On Friday night, Machel Montano will kick off a historic four-night residency at the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, USA. The showcase, which runs from August 30 to September 2, will mark the first time soca music takes centre stage in a full concert at the legendary venue. Widely regarded as a cultural cornerstone of African-American history, the Apollo Theater is where Bill Cosby’s comedy went mainstream, Jimi Hendrix’s guitar solos became lore and Michael Jackson first moonwalked.
BEST FRIENDS: This wild macaw visits Machel Montano’s One Woodbrook Place penthouse apartment balcony every day for a chat and a bite to eat. “It’s definitely a significant milestone,” Montano said when presented with the full weight of that rich history. “It’s so funny, because I’ve been there in 1984 or 85.
I’m not sure if I performed, but I do remember meeting people like Mike Tyson, El DeBarge and Jimmy Buffet.” Unfortunately, there are no photos of an eight-year-old Montano at the Apollo – his then-manager Margot Jordan forgot to load film into her camera – but the experience remains vivid in his memory. “We always laugh about that moment,” Montano continued, “but this is really my first time taking soca to such an iconic venue and its very significant and important because these legendary spaces give you a certain feeling, it puts it on the record, it sets soca into that standard that a venue like that has set for the world and to be invited to be .