The Hammerstein Ballroom stage was invaded on Friday night by a small army of singers dressed in black military uniforms calling themselves the Polyphonic Spree. Quite a diversion from the usual gowns, the new duds promote their upcoming album, The Fragile Army. Daunting as it may have seemed, all they fired upon the crowd were uplifting tunes and silver confetti, while standing before a giant banner of the word “HOPE.” Their last song of the evening, a rendition of Memory of a Free Festival, paid homage the Highline curator himself, who was spotted backstage with the Spree and seen up in the balcony for part of the show. NYMag.com as well as Bowienet have short reviews, and WireImage has the usual postage stamp size photos.
Also part of the Highline Fest on Friday night, the Aperture Foundation hosted a Homage to Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore. Cahun (born Lucy Schob) and Moore (born Suzanne Malherbe) were stepsisters and pioneers of the Surrealist movement, best known for their gender-bending photography. This free event featured a multimedia installation of the artists’ work, a panel discussion led by NYU professor Shelly Rice, a comedy performance by drag king Murray Hill, and a film screening of Lover Other, a documentary on the lives of Cahun and Moore. For more info, see FreeNYC.net and Cahun’s website.