Rufus Wainwright and Friends Light Up Montauk 

Renowned singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright invites you to join him at his 50th birthday celebration show on July 13, titled “Fifty Isn’t the End” — a 50th birthday concert with Rufus Wainwright and friends taking place on the majestic lawns of the Montauk Point Lighthouse.

Wainwright launched onto the music scene in 1998 with his self-titled debut album gaining him recognition as Rolling Stone’s Best New Artist. His album, Release the Stars, hit Top 30 of the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the United Kingdom and Canada. Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, his sixth album, was nominated for a Grammy Award. This June, his latest album, Folkocracy, drops.

It has been Wainwright’s dream to perform at the iconic lighthouse and upon meeting the director of the Montauk Historical Society, Mia Certic, the dream became a reality and will raise funds to support the operations of this beloved National Historic Landmark.

Wainwright is featuring friends and family at this one-night-only event including Jimmy Fallon, Tig Notaro, Laurie Anderson, Joan As Police Woman, Loudon Wainwright III, Martha Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Jenni Muldaur and others.

The Montauk Lighthouse and the East End have always played a part in the life of Wainwright. He and husband Jörn Weisbrodt, who turned 50 in January, were married at their Montauk home. Of note, on his seventh studio album, Out of the Game, Wainwright sang an ode to his beloved Montauk.

Wainwright explains, “I honestly could not be more thrilled to celebrate Jörn and my 50th birthday in Montauk. It is the place where our romance started, and it is the place we love being the most. I always wanted to do a show at the lighthouse with the ocean as the backdrop.”

Before Wainwright’s Montauk Lighthouse concert, he stopped to chat about this dream birthday celebration and so much more.

Rufus Wainwright Talks Montauk Lighthouse

Why did you choose Montauk Lighthouse as the backdrop of your 50th birthday concert?

I went there to see a show a few years ago with my husband, and we were blown away by the setting and the concept of doing a show in that space. As 50 started to approach, I had a vision of making that the pinnacle of half of my life. They do concerts there so we’re now part of the tradition, and it’s great to raise money for the lighthouse.

What does that milestone of turning 50 mean to you?

My 40s have been my favorite so far. I think the argument will be: Could the 50s be a continuation of that? The only slight difference is the little aches and pains that have started to creep up. My 20s and 30s weren’t so great; they were very dramatic. It was only in my 40s that I started to savor life for how beautiful it is.

How did it happen that Jimmy Fallon is joining you at this show?

Jimmy has been a friend of the family for many years. He was one of the stars of my sister’s wedding about 20 years ago. We’re very excited to see him again. What I love about him, aside from being incredibly funny, is that he is a real musician and an all-around lovely guy.

How did you start performing with your mom, dad and sisters?

There was never any option to do otherwise. My mother, after giving birth to me and leaving the hospital, didn’t go home. She went to the studio because my dad was working on a record there. They didn’t have a crib at the studio, so my first crib was the guitar case. They have pictures to prove it. It was painfully obvious that show business was my calling, and my mother was right there waiting to guide me.

Your rendition of the song “Hallelujah” on the movie soundtrack of Shrek has been described as “purifying and almost liturgical.” Do you have a special affinity for that song?

I was very fortunate to have been part of the saga of that song. There was a documentary made about it recently that maps out the incredible journey the song has taken from being completely discarded to one of the most famous songs ever written, and I have a very interesting section in that tale. I was very good friends with Leonard Cohen who wrote it. I owe a lot to “Hallelujah” for sure.

You have a repertoire of so many beautiful songs. Do you have a favorite?

I’ve been doing a lot of Kurt Weill songs. I did a residency at The Carlyle in New York, and there’s a song that everybody knows. It’s amazing when you sing it, it’s “Mack the Knife.” I enjoy singing that.

Of all that you have done, what stands out as your most challenging effort?

I write operas. My second opera is having a lot of success now in Europe. It’s been produced in a few places and there will be other incarnations. I think writing opera is the most challenging but also the most rewarding.

Have you been an opera buff your whole life?

It started when I was about 13. I had this crazy operatic conversion, and opera is my number one squeeze, but I also know it’s a little cruel to inflict that on everybody, so there’s not going to be a ton of opera at the show, don’t worry. That’s for another evening.

You have been on so many soundtracks for movies, is there one that stands out to you?

One that has made a crazy comeback is years ago I did music for a Disney animated film named Meet the Robinsons. There’s a resurgence of interest in that soundtrack. It’s a rebirth, which is always fun.

How did it come about that Darren Criss joined you on the “Sword of Damocles” video?

Darren is a dear friend of mine. He came to see me at The Carlyle last week. He’s fantastic, whether it’s working together or him coming to my shows or getting invited to his concerts. He’s a wonderful guy.

How did you come up with the idea to use Shakespeare sonnets as the centerpiece for your album Take All My Loves?

It was a confluence of events. I worked with Robert Wilson who has that beautiful Watermill Center. We composed a piece called “The Sonnets,” which combined a bunch of Shakespeare sonnets as the lyrics with my music. It made sense to do an album of sonnets. Then all of a sudden it was the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death being celebrated in England and I got to perform them at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Why did you choose to do a tribute album to Judy Garland?

I always loved her album, Judy at Carnegie Hall. It’s a great athletic vocal exercise. It suddenly worked out that I was onstage doing it. It was really one of those ideas that once you let it out of the bottle it has a whole life of its own. It was the Judy Genie.

Would you like to give readers a preview of your latest album, Folkocracy?

I come from a famed folk dynasty between my late mother, Kate McGarrigle, and her sister Anna. They wrote great songs, some are covered by Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Judy Collins. They were very much in that world and my dad was firmly entrenched in the folk world, so my sisters, Martha and Lucy, and I grew up surrounded by folk music. Then we came in contact with other families, most notably Richard and Linda Thompson and Pete and Linda Seeger.

When you talk about folk music you often talk about families singing together. It’s a big tradition. I grew up with it, and as I get older, I realize how special that is, and I want to share it with my daughter. So, I decided to make this album, Folkocracy, which is composed of songs done in a folk style. It’s about being together in the same room, playing at the same time, harmonizing, keeping it simple in a lot of ways, and keeping the circle unbroken.

Is there a final thought you’d like to share?

It is very important for my husband and I to celebrate our 50th birthdays at Montauk. Both of us have a strong connection to the East End. Part of my family has been there for almost 100 years. The Wainwrights are very entrenched there, and it’s great to bring it back.

For event info, visit montaukhistoricalsociety.org.