“Over three nights, from sundown Friday to sunup Sunday, the Third Heaven Musical Festival rages on an island in the Atlantic, off the coast of Manhattan. Attendees are treated to a weekend full of live music across seven venues located around the island with one stage on the water. Festival goers live in townhouses and the small village of Third Heaven comes to life, the highlight being Main Street that contains exclusive popup shops and restaurants.
“Only a select few performances are recorded and there is a strict no recording policy for attendees, violation of which means lifetime bans, and in some cases legal action. This exclusivity makes a ticket to Third Heaven the most sought after on the market. Tickets to the event sell out immediately and have been sold on the black market for over ten thousand dollars.
“Even though anticipation for Third Heaven is always high and tickets are always impossible to find, the excitement for this year’s festival is higher than ever. Demand for access to the first performance by Seraphiel in over a decade is extremely high and for the first time in the history of the festival, a pay per view livecast will be available on streaming services.
“In advance of the Sunday night performance, I am honored to be here with Seraphiel himself. Thank you so much for joining me this morning here at the Chorus Cafe on Main Street of Third Heaven Island.”
“Oh, it’s great to be back here. Time does fly, but when I got off the ferry, I felt like I hadn’t been here in ages. Everything is so different from back in the sixties. It was heavenly then, but now it’s a sleeker heaven. Everything is so state of the art, and the staff is so accommodating.”
“I’ve seen pictures of the festival over the years and you’re right, it has changed a lot. Do you have a favorite era?”
“Oh, the late eighties was a great time. Awesome clothes and hair, everything was so big, larger than life. The seventies were a good time too, very flowy and full of love. The sixties, I was so young. It was more nerve wracking than fun, and honestly, it was kind of stuffy. I’ll admit that my love for the festival began to wane in the aughts. There was a shift. Before the aughts, people came out here to connect with artists that spoke to them. Spoke to their anxieties, their desires. There was so much love, genuine and true love that warms the spirit. The artists gave their all on stage because the audience gave so much love, so much warmth, I don’t know how else to describe it. Being at shows before the aughts, witnessing the people enjoying the music was like watching people experience love and joy with their entire bodies and their spirits that were more than their bodies. It was existential. But the aughts were all about materialism. People came to say they came, not to enjoy, not to give and exchange love. The aughts were cold and I chose to sit out for a long time. There was nothing nourishing about performing here and that was a shame because it was such a big part of my career. I’ve kept an ear on the festival and things have been getting better for a while. And I’m glad to be back, ushering in a new golden age. The set last night was unbelievable, the people were entranced and the artists were in the zone for sure. It feels like the seventies, it’s so warm here. And everyone is so giving.”
“Do you have a favorite set so far? Anyone doing work that inspires you?”
“Oh, look at the line up! Top to bottom, everyone that is gracing the stages this weekend is absolutely incredible. I’ve tried to see as many shows as I can.”
“Do you still feel any pressure or stress after all these years? Are you nervous to do the closing set after such an impressive line up?”
“I’m lucky to go last. After three nights of all this incredible artistry, the crowd is so open, so giving. The stage is nice and toasty. It’s almost like a…this might sound like a weird way to describe it, but it’s like a sacrifice and it allows for me to be my absolute best. They all give to me and I turn it into my best for them. It’s all about love and warmth and sharing. I’m the biggest benefactor of that this weekend.”
“Well I’m sure the whole world is excited to see what you do with all the love and you will have so much. Seraphiel, thank you so much for your time. Enjoy the weekend and I can’t wait to see you on stage again.”
“Thanks so much.”
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