Apple Kicks Off its Golden Anniversary with an Unforgettable Concert in Grand Central Station
On Thursday afternoon, I wandered over to Grand Central to pick up lunch. Immediately after walking into the terminal I noticed that the Apple Store that overlooks the main hall was closed off and now flanked by production lighting equipment. I found that particularly odd given that the day before they had just launched several new products. You don’t close one of your busiest stores for two days unless it’s for something very special. The speculation was on. I heard lots of murmurs about what the event might be and the consensus was that it was likely a concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company. Little did I know, it would be much more than that.
As I was shuttled through parts of Grand Central that I didn’t even know existed, I saw friends, colleagues, artists, and lots of media personalities. Everyone was invited to this thing, whatever it was going to be was going to be big. After spending some time at a cozy bar Apple had rented out for us all, we were escorted through the terminal to the store. As we walked through I spotted Tim Cook, John Ternus, Joz, Deirdre O’Brien, Zane Lowe, and so many other Apple folks. They hauled everyone out. The vibe was electric, this wasn’t a corporate event as much as it was a celebration. Everyone was in a great mood. The screens across the main hall showed the new hand-drawn 50th anniversary logo and stated “50 Years of Thinking Different.” As word spread around the city that there was about to be a surprise concert in Grand Central, the crowd began to grow. The pink piano placed at the top of the main staircase at Apple Grand Central was a clear hint that we were in for a treat. Sure enough, Alicia Keys herself emerged from behind the scenes and absolutely brought the house down.
This wasn’t a quick performance, it was a true Alicia Keys concert with a seven song set list which of course was capped by her iconic New York anthem Empire State of Mind. It was thrilling to be in a concert crowd with Tim and the team who I watched react all throughout the show. It made me immensely happy they decided to honor Apple’s 50th with a proper celebration. The crowd that Apple invited to the store to watch up close was extraordinarily fun to be a part of, but listening to the crowd on the floor at Grand Central just highlighted how special Apple is in its contributions to culture. I loved every minute of it.
After the show ended, me and a few pals from other publications hung around to try to get some face time with a few Apple executives. We watched Tim, Joz, and Ternus give interviews. We ran into folks like iJustine. But then we got to talk with John Ternus for a bit. I wrote last week about how the new Apple is finally emerging and after spending a few minutes with John Ternus I feel even more certain about that. He clearly loves the Mac. He’s so friendly, so easy to talk with, and clearly prepared for the spotlight. We even debated the best MacBook Neo color, spoiler he uses the indigo model. Though I remain faithful to citrus.
This is only the beginning of a multi-week celebration that’s happening all around the world to commemorate Apple’s 50th. I hope that folks elsewhere get to experience the same feeling. But I am thrilled and extraordinarily grateful it started here, in the city that I call home.
