NYC Mayorial Candidates Name Their Favorite Local Concert Venues

As Stereogum staff's resident New York City resident, it's my duty to remind you that the mayoral election will take place on Nov. 4 (the early voting period runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 2, and you can find your poll site here). With less than two weeks to go and with three wildly different candidates on the ballot, I'd wager that most people have decided who they're voting for by now. But for those still uncertain, last night's debate offered some illuminating information.

The debate moderators asked Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and disgraced Independent Andrew Cuomo a few non-policy related "fun" questions, including their favorite live music venue in New York. Sliwa immediately answered, "Oh, Chainsmokers! EDM!" The moderator filled in the missing information -- "Under The K Bridge, I presume?" -- after which Sliwa flaunted his weird pronunciation of "Kosciuszko Bridge." Cuomo answered the question with, "Under The Kosciuszko Bridge," exaggerating his own pronunciation before clarifying that he'd actually never seen a show there. Sliwa did, in fact, attend a Chainsmokers show at Under The K Bridge this past summer, perhaps to Cuomo's chagrin.

Mamdani said his favorite live music venue in the city was Forest Hills Stadium, and we know he's definitely been there before: During last month's All Things Go Festival at the Queens venue, Lucy Dacus dedicated a brief portion of her headlining set to bring Mamdani out onstage and chat about his campaign. Mamdani also made an appearance at Brooklyn Steel earlier this year, but I guess I can't blame the Astoria guy for having a Queens bias.

You can watch the full debate below; the quotes above begin around the 1:03 mark.