Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live! is an American concert television special featuring live performances by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga in support of their collaborative studio album, Cheek to Cheek, released in September 2014. It was held at the Rose Theater of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in July following the announcement of the album's release, and was aired on PBS on October 24, 2014, as part of the network's Great Performances series. The concert was watched by an audience consisting of invited guests and students from New York schools. Bennett and Gaga were joined on stage by 39-piece orchestra and jazz musicians associated with both artists. A number of costumes were worn by Gaga, provided by designers including Roberto Cavalli, Michael Costello, Mathieu Mirano, Valentino as well as David Samuel Menkes. The special received one nomination at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Bennett and Gaga performed a total of 13 songs from the album, including the number one singles on Billboard's Jazz chart "Anything Goes" and "I Can't Give You Anything but Love". Before the concert was aired, a number of promotional videos from the show were released. Additionally, PBS announced that the concert was filmed in 4K resolution. On January 20, 2015, the DVD and Blu-ray was released, and later for digital download on iTunes Store. It reached the top-ten of the record charts in many countries, reaching number one in the US and Belgium. Bennett and Gaga partnered with LG Electronic, who aired the concert across all retail chains in the United States, on LG's 4K Ultra High-definition TV screens. Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live! became the first concert to be streamed in 4K resolution. The show received positive reviews, with critics praising Gaga and Bennett's vocals and their camaraderie on stage.
Development[]
The Rose Theater at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where the concert took place
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga first met backstage in 2011 after she had performed a rendition of Nat King Cole's "Orange Colored Sky", at the Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City. Bennett then asked Gaga to sing a duet with him on his album Duets II. The two recorded "The Lady Is a Tramp" for Duets II, and subsequently rumors arose of a jazz album from them. On July 29, 2014, Gaga and Bennett made an appearance on The Today Show to formally announce their collaboration, titled Cheek to Cheek, and confirmed their album would be released in September 2014. Following the announcement of the release, a short concert was held at the Rose Theater of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Titled Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live!, the concert aired on PBS as part of their Great Performances series on October 24, 2014. It was watched by an audience consisting of invited guests and students from New York schools. Set and lighting was created by Robert Wilson, while David Horn directed it. Bennett and Gaga were joined onstage by 39-piece orchestra conducted by Jorge Calandrelli, soloists Chris Botti on trumpet and David Mann on tenor sax, and jazz musicians associated with both artists.
Gaga wore a myriad of costumes, including a feathered crown from Gympie milliner Cindy Vogels during "I Won't Dance". Vogels was contacted by Brandon Maxwell Studios from New York—Gaga's stylist—for designer pieces available for the concert. According to the milliner the crown almost never reached Gaga since the entire shipment was seized in Anchorage, Alaska due to the feathers on the piece being subjected to wildlife import issues with US customs officials. After much paperwork for five days the millinery designs were finally released and arrived just in time for the Cheek to Cheek promotional photo shoot. Vogels recalled, "It was nerve racking and exciting at the same time and a relief when the shipment was finally released from customs." Maxwell said that he and his team did the wardrobe for the dancers and Gaga, and first took references from Wilson regarding the set and lighting designs. The team then started with eight full racks of clothing, between 200 and 300 dresses, and afterwards zeroed in on eight costumes for the show, along with its accessories. Regarding the absence of jewellery, Maxwell explained that most of the outfits "were more about the silhouette and structure of gowns" and too much of accessories would have been a distraction. He wanted the emphasis on Gaga's vocals, hence the jewellery usage was reduced. Designers used for the costumes include Roberto Cavalli, Michael Costello, Mathieu Mirano, Valentino as well as David Samuel Menkes, who created the leather jumpsuit. Gaga had wanted costumes with teal or turquoise colours and flowing gowns, belted in the middle. Maxwell took care to ensure that the dresses were not too tight in Gaga's abdomen area, since it would have been difficult for her to sing. Sandals were provided by Brian Atwood, Stuart Weitzman and Sophia Webster, while a pair of boots were designed by Giuseppe Zanotti. They created custom made shoes which made Gaga appear tall and move freely in the long gowns.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Anything Goes" | Cole Porter | ||
| 2. | "Cheek to Cheek" | Irving Berlin | ||
| 3. | "Nature Boy" | eden ahbez | ||
| 4. | "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" (Bennett solo) | Michel Legrand | ||
| 5. | "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (Gaga solo) | Sonny Bono | ||
| 6. | "Firefly" | Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh | ||
| 7. | "I Won't Dance" | Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach | ||
| 8. | "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" | Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields | ||
| 9. | "Lush Life" (Gaga solo) | Billy Strayhorn | ||
| 10. | "Sophisticated Lady" (Bennett solo) | Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Mitchell Parish | ||
| 11. | "Let's Face the Music and Dance" | Berlin | ||
| 12. | "But Beautiful" | Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke | ||
| 13. | "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" | Ellington, Mills |