Mason Alexander Park serenades New York Comic Con after dark
A look into the "Endless Nights with Mason Alexander Park" panel
Friday night at New York Comic Con is usually pretty low key. With the show floor and artist alley closed, most fans are either catching their last panel or heading out of the Javits Center to grab dinner and/or a drink. But this Friday night, a small contingent of fans gathered in a panel room with dimmed lights to attend a unique NYCC experience with The Sandman's Mason Alexander Park and their friends guitarist Sean Liljequist and pianist Drew Wutke for a panel titled 'Endless Nights with Mason Alexander Park.'
Over the course of an hour, Park, Liljequist, and Wutke played a setlist with some songs themed around… you guessed it, the Sandman. These songs included the obvious (but still deliciously delightful) 'Mr. Sandman' (which you can watch below) as well as other songs that Park enjoys including 'Wicked Little Town' from Hedwig and the Angry Inch and 'Sweet Transvestite' from Rocky Horror Picture Show.
You can watch the full Mason Alexander Park concert from NYCC 2022 here.
The hall wasn't quite full—my guess is that most fans didn't know that it was happening since it was a last-minute addition to the show, but the emptier room added to the atmosphere of a really nice small gig. Park sang beautifully with a rockstar growl, with Liljequist and Wutke playing along with trilling solos, responding to Park's stories and jokes and chiming in too.
Overall the evening felt like sitting in a bar and listening to great musicians just having fun. It was surprising and lovely, and hearing Park close out the show with a cover of 'Celluloid Heroes' by the Kinks felt moving and intimate. The hour was not only a small oasis from the hustle and bustle and crowds of the rest of Comic Con and New York City but also a something special in itself-- a little bit of a dream.
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