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Axios
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Fever Fest looks to the future of Indy festivals
Saturday night's Fever Fest brought big laughs and big hits to Everwise Amphitheater before the WNBA All-Star game. Why it matters: The people throwing the party tell Axios it wasn't just a one-time thing. It was the first edition of the Circle City's next big festival franchise. Driving the news: Despite a midday downpour and the looming threat of show-canceling conditions, fans stormed White River State Park for the event produced by Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Media Group in collaboration with Pacers Sports & Entertainment. Stand-up headliners like Cedric The Entertainer and Leslie Jones handled the funny — with some help from the Fever's Sydney Colson — while hip-hop hitmakers BIA and G-Eazy took care of the tunes. What they're saying:"I consider Indianapolis to be the best major event host city in the country, and I think this event is going to only continue to elevate that," said Joey Graziano, PS&E's EVP of strategy and new business ventures. "With our partnership with Hartbeat as the official culture curators of the Pacers and the Fever, we created something new. Probably earlier than we would have otherwise. But we wanted to make sure that this event had a signature inaugural moment." "For the rest of Fever Fest's existence — and we believe it's got a long, long runway ahead — people are always going to say the first one was at WNBA All-Star." Between the lines: The partnership between PS&E and Hartbeat was announced earlier this year with the promise of festivals, halftime performances, scripted content and bespoke merchandise collaborations. Hartbeat EVP and head of marketing Janina Lundy told Axios the aim is to make Fever Fest and everything else born from the multi-year partnership feel distinctly Indianapolis. She added that the "inaugural" prefix the event carried in its branding was intentional, so expect the name to stick around even as the time, venue and list of performers change. "The idea isn't that we're just coming into the market when this big event is happening. We're really a partner … and we're just kind of trying to enhance what already exists," she said. "Fever Fest itself will continue to grow both with local entertainment and entertainers coming from around the world." For Graziano, the ultimate goal is one day turning Fever Fest into a citywide takeover. "We know we've got to start small. We've got to earn credibility and trust in each step. But we are looking at and saying that our city lines up so well with what we believe is the future of music and comedy festivals," he said. Zoom out: Fever Fest's future is being considered as Indy-area concertgoers enjoy a growing selection of new or expanding single and multi-day festivals of all sizes. After making its debut in May 2024, GANGGANG's I Made Rock 'N' Roll Festival will return in May 2026. Thursday marks the start of Post. Festival 2025, a three-day showcase of global post-genre bands hitting HI-FI and HI-FI Annex. The Chreece hip-hop festival returns on Aug. 23, packing performances from more than 50 acts across seven stages into a single day. Indy Jazz Fest runs from Sept. 9-20 with a loaded lineup for local and international talent. The 10th anniversary of the traveling Outlaw Music Festival Tour comes to Ruoff on Sept. 18 with legends like Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Sheryl Crow.
Axios
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Your guide to WNBA All-Star week in Indianapolis
This week, the Circle City transforms into All-Star City. Why it matters: For the second consecutive year, our hoops-loving community will host the best players, the trendiest celebs and the most passionate fans for the ultimate basketball celebration. Zoom in: Here is your complete guide to all the sights, sounds and flavors of WNBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. The music 🎤 One of the largest stages being rocked this weekend is Everwise Amphitheatre for Saturday's Fever Fest, a single-day music and comedy festival courtesy of Kevin Hart's Heartbeat media company. Comedy headliners include Cedric The Entertainer, Leslie Jones, Deon Cole and Aida Rodriguez. Tunes will be provided by The Kid LAROI, G-Eazy and BIA. The intrigue: Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson will also make her stand-up comedy debut during the event. Showtime is 6pm Saturday. Tickets start at $78.25. After the jokes and songs, DJ D*Nice takes over as host, and Everwise Amphitheatre will host an official WNBA All-Star Game watch party. 🎸 Much as it did when Taylor Swift came to town, Musical Family Tree is hooking us up with a curated series of free pop-up performances by local artists from 10am-7pm on Friday and Saturday. They'll play on the Starbucks Patio at North Meridian and East Pearl streets and the All-Star Stage at the Indiana Convention Center. Deckademics will present local DJs between sessions. 💃🏾 Indy Dance Council will host a series of events including a dance jam, silent disco, freestyle lessons, street dance battle and salsa dance party on two stages from 10am-7pm on Friday and Saturday. Check them out in the south block of Monument Circle and the All-Star Stage at the Indiana Convention Center. The art 🎨 An all-star squad of visual artists will welcome sports fans to the city, including the South Bend artist chosen to create a mural of Tamika Catchings on Mass Ave. The public is invited to a ribbon cutting for Nate Baranowski's piece at 6:15pm Wednesday at 402 N. New Jersey St. Baranowski also created a 3D chalk mural on the southeast corner of Illinois and Washington streets, and guests are encouraged to snap a selfie from "inside" the illusion. 🖼️ The Sidewalk Galleries are making a comeback to beautify downtown storefronts with murals and poetry. Called the "Victory Series," the murals at the Motto Hotel construction fence, the Emmis Building, Star Bank, and AES windows on Monument Circle were made by Indy artists Tasha Beckwith, Tiffany Black Behzad, Christina Hollering, Shaunt'e Lewis and Ashley Nora. It is curated by Koda Witsken. 🖌️ Beckwith will also provide designs for a postcard making activity during the Pop-up Art Market at SPARK on the Circle, 10am-8pm Friday and 9am-8pm Saturday. The gathering will have food, live music, face painting and a comfortable place to chill amid the All-Star excitement. 🧑🎨 Indianapolis artists Phyllicia Carr and Amiah Mims have created two temporary murals you can check out now at the Indianapolis Artsgarden. Four "W" sculptures fabricated by Expo Arts will pop up on Georgia Street, Monument Circle and Morris Bicentennial Unity Plaza. 🥳 IBE's Summer Celebration will give artists a place to shine at their Cultural Arts Pavilion and Art Speaks Café. " Court Vision: The Art of Resilience and Excellence" inside the Indiana Convention Center is a special exhibit celebrating the power of women and girls through visuals and performances. The cafe will be open 12-7pm Friday-Sunday. The food 🍾 Sip bubbly at a launch party for Collins Avé, an Indianapolis-based champagne brand sourced from France. INVY Nightclub, 225 S. Meridian St., Thursday, 9pm. Tickets start at $25. 🥂 You get another chance to try Collins Avé with an afternoon of bubbles, bites and beats in Bottleworks. The Fountain Room, 830 Mass Ave., Friday, 2-5pm. Tickets are $40. 🍹 Party during the day at Morrison Lounge, with special guest hosts to be announced. Come for the food and drinks. Stay for the vibes. 47 S. Meridian St., Saturday, 3-8pm 🥃 Enjoy happy hour at The Flatiron with specials on small plates and cocktails. 605 N. Pennsylvania St. Thursday-Saturday, happy hour in the Flatiron bar 4-7pm and downstairs in Bootleggers bar from 7-10pm. 🤑 Several other downtown restaurants are offering special meal deals as well, according to the IBJ. Connor's Kitchen + Bar is offering "The #22," a $40/person, three-course meal inspired by Caitlin Clark. High Velocity Sports Bar is offering the "From Downtown" Three-Pointer three-course meal for $35/person. Ralston's Drafthouse is giving anyone with an All-Star event ticket 50% off any food item. Plus, many downtown bars and restaurants will have themed drinks on the menus. 🍤 Plus: Here are some of Axios Indy's favorite spots in and around the All-Star action. Astrea, Indy's newest rooftop bar that's just blocks from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Commission Row, the bougie Steakhouse loved by Charles Barkley, is perfect for Sunday brunch. St. Elmo Steak House in an Indianapolis institution. You can get a taste without breaking the bank during happy hour. Café Patachou is another institution, but for lunch. There is a downtown location just steps from the action, but if you journey just a mile north you can munch at their newest spot in the Stutz development. The vibes (and neighboring dive bar) are worth the extra effort, in our opinion. You can even walk or bike right up the scenic downtown canal to get there. The culture 👟 The minds behind Indy's Chreece Hip-Hop Festival are giving the city a "glow up." The Glow Up Lounge is a free, immersive event taking over part of Monument Circle from 12-6pm Friday and 10am-7pm Saturday. Sneaker customization station, airbrush tattoos, face gems, nail art, custom apparel, refreshing juices, a curated local music sound station and more are on tap. 🚶 History buffs can also learn about Indy's art and culture via two walking tours.
New York Times
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Taraji P. Henson to Make Broadway Debut in August Wilson Play
Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer have signed on to co-star in a revival of August Wilson's 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone' on Broadway next spring. The production — the play's third on Broadway since 1988 — will be directed by Debbie Allen. 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone' is a part of Wilson's Century Cycle, which chronicles Black life in America with one play set in each decade of the 20th century. 'Joe Turner' is set in 1911; like most of the plays, it takes place in Pittsburgh. The drama is set in a boardinghouse peopled by migrants from the rural South who are searching, suffering and spiritual. Henson and Cedric will play the couple, Bertha and Seth Holly, who run the boardinghouse. Henson studied theater at Howard University, but her career has been spent in film ('The Curious Case of Benjamin Button') and television ('Empire'). This will be her Broadway debut as an actor; she was credited as among the producers of a 2023 Broadway play, 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding.' Cedric, a comedian who has also worked on television ('The Neighborhood'), has one previous Broadway credit; he starred in a very short-lived 2008 revival of David Mamet's 'American Buffalo.' Allen, best known as a performer and choreographer, has one previous directing credit on Broadway — she directed a 2008 revival of 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' The 'Joe Turner' revival is being produced by Brian Moreland, who previously produced a 2022 revival of Wilson's 'The Piano Lesson,' as well as last season's production of 'Othello.' Moreland said in a statement that the show would open next spring at an unspecified Shubert theater; the rest of the cast has not yet been announced.
CBS News
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Chicago comedian Damon Williams talks going viral, City Winery show in West Loop
Chicago's own comedy veteran Damon Williams has been making us laugh for over three decades. He's performed for the Kings of Comedy, Chris Rock, and Patti LaBelle, to name a few. Williams credits his 32 years in the comedy game to his enjoyment of the craft. "I always have fresh materials, I try to keep it fresh, but it's also being professional, being diligent, and being passionate, I think those factors put that together, plus it's how I pay my bills," he said. He said his inspiration for his comedy comes from life, especially from Chicago. "You know life is funny, all day every day, and in Chicago especially. If you just listen, you'll find it funny, and once again, I'm inspired by my bills," he said, laughing. Williams has been a talent giant in his own right, but over the past few weeks, fans and celebrities have been blowing up the internet with "Who is Damon Williams?" The question came from comedian Jess Hilarious during a segment on the Breakfast Club. "Swear to God, I don't know no damn Damon Williams," she said. "Sorry, sir. You might be a fine comedian, but I don't know you." The moment sparked a movement by fans of Williams, and even other Chicago comedians, including B. Cole, created a song explaining who he is. "Cedric the Entertainer was one of the first people to chime in and say, 'Well, I know Damon Williams,' and then it became a hashtag, 'I know Damon Williams,' and know people I've been knowing forever are walking up, 'What's your name again?' Now people went from not knowing my name pretending to not knowing my name," Williams said. He said that he had to play off the trend to negate the negative side. "See, it's good to be in a moment like this, at this stage of my career, and not be a scandal. There's no baby oil attached to my situation," he said, laughing. He adds, "For it to be positive, overwhelmingly positive. Also, you have to realize that there's a negative side, like the younger ones don't really know me or didn't know me, so they like 'I'm looking at him and I still don't know his big dome head,' you know, so it's stuff like that." Damon Williams will be performing at City Winery at 1200 W. Randolph Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show kicking off at 7:30 p.m.
