14, 1970 at The Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. That summer the group, then helmed by Jean Terrell, played an intimate concert [[with less than 10,000 in attendance) as part of a long-running concert series sponsored by F+M Schaefer Brewing Company at the Wollman Skating Rink. Tickets were a whopping $2.
Diana Ross Live in Central Park DVD Release Party at Therapy, 348 W 52nd St [[btwn Eighth/Ninth Aves), May 15 at 9pm; free. Visit dianarossfanevents.com for more info.
