The weather forecast is looking perfect for the big concert this evening at the Montauk Lighthouse: Brandi Carlile, the powerhouse voice of stirring American-roots anthems like “The Joke” and “The Story,” will sing under a sky full of stars on what promises to be a cool and cloudless night.
The annual fund-raiser for the Montauk Lighthouse shines like a beacon in the summer-benefit scene. This kind of large-scale public event isn’t easy to pull off — mismanaged, it can descend either into tacky touristic mayhem or become so expensive and exclusive that residents and locals feel iced out — but under the steady helm of the Montauk Historical Society, the annual benefit for the Lighthouse has maintained its purely positive spirit and is a true community gathering.
Some of us in the newsroom are old enough to remember the benefit for the Lighthouse in the early 1990s, when it was called Back at the Ranch and held at Deep Hollow; in those days, you might see Willy Nelson, Billy Joel, or Ray Charles on the stage. Later, in the 2000s, it moved east and morphed into Montauk Music Festival Rocks the Lighthouse, with primarily local acts performing. But the event bolted into the stratosphere of local lore in 2018 when Paul Simon turned up and sang a four-song set ( “Late in the Evening,” “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” and “You Can Call Me Al”) with the Montauk Project band. Thanks to Mr. Simon, the stars have been flocking to the big beacon ever since, from Rufus Wainwright to Laufey and Norah Jones.
And the Lighthouse does need our help. Preserving and running a 230-year-old historic landmark isn’t cheap. This summer, for America’s 250th birthday, we remember that it was George Washington himself who commissioned its construction. As of press time, only the top-tier gold and platinum tickets remained (which come with perks like a lounge chair or access to a “V.I.P. bar”). Grab them if you can. Gates open at 5 p.m. for a pre-show D.J. set and the performance begins at 8. See you tonight under the Milky Way.