Milestone birthdays can be a conundrum. How do you mark the occasion in a memorable way? If you’re Rufus Wainwright, the answer is simple: Invite the coolest people you know, pick one of the most iconic, historical sites in the country and raise money for it. Done, done and done.
On Thursday, July 13 at the Montauk Point Lighthouse, Wainwright and an all-star cast of cool will be hosting the singer’s 50th birthday party, “Fifty isn’t The End: a 50th birthday concert with Rufus Wainwright and friends” benefitting the Montauk Historical Society, who are in charge of keeping the lighthouse in tip-top condition.
That’s no small task, especially when you look at the incredible (and incredibly expensive) work they’ve been doing on the revetment along the beautiful but wave-and-weather battered shoreline and restoration of the lighthouse and some spiffing up of the adjacent museum building.
“Montauk has been a refuge for so many people and artists over the years. It has a real sense of community and we have made deep roots here and felt very welcomed by the town and its inhabitants,” said Wainwright in a statement. “It is wonderful to give back a little and help raise some money and joy.”
Wainwright, the son of singer-songwriter Loudon, grew up spending summers with his family on Shelter Island and biking over to East Hampton and its surrounding towns. Montauk, in particular, holds a special place for the singer—its where he met his husband, Jorn Weisbrodt.
Of course, music and performance will be a central to the celebration, with appearances by Loudon and Rufus’s singer-songwriter sisters, Martha and Lucy, Jimmy Fallon, Tig Notaro, Laurie Anderson, Joan As Police Woman, Jenni Muldaur, Chaim Tannenbaum among them. The all-star committee that helped put Wainright’s shindig together will be on hand, too: actors Julianne Moore, Isabella Rossellini (who, if you aren’t following her nature-infused Instagram these days, you really should) and Liev Schreiber, artist Cindy Sherman and singer-songwriter who’s no stranger to performing at the lighthouse, Paul Simon.
Tickets for the event start at $150 and be purchased here; to donate to the Montauk Point Lighthouse, click here. Door open at 5 p.m. with the party kicking off with a DJ-doused pre-celebration with cocktails and light bites; the show starts at 7 p.m.
