Trey Anastasio, Sabrina Carpenter, Remi Wolf, More Perform At 2024 TAC Talent Show [Photos/Videos]

Jack and Rachel Antonoff, the co-founders of The Ally Coalition, on Tuesday hosted the LGBTQ advocacy organization’s 10th annual Talent Show at New York, NY’s 850-seat NYU Skirball Center. Per tradition, the lineup for the event was not announced ahead of time, but the Antonoffs once again fielded an all-star lineup for the show including Jack’s band, Bleachers, as well as Sabrina Carpenter, Trey Anastasio, Remi Wolf, Rachel Zegler, Turnstile, Steel Train, Liam Benzvi, Claud, Mike Birbiglia, Richard Kind, and more. Bleachers served as the de facto house band for the event, performing a number of their own songs in addition to welcoming various guests to highlight both Jack Antonoff’s other work as a producer/songwriter and a mix of beloved classics and recent hits.

Founded in 2013, The Ally Coalition (TAC) is committed to bettering the lives of LGBTQ youth through tours, social media campaigns, and collaborative partnerships, providing meaningful support to organizations serving LGBTQ youth. With TAC’s unique connection to the entertainment industry, the artists they partner with use their platforms to raise awareness of the systemic inequalities facing the LGBTQ population and activate prominent members of the creative community and their fan bases to engage with these issues in meaningful and impactful ways. Throughout this year TAC has raised over $480K in funding to fight for equality for LGBTQ youth. This has helped the organization provide services to those in need during these tumultuous time including organizing food and clothing drives, haircuts, and other services for affected youths across the nation.

The LGBTQ Community has made meaningful strides towards full equality over the past few decades, but there is plenty of important work left to be done. As the organization notes on its website, “LGBTQ youth are far more likely to be victims of depression, violence, bullying, and suicide. Last year, over 30 states tried to pass anti-LGBTQ legislation.” Past editions of the TAC talent show have raised millions of dollars to support unhoused LGBTQ+ youth all over the country. As TAC noted when it announced this year’s Talent Show back in October, “Today, there are over 4.2 million unhoused youth in the USA – with nearly 40% identifying as LGBTQ+. These youths are far more likely to be victims of depression, violence, bullying and suicide. As of this month, The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 530 anti-LGBTQ bills across the USA – making 2024 our most critical show yet.”

Highlights of the three-hour 2024 showcase included Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio joining in with Bleachers to lead an unexpected and emotional cover of Mitski’s 2023 track “My Love Mine All Mine” (which he called the “most beautiful romantic song of the decade”) and later adding guitar and backing vocals to a cover of Rufus’ Stevie Wonder-penned classic “Tell Me Something Good” led by Remi Wolf (whom he hailed as a “SUPERSTAR”); Sabrina Carpenter leading Bleachers through stripped-down takes on her 2024 hits “Slim Pickins” and “Please Please Please”, both of which were co-written by Antonoff; Rachel Zegler taking the band through “Man of the House”, one of the songs she sang in the recent Broadway musical adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, which featured music composed by Antonoff; Jack’s father, Rick Antonoff, joining Claud on acoustic guitar for “Soft Spot”; Turnstile’s Brendan Yates and singer-songwriter Liam Benzvi playing two of their songs (Turnstile’s “UNDERWATER BOI” and Benzvi’s “Hiccup”) as dual piano/vocal duets; Antonoff’s old band Steel Train reuniting for the first time in nearly nine years; and more.

Below, check out some photos from the 2024 TAC Talent Show as well as a selection of crowd-shot videos from the evening via YouTube user IronChefWong.