Exclusive: Lena Hall Gets Ready for Her First NYC Concert Gigs Since the Pandemic

Tony winner Lena Hall is rocking her way back to the New York stage with her first live concerts since the pandemic began. The initial show is set for Friday, September 10 at 7pm ET at City Winery, one of several events that Play-PerView creator Jeremy Wein and his company, ThisIsMyShow Industries, is presenting at the venue in the coming months.

"I'm the type that gets the inspiration a month before," says Hall, who has spent much of the pandemic in Vancouver shooting TNT's sci-fi series Snowpiercer. Alongside her "partner-in-crime" Justin Craig (her band leader and music director in Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Hall expects that show will feature a hybrid of original music, songs from her repertoire, and, following in the footsteps of her Obsessed series of EPs, covers of tunes by either Adele or Amy Winehouse. She hasn't decided which of the two singers she'll cover on September 10, and a potential second show (which would be added once tickets sell out), would feature a different set list and musical material by the other artist.

"I've been doing live shows on zoom during the pandemic, and once things started opening and started getting busy, I stopped doing those and started my own Patreon," Hall says of the genesis of this forthcoming concert. "I would invite my patrons to hangout and talk, and then they'd request songs. During all my virtual shows, Adele and Amy were requested a lot. I don't feel I can better Amy or Adele — they are so cool and original, and I just love their music. So I just want to strip it all down, put my own spin on things, and honor these amazing artists."

Hall is excited to bring the online community she's developed over the last year and a half into the live realm — "some of them are gonna meet for the first time at this live show" — and, in keeping with her growing fandom, they will attempt to stream it for the audience that can't make it in person.

But most importantly, she's excited to get back onstage. "I miss being with a band," she says. "I miss having live music around and I miss that interaction with musicians and with a live audience. Nothing takes the place of that. And I'm so excited to do it in New York. It's like getting back into the swing of things."

For presale tickets, click here ("Theatermania" is the code). Please note that all guests are required to either be fully vaccinated or have received a negative Covid test prior to the event.