Where has the time gone?!
I can’t believe that Summer is already here.
Weren't we just dealing with the polar vortex, and now the
boiling temperatures of summer are threateningly upon us.
If the sweltering temperatures of summer don’t get you
excited, then maybe the summer concert fest line up will do the trick.
A few road trip worthy summer adventures:
JUNE
New York, NY
June
3 - Aug. 24
Over 100 free
performances to 14 parks across the five boroughs, with the biggest stars
holding court in the splendid Rumsey Playfield open arena in Central Park.
Rumsey headliners include the heady singer-violist Marques Toliver with the
Spanish singer Buika (June 22); the Chilean hip-hop experimentalist Ana Tijoux
with Beatnuts (July 9); the lo-fi yet cacophonous singer-songwriter Juana
Molina (July 12); the jazz charmer Gregory Porter and Revive Big Band (Aug. 3);
and the electro-industrial band Blood Orange (Aug. 16). There will also be
appearances by the mercurial pop fixture Beck (July 1), the theatrical stadium
rockers Neon Trees (July 7), and the singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw (Aug. 13).
Concerts outside Central Park include Sisqò at Betsey Head Park in Brooklyn
(June 11), Domingo Quiñones at St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx (July 10), and the
two-day Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Marcus Garvey Park and Tompkins Square
Park in Manhattan (Aug. 23-24).
Prospect Park
Bandshell, Brooklyn, NY
June 4 - Aug. 9
This season
ushers in free performances from the neo-soul glamazon Janelle Monáe (June 4),
the introspective country-folk singer Amos Lee (June 20), the sultry
psychedelic rockers Warpaint (June 26), the jazz great Robert Glasper
collaborating with the hometown hero rapper Talib Kweli (July 5), the Brazilian
bossa nova talent Bebel Gilberto in conjunction with Brasil Summerfest (July
18), the hip-hop conceptualists Deltron 3030 (July 19), and the angular
art-rocker St. Vincent (Aug. 9). The annual fund-raising concerts are dominated
by the National this year, who perform three consecutive nights (June 17 - 19),
and also include the lauded rockers Neutral Milk Hotel (July 22 - 23) and the
brooding poets Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (July 26).
Randalls
Island, NY
June 6 - 8.
This year
features Outkast, Jack White, the Strokes, Vampire Weekend, Skrillex, Phoenix,
Disclosure, TV on the Radio, Axwell and Ingrosso, Foster the People, Sleigh
Bells, Neko Case, Damon Albarn, the Kills and many more.
Manchester, TN
June 12 - 15
This year, the
festival packs the one-two punch of Elton John and Kanye West as headliners.
Other prominent draws include Jack White, Vampire Weekend, Lionel Richie, Nick
Cave and the Bad Seeds, Kaskade, Neutral Milk Hotel, Disclosure and the Flaming
Lips (who practically live at this festival, and audiences are all the better
for it). Bonnaroo also continues to coax out superjams from its famous friends,
and this year offers two: a dubstep collaboration with Skrillex and guests, and
a “Bluegrass Situation” set hosted by Ed Helms. The comedy offerings remain the
best in the country, with stopovers from Craig Robinson, Taran Killam, Sasheer
Zamata and more.
Downtown New
York, NY
June 19 - 29.
Pared back in
days but not intensity, its free festivities are highlighted, as always, with
the manic glee of the Bang on a Can Marathon — the innovative and wildly
diverse experimental performance melee that, this year, features the rising
artists Adrianna Mateo, Jherek Bischoff, Meredith Monk and Theo Bleckmann,
Roomful of Teeth and So Percussion. Other concerts include the prolific string
quartet Ethel with classical accompaniment from the guitarist Kaki King at the
Brookfield Place Winter Garden (June 24) and the Latin punk group Piñata
Protest with the electronic artist Helado Negro at the South Street Seaport
(June 27).
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
June 21 - 22
The singer-songwriter-heavy lineup includes Lucinda Williams,
Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright, Richard Thompson, Dar Williams, Bettye LaVette
and Tom Chapin.
JULY
Saugerties, NY
July 11 - 13
The first year of this upstate festival promises pastoral
simplicity with its location on Winston Farm, low-fuss fraternizing with its
on-site and upscale camping options, and a solid several days of entertainment
from predominantly dance, hip-hop and folk-rock artists. Kendrick Lamar,
Atmosphere, Bassnectar, the Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Flying Lotus and Capital
Cities are poised to set the farm alight.
Union Park, Chicago, IL
July 18 - 20
This year features the outré art-rocker St. Vincent, the
loquaciously introspective rapper Kendrick Lamar, the somnolent pop-rockers
Real Estate, and the viciously hilarious rapper Earl Sweatshirt. Along with
other terrific offerings: Beck, Grimes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pusha T,
Tune-Yards, Sharon Van Etten and, in an unexpected and welcome appearance, the
influential dance DJ-producer Giorgio Moroder.
Fort Adams State Park, Newport, TI
July 25 - 27
National and local musicians share stages and ideas with ease,
making the experience accessible and inclusive for audiences. Ryan Adams, Band
of Horses, Nickel Creek, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Mavis Staples, Jeff
Tweedy, Jimmy Cliff, Deer Tick and Conor Oberst top the superb bill..
AUGUST
Grant Park, Chicago, IL
Aug. 1 - 3
Rare is the music melee that allows its fans to mosh to sets by
Eminem, Outkast, Kings of Leon, Skrillex, Arctic Monkeys, Lorde and Calvin
Harris before stepping into a buzzing downtown jungle to snag a deep-dish
pizza. Electronic
dance music DJs continue to dominate this year, with sets by Sebastian
Ingrosso, Zedd and Flosstradamus; rock still rears its scabrous head with
appearances by Interpol, Foster the People and the Grouplove. Interestingly,
the heavily secretive, fast-rising new British electro-soul collective Jungle
makes a rare appearance.
Fort
Adams State Park and Newport Casino, Newport, RI
Aug. 1 - 3
Jazz’s premiere party celebrates its 60th anniversary in
predictable style: This year’s lineup is truly remarkable, with giants at every
turn, including Bobby McFerrin, Dr. John, Vijay Iyer, Ravi Coltrane, George
Wein and the Newport All-Stars, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Gregory Porter and more.
Golden Gate
Park, San Francisco, CA
Aug. 8 - 10
Attendees come
for epicurean indulgences as much as musical performances. This year’s “Taste
of the Bay Area” section peddles such unusual snacks as bulgogi tacos, Japanese
fried chicken nuggets and shucked oysters. Beyond that, the musical lineup is
one of the strongest pop crops of the year: Kanye West, Disclosure, Tom Petty
and the Heartbreakers, Cut Copy, Haim, Warpaint, Spoon, Sbtrkt and Lykke Li.
SEPTEMBER
Monterey
Fairgrounds, CA
Sept. 19 - 21
Herbie Hancock,
the Roots, Michael Feinstein, the Aaron Diehl Quartet, Gary Clark Jr. and
Booker T. Jones hold down the arena stage, paving the way for the Christian
McBride Trio, Jason Moran, Red Baraat, Ana Popovic and many other rising
talents to perform on the vast, multistage main grounds.
Raleigh, NC
Sept. 4 - 6
This eclectically billed festival, caters to new and on-the-rise
local acts. The mindful metal band Mastodon, the esoteric rockers Spoon, the
art-rocker St. Vincent, the slyly impressive folk-rockers Sun Kil Moon and the
garage-punk progenitors Death top the offerings.
Listings Courtesy NYTimes.
