Broadway rocked out during the 2023 Curtain Up Broadway Festival. On Saturday, September 9, after the ¡Viva! Broadway concert, audiences went across the street to the nighttime Rockers on Broadway: Live in Times Square concert. There, Broadway performers such as Gerard Canonico, Keirsten Nicole Hodgens, Michael Longoria, Jennifer Perry, Nick Prez, Max Sangerman, Jeremy Schonfeld, Bligh Voth, and Aléna Watters belted out some crowd-pleasing rock 'n' roll and pop songs. The event benefitted The PATH Fund.
Watch above as Canonico (Almost Famous, Be More Chill), Prez, and pianist Donnie Kehr perform "Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)" at Rockers On Broadway. The video was shot by Jessica Carollo from Many Hats Studio.
Donnie Kehr and his band provided the musical accompaniment.
The 24-song set list is below:
- "Here I Go Again" performed by Donnie Kehr and Nick Prez
- "New York State Of Mind/Only The Good Die Young" performed by Donnie Kehr
- "Mama Mia" performed by Jen Perry
- "Sweet Caroline" performed by Max Sangerman
- "Ironic" performed by Keirsten Nicole Hodgens
- "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" performed by Jeremy Schonfeld
- "Heartbreaker" performed by Avery Rehl
- "When September Ends" performed by Gerard Canonico
- "Levitating" performed by Aléna Watters
- "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" performed by Michael Longoria
- "Oh What A Night" performed by Donnie Kehr and Michael Longoria
- "I’ve Got The Music In Me" performed by BBK Rocks Group
- "Brave" performed by Bligh Voth
- "Valerie" performed by Sylvia Smith
- "Walking On Sunshine" performed by Jennifer Perry
- "Joy to the World" performed by Jeremy Schonfeld
- "Sweet Thing" performed by Keirsten Nicole Hodgens
- "If I Could Turn Back Time" performed by Aléna Watters
- "Get Ready" performed by Michael Longoria
- "9 to 5" performed by Bligh Voth
- "Proud Mary" performed by Isabelle Gottfried
- "Pinball Wizard" performed by Donnie Kehr
- "Don’t Stop Believing" performed by Nick Prez and Isabelle Gottfried
- "Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)" performed by Donnie Kehr, Nick Prez, and Gerard Canonico
Below, see Aléna Watters (Bad Cinderella, The Cher Show) perform "If I Could Turn Back Time."
Below, see Bligh Voth (the upcoming Here We Are) perform "9 to 5."
The concert also featured PATH Fund Student performers Claudia Fabella, Isabelle Gottfried, Avery Rehl, GG Roberts-Nguyen, Matteo Russo, Sylvia Smith, Jurnee Swan, and Audrey Simone Winters. The Rockers On Broadway band includes Kehr, Prez, Gary Bristol, Hidayat Honari, Jay Leslie, John Putnam, and Dan Weiner. The concert is executive-produced by Cori Gardner, with additional support from stage manager Michael T. Clarkson and production manager Mitchell “Bubbles” Keller.
Held September 8–10 in Times Square, the three-day outdoor event Curtain Up celebrated all things Broadway with sing-alongs, performances from Broadway stars, and more. The festival partners were Playbill, Time Square Alliance, and The Broadway League. The title sponsor was Prudential Financial, with support from The NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
See photos from Rockers on Broadway below.