Music & Concerts
Abracadabra
Aussie duo promises laughs, tricks and more
When dazzling audiences with their collection of illusions and tricks, magicians Mike Tyler and Christopher Wayne clearly have nothing up their sleeves ā or anywhere else on their body for that matter ā as the dynamic duo perform their magic in the nude.
The two best friends were already successful comedy magicians in Australia when the movie āMagic Mikeā came out, and people started making sexualized magic jokes because of Tylerās name.
āWe were talking about it and realized that in the entire history of magic, nobody had ever made a naughty magic showāa comedy magic show that grabs on to that inner demon that every single person has inside of them,ā Wayne says. āWe didnāt know for sure that it would work, but we knew it was a different and clever idea.ā
In no time at all, the two ā both straight ā were the talk of the magic world and packing in audiences all over Down Under.
āWe realized that magic had a cheesy stigma attached to it that we wanted to break down. What better way to break the magic mold than to offer something that had never been done before and literally strip away the magic stereotypes ā the top hats, capes, magic wands and the cheesy magic poses,ā Tyler says. āPart of the reason it works is because itās two best mates on stage whoāve worked so hard creating the show to appeal to an audience that wouldnāt normally go to see a regular magic show.ā
The Naked Magicians will perform at the Model Performing Arts Center at the Lyric in Baltimore on Thursday, April 21 and at the Lincoln Theatre in D.C., on Sunday, April 24.
āExpect to laugh more than you have in any other comedy show. Expect to see some of the most amazing magic ever.Ā Expect to be shocked in the best way possible,ā Wayne says. āWhen we were in Hong Kong a journalist asked me, āWhat would you say to more conservative theater goers?ā My answer, āStay at home.āā
Be aware, this isnāt just a clever name for a show; by the end the two are 100 percent naked. However, itās important to know that the show isnāt just two guys standing there in the nude from start to finish.
āWe promise the show will be one of the most incredible magic shows youāll ever see, we promise to deliver non-stop laughs and we do promise weāll get naked by the end of the show,ā Tyler says. āThe audience can think of the show like a first Tinder date ā¦ youāll have a drink, have a laugh, enjoy some magic and we promise youāll get a glimpse of our magic wands by the end of the show. Letās hope itās a not a cold night in Washington.ā
The two met at one of Tylerās magic performances and though both were fully clothed, they connected through the common interest of magic and a bromance developed.
āWe have become closer and closer since then, to the point where we now feel 100 percent comfortable getting naked with one other,ā Tyler says. āStill just friends though. Christopher is an incredibly talented magician, very funny, and a top bloke so designing the show together came naturally. Now I have my dream job where I get to entertain thousands of people each night with my best mate by my side.ā
Rather than a show of classic grand illusions or cheesy magic, the Naked Magic Show is a high-energy party atmosphere where two buff Aussie men get naked while performing incredible trickery and delivering non-stop laughs.
āAs we were both magicians before ever deciding to get naked on stage, the actual magic in the show is top-notch,ā Tyler says. āItās all themed around those naughty topics that we normally only discuss with close friends behind closed doors after a few wines. We even have a trick that literally happening in the hands of every audience member. The show is very interactive, but be assured weāre the only ones who need to get naked.ā
As youād expect from a show with two best mates delivering incredible magic and non-stop laughs in the buff, the show is a celebration of sexuality that not only accommodates the LBGT community, but fully embraces and welcomes it.
āPrior to the birth of the Naked Magic Show, Mike and I were, and still are, active LGBT rights supporters, so we love that we have a wide audience, and we love that this show is embraced by the gay community,ā Wayne says.
āWe love it when we have gay couples, both male and female, who come to the show and leave with a sore mouth ā from laughing,ā Tyler says. āThe Naked Magic Show is an orgy of magic, comedy, and nudity ā¦ and itās for everyone.ā
Music & Concerts
Musical icons and newer stars to rock D.C. this spring
Brandi Carlile, Bad Bunny, Nicki Minaj, and more headed our way
Bands and solo artists of all different genres are visiting D.C. this spring. Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight will team up to perform at the Wolf Trap in June, and girl in red will play at the Anthem in April. Some artists and bands arenāt paying a visit until the summer, like Janet Jackson and Usher, but there are still plenty of acts to see as the weather warms up.
MARCH
Brandi Carlile plays at the Anthem on March 21; Arlo Parks will perform at 9:30 Club on March 23; Girlschool will take the stage at Blackcat on March 28.
APRIL
Nicki Minaj stops in D.C. at Capital One Arena as part of her North American tour on April 1; Bad Bunny plays at Capital One Arena on April 9 as part of his Most Wanted tour; girl in red performs at the Anthem on April 20 and 21; Brandy Clark plays at the Birchmere on April 25; Laufey comes to town to play at the Anthem on April 25 and 26.
MAY
Belle and Sebastian play at the Anthem on May 2; Chastity Belt performs at Blackcat on May 4; Madeleine Peyroux stops at the Birchmere on May 5; The Decemberists play at the Anthem on May 10; the rock band Mannequin Pussy performs at the Atlantis on May 17 and 18; Hozier plays at Merriweather Post Pavilion on May 17 as part of the Unreal Unearth tour.
JUNE
Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight will sing soulful melodies at Wolf Trap on June 8; Joe Jackson performs at the Lincoln Theatre on June 10; the Pixies and Modest Mouse are teaming up to play at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 14; Maggie Rogers plays at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 16 as part of The Donāt Forget Me tour; Brittany Howard headlines the Out & About Festival at Wolf Trap on June 22; Sarah McLachlan plays at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 27; Alanis Morissette performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 29 and 30
Music & Concerts
Grammys: Queer women and their sisters took down the house
Taylor Swift won Album of the Year
When the late, great Ruth Bader Ginsburg was asked when there will be enough women on the Supreme Court, her answer was simple: Nine. She stated: “I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.” RBG did not attend the Grammyās last night, but her spirit sure did. Women, at long last, dominated, ruled and killed the night.
Cher, in song a decade ago, declared that āthis is a womanās world,ā but there was little evidence that was true, Grammy, and entertainment awards, speaking. In 2018, the Grammys were heavily criticized for lack of female representation across all categories and organizersā response was for women to āstep up.ā
Be careful what you wish for boys.
The biggest star of the 2024 Grammys was the collective power of women. They made history, they claimed legacy and they danced and lip sang to each otherās work. Standing victorious was Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, SZA (the most nominated person of the year), Lainey Wilson, Karol G, boygenius, Kylie Minogue and Victoria MonĆ©t. Oh, yes, and powerhouse Taylor Swift, the superstar from whom Fox News cowers in fear, made history to become the first performer of any gender to win four Best Album of the Year trophies.
In the throng of these powerful women stand a number of both LGBTQ advocates and queer identifying artists. Cyrus has identified as pansexual, SZA has said lesbian rumors āaināt wrong,ā Phoebe Bridgers (winner of four trophies during the night, most of any artist) is lesbian, MonĆ©t is bi and Eilish likes women but doesnāt want to talk about it. Plus, ask any queer person about Swift or Minogue and you are likely to get a love-gush.
Women power was not just owned by the lady award winners. There were the ladies and then there were the Legends. The first Legend to appear was a surprise. Country singer Luke Combs has a cross-generational hit this year with a cover of Tracy Chapmanās “Fast Car.” When originally released, the song was embraced as a lesbian anthem. When performing “Fast Car,” surprise, there was Chapman herself, singing the duet with Combs. The rendition was stunning, sentimental and historic.
Chapman, like many of the nightās female dignitaries, has not been public with her sexuality. Author Alice Walker has spoken of the two of them being lovers, however.
The legend among legends of the night, however, was the one and only Joni Mitchell. Not gay herself, she embodies the concept of an LGBTQ icon, and was accompanied by the very out Brandi Carlile on stage. On her website, Mitchellās statement to the LGBTQ community reads, “The trick is if you listen to that music and you see me, you’re not getting anything out of it. If you listen to that music and you see yourself, it will probably make you cry and you’ll learn something about yourself and now you’re getting something out of it.”
Mitchell performed her longtime classic “Both Sides Now.” The emotion, insight and delivery from the now 80-year old artist, survivor of an aneurism, was nothing short of profound. (To fully appreciate the nuance time can bring, check out the YouTube video of a Swift lookalike Mitchell singing the same song to Mama Cass and Mary Travers in 1969.) In this latest rendition, Mitchell clearly had an impact on Meryl Streep who was sitting in the audience. Talk about the arc of female talent and power.
That arc extended from a todayās lady, Cyrus, to legend Celine Dion as well. Cyrus declared Dion as one of her icons and inspirations early in the evening. Dion appeared, graceful and looking healthy, to present the final, and historic, award of the night at the end of the show.
Legends did not even need to be living to have had an effect on the night. Tributes to Tina Turner and Sinead OāConner by Oprah, Fantasia Barrino-Taylor and Annie Lennox respectively, proved that not even death could stop these women. As Lennox has musically and famously put it, āSisters are doing it for themselves.ā
Even the content of performances by todayās legends-in-the-making spoke to feminine power. Eilish was honored for, and performed “What Was I Made For?,” a haunting and searching song that speaks to the soul of womanhood and redefinition in todayās fight for gender rights and expression, while Dua Lipa laid down the gauntlet for mind blowing performance with her rendition of “Houdini” at the top of the show, Cyrus asserted the power of her anthem “Flowers” and pretty much stole the show.
Cyrus had not performed the song on television before, and only three times publicly. She declared in her intro that she was thrilled over the business numbers the song garnered, but she refused to let them define her. As she sang the hit, she scolded the audience, āyou guys act like you donāt know the words to this song.ā Soon the woman power of the room was singing along with her, from Swift to Oprah.
They can buy themselves flowers from now on. They donāt need anyone else. Cyrus made that point with the mic drop to cap all mic drops, āAnd I just won my first Grammy!ā she declared as she danced off stage.
Even the squirmiest moment of the night still did not diminish the light of women power, and in fact, underscored it. During his acceptance of the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, Jay-Z had a bone to pick with the Grammy voters. He called out the irony that his wife BeyoncĆ© had won more Grammys than any other human, but had never won the Best Album of the Year. Yeah, whatās with that?
But then, it brought additional context ultimately to the fact that the winner of the most Grammys individually ā¦ is a woman. And to the fact that the winner of the most Best Album of the Year awards ā¦ is a woman.
Hopefully this was the night that the Grammys āgot it.ā Women are the epicenter of The Creative Force.
Will the other entertainment awards get it soon as well? We can hope.
Most importantly, in a political world where womenās healthcare is under siege. Will the American voters get it?
A little known band named Little Mix put it this way in their 2019 song āA Womanās World.ā
āIf you can’t see that it’s gotta change
Only want the body but not the brains
If you really think that’s the way it works
You ain’t lived in a woman’s world
Just look at how far that we’ve got
And don’t think that we’ll ever stopā¦ā
From Grammyās mouth to the worldās ear.
Music & Concerts
Janet Jackson returning to D.C, Baltimore
‘Together Again Tour’ comes to Capital One Arena, CFG Bank Arena
Pop icon Janet Jackson announced this week an extension of her 2023 āTogether Again Tour.ā A new leg of the tour will bring Jackson back to the area for two shows, one at D.C.ās Capital One Arena on Friday, July 12 and another at Baltimoreās CFG Bank Arena on Saturday, July 13.
Tickets are on sale now via TicketMaster. LiveNation announced the 2023 leg of the tour consisted of 36 shows, each of which was sold out. The 2024 leg has 35 stops planned so far; R&B star Nelly will open for Jackson on the new leg.
Jackson made the tour announcement Tuesday on social media: āHey u guys! By popular demand, weāre bringing the Together Again Tour back to North America this summer with special guest Nelly! Itāll be so much fun!ā
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