Stevie Wonder, John Mayer will join Tony Bennett at Staples
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Tony Bennett marked his 85th birthday earlier this month. Now he’ll have some notable musicians to celebrate it with.
On Sept. 24, the iconic crooner will be come to Staples Center, where he will be joined onstage by Stevie Wonder, Diana Krall, John Mayer and Carrie Underwood, according to a source close to the singer.
For the so-called birthday concert, the source says, all four will perform duets with Bennett, reprising a role they played on his studio records. Krall and Wonder each recorded with Bennett on his 2006 ‘Duets’ album, while Mayer and Underwood pair up with him on the upcoming ‘Duets 2,’ out Sept. 20. (Mayer sings ‘One for the Road (And One More for My Baby)’ with Bennett; Underwood offers ‘It Had to Be You.”)
‘Duets 2’ also includes new recordings of Bennett with Lady Gaga, Willie Nelson and, most poignantly, Amy Winehouse, among others.
AARP is helping to sponsor the Staples event, which marks a larger media blitz for Bennett: The day before the show, he’ll be seen performing with Underwood in a scene on the CBS drama ‘Blue Bloods.’
Other young singers hoping for a chance to sing with the legend, though, may be out of luck -- Bennett told Pop & Hiss this week that he’s not expecting a follow-up. ‘I think that’s about enough duets for now,’ he said.
-- Steven Zeitchik
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