Empire Produces Lizzo, Stacey Abrams, and More at the 2nd Annual Bustle Rule Breakers Event
September 2019. New York, Lefrank Center, Prospect Park
Bustle Digital Group held their 2nd Annual Rule Breakers event in Brooklyn on September 21, 2019 featuring performances by Lizzo, Betty Who, Jessie Jo Stark, Abir, and more. Empire produced the mainstage and other elements at the all-day immersive festival, designed to celebrate women who push boundaries, ignore convention - - and of course, break rules - - to further women’s rights.
The day began with attendees engaging in a 45 minute meditation session and then moved on to roller skating in the rink that is part of the LeFrak Center in Prospect Park. DJ’s Natasha Diggs and Rashida spun the tunes that kept the guests dancing and the festival vibe building.
The audience was then treated to a surprise show by Brooklyn United, a marching band comprised of fifty or so boys and girls ranging in age from 6 – 17. The troupe marched into the audience which quickly made space for them in front of the stage where the kids wowed spectators with their high-energy musicianship and dancing.
The first headline performances of the day came from Abir and Jessie Jo Stark, both of whom delivered fantastic shows. The buzz built as Betty Who took the stage later in the day, with the 6’ 2” singer bringing tremendous charisma to her performance of hits such as “Mama Say” and “Somebody Loves You”.
After Betty Who’s performance ended, the 6,000+ crowd was clearly buzzing and moving closer to the stage for the headline performance of Lizzo, which came just minutes after a rousing speech about women’s rights by politician Stacey Abrams. Lizzo took the stage to a roar from the crowd which she wowed with her sense of humor, incredible vocals, choreography (along with her “Big Girl Dancers”), and her messages of love and acceptance. Songs like “Truth Hurts”, “Juice”, “Good As Hell” and more had the audience singing along to every word and dancing under a perfect sunset in Prospect Park.
Lizzo’s concert ended at 9PM, at which point Empire had 15 hours to flip the venue to be ready for doors for the client’s Camp Romper event starting at Noon the following day. The Camp Romper event was a family friendly program, highlighted by performances by Rock & Roll Playhouse, an organization which prides itself on providing kids and parents a place to inspire creativity through music across the country. And they certainly did so for the many families who came out to the Camp Romper event. The families enjoyed the fun music and activities that the bands provided, along with activations scattered throughout the event space where the kids could have their faces painted, watch bubble artistry, and much much more.
Empire provided the staging, audio, and lighting for the mainstage and also coordinated and managed other various entertainment elements throughout both days. We are proud to produce some of the most exciting consumer-facing events on the planet, including the Bustle Rule Breakers and Camp Romper events.