My brain sometimes has the tendency to leak and this is a virtual scrapbook of things going on, music, cool little links and photos that I "clip" along with the occasional brain dump.summer concerts. ny area style.
It was the Summer of 2002 when I first attended the Siren Festival. It was the second year of the annual indie rock/hipsterfest and I remember it well. Coney Island, in general holds great meaning to me, and seeing a free show alongside the Cyclone is an amazing experience. It was there that I first heard Shannon Wright, Pretty Girls Make Graves, and Les Savy Fav. Over the years, after some really solid lineups, it seems to have lost it’s edge for attracting top notch headliners mixed with underground next-big-things.
Speaking of which, the McCarren Pool Parties were another concert series for the uber-hip while it lasted (2006-2008). Seeing PGMG, Les Savy Fav, and The Breeders there was quite an experience and quite possibly one of the most unique venues ever. Last year’s Breeders show was awesome - seeing the sisters Deal banter onstage is quite a treat, and Kelley said in the middle of the show something to the effect of being excited for the new pool, to which the audience snickered. It was a fun moment. This year’s lineup, with a venue change (now at East River State Park), shows a more obscure offering - with the highlight being last week’s Mission of Burma show (which I missed).
Then come the big shows that you pay for, and I must say the best, if not scariest, outdoor show I went to was last summer’s REM show at the Jones Beach Theater. During Modest Mouse’s set, the sky ripped open, a bolt of lightning hit one of the towers, and the theater was evacuated. REM finally took the stage after the storm subsided and opened with an impromptu rendition of CCN’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” before bursting into “So. Central Rain.” Amazing stuff. The Jones Beach Theater is an amazing place to see a concert - I’ve seen Depeche Mode and Morrissey there prior, and there’s some kind of magic that happens when you see a band at a venue that is right on the water.
If I had to pick a local summer show that I could go to this year, I would have to pick the All Points West festival. The Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ra Ra Riot, The Ting Tings, My Bloody Valentine….I could go on. Ah, if only I had the money to pay for the 3 day pass. Plus, even though it’s in NJ, it’s at Liberty State Park overlooking the skyline. I could only imagine how amazing that experience would be. There’s always next year…
xo
bon
