On Monday, workers started erecting a 2,000-square-foot transparent bubble on Pier 54 at W. 13th St. inside which a rock band will live for 20 days. The band, Cartel, will enter the structure on May 24, then compose a new CD while living in the bubble and being filmed for TV by MTV. Cartel will then break down the bubble and give a concert on the pier on June 12.
The event is part of the Hudson River Park Trust’s RiverRocks concert series, sponsored by Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper officials assure they are not asking the band to create a Dr. Pepper song along the lines of its famous “Be a Pepper” 1970s jingle. Yet, coincidentally, the Atlanta-based band’s guitarist is named James Pepper.
Chris Martin, the Trust’s spokesperson, said the six-year-old pier music series has focused on emerging bands on the cusp of hitting it big. The White Stripes played the pier in 2004 before going on to become chart-toppers.
“The addition of Cartel to this year’s RiverRocks lineup is a return to the roots of this concert series with a band that is well on its way to making it big,” Martin said. “Hudson River Park has really come into its own as an amazing destination for entertainment.”
