Clive Davis turned his 17-acre Pound Ridge, New York, estate into a three-day Memorial Day gathering, hosting a lavish weekend party away from Manhattan that ran from the first evening through a brunch, a barbecue dinner and late-night performances in his private theater.
The celebration drew about 100 friends from around the world, according to Andy Yu, who said the second night’s dinner ran until about 2 a.m. and that the energy kept building as the weekend went on. Yu also described an elegant brunch, an outfit change and another barbecue before guests headed into Davis’s state-of-the-art theater, where anyone could step up and sing and Davis personally picked a winner.
For a 94-year-old host, the pace was striking. The party moved through dinner, music and theater performances with the kind of momentum usually reserved for a much younger crowd, even as it centered on a man who has spent decades shaping American music. Davis has previously said the home is his best investment and that he uses the theater every weekend, calling the property a respite from Manhattan and a direct contrast to city life.
The Pound Ridge home itself is built for that kind of overflow. The property includes two pools, a tennis court, eight guest bedrooms, a pool table, a guesthouse and the private theater that has long been part of Davis’s social life. He has said that on big party nights, as many as 80 people have crowded into the room, which has also welcomed guests including Whitney Houston and Joan Rivers.
Davis has also framed the house as more than a weekend retreat, and the Memorial Day celebration underscored that point. He was not simply opening his doors for a holiday; he was still using the home the way he always has, as a place to gather performers, friends and industry figures under one roof. The only thing left unresolved is which other celebrities were among the guests, a detail that was not fully identified as the weekend played out online.
