Greetings! Our GBE “Living in the Spirit Month 2017” rolls on through April, setting the stage for a Mother’s Day weekend tradition at the Prudential Center in Newark this year, Saturday, May 13, with the annual McDonald’s Gospelfest concert. Performers include Donnie McClurkin, Erica Campbell (of the duo Mary Mary), Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Cissy Houston, Israel Houghton, Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy, Bishop Paul Morton and the Greater Allen AME Cathedral Choir. Fantasia joins the lineup, going back to her gospel roots. The event also features a special message from the Rev. A.R. Bernard of the Christian Cultural Center. Visit prucenter.com for information.

THEATER

“Hamilton,” Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St., New York, N.Y. For information, call 212-221-1211 or visit ticketmaster.com.

“Caribbean Music Comedy and Theater Festival” at the Black Spectrum Theatre, 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens. The festival features Marcha Praceys playing “Paradise Plume” in a live reading April 13 and the Trinidad and Tobago play, “My Countrymen,” by Harlan Penn April 21-23. For reservations or information, call 718-723-1800 or visit blackspectrum.com.

MUSIC

“Caribbean Music Comedy and Theater Festival” at the Black Spectrum Theatre, 177 Street and Baisley Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens. The festival features Marcha Praceys playing “Paradise Plume” in a live reading April 13 and the Trinidad and Tobago play, “My Countrymen,” by Harlan Penn April 21-23. For reservations or information, call 718-723-1800 or visit blackspectrum.com.

Vanessa Williams in Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out! Tuesday, April 18, at 8 p.m., Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., New York, N.Y. For information, call 212-840-2824 (recording only) or visit ticketmaster.com.

Will Downing, Friday, April 21, at 8 p.m., B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. For information, call 212-997-4144 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Regina Belle, Saturday, April 22, at 8 p.m., B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. For information, call 212-997-4144 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Chris Brown: The Party Tour, Monday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m., Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave. (corner of Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue), Brooklyn, N.Y. For information, call 917-618-6700 or visit ticketmaster.com.

The M.E. Tour, featuring Marsha Ambrosius and Eric Benet, Tuesday, May 2, and Wednesday, May 3, at 8 p.m., B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. For information, call 212-997-4144 or visit ticketmaster.com.

The O’Jays, Friday, May 5, at 8 p.m., Bergen Performing Arts Center, 30 N. Van Brunt St., Englewood, N.J. For information, call 201-227-1030 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Chrisette Michelle, Friday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m., B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. For information, call 212-997-4144 or visit ticketmaster.com.

70s Soul Jam, featuring The Stylistics, Heatwave and Harold Melvin’s Blues Notes, Friday, May 12, at 8 p.m., The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, 39 Norwich Westerly Rd., Mashantucket, Conn. For information, call 800-200-2882 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Chaka Khan, Friday, May 12, at 8 p.m., St. George Theatre, 35 Hyatt Street, Staten Island, N.Y. For information, call 718-442-2900 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Mother’s Day Good Music Festival featuring Tyrese, Kem and Anthony Hamilton, Friday, May 12, at 8 p.m., Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave. (at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue), Brooklyn, N.Y. For information call 917-618-6700 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Whispers, Saturday, May 13, at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., Smooth Cruise on Hornblower Infinity, Pier 40, West Houston Street at West Side Highway, New York, N.Y. For information, visit: ticketmaster.com.

Will Downing’s Mother’s Day Celebration, Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m., New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark, N.J. For information call 888-466-5722 or visit ww.njpac.org.

Aretha Franklin, Saturday, May 13, at 8 p.m., NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Rd, Westbury, N.Y. For information, call 516-247-5200 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Mary J. Blige, Sunday, May 14, at 7 p.m., The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, 39 Norwich Westerly Rd., Mashantucket, Conn. For information, call 800-200-2882 or visit ticketmaster.com.

COMEDY

Katt Williams: Great America Tour, Saturday, April 14, at 8 p.m., Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. For information, call 917-618-6700 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Chris Rock, Saturday, April 22, at 8 p.m., Mohegan Sunday Arena, 1 Mohegan Sunday Blvd., Uncasville, Conn. For information, call 860-862-TIXX (8499) or visit ticketmaster.com.

COMMUNITY

The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce launches its National Urban Health Conference; the theme of the conference is “Becoming Change Resilient—A key to a healthy lifestyle.” For more information, call 212-862-7200 or visit greaterharlemchamber.com.

Cemotap Forum: “Lessons from Ancient Media,” with Dr. Anthony Browder, Cemotap Center, Saturday, April 22, at 2 p.m., 135-05 Rockaway Blvd., South Ozone Park, Queens, N.Y. Admission is free. RSVP 347-947-0629.

BEPPA Cemotap Master Class: “Using African Culture to Educate African Children,” an afternoon with Dr. Anthony Browder, scholar, educator and historian. Sunday, April 23 at 3 p.m., John Henrick Historian Clarke House, 286 Convent Ave., Harlem, N.Y. Admission is free. RSVP 347-947-0629.

National Action Network’s 2017 Convention Honoring Harry Belafonte, hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, April 26-29, at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 Seventh Ave. (at West 53rd Street) New York, N.Y. Special guests Eric Holder, former U.S. attorney general; legendary filmmaker Spike Lee; MC Lyte, lyricist, inspirational speaker, DJ and entrepreneur; Sylvia Fulton, Mothers of the Movement; Professor Michael E. Dyson, author; and Hill Harper, award winning actor and best-selling author. For more information, and to register for free, call 877-626-4651 or visit nationalactionnetwork.net.

Hear Imhotep Gary Byrd on 107.5 WBLS-FM weekly with “Express Yourself,” Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and simulcast over WLIB 1190AM. The full show can also be heard on HD radio at WBLS-HD2 and at WBLS.com., WLIB.com and iHeartRadio. IGB is also heard on WBAI-FM 99.5 with Radio GBE: “The Global Black Experience” and “The Global Beat Experience,” Fridays 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Archived online at www.wbai.org. For bookings or to reach us about your GBEvent or for comments, email co-editor Nyerere Shannon @ nyerere1@aol.com, find us at Imhotep Gary Byrd on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @GBELIFE or call 212-592-3279.