The brand new feature-length concert documentary “Home Again: Carole King Live In Central Park,” which presents musical icon Carole King’s triumphant May 26, 1973 homecoming concert on The Great Lawn of New York City’s Central Park before an estimated audience of 100,000, will premiere January 19 at New York’s IFC Film Center via Abramorama. The film will then be released wide on February 9 (also King’s birthday) streaming exclusively on The Coda Collection. Directed by George Scott and produced by Lou Adler and John McDermott, the film presents the complete multi-camera 16mm footage filmed and recorded by Adler in 1973 but never before released.
Alongside the complete performance footage is the behind the scenes story of King’s remarkable transformation from an in demand, staff songwriter beloved for such timeless Goffin and King classics as “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” to an iconic artist in her own right. The May 1973 performance captured King at her critical and commercial peak, basking in the enormous popularity of her definitive album Tapestry. “We wanted to do something special with Carole in New York,” remembers Lou Adler. “I got in touch with Ron Delsener and told him that Carole was coming home to New York. This was where her upbringing took place and where she got her start in music. New York was everything to her and she wanted to give something back to both her hometown and devoted fans.” Adler and legendary New York concert promoter Delsener then agreed to stage a free concert—the first ever—on Central Park’s famed Great Lawn. The event changed the landscape of live performances in New York, shepherding in an era of legendary performances in Central Park that continues to this day.
New interviews with King, Adler, Ron Delsener and legendary Woodstock and Monterey Pop lighting and stage manager Chip Monck set the scene for her extraordinary performance. To the delight of the audience, King moved easily between her signature classics and songs from her soon to be released 1973 album Fantasy. King rarely performed in concert during this era despite the enormous commercial success she had enjoyed. However, on this special occasion, she presented her performance in two parts—first alone, on piano and then fronting a powerhouse 11-piece band.
“I brought Hank Cicalo, my recording engineer from Los Angeles, out to Central Park to record the show as it might possibly become an album,” Adler explains. “Then I had the notion, having done the film Monterey Pop [Adler had produced the groundbreaking 1967 music festival together with John Phillips] I felt that something this big should be filmed. I had no idea what I was going to do with the film at that time, but I felt that something this important should be documented.”
In the aftermath of the Central Park performance, Adler took the film and recordings back to Los Angeles where it remained unreleased for 50 years. “Recently, John McDermott came to me and said, ‘This should be a film. This performance should be seen.’” explains Adler “His interest excited me and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’. I contacted Carole and we got started.”
The resulting film, Home Again: Carole King Live In Central Park provides an inside view of a generational talent at her prime, performing one of the biggest and most momentous concerts of her career in the city where she was born. “Tapestry had become such a huge hit, and I really wanted to give something back to the people,” remembers King. “When I first walked on stage, in Central Park, in front of the Great Lawn, and it’s full of people…it was kind of terrifying for a minute. Then the crowd began to cheer, and it was like a wave coming toward me. There was just so much love. It was too much to take in, but I realized all I had to do was sit down and start playing. They were there to hear me. I knew how to deliver, and that’s what I sat down to do.”
The film will be available to stream exclusively on February 9 on The Coda Collection — a unique, subscription streaming offering featuring an exclusive, curated selection of iconic music documentaries, concert films, and episodic series via Amazon Prime Video Channels, paired with a complimentary website exploring new perspectives on music.
On February 10, a live album, Home Again, will be released digitally. Pre-save the album here.
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