BK Summer Music Wrap Up

September 5, 2014 by

St Vincent

Another summer has come and gone, leaving Brooklyn residents and fans pining for one more concert and extravaganza. Unfortunately, while the heat plays one last trick on our insatiable summer needs, the memories of cool summer nights are what remain as we look back on a season to never forget.

While Smorgasburg took free reign of every Brooklynite’s taste buds and Brooklyn Bridge Park gathered cinephiles abound with free screenings of classic films, it was the music of the borough that kept the soul of summer alive. BAM’s unforgettable R&B Festival lineup, which included The Ohio Players, Bobby Rush, Snarky Puppy, and Lisa Fischer, could only be rivaled in spectacle by the annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, a concert that celebrates the abundant hip-hop culture cultivated in the borough. While the latter concert has played host to heavy weights such as Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, this year sent fans into a frenzy, as Brooklyn’s own Jay-Z showed up to perform with fellow Roc Nation artist Jay Electronica.

The city-wide Summer Stage festival brought to Brooklyn a variety of musical showcases, stretching from the Metropolitan Opera summer recital series to a “salute to hip-hop” in Hebert Von King Park. However, the highlight of the summer was the 36th season of BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn!at the ProspectPark Bandshell. With performances from Jack Johnson,Jánelle Monae and Neutral Milk Hotel, the excitement was endless. Kensington residents The National wowed the audience with Amos LeeGrammy-nominated work and brought the park to a standstill, after openers MS MR electrified concert-goers. The soulful pipes of Lake Street Dive, another Brooklyn based quartet, mesmerized with their jazzy songs and had the crowd dancing and singing along in time for headliner Amos Lee. Yet, the park saved the best for last with Brooklyn based baroque-pop band San Fermin opening for St. Vincent, whose amazingly outrageous lead singer, Annie Clark, lit up the stage with her guitar riffs and ethereal presence.

To send August out with a bang, Brooklyn played host to the tenth annual Afropunk Festival in Fort Greene and the first ever Live In Levi’s concert at Brooklyn Bridge Park, featuring Brooklynites Sleigh Bells and west coast darlings, Haim. As we reach for our sweaters packed away in our closets and brace ourselves for another winter, our records will remain on repeat, a reminder that great live music can always move indoors and is celebrated year round in BK.