News Article

6/3: Charley Crockett at Empire Live

Country icon Charley Crockett is arguably one of the most discussed artists in the Americana/Country music scene today! Releasing 12 studio albums, 27 music videos and 31 singles in a 9-year span, this intriguing artist has found a resurgence online within the Country scene and has attracted a whole new generation of Country music fans. Born and raised in Texas, Crockett, (a descendant of famous frontiersman Davy Crockett) is a self-taught guitar player who received his first guitar at 17 from his mother. He left high school soon after with his pawn shop guitar and started traveling to busk in the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans and in Dallas, Texas. By 2009, Crockett hitchhiked his way north to perform in the streets of New York City and later caught the attention of a Sony Music representative, who signed him and his street band “The Trainrobbers” to a 2-year deal. Since 2015, Crockett has been a mainstay on the Billboard Country charts, with his 2024 release hitting Number 1 on the US Heat Charts. $10 Cowboy brought a fusion of Country and Soul that garnered universal acclaim among critics and fans across the internet, and his eponymous tour at Empire Live is sure to make for a fun-filled evening for both seasoned and new Country fans alike!

6/8: Fat Joe at Empire Live

*Please Note: This Show has been rescheduled to 11/16/2024*

Calling all East Coast hip-hop fans: Fat Joe is set to hit the stage for a thrilling Saturday night show at Empire Live! After kicking off his rap career as a member of the New York City hip-hop group “Diggin’ in the Crates Crew” in 1992, Joe Cartagena pursued a solo career one year later and released his first solo record Represent. By 1998, this Bronx rapper formed the Terror Squad and a subsequent record label in 1998, which included notable rappers Big Pun, Tony Sunshine, Cuban Link, and Remy Ma along with then-unknown producers Cool & Dre and DJ Khaled! Since the late 1990s, Fat Joe released 8 studio albums, appeared in 19 movies, 2 TV shows, and 3 video games! From his dynamic entertainment career to his notorious feud with 50 Cent, this infamous New York rapper remains a staple of the East Coast rap movement, and hip-hop lovers are in for a treat when he delivers his renowned lyricism at Downtown Albany’s newest music venue. And for those traveling by car, our nearby Quackenbush & Riverfront Garages are located a quick 4-minute walk from all the action!

6/12: Stevie Nicks at the MVP Arena

World-class singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks makes her triumphant return to Albany on June 12th, and “I Can’t Wait” for this prestigious artist to dazzle her adoring fans at the MVP Arena! Since 1966, Nicks captured the hearts of fans around the world during her iconic tenure in Fleetwood Mac, gaining widespread recognition and becoming part of one of the world’s best-selling musical acts of all time. Fleetwood Mac was seemingly atop the music world through the 1970s, and between 1979-1980, Nicks recorded demos on the side for a new solo project while the band was crafting their 12th studio album Tusk. Her band members Danny Goldberg and Paul Fishkin founded Modern Records in 1980 to release and record Nicks’ solo material, and Stevie released Bella Donna in 1981. This record cemented her position as one of the world’s most beloved artists, and Rolling Stone deemed her the “Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll”. Today, Nicks remains a musical legend between her tenure in Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist, and the MVP is sure to be rocking during this can’t-miss concert! Be sure to start the fun early by parking at the Green-Hudson or Riverfront Garages and grabbing some delicious pints and bites from one of the wonderful nearby bars and restaurants!

6/20: Tito Puente Jr. at Alive at 5

Experience a thrilling Thursday evening show along the Hudson River with Tito Puente Jr.! As the son of Tito Puente, affectionately dubbed “The King of the Timbales”, Tito Puente Jr. keeps his late father’s legacy alive with his energetic live band and mind-blowing percussion skills. Tito Sr. was a lively bandleader who was behind the proliferation of the East Coast mambo movement in the 1940s-1950s and helped bring Cuban and Caribbean sounds like mambo and cha-cha-chá to mainstream audiences. His big-band sound captivated audiences across the world and kept everyone dancing for over 50 years! Following his father’s passing, Tito Jr. sought to keep his legacy alive and continued to perform both his father’s iconic music and his own original hits, all while encompassing that distinctive mambo/jazz sound. Tito Jr. has since emerged as one of the most exciting touring Latin musicians, bringing an explosive stage presence to his live shows that you won’t want to miss! Alive at 5’s Latin Night is sure to be amazing, and convenient event parking is available just a short walk away from both our Quackenbush & Riverfront Garages in Downtown Albany.

6/27: Vanessa Carlton at Alive at 5

Make your way downtown towards the Hudson Riverfront and sing along with Vanessa Carlton! Alive at 5’s Pop Night closes out June in a big way, and Carlton is slated to bring her piano-driven hits to another action-packed Thursday show in New York’s Capital City. Fun fact: When Carlton was just two years old, she played “It’s a Small World” on the piano after a trip to Disneyland, and this kickstarted Vanessa’s interest in music and performing! She was later tutored by her mother and introduced to classical music as a child and by age 14, she enrolled in the School of American Ballet. By the late 1990s, Carlton moved from rural Pennsylvania to New York City and began performing in nightclubs to grow more comfortable with playing in front of audiences. Following a meeting with producer Peter Zizzo, Carlton wrote her debut record Be Not Nobody and released it in 2002. This album reached Certified Platinum status in the United States and earned her 3 Grammy Award nominations thanks to her smash hits “A Thousand Miles”, “Ordinary Day” and “Pretty Baby”. Since then, she has churned out 5 additional studio albums, got married to John McCauley of the band Deer Tick in a wedding officiated by Stevie Nicks, and made her Broadway debut in the Carole King musical “Beautiful”. With 24 years of acclaimed live entertainment in her repertoire, Alive at 5’s Pop Night is sure to be an incredible outing, and fans are sure to adore an evening of Carlton’s iconic pop hits along the scenic Hudson River!