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Published on 9/30/08
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Free big-name concerts like the ones thousands enjoy at the River to River Festival and at Central Park SummerStage are actually a long-standing New York tradition. In the 1910s, legendary opera singer Enrico Caruso was known to stand on the balcony of the Knickerbocker Hotel, 1466 Broadway at 42nd Street, and croon to the masses below. His most memorable performance there was on November 11, 1918—Armistice Day—when crowds gathered in Times Square to celebrate the end of World War I. Capturing the spirit of the day, Caruso led them in a heartfelt rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Neapolitan transplant didn’t forget his European roots, though. He then sang “Il Canto degli Italiani,” the Italian national anthem, and “La Marseillaise.” Caruso had another special connection to the Knickerbocker: his daughter, Gloria, was born and baptized in his suite there. (The tenor had to get special dispensation from Monsignor Lavelle to have the ceremony performed somewhere other than a church.)
