at Radio City Music Hall
Since I’d only just emerged from a stomach flu induced haze, I thought twice about taking the free ticket to Antony and the Johnsons at Radio City–but I’m so glad I decided to go!
It was a fantastic performance. The stage and lighting design were constantly changing and challenging my perception: from a blurry scrim concealing all the action to the final, breathtaking reveal of a 50+ piece orchestra, each song ushered in a new visual treat.
Antony himself appears both beautiful and strangely confident while still remaining physically awkward (reminding me of a young girl throwing a fit). He’s an incredible singer; his voice is truly otherworldly and sounds even more lovely in person than any recording. If you’re a fan, nothing can replicate the experience of seeing him sing in person.
My favorite song of the evening (next to, of course, his heart wrenching cover of Crazy in Love) was I Fell in Love With a Dead Boy.
The crowd which was large (even the ticket-holder line was two blocks long): a mixture of teary-eyed die-hard fans, the painfully pretentious (lots of faux accents and “dah-lings”), and oddly enough conidering how hard seats were to come by, a helping of folks that seemed genuinely baffled by what they’d stumbled into.
A one night only performance sponsored by MoMa, even Antony himself admitted it was “so fucking ambitious”, but its unique mix of visual and performance art was a huge success–surely in no small part thanks to my dear friend Shaun who coordinated so much of it.
Also: my first time at Radio City Music Hall. It’s gorgeous!
But what do you think?