Istanbulive!

I'm hard-pressed to remember a more thrilling day, packed with one highlight after another. First, for once, the New York weather cooperated. Here, in the Seattle of the East this past month, the sky was blue—that in itself was a triumph. The destination: Central Park's Summer Stage.

The first act: Emre, with our equally beloved Tinatin singing background vocals! Talk about a family affair. A stupefying experience to see their talents shared among a crowd of some 5,000...After the show, we said our hellos to Emre, and Tinatin and her fucking fabulous mamer, who is visiting from Moscow.Meanwhile, Ayhan saw just about every Turkish friend residing in New York that he knows at the event... Here, the other Emre, a graphic designer who conjured the artwork for Ayhan's latest album, "Zorba," from Mitch Zorba... so handsome that he merits two picolas. Damn, cool, cats, the face is handsome enough... and then check out those dreamy eyes. Sigh.Third from right is Emre (the artist's) aunt... to the right, Ayhan's longtime friends (for more than a decade, when he still lived in Turkey) Kamu and Serap.And Ayhan's biz associate and friend Shidan, who works with famed theater producer Cameron Mackintosh.And then... the main event! We visited with Sertab and Demir backstage just before they took to the stage.The pair absolutely electrified the crowd. The audience was obviously primed for Turkey's biggest superstar. Here is my 47-second video of her phenomenal song "Ask"!!!And then... the photos.A perfect day, indeed. God, life is good.