Justin Vivian Bond on smoking nuts, fraught gift-giving, & the resurrection of Kiki & Herb
Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish to Miley Cyrus and Velvet Underground.The pair continues the tradition this December with a seven-city U.S.
tour of Kiki & Herb, O Come Let Us Adore Them, kicking off at Washington, D.C.’s Howard Theater on December 6, followed by shows in New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.It’s been a busy and challenging 2023 for Bond, one that began with the passing of their mother in January, followed by months of outrage over the onslaught of bills in numerous states around the country challenging transgender rights.
To respond, Bond did what they do best — turn to song and address their indignance in a Pride month installment of their Joe’s Pub residency titled “What Have You Done for Me Legistlately.”In addition, Bond toured considerably, playing gigs at Manchester Pride, The Dublin Fringe Festival, and the Spoleto Festival in the critically lauded “Only an Octave Apart” with Metropolitan Opera superstar countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo.
Bond also received Queerty’s Pride50 Catalyst Award in honor of their decades-long career and commitment to queer visibility, telling the enthusiastic crowd, “The queens are not backing down!”During it all, Bond turned 60 and marked the milestone birthday with a series of Diamond Jubilee concerts at their artistic home, Joe’s Pub, the cabaret venue at the iconic Off-Broadway Public Theater (original home to Hamilton, A Chorus Line, and now Alicia Keys’ new musical Hell’s Kitchen) where they return for a wintry wonderland.
