Grace Jones At The Roseland: Oct. 27th

Tickets go on sale tomorrow. Via press release:

Jamaican-American singer, actress, and model Grace Jones has announced that she will be returning to her hometown for an exclusive one night engagement at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City on October 27th. The show concept, which was created by couture UK milliner Philip Treacy, will be a spectacular union of fashion and rock. She has 15 wardrobe changes, including clothing by designers Issey Miyake, Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen, while performing the songs that made her an international icon. Tickets are available via a Ticketmaster pre-sale on Monday, September 10th starting at 9:00am and will be on sale to the general public on Tuesday, September 11th starting at noon. Press HERE and use the pre-sale code, “JOSHWOOD” to reserve your spot on Monday to attend what is sure to be one of the most talked about events of the Fall season.

Grace Jones last played NYC in 2009 at the Hammerstein Ballroom. That show was amazing.

Grace Jones At Queen's Jubilee Concert

#1 Thirty-Five Years Ago Today

Thirty-five years later the song (arguably) still most closely associated with Grace Jones is her first chart smash, I Need A Man, which spent two May 1977 weeks atop Billboard's disco report before being shoved aside by Marvin Gaye's epic, Got To Give It Up. An early version of the track was first released in 1975, reaching a limp #83 on the U.S. pop singles chart. But in 1977 Jones signed with Island Records, who had her rerecord the single for re-release. The rest, as we oldsters know, is gay disco history. Below is a murky yet fascinating film of Jones performing I Need A Man at her legendary show at NYC's Roseland Ballroom - complete with a live caged tiger, wedding gown, and men in jockstraps. "And NOW ladies and gentlemen.....heeeeeeere's Grace!"

Brigette Fontaine - Dancefloor

Pop In Stereo tips us:

Avant-garde poet, singer and writer Brigitte Fontaine has once again collaborated with musical icon Grace Jones on an amazing new single titled “Dancefloor.” The single is from the forthcoming album L’un N’empeche pas L’autre.

Alison Moyet Covers Grace Jones

Backed by the Buggles, whose leader Trevor Horn produced the 1985 Grace original. Bad Flip video, decent audio.

(Tipped by JMG reader Johnny)

Coachella Tribute To Grace Jones

JMG reader Jeb was there when the Gossip, LCD Soundsystem, and Tashi Condelee performed Pull Up To The Bumper as a tribute to Grace Jones, who was a last minute cancellation at Coachella.

80's Flashback

Grace Jones, Pull Up To The Bumper, 1981. Last night my ex Ken and I saw Grace in concert at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom, almost 25 years after we last saw her at Fort Lauderdale's Copa, where she appeared exactly three hours late. Grace took the stage a mere 90 minutes tardy last night, performing the first number entirely shrouded in a mylar burka. What followed will go down in Grace legend, with almost each of 17 numbers accompanied by a change into a costume more outrageous than the last. I think some of the queens near the stage spontaneously exploded into a cloud of glitter and unicorns. Check out Flickr user Mikey IQ for a great photo set. Fabulous shots can be found on Music Slut too. Grace's set list is here.

Judging by the Mission Control-like computers and cameras set up at the back of the room, the show will be released on DVD. Perhaps because of that, Grace was in uber-diva form, complaining continously about the spotlights, the back lights, the light from the wings, the volume of her microphone, etc. Ken and I started the show just a few feet from the stage, but were forced to retreat to the rear so we could see better, because everybody at the front had their hands over their heads to record the show on their phones. ANNOYING, people. But overall, the show gets a "WOW" from me. Amazing, amazing.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of Fly Life Inc, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to see the legendary Grace Jones at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom on July 30th. Last fall Jones released her tenth studio album and her first in 19 years, the critically raved Hurricane.

The original new wave, art/disco diva Grace Jones is back with her first album in 19 years (not including her two unreleased albums in the 90's). Hurricane features an all-star production team led by Ivor Guest, including Brian Eno, Tricky, and Sly & Robbie. Her one-off London Show at the Royal Festival Hall on June 19th for Massive Attack's Meltdown series of concerts saw the excitement for her forthcoming album sky-rocket, as The Times called it a 'sensational return to form', whilst the Telegraph observed that 'all around the gawping, whistling, cheering Festival Hall was the sense that this is how a star should be.' The show has been one of the most talked about of the year.

Tickets to Grace Jones' Los Angeles and NYC concerts are available here. (If you want a concert spoiler, here's the set list from her July 4th show in Belgium.) Enter to win two tickets to the Hammerstein show by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC on the day of the show, your winning entry is transferable to another party.