Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings @Prospect Park Bandshell, Aug. 7th

Wow...just wow. I don't know why it took me so long to experience the stunning Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, but lawdy, I'm sure glad I went to the concert that closed out a great summer of Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Prospect Park Bandshell and finally got to witness the phenomenon that she is. Sharon Jones blew my mind with her energy, singing, dancing -- you name it, she was a solid gold MVP, James Brown heir-apparent. For 2+ hours, she and her stellar bandmates (including members of the Bushwick Philharmonic) kept the 20,000+ crowd on their feet, grooving along to a wonderful retro-soul/funk sound that did not let up. She was also assisted on a few songs by the charming Lee Fields.

Though it is difficult to isolate particular highlights, I really dug their version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" and most of all, a longer segment during which Jones described her family tree which gave rise to the amazing performer before us. I loved how she took off her shoes and really danced hard for that one. I also enjoyed the moments she took a break from singing to address her hometown crowd (having grown up in nearby Bed-Stuy), calling out her niece in the audience.

It has been a long journey for this former corrections officer at Rikers, and I hope we gave her the reception she deserved. I felt like I could have danced all night!

"20,000 people!"

Here's Sharon Jones with a stripped down band performing the last cut from their latest album, "Mama Don't Like My Man":

*****

The evening kicked off with another local act and labelmate, The Budos Band (some of whom I actually saw a few nights prior backing up Spoon at the Arcade Fire concert at MSG). This all dude band played a good hour of jazz/funk that had the crowd bopping along in their seats, heavily promoting their third and latest release. I liked their loose style (especially that of the bassist, who seemed to be the instigator/clown of the bunch) but I thought their music could have perhaps used some vocals to mix up the set a bit.

Update: Brooklyn Vegan quoted me and used my video here.

Metric @Prospect Park Bandshell, Aug. 5th

After the prior night's amazing Arcade Fire concert, I had already somewhat written off this interesting line-up of female fronted bands. I was pretty exhausted, but figured it's the last week of Celebrate Brooklyn!, so I dragged my butt over to Prospect Park, especially since it'd be a good opportunity to see Holly Miranda again, and to check out Joan As Policewoman and Metric for the first time.

I bought a Metric album (Live It Out) when it came out a handful of years ago and dutifully loaded it onto my iPod, but it never really got a hold of me. I was more interested in other Canadian exports at the time (The Dears and Stars, for example), but always appreciated lead singer Emily Haines' contribution to Broken Social Scene. Last night was my first opportunity to see her own proper work.

I can see why the kids love Metric's music. It's danceable and catchy. I would not call it pithy by any means. But Haines' performance makes it worth watching if you feel like moving. She's got an incredible energy level that's enviable, and a fierce stage persona that alternated between sexy hot and crazy scary. By the time the band hit the stage after 9pm, the sky was dark, which allowed the strobe lights and thumping bass line to put a flutter in your step.

Good to see, but aided by the fact that it was a free show. Plus, there was a truck giving out soft serve ice cream.

*****

Holly Miranda opened the show. This was my third time in the last year catching the talented and beautiful singer, who more or less played an abbreviated version of the set I caught of hers last time. Out of the three acts, she was my favorite. I prefer seeing her at a smaller venue like the Bowery Ballroom with her headlining, when you knew everyone in the audience was there to see her specifically. I felt like the audience at the Bandshell was still trickling in, and the sun had not set yet, so the lack of intimacy and focus of the crowd affected the experience for me. Musically speaking, though, Holly and her crew sounded great and they were enhanced by guest Kaki King on guitar for a few songs.

*****

The second opener was Joan As Policewoman. She was not really arresting, to say the least. (Ba dum dumm.) She and her musicians are very capable, she has a good voice, she looks like Gina Gershon trying to recreate the '80s...I know, nothing very constructive to say here. Just not my cup of tea, I suppose. I couldn't get into her music.


PS - Spotted JG Thirlwell who we saw at Celebrate Brooklyn! in June come in for Joan As Policewoman.

Arcade Fire @MSG, Aug. 4th

I've been up for 22 hours, so operating on fumes now, but even as I put together this entry, I'm IMing with an old concert buddy, Rad, recapping tonight's Arcade Fire at Madison Square Garden show. My expectations were not the highest, as their latest album, The Suburbs, has yet to grow on me, since I haven't had it for that long, and well, not much measures up to the amazing Funeral, which I still listen to on a semi-weekly basis. But once the openers and their instruments cleared the stage, and the roadies began setting up Arcade Fire's gear -- I think there were no less than seven monitors across the front of the stage, two sets of drums, a bunch of keyboards and a piano -- I began to get really excited. I was reminded of the other times I had seen this expansive band and loved the energy that I felt from them and the crowd, which has grown successively larger with each venue they play. And here they were, about to play the biggest gig in the city for two nights in a row.

Whereas in prior occasions I did not have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the band, this time I made sure to get in line a little bit earlier than the post work crowd, allowing me and my friends to be on the rail this time, and to our delight, the sound mix was perfect even up front.

Win Butler, the front man, did his best to engage the pit by stepping in front of the stage a number of times suspended between a tall box and the rail. He even engaged in a bit of daredeviltry at one point, walking on the rail while aided by outstretched arms. And he teased the MSG crowd by reminiscing about his beloved Houston Rockets' victory in the 1994 NBA finals over the Knicks.

The band was amazing to watch, as various members zipped around the stage, switching up instruments with each song. They played a setlist (picture below) that lasted about 90 minutes and featured songs from throughout their catalog. The crowd responded eagerly, especially for favorites, "Power Out," "Rebellion (Lies)" and the closer, "Wake Up," and there might have been a few lulls for the newer songs, but, overall, I would describe the show as simply triumphant.

*****

The openers were Owen Pallett and Spoon. I was not familiar with Pallett's solo work either as himself or under the former moniker, Final Fantasy. Previously, I had only seen him years ago play with Arcade Fire at Webster Hall. His music, comprised mainly of a violin, a synthesizer, his voice and some nifty looping pedals (and a second fellow on percussion for a few songs), at first listen seemed an unlikely choice to fill an arena, but he handled the task rather deftly, I thought, and made the people who bothered coming early happy. Like a delicious amuse-bouche.


Spoon, being the consummate professionals that they are, I thought did an admirable job as well, warming up the crowd despite the sound mix crapping out on them midway. If you check out the setlist below, it focused heavily on their two most recent releases, with a smattering of older singles. Lead singer Britt Daniel stood out, clad in all whites.

The Swell Season @Prospect Park Bandshell, July 30th

By now, everyone and their mother has seen the movie "Once" starring musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, so it came as no surprise that the crowd for The Swell Season was packed to the gills. Luckily, because I am a Friend (member) of Celebrate Brooklyn!, I was able to avoid the tremendous line and secure my seat early -- front row center! There was also a special pre-concert reception for Friends, so you betcha I consumed my share of cheese, fruit, chicken skewers, beer and Vitamin Water. While I had already taken advantage of my Friends pass a number of times this summer (Allen Toussaint and JG Thirlwell just to name a few), this evening alone was worth the meager $50 contribution.

We were delighted by The Low Anthem earlier and could not wait for The Swell Season to start up. Initially, just Hansard and Irglova took to the stage, and then eventually they were joined by the rest of their band mates. The two leads sharply contrasted with each other both in style and appearance. Hansard is a passionate troubadour, wailing at times at the top of his lungs, full of energy. Irglova, on the other hand, is demure and her delicate presence is somewhat muted -- with her bobbed haircut and plain dress, I was reminded of Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music." Together they played a wonderful 90+ minute set composed of the gorgeous music I first heard in "Once" and then subsequently in their second album, Strict Joy, which dealt with their falling out of love. We also heard a few cuts from Hansard's primary band, The Frames.

As expected, they were nothing short of awesome. With Hansard at the core of the band, his voice is the heart of the music, as it surged with emotion, but the songs in which Irglova took the lead provided a good balance, as her voice has a more plaintive quality and showed more restraint. They really make beautiful music together, and it's nice to see that even though they no longer are a couple, they still manage to tour together as The Swell Season.

To close out the night, the band invited The Low Anthem and their friend Josh Ritter to the stage to join them on their cover of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (as featured on the "I'm Not There" soundtrack). It was one of those magical, electrifyingly good, edge of your seat evenings you wished would go on and on.


Glen performed an abbreviated but powerful "Say It To Me Now" as part of the encore:

Here is the last song, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" with The Low Anthem and Josh Ritter. Unfortunately, the mic was not picking up the vocals well, but you can see from the video that they're having a blast.

The Low Anthem @Prospect Park Bandshell, July 30th

The Low Anthem opened up at Celebrate Brooklyn! in Prospect Park on Friday night for The Swell Season, and they were fantastic! They were very different from Glen Hansard, et al., but the two bands' music really complemented each other well.

I didn't know anything about The Low Anthem prior to the show, but thoroughly enjoyed their eclectic, mostly gentle but at times rockin' sound that had its roots in folky and Appalachian music. I particularly loved how each member of the band played multiple instruments, perhaps the most unique being a pair of cell phones using whistling and feedback, almost mimicking a theremin, on "This God Damn House." Gorgeous harmonies, too. I can't wait to check out more of their music.