Jazz legend Tony Bennett graced one of Rockefeller Center’s rooftop gardens with his presence on Thursday, Nov. 10, to pre-tape his performance of Christmas classics which will be aired during the 2016 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting. The crooner, 90, performed holiday standards like “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),” originally written by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé, as well as Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.”
After nearly two hours of braving the frigid temperatures while waiting in line, ticket holders were admitted to the event through a television casting company known as 1iota. They were given wristbands and escorted into a small building next to the Comcast Building. After taking an elevator up a few floors, audience members were packed into a rooftop garden overlooking St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Plaza.
Surrounded by trees donned with dazzling Christmas lights, sculptures of presents accented with bows and camera crews meticulously searching for the perfect shot, audience members were instructed on how to act while Bennett performed. After the briefing, Bennett entered the garden through a path between the crowd, along with an elderly fan who he personally escorted to the very front of the stage after noticing she could not see from the back of the venue.
The director of the pre-taped performances counted down and instructed the audience to clap and cheer for Bennett as he began to carol. As the audience swayed during his numbers, Bennett instilled Christmas spirit in every person attending, despite the premature nature of the event.
Bennett was casual with the audience between shots, telling stories about how cold it was when he performed on the same rooftop last year with his close friend Lady Gaga. The pop music icon, 30, and Bennett released an album titled “Cheek to Cheek,” that was comprised of duets performed by the unlikely collaborators. The two also went on a tour together to support the album.
“Last year it was raining,” he reminded the audience as he chuckled and admired the view and brisk weather.
The filming process was much more involved than you would think based on the broadcast that makes the final cut. Several takes were done of each number and after Bennett left the rooftop and thanked everyone for coming to his brief show, the production team replayed the audio from the performance as the camera crew filmed the audience pretending to react to Bennett’s singing.
Bennett’s performance taped for the 2016 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting will be part of the broadcast that will air Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. He is also preparing for an NBC prime-time special, “Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet To Come,” on Dec. 20 airing at 9 p.m. on NBC.