Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson just turned a quiet New York pub into a full Neil Diamond party, and almost no one saw it coming.
On Monday, December 1, 2025, Old Mates Pub, an Australian style bar in the city, went from normal after work chatter to pure chaos in the best way. Fresh from the Gotham Awards in full black tie, Hugh and Kate walked in, still glowing from their Musical Tribute honor, and decided the night was not over yet.
They jumped into character from their upcoming film Song Sung Blue and treated the crowd to three Neil Diamond classics. They turned the room into a mini rock show, and by the time Sweet Caroline kicked in, the whole pub was swaying and shouting along.
At one point Hugh climbed onto the bar, rang the VIP bell, and yelled “Raise the roof!” while laughing about the dress code and telling the locals they had missed the memo. Kate cheered him on, Sutton Foster filmed from the side, and strangers who just came in for a drink suddenly found themselves at the most unlikely after party in town.
The wild part is that this was not just a random singalong. It was a live peek into Mike and Claire Sardina, the real couple behind the tribute band Lightning and Thunder, whose story powers Song Sung Blue, in theaters December 25.
Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman Sing in NYC Pub to Promote Upcoming Movie
A few weeks before that wild bar night, Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson had already tested this Song Sung Blue set on one of the most famous stages in New York. Here you can hear every harmony clearly, see how their voices lock together as “Lightning and Thunder,” and feel the scale of the project. It turns that chaotic pub singalong into part of a bigger plan, building real Oscar buzz around their new film.
Kate Hudson Joins Hugh Jackman At Radio City Music Hall & Performs Music From Song Sung Blue
That wild night at Old Mates is just one stop on a path that runs from a tiny Milwaukee tribute act to Radio City Music Hall and now to a major holiday movie. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are not only playing characters. They are stepping into the real lives of Mike and Claire Sardina and carrying their dream into a new century..