“One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga” was as much a festive homecoming as it was a poignant farewell. The vast majority of those present for Bennett’s final performance at Radio City Music Hall understood the assignment: We were here to watch a beloved New York icon say good-bye to the stage, with his decorated protégé giving him a proper send-off. When the curtain rose an hour later to reveal Bennett for the first time, standing by the piano with his arms outstretched in elated greeting, they stood - clapping and waving, this time as if facing an old friend for the first time in years - until he picked up his microphone and began to sing. When Gaga made her entrance just after 9 p.m., in a sparkling white ball gown, and struck a pose, the crowd - which included Hillary and Bill Clinton, who received a shout-out from the mistress of ceremonies - leapt to their feet and cheered. Many dressed for the occasion in ball gowns, tuxedos, and gemstone-drenched smoking jackets masks were sparse (though attendees were required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter the venue), but there were even a few rhinestone-studded face coverings spotted in Radio City’s teeming lobby beforehand. It was the second and final performance of “ One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” and the sold-out audience had come to pay their respects - and in their sequined, bedazzled best. Though unused for the past 18 months, Radio City Music Hall’s 6,105 red velvet chairs will likely need a tune-up by the end of this week thanks to Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, and the 27 standing ovations the pair received during their miraculous, magnificent concert there on Thursday night (August 5). The 'Love for Sale' album arrives via the label partnership of Columbia Records/Interscope, on October 1 and includes solo tracks from both artistes as well as duets.Photo: Marco Piraccini/Archivio Marco Piraccini/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
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The partnership will also include a series of music video premieres, including the MTV debut of a clip for the 'Love for Sale' album's title track on September 17. Described as providing "an intimate look into a beautiful friendship and musical partnership that transcends generations," the special will include footage from the making of the 'Love for Sale' album as well as their first full-length collaboration, 2014's 'Cheek to Cheek', and going back to their first fruitful meeting in 2011. Last in the three-special series will be a documentary, 'The Lady and the Legend', available exclusively via Paramount+, also with a premiere date yet to be announced. "Tony Bennett's resurgence began in the '90s with his 'MTV Unplugged' and it's timely that the last chapter ends on the same note," said Bennett's son and longtime manager, Danny Bennett to. We are proud to partner with ViacomCBS to bring the experience of 'Love For Sale' to the world across platforms and generations." That show played a major role in Bennett's career almost three decades ago when his first 'MTV Unplugged' special was turned into a surprise-hit 1994 album that went on to win the 1995 Grammy for album of the year.īobby Campbell, Gaga's manager, said, "MTV has been part of Tony Bennett's story since the '90s and has been the home to some of the most iconic Lady Gaga moments consistently over her career. The show was filmed with an intimate studio audience in New York City around the time of August's Radio City Music Hall performances. The second special is 'MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga', pegged for winter with no confirmed air date yet. The show will be available for streaming on Paramount+.
The hour-long show is the filmed rendering of the two concerts the pair did at Radio City Music Hall in August, as Bennett's final public performances, the first night of which coincided with his 95th birthday.
The first special will be 'One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga', to air on CBS the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Among them is Bennett's return to the 'MTV Unplugged' franchise that gave his career a major comeback boost, this time with Gaga, reports