What that ratzon tov has turned into makes it truly A Time for Music
As a yeshivah boy from the West Side, I never really had the opportunity to wear a tux and tails. But January 17, 1988, changed all that. It was the first time I went out and rented a tuxedo. I guess you could say it was a night of firsts: The night I produced the very first HASC concert.
Many people have asked me over the years what it was about that night that changed the course of Jewish concerts forever. Of course, there was The Cause: Who wouldn’t want to help out with the amazing work HASC does? Then there was The Venue: Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall. Classy. The Dress Code: Formal attire, black-tie, a first in the Jewish music business. The Price: $500 per ticket — that would separate the men from the boys. The Music: A 25-piece Neginah Orchestra, conducted by Yisroel Lamm (who wrote the HASC theme song). The Magic Duo: MBD and Avraham Fried performing together on a New York stage for the first time. And then there was the production value: With a lighting director, video company, stage props, and surround sound, the event raised the bar for all Jewish concerts until today.
Looking back at 32 years of these concerts, each of them had their moments, and even some unexpected flops (anyone can miscalculate).
At HASC 5, we invited Lou Piniella, a baseball player and the manager of the Yankees, to give an award. When he was introduced, all the baseball fans in the audience started chanting his famous trademark “Lou! Lou! Lou!” but those not in the know thought they were shouting “boo,” and were extremely upset about the extreme disrespect shown to a guest presenter. When Lou came backstage afterward, he was laughing so hard — but he was also grateful to an audience who would never let him be booed.
Create a free account to keep reading.
