Out & About<\/em><\/a> is a column that covers the events where notable, powerful and influential figures gather \u2014 and their outfits. This week: We attended a screening of \u201cThank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story\u201d and the New York Philharmonic\u2019s spring gala.<\/em><\/p>\n Jon Bon Jovi stood blinking, rubbing his eyes, temporarily blinded on Thursday night by the lights from a row of photographers.<\/p>\n Recovering, the musician said, \u201cOK, I\u2019m here now,\u201d and then \u201cHi, love,\u201d his eyes wide as he flashed a very white smile.<\/p>\n He was standing just inside a movie theater at the South Street Seaport for a special screening of a new documentary series, \u201cThank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.\u201d He approached the event, hosted by the Cinema Society and Hulu, with the same charming grit that helped make him famous.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The show, now on Hulu, traces the musician\u2019s path from his teenage years playing covers in Asbury Park, N.J., to mega-stardom with his band Bon Jovi, packing arenas with rock anthems. It also touches on his recent vocal cord trouble that led to surgery.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m wonderful,\u201d said Bon Jovi, 62, dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, with a full, feathery head of gray hair. \u201cWhat you see in the film was a year and two years ago. It\u2019s a work in progress. But it is really far down the road of recovery at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Bon Jovi will release its 16th studio album, \u201cForever,\u201d on June 7. The band currently has no plans to tour, but its frontman is hopeful. \u201cWhen it is right, that\u2019s when we\u2019ll tour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A crowd that included the model Maye Musk and the television presenter Dan Abrams filed into the cushy seats of the iPIC Fulton Market theater to watch the first episode of the four-part series, which is directed and executive produced by Gotham Chopra. After the screening, Bon Jovi answered questions and tried to put the health concerns shown in the series in context.<\/p>\n \u201cIf, God forbid, I can\u2019t perform at Giants Stadium, woe is me,\u201d he said. \u201cSo what if I can\u2019t sing again?\u201d<\/p>\n The audience then meandered to the Fulton by Jean-Georges, a high-end seafood spot overlooking the East River, where a crowd surrounded the musician near a raw bar. The rocker grinned and chatted with fans like the actress Jennifer Esposito.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ms. Esposito said that when she was in high school, she asked her hairdresser for Bon Jovi\u2019s look. \u201cI used to bring in a picture of him and say, \u2018Make it look like that,\u2019\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n The two later acted alongside each other. \u201cHe\u2019s a cool dude from Jersey,\u201d she said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t a big shot. He just wanted to show up and do a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Just before 10 p.m., after posing for a row of selfies, the musician slid out the door. Servers continued to circle with sliders and summer rolls, and as \u201cLivin\u2019 on a Prayer\u201d played through the restaurant, a young bartender smiled and sang the lyrics to herself.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are we excited about tonight?\u201d said Agnes Hsu-Tang, the archaeologist, art historian and wife of the New York Philharmonic co-chairman Oscar L. Tang.<\/p>\n \u201cDudamel!\u201d she and her husband said in unison.<\/p>\n They were at a cocktail reception before the New York Philharmonic\u2019s annual spring gala at David Geffen Hall on Wednesday night. In a special East Coast appearance, Gustavo Dudamel, the charismatic conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led the New York Philharmonic through a 90-minute program and preview of what is to come when he officially takes over<\/a> as the orchestra\u2019s music and artistic director in 2026.<\/p>\n The night was attended by music-world fixtures such as Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein, the children of the conductor Leonard Bernstein; J\u2019Nai Bridges, the mezzo-soprano; and Anthony Roth Costanzo, the countertenor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe whole idea is to pull classical music out of its rut and show the world how flexible and versatile it can be,\u201d Jamie Bernstein said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The evening gave many in attendance their first look at Mr. Dudamel, 43, the rare maestro whose fame transcends classical music. That\u2019s not to say it will all be smooth sailing for Mr. Dudamel. He will face the challenge of reaching younger and more diverse audiences, as well as an investigation<\/a> into how the orchestra handled a sexual assault accusation in 2010.<\/p>\n But on Wednesday night, with his baton bobbing and his curls bouncing, he led the orchestra through \u201cThe Mother Is Standing,\u201d by the composer Nina Shekhar. The piece was followed by Heitor Villa-Lobos\u2019s Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (a feature for the soprano Hera Hyesang Park), Arturo M\u00e1rquez\u2019s Danz\u00f3n No. 8 and Richard Strauss\u2019s Der Rosenkavalier Suite.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The gala also featured performances by Common, the rapper and actor; Bernie Williams, the classical guitarist and former New York Yankees center fielder; and student musicians from across New York City. The night drew about 2,200 people and raised more than $2.4 million for the orchestra.<\/p>\n Later, during a dinner of jumbo asparagus and Amish chicken, a beaming Ms. Park graciously entertained a stream of well-wishers.<\/p>\n \u201cI woke up at 6 a.m. before my first rehearsal with Dudamel because I couldn\u2019t sleep because I was so excited,\u201d she said, as people stopped by her table to congratulate her. \u201cAnd,\u201d she added, \u201ctonight was even better than I imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA Rocker Greets His Fans<\/h2>\n
\nA Preview of Dudamel at the New York Philharmonic<\/h2>\n
![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/08\/14\/reader-center\/author-sarah-bahr\/author-sarah-bahr-thumbLarge.png\" "\\"Sarah")
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