Last night, President Obama held a big reelection fundraiser at the Apollo Theater. While there were protesters (more about that later), Obama charmed the crowd and hit a chord when he sang a little of the Rev. Al Green's "Let's Stay Together": more ›

While his first re-election TV commercials start airing in key states today, President Obama will be heading to New York City today to raise a little cash. Among the stops are Spike Lee's Upper East Side townhouse (someone is really excited!) and the Apollo Theater. Which means'll be wreaking traffic havoc on the Upper East Side (lots of street closures) and Harlem (as well as the Triborough Bridge and FDR Drive)—here's his agenda: more ›

When you hear that Prince will be giving a press conference at the Apollo Theatre, it makes sense to expect that the Purple One might do something flashy, perhaps even perform a song, right? Especially when a gold-plated electric guitar is on stage? But yesterday, The Artist Formerly Known As TAFKAP simply announced a new tour—Welcome 2 America—featuring different artists like Maceo Parker and Janelle Monae. Prince will the emcee for the concerts and will perform with the New Power Generation, telling the press, "Bring your friends, bring your children, and bring foot spray, because it's going to be funky." But he didn't answer any questions, nor did he give any information on where the concerts would be, when they would be (aside from starting on a "purple day in December") or how much tickets would cost. more ›

Earlier today the Apollo Theater unveiled their Apollo Legends Walk of Fame, featuring plaques honoring Quincy Jones, Patti Labelle, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Little Richard, and Ella Fitzgerald. While you might be wondering where MJ's plaque is, it's coming next month, along with Aretha Franklin's. So the 125th Street Walk of Fame will continue to grow, honoring performers with ties to the venue, which is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary. President of the Apollo, Jonelle Procope, explained the decision to create the Walk of Fame, saying, “Since 1934, we’ve been an epicenter for African-American culture, and we launched careers of practically all the legendary performers. The walk of fame, the idea of publicly paying tribute to the Apollo’s legends, made absolute sense.” more ›

This June 14th both the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, will be inducted into the Apollo Theater's Hall of Fame. Jackson first performed there with his brothers in the late 1960s... as part of Amateur Night. They won, and the rest is pretty much history. But did you know that MJ was an insane beatboxer? We didn't until seeing this video, and his honor as an Apollo Legend is as good a time as any to share it: more ›

Percy Sutton, described by the NY Times as "one of the nation’s most prominent black political and business leaders," died yesterday at age 89. Governor Paterson's spokeswoman confirmed Sutton's death, but did not know the cause. Paterson issued a statement saying, "Percy was fiercely loyal, compassionate and a truly kind soul. He will be missed but his legacy lives on through the next generations of African-Americans he inspired to pursue and fulfill their own dreams and ambitions." more ›

Last night, Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater was dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson, one of the biggest stars to be discovered at the legendary West 125th Street venue. Impersonators and fans took turns showing off MJ moves. Here's video from USA Today of some of the highlights: more ›

Yesterday, thousands of Michael Jackson fans waited to celebrate the pop legend's life at the Apollo Theater. They waited hours to enter the venue where Jackson and his brothers were discovered in 1967—they cried, sang, danced, and cheered in his memory. According to the Daily News, the Reverend Al Sharpton "scoff[ed] at critics who continue to portray" Jackson as a "freak and child molester" in his "fiery eulogy painting the entertainer as a trailblazing phenomenon," saying, "Michael opened the door to us and we won't let them close the door on you." more ›

The Apollo Theater is ready to open its doors between 2 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. for mourners to remember music icon Michael Jackson. During 45 minute intervals, 600 mourners at time will be allowed inside the theater where Jackson and his brothers won Amateur Night in 1967. The mourners will be able to leave memorabilia and flowers, while Jackson's music will be played along with video tributes. Mourners can also sign the tribute wall outside the theater. Under the Apollo's marquee, Reverend Al Sharpton will be leading a moment of silence at 5:26 p.m.—Jackson's time of death—and give a eulogy. On Wednesday night, there will be a moonwalking component during Amateur Night at the Apollo. Apollo Theater Foundation President Jonelle Procope said, "We at the Apollo thought it was important to put these events together to give Michael's fans the chance to remember him as the consummate entertainer that he was." The Apollo Theater is on West 125th Street, between between Adam Clayton Powell (7th Avenue) & Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th Avenue). more ›

Just in case you were wondering, the Reverend Al Sharpton is headed to California to be with Michael Jackson's family—his spokesperson said, "Reverend Sharpton is on his way to Los Angeles to meet with Michael's parents and siblings and to talk about the needs to preserve and protect Michael's legacy." Sharpton, who spoke outside the Apollo right after Jackson's death was announced, will lead a moment of silence and read a eulogy for the pop singer during the Apollo's tribute to Jackson, planned on Tuesday. Between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., 600 mourners per 45-minute interval are invited to leave memorabilia and flowers and remember Jackson's life. And on Wednesday, the Apollo's Amateur Night will feature a moonwalking competition. Apollo Theater Foundation President Jonelle Procope said, "We at the Apollo thought it was important to put these events together to give Michael's fans the chance to remember him as the consummate entertainer that he was." more ›

While the death of Michael Jackson has captured the attention of fans around the world, New Yorkers have found their curiosities wandering upward this weekend to take in the dazzling skies that have felt like a culmination of an unusual month of weather. So it almost seems inevitable that one outlet found a way to capitalize on combining the two stories—My Fox NY thinks that they might see The Gloved One in one of those magical mammatus cloud formations from Friday night. more ›

Last month, the Apollo Theater kicked off its 75th anniversary season by announcing a wide-ranging program of performances, projects dedicated to the venue's history and opportunities for the community to interact with the legendary space. One person closely associated with the Apollo is Billy Mitchell, its in-house historian who has been behind the scenes at the Apollo for decades. We spoke to him about his own history with the theater and its evolution. This weekend and next, the Apollo will be open for free "Open House" tours (Saturdays, 2/21 & 2/28 at 12-5p.m. and Sundays, 2/22 & 3/1 at 2-7p.m.)—Mr. Mitchell will be giving the tours with his imitable insights and tidbits. more ›

Just a day after Al Sharpton joined with Critical Mass in Union Square to protest police harassment of cycling protesters, he was leading a march in Harlem decrying youth violence. The march was instigated by the Memorial Day shooting of 7 young people following a holiday basketball tournament. Stemming from an ongoing dispute between two groups of kids, gunshots rang out along Lenox Ave. over a stretch of 10 blocks. more ›

This Saturday and Sunday, Madison Square Garden welcomes the Annual CFA-Iams Cat Championship Cat Show. The show has many guest speakers and events, like the Feline Agility Competition, which is open to the public's cats, too. And, of course, there is the Best of Breed and Best in Show judging. more ›

What better way to brighten up a Monday morning than with Björk tickets? The Icelandic singer is back, and playing Madison Square Garden on September 24th. Tickets are on sale here, but we have two pairs to give away! more ›

Earlier today, a horse drawn carriage carrying the casket of James Brown traveled through Harlem to the Apollo Theater, where fans had been lining up since last night to pay their respects to the Godfather of Soul. People had followed in the street, singing "Say it Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud." more ›

Tomorrow afternoon and evening the public will get the chance to say their goodbyes to James Brown in person, starting at 1 p.m. His close friend Reverend Al Sharpton will deliver a sermon at 7:30 p.m. more ›

THEATER: The Gershwin Hotel hosts a reading of History of Man, “an irreverent look at the past, the fear of aging and the meaning of plastic surgery.” It’s the second collaboration between award-winning director Esther Bell, whose feature films Exist and Godass (starring TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe) made a big splash, and Bruce Mason, who describes himself as a “freelance publicist/consultant/drifter.” (The Times dubbed him a “swarthy Noel Coward”.) - John Del Signore more ›

8:30PM - Heads to the screening at the Ziegfeld (141 West 54th Street)There's always a chance the itinerary will change now that it's out, but really, this is like him just posing in one of the trains at the Transit Museum - cheap! They'll probably stock the car full of Scientologists so it looks like a regular subway. more ›

Gorillaz have invaded the Apollo Theater and some great pictures have been coming in. On top of that, we just received word that a bunch of tickets for their remaining shows have been released and just went on sale, at Ticketmaster as well as at the box office. The shows are tonight, tomorrow and Thursday. more ›

Leon Williams, Subterranean Electric Guitarist more ›

Careers are made and broken at the Apollo Theater, and now it's a potential factor in the mayoral race as the Mayor continues to face criticism for not attending tonight's debate there. Various black leaders, including a Bloomberg supporter, plus government watchdog groups, think that the Mayor should attend. Gothamist thinks it's dumb for Mayor Bloomberg to miss this debate, as it would have been a smart move to go into a minority community, but anyone who has followed the mayor could have seen this coming: The man doesn't like to deal with his political adversaries until it's absolutely critical; you have to hand it to the Ferrer campaign to take advantage of it. However, if we have to hear about it for a long time, it's going to make us crazy. more ›

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The Information are Max Fresen (vox), Zack Wells (guitar), Deb Grant (guitar), Heath Fradkoff (bass), Brad Kayal (drums), Ashley Moody (keys, vox). Max took some time this week to answer our questions... more ›

Just a reminder incase you didn't see this post last month: Gothamist has missed far too many sold out shows to know that buying tickets ahead of time is imperative. In that vein, every month or so we'll make it a point to update you with a list of shows we think may sell out. This way you can buy tickets ahead of time and avoid that last minute Craigslist surfing. more ›