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Because you can't go if you don't know!
You can't go if you don't know!
Summer 2011 is finally here, and here is a preview of what’s coming up:
SummerStage plays host to over 100 performances in Central Park as well as in parks all over the city. Central Park highlights include the Blue Note Jazz Festival on June 11th featuring Medseski Martin & Wood, Hugh Masekela (June 26th), Comedy on June 28th, Pink Martini (July 17th), Wanda Jackson (the Queen of Rockabilly on July 28th), a tribute to Shel Silverstein (August 6th), a Gospel Explosion (August 14th), and a Salute to Hip-Hop featuring Rakim and Funkmaster Flex (August 21st). Don’t forget the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on August 27th at Marcus Garvey Park and August 28th (featuring Madeleine Peyroux) at Tompkins Square Park.
The River to River Festival once again brings music, movies and more to locations around Lower Manhattan and Battery Park City. Their highlights for this year include a June 22nd tribute to the Bottom Line, New York’s legendary music showcase, featuring an amazing lineup including Rosanne Cash, Marshall Crenshaw, Garland Jeffreys, Willie Nile, Suzzy and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Catherine Russell, Vin Scelsa, Loudon Wainwright III, Dar Williams, and more hosted by Meg Griffin. The Holmes Brothers will be at City Winery (July 5th).
Included in the River to River Festival are shows at South Street Seaport, Castle Clinton and the World Financial Center. Castle Clinton will host Laurie Anderson on June 30th and Patti Smith on July 14th. The World Financial Center has their annual Bang on a Can Marathon on June 19th; Rufus Wainwright performs with the New York City Opera on June 29th; their Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival includes Taj Mahal on July 28th and James Blood Ulmer and Vernon Reid on July 29th.
Lincoln Center Out of Doors will be awesome this summer, starting with Billy Bragg busking in the neighborhood on July 27th. Highlights will include the Ponderosa Stomp, featuring a tribute to Ellie Greenwich with Lesley Gore and some girl group all stars (July 30th), Mavis Staples (July 31st), and Preservation Hall Jazz Band (August 3rd). Their annual Roots of American Music Festival is August 13th & 14th, with an amazing lineup including Marty Stuart, Steve Cropper, Bettye Lavette, the Bar-Kays, the North Mississippi All Stars, and Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
Madison Square Park will launch their Oval Lawn series on June 22nd with Tift Merritt. One of the highlights of this Wednesday evening series is Red Horse (featuring John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson) on July 20th.
Hudson River Park will host a wide variety of free events along the waterfront, including concerts and movies. One of my annual favorites is the Blues & BBQ on the Hudson, which takes place on August 21st – great blues and great food at a great location!
Celebrate Brooklyn has a great season ahead, beginning with their opening on June 11th featuring Andrew Bird. Highlights include Hal Willner’s Freedom Rides Project featuring Rosanne Cash, Toshi Reagon, Steven Bernstein & many more on June 16th, Justin Townes Earle on June 30th, Steel Pulse (July 1st), Court Yard Hounds and the Abrams Brothers (July 7th), Los Lobos (July 8th), Dan Zanes (July 16th – bring the kids!), a West Side Story dance and sing along (July 21st), the Feelies (July 23rd) and Dr. John (July 30th).
The Brooklyn Academy of Music has already kicked off the BAM R & B Festival, which brings great music to Metrotech at lunchtime on Thursdays. One highlight will be A Day in Treme on June 23rd, a New Orleans Tribute that includes Cyril Neville and Mardi Gras Indians.
Speaking of Brooklyn, the Seaside Summer Concert Series will move to West 21st Street from Seaside Park. The schedule hasn’t been announced yet, but they will get underway on July 14th. Ditto that for the Martin Luther King Jr. Concerts at Wingate Field.
On a sad note, The New York Philharmonic has canceled the annual series of free summer concerts in the parks. They will be giving a free concert in September featuring Andrea Bocelli, and hopefully they will be returning next summer. The Metropolitan Opera will be returning with their parks concerts starting July 11th.
Long Islanders won’t be left out this summer. As usual, the Huntington Arts Council has some great shows planned for Huntington’s Heckscher Park, including the Persuasions (June 26th), the Pine Leaf Boys (Grammy-winning Cajun band on July 15th), Cyril Neville (July 22nd) and Aztec Two-Step (August 6th). The various local governments host a variety of concerts in the parks, and some go beyond the usual tribute bands and doo-wop/oldies shows. The Town of Hempstead opens with a fireworks show and Blood Sweat & Tears on June 25th at Point Lookout and includes Randy & the Rainbows on July 22nd. Long Beach hosts their Free Summer Concerts on the Beach starting July 8th. North Hempstead includes the Cab Calloway Orchestra (July 15th) and Randy & the Rainbows (August 5th). Oyster Bay includes Santana (without Carlos) on July 5th, Dave Mason (July 16th), Eddie Money (July 19th), Tony Orlando (July 23rd), Herman’s Hermits staring Peter Noone (July 25th), Mel Tillis (July 26th), Air Supply (July 30th) and the Grass Roots (August 6th). Nassau County has some interesting shows too, with the Gin Blossoms and the Spin Doctors (July 22nd), the B-52s (August 6th) and the Marshall Tucker Band and Kansas (August 19th). Babylon is in on the act as well, including Mickey Dolenz (July 22nd) and Gary US Bonds (August 12th).
Looks like a great summer coming up…get out there and enjoy! Keep visiting FreeConcertsNYC to find out what's coming up, as well as our Facebook page, Blog and Twitter - and don't forget to sign up for our mailing list! And remember - you can't go if you don't know!
Summer 2011 is finally here, and here is a preview of what’s coming up:
SummerStage plays host to over 100 performances in Central Park as well as in parks all over the city. Central Park highlights include the Blue Note Jazz Festival on June 11th featuring Medseski Martin & Wood, Hugh Masekela (June 26th), Comedy on June 28th, Pink Martini (July 17th), Wanda Jackson (the Queen of Rockabilly on July 28th), a tribute to Shel Silverstein (August 6th), a Gospel Explosion (August 14th), and a Salute to Hip-Hop featuring Rakim and Funkmaster Flex (August 21st). Don’t forget the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on August 27th at Marcus Garvey Park and August 28th (featuring Madeleine Peyroux) at Tompkins Square Park.
The River to River Festival once again brings music, movies and more to locations around Lower Manhattan and Battery Park City. Their highlights for this year include a June 22nd tribute to the Bottom Line, New York’s legendary music showcase, featuring an amazing lineup including Rosanne Cash, Marshall Crenshaw, Garland Jeffreys, Willie Nile, Suzzy and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Catherine Russell, Vin Scelsa, Loudon Wainwright III, Dar Williams, and more hosted by Meg Griffin. The Holmes Brothers will be at City Winery (July 5th).
Included in the River to River Festival are shows at South Street Seaport, Castle Clinton and the World Financial Center. Castle Clinton will host Laurie Anderson on June 30th and Patti Smith on July 14th. The World Financial Center has their annual Bang on a Can Marathon on June 19th; Rufus Wainwright performs with the New York City Opera on June 29th; their Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival includes Taj Mahal on July 28th and James Blood Ulmer and Vernon Reid on July 29th.
Lincoln Center Out of Doors will be awesome this summer, starting with Billy Bragg busking in the neighborhood on July 27th. Highlights will include the Ponderosa Stomp, featuring a tribute to Ellie Greenwich with Lesley Gore and some girl group all stars (July 30th), Mavis Staples (July 31st), and Preservation Hall Jazz Band (August 3rd). Their annual Roots of American Music Festival is August 13th & 14th, with an amazing lineup including Marty Stuart, Steve Cropper, Bettye Lavette, the Bar-Kays, the North Mississippi All Stars, and Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
Madison Square Park will launch their Oval Lawn series on June 22nd with Tift Merritt. One of the highlights of this Wednesday evening series is Red Horse (featuring John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson) on July 20th.
Hudson River Park will host a wide variety of free events along the waterfront, including concerts and movies. One of my annual favorites is the Blues & BBQ on the Hudson, which takes place on August 21st – great blues and great food at a great location!
Celebrate Brooklyn has a great season ahead, beginning with their opening on June 11th featuring Andrew Bird. Highlights include Hal Willner’s Freedom Rides Project featuring Rosanne Cash, Toshi Reagon, Steven Bernstein & many more on June 16th, Justin Townes Earle on June 30th, Steel Pulse (July 1st), Court Yard Hounds and the Abrams Brothers (July 7th), Los Lobos (July 8th), Dan Zanes (July 16th – bring the kids!), a West Side Story dance and sing along (July 21st), the Feelies (July 23rd) and Dr. John (July 30th).
The Brooklyn Academy of Music has already kicked off the BAM R & B Festival, which brings great music to Metrotech at lunchtime on Thursdays. One highlight will be A Day in Treme on June 23rd, a New Orleans Tribute that includes Cyril Neville and Mardi Gras Indians.
Speaking of Brooklyn, the Seaside Summer Concert Series will move to West 21st Street from Seaside Park. The schedule hasn’t been announced yet, but they will get underway on July 14th. Ditto that for the Martin Luther King Jr. Concerts at Wingate Field.
On a sad note, The New York Philharmonic has canceled the annual series of free summer concerts in the parks. They will be giving a free concert in September featuring Andrea Bocelli, and hopefully they will be returning next summer. The Metropolitan Opera will be returning with their parks concerts starting July 11th.
Long Islanders won’t be left out this summer. As usual, the Huntington Arts Council has some great shows planned for Huntington’s Heckscher Park, including the Persuasions (June 26th), the Pine Leaf Boys (Grammy-winning Cajun band on July 15th), Cyril Neville (July 22nd) and Aztec Two-Step (August 6th). The various local governments host a variety of concerts in the parks, and some go beyond the usual tribute bands and doo-wop/oldies shows. The Town of Hempstead opens with a fireworks show and Blood Sweat & Tears on June 25th at Point Lookout and includes Randy & the Rainbows on July 22nd. Long Beach hosts their Free Summer Concerts on the Beach starting July 8th. North Hempstead includes the Cab Calloway Orchestra (July 15th) and Randy & the Rainbows (August 5th). Oyster Bay includes Santana (without Carlos) on July 5th, Dave Mason (July 16th), Eddie Money (July 19th), Tony Orlando (July 23rd), Herman’s Hermits staring Peter Noone (July 25th), Mel Tillis (July 26th), Air Supply (July 30th) and the Grass Roots (August 6th). Nassau County has some interesting shows too, with the Gin Blossoms and the Spin Doctors (July 22nd), the B-52s (August 6th) and the Marshall Tucker Band and Kansas (August 19th). Babylon is in on the act as well, including Mickey Dolenz (July 22nd) and Gary US Bonds (August 12th).
Looks like a great summer coming up…get out there and enjoy! Keep visiting FreeConcertsNYC to find out what's coming up, as well as our Facebook page, Blog and Twitter - and don't forget to sign up for our mailing list! And remember - you can't go if you don't know!