Jon Bon Jovi Hits the Town, and Gustavo Dudamel Takes the Stage

This week, fans turned out for a new documentary about Jon Bon Jovi and took in a performance led by Gustavo Dudamel at the New York Philharmonic’s spring gala.

Jon Bon Jovi and the model Maye Musk at a party for a special screening of “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.”Credit…Rebecca Smeyne for The New York Times

Out & About is a column that covers the events where notable, powerful and influential figures gather — and their outfits. This week: We attended a screening of “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” and the New York Philharmonic’s spring gala.

A Rocker Greets His Fans

Jon Bon Jovi stood blinking, rubbing his eyes, temporarily blinded on Thursday night by the lights from a row of photographers.

Recovering, the musician said, “OK, I’m here now,” and then “Hi, love,” his eyes wide as he flashed a very white smile.

He was standing just inside a movie theater at the South Street Seaport for a special screening of a new documentary series, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.” He approached the event, hosted by the Cinema Society and Hulu, with the same charming grit that helped make him famous.

The show, now on Hulu, traces the musician’s 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.

“I’m wonderful,” said Bon Jovi, 62, dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, with a full, feathery head of gray hair. “What you see in the film was a year and two years ago. It’s a work in progress. But it is really far down the road of recovery at this point.”

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Gotham Chopra, the director and executive producer of “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.”Credit…Rebecca Smeyne for The New York Times

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Jennifer Esposito, the actress.Credit…Rebecca Smeyne for The New York Times

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Denis O’Hare, the actor, at an after-party for the screening at the Fulton by Jean-Georges.Credit…Rebecca Smeyne for The New York Times

Bon Jovi will release its 16th studio album, “Forever,” on June 7. The band currently has no plans to tour, but its frontman is hopeful. “When it is right, that’s when we’ll tour,” he said.

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.

“If, God forbid, I can’t perform at Giants Stadium, woe is me,” he said. “So what if I can’t sing again?”

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.

More from the Bon Jovi film premiere →

David Krumholtz

Rebecca Smeyne for The New York Times

Ms. Esposito said that when she was in high school, she asked her hairdresser for Bon Jovi’s look. “I used to bring in a picture of him and say, ‘Make it look like that,’” she recalled.

The two later acted alongside each other. “He’s a cool dude from Jersey,” she said. “He wasn’t a big shot. He just wanted to show up and do a good job.”

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 “Livin’ on a Prayer” played through the restaurant, a young bartender smiled and sang the lyrics to herself.

A Preview of Dudamel at the New York Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel, the conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will become the music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic in 2026.Credit…Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times

“What are we excited about tonight?” said Agnes Hsu-Tang, the archaeologist, art historian and wife of the New York Philharmonic co-chairman Oscar L. Tang.

“Dudamel!” she and her husband said in unison.

They were at a cocktail reception before the New York Philharmonic’s 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 as the orchestra’s music and artistic director in 2026.

The night was attended by music-world fixtures such as Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein, the children of the conductor Leonard Bernstein; J’Nai Bridges, the mezzo-soprano; and Anthony Roth Costanzo, the countertenor.

“The whole idea is to pull classical music out of its rut and show the world how flexible and versatile it can be,” Jamie Bernstein said.

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Alexander and Jamie Bernstein.Credit…Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times

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Oscar Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang.Credit…Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times

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Genevieve Morritt in a hat from Philip Treacy London.Credit…Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times

The evening gave many in attendance their first look at Mr. Dudamel, 43, the rare maestro whose fame transcends classical music. That’s 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 into how the orchestra handled a sexual assault accusation in 2010.

But on Wednesday night, with his baton bobbing and his curls bouncing, he led the orchestra through “The Mother Is Standing,” by the composer Nina Shekhar. The piece was followed by Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (a feature for the soprano Hera Hyesang Park), Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 8 and Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier Suite.

More from the New York Philharmonic gala →

Carolina Herrera

Dolly Faibyshev for The New York Times