‘Fifty Isn’t The End’ for Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright, the acclaimed singer, songwriter and composer, will celebrate his 50th birthday with a one-night-only show, “Rufus & Friends: Fifty Isn’t The End” on July 13 at the Montauk Point Lighthouse. The concert will benefit the Montauk Historical Society and will include special guests Jimmy Fallon, Tig Notaro, Laurie Anderson, Joan As Police Woman, Loudon Wainwright III, Martha Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Jenni Muldaur Chaim Tannenbaum and more.

The milestone birthday event will be produced by New York-based Murmrr. The host committee for the event is Julianne Moore, Isabella Rossellini, Cindy Sherman, Paul Simon, and Liev Schreiber. Additionally, Rufus will be joined by his husband, Jorn Weisbrodt who is also turning 50 this year, and his band featuring musicians David Mansfield, G.E. Smith, Shawn Pelton, Tony Shanahan and Thomas Bartlett.

“I honestly could not be more thrilled to celebrate Jorn and my 50th birthday in Montauk,” said Rufus Wainwright. “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 and the moon rising over the ocean, so we just went to the Historical Society and offered our services, and they enthusiastically embraced the idea.”

The historical and picturesque Montauk Point Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built in New York State and is the fourth-oldest working lighthouse in the United States. The concert will raise funds for the Montauk Historical Society to support the operations of this beloved National Historic Landmark, which welcomes over 100,000 visitors each year.

“Montauk has been a refuge for so many people and artists over the years,” continued Wainwright. “It has a real sense of community and we have made deep roots here and felt very welcomed by the town and its inhabitants. It is wonderful to give back a little and help raise some money and joy.

“I am so grateful for all my family, from my dad, Loudon, to my sisters, Martha and Lucy, and friends like Laurie Anderson, Jimmy Fallon and Tig Notaro to join me on stage for what I am sure will be one of the most unusual and hilarious shows Montauk and the Hamptons and 2023 will have ever seen,” he added. “I have no doubt there will be more surprise guests coming.”

The Wainwrights are a social fixture in East Hampton. As a child, Rufus spent his summers on Shelter Island where his father now has a home, and took his bike each day to East Hampton to be part of the posher side of the Hamptons. On his Mark Ronson-produced seventh studio album, released in 2012, “Out of the Game,” Rufus sang an ode to his beloved Montauk. It has been his dream to perform on the lawn of the iconic lighthouse in Montauk and upon meeting the director of the Montauk Historical Society Mia Certic, the dream has now become a reality.

Doors for the concert “Rufus & Friends: This Isn’t the End” will open at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 13, for a precelebration with a DJ spinning. There will be hors d’oeuvres and cocktails before the show starts at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $150 ($300 VIP/$75 children) at murmrr.com. The Montauk Point Lighthouse is located at 2000 Montauk Highway, Montauk. For more information, visit montaukhistoricalsociety.org.