Celebrate Brooklyn! Starts Tonight. Here Are Some of The Best Acts Playing This Summer
It’s early June. The imperative for rejoicing on beds of grass and for guzzling beers and sangria on various rooftops is reaching critical mass. Ok, maybe our collective urge for summertime frolocking isn’t quite THAT alarming–after all, as I write this, the sky looks a turgid gray and the temperature barely rounds upwards of 65 degrees. But still! The weather is bound to get inhospitably warm in due time, and when it does, Prospect Park shall beckon thee with tidings of musical overtures!
Actually, weather notwithstanding, the annual shindigging commences tonight, as Celebrate Brooklyn, the summer-long concert series engineered by nonprofit BRIC, kicks off at Prospect Park. Tonight you can catch Chaka Khan grace the stage at 8:00pm, but check out our (slightly abridged) guide to some of the acts performing throughout the summer. It’s a diverse and interesting group.
You can also check out Celebrate Brooklyn’s full lineup here. Prices vary, as some shows are free while others are not. We think you’ll very much want to attend.
Damien Rice, June 17th, 7:30 PM:
The Irish singer-songwriter has been crafting soothing folk tunes for years, but hasn’t released a new record in nearly a decade. 2015 however, marks the release of that vaunted new album, and it’s alliteratively called My Favorite Faded Fantasy. The record was produced by the ultra-bearded legend Rick Rubin of Jay-Z, Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chilli Peppers fame. Go see Damien with a loved one and hold hands. It will be nice.
Dance Brazil/Forro in the Dark, June 20th, 7:30 PM:
Watching the swaying hips and lightning-quick moves of capoeira dancers is an easy way to break a sweat without actually getting off your own ass, and that’s exactly what you’ll do when Dance Brazil, the NYC-based troupe tear up the stage. Forro in the Dark, a band composed of “a collective of New York based Brazilian expats,” will open up the show with some sauntering rhythms courtesy of their homeland.
Lucinda Williams, Jason Walker, June 25th, 7:30 PM
Lucinda Williams has been doin’ it longer than pretty much any country act around today, and we’re lucky enough to enjoy her company alongside local singer/songwriter Jason Walker, who mingles elements of gospel, soul, jazz and classical to create something you’ll enjoy hearing in the serene Prospect Park landscape.
Interpol, July 21st, 7:00 PM
New York’s very own mysterious-guy-wearing-a-black-suit-band Interpol is playing Celebrate Brooklyn and it should be a hoot. They released an album last year to much web buzz and criticism, and should put on a kick-ass show for everyone to not exactly dance to. We’re stoked to see Interpol, but we’re also pretty sure Interpol is just stoked it’s not winter anymore.
Big K.R.I.T/Angel Haze/ The D.R.E.A.M. Ring: FLEXN, July 31st, 7:30 PM
When you combine the likes of Big K.R.I.T. with Angel Haze and the D.R.E.A.M. Ring, you get FLEXN: A showcase of lyricism and movement unlike much of the “turned-up,” party hip-hop you might be hearing on the radio. Big K.R.I.T. has been called “one of the most gifted rappers living on this wretched ball of blue called Earth,” by Billboard, and Detroit’s Angel Haze repeatedly shows her ability to go “toe-to-toe with any young rapper when it comes to flow and punchlines,” according to Pitchfork. The show will be opened by the D.R.E.A.M. Ring, a hyped-up local dance crew.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, August 4th, 7:00 PM
This group is known for amassing an ungodly amount of band members (twelve) and somehow creating a vibrant and clearly articulated sound (impressive). For a taste of their epic soundscapes, check out this triumphant banger.
Willie Nelson and the Old Crow Medicine Show, August 12, 2015, 7:00 PM
Willie Nelson is everyone’s favorite hippy-badass, and if you don’t already know that, maybe continue to live under that massive boulder you call home. He’ll be joined by Old Crow Medicine Show, the banjo pickin’, fiddle strummin,’ country dudes famous for their rendition of “Wagon Wheel.” You’ll probably walk barefoot to this one.