'We developed a new muscle': Tim Cook on celebrating the past and why Alicia Keys 50th Anniversary concert at Grand Central was authentically Apple

That girl is on fire

13 Mar 2026, 23:00 · TechRadar

News By Lance Ulanoff published 13 March 2026

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

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Standing a few feet behind Apple CEO Tim Cook, I watched as he rocked back and forth, clearly enjoying Alicia Keys' surprise Grand Central Station performance on Friday to kick off Apple’s global in-person celebrations of its 50th anniversary.

After a brief introduction by Apple Radio One’s DJ Ebro Darden, Keys sang as she played on a pink piano positioned just outside the Apple Store, right below the Apple logo and in front of hundreds crowded around her on that landing and the hundreds more in the Grand Concourse below.

It was an unusual kickoff in that Cook never spoke, only briefly taking that stage after Keys wrapped her multi-song, roughly 45-minute performance that covered hits like Fallin', Girl on Fire, and Empire State of Mind.

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Keys chatted up the crowd, thanked Grand Central for hosting, and Apple for their support before inviting Cook onstage. Keys and Cook stood together as he waved to the crowd and then quickly returned to his spot beside the platform.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

As I looked around, I saw various Apple execs like Global Marketing Lead Greg Jozwiak (Joz) and Apple Hardware Lead John Ternus, swaying, mouthing the lyrics, and grinning ear to ear. There was no product to hawk (unless you count Apple Music, where Alicia Keys’ songs are on offer). Instead, this felt like a great exhale by one of the world’s biggest and most important companies, which officially turns 50 on April 1, 2026.

I’ve long felt that Apple didn’t want to do this: properly celebrate the milestone. There would not be, it seemed, any kind of big-tent event similar to what Microsoft did last year for its 50th. But perhaps that made sense. After all, Bill Gates is still around to pop up on stage and explain what he was thinking and doing in 1975.

Co-Founder and ex CEO Steve Jobs’ absence — he died in 2011 — is still keenly felt by those at Apple who knew him, and perhaps no one wanted to have that kind of celebration, which would so clearly highlight the emotional hole in the center.

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