NEW YORK — The Apollo Theater, a bastion of black music and culture and one of New York City’s most famous landmarks, celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.
On Tuesday, the historic theater held its annual spring benefit concert — its biggest annual fundraising effort, raising $3 million this year — with Usher, Babyface, Big Daddy Kane, Jordin Sparks and other stars attending.
Sparks started the night with a rousing medley of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.” Then Kym Whitley emerged as a fun host, joking about producer Babyface that he should now be known as “Grown-Man-Face, Sexy-Face, Kiss-Your-Face.”
Later, he offered his own transformational story at The Apollo, and shared with the audience that it was the stage where he made his first television appearance as a stand-up comedian. He said, “If you can succeed at The Apollo, you can succeed anywhere.”
Several Apollo representatives spoke, including President/CEO Michelle Eubanks, Chairman of the Board Charles Phillips, Executive Producer Kamila Forbes and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
But it was the performance that really got the crowd on its feet. The dancers serenaded Usher with a choreographed mix of his own songs, from “Yeah!” to “Burn,” “Caught Up” to “Confessions Part II” and beyond.
Usher, who just a few months ago wowed audiences with a performance spanning his career at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, was honored with the Icon Award.
In his speech, he recalled watching “Showtime at the Apollo” with his late grandmother. “I remember thinking, ‘Man, someday I’ll get on that stage,’ and ‘Hopefully one day, I’ll get a standing ovation,'” he said, as everyone in the audience stood. “I stand before you, overwhelmed by your appreciation.”
“You know, they say if you succeed in New York, you can succeed anywhere,” he said, referencing Whitley’s earlier comments. “Well, if you can get to Apollo, you can do anything.”
Fat Joe and Kwanza Jones, former winners of The Apollo’s legendary Amateur Night, came out and led the crowd in Babyface’s 1989 hit, “Soon As I Get Home.” They were tasked with introducing the super-producer, who the day before was honored with the inaugural Legacy Award at The Apollo Theater’s 2024 Walk of Fame ceremony.
“I never thought I’d get this,” Babyface said during the ceremony on Monday. “I never thought I’d be at the Apollo. I didn’t want to perform here because I didn’t want to hear the boos, but I didn’t get booed,” he said with a laugh. “I’m so glad I came to the Apollo.”
On Tuesday, his acceptance speech mostly left out the jokes for expressions of gratitude. “Being here at the Apollo — it’s so hard for me to find the words, because if I’m honest, I never thought of myself as being on the Apollo stage. I was always the guy behind the scenes writing the songs for everybody else,” he said. “I’m so surprised that I’m considered a part of this.”
“I just want to thank everybody. Usually I’m standing here, I’m funnier than this,” he said, adding, “Usually, I am. But I just, I’m really touched by this, and I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it.”
The night ended with a series of singers taking the stage to perform some of the most famous songs he’s produced for Babyface: Toxie Braxton’s “You Mean the World to Me,” Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” and more.
The best songs included Karin White singing her own “Superwoman”, Johnny Gill singing “My, My, My” to get everyone out of their seats, and of course, Babyface singing his own “Whip Appeal”. These are called classics because they are called classics.
This article is generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
