Photos courtesy of Diana Wong | dianawongphoto.blogspot.com
Posts Tagged ‘SummerStage’
Passion Pit - SummerStage - September 25, 2009
Thursday, October 1st, 2009Phoenix - SummerStage - September 25, 2009
Monday, September 28th, 2009
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Phoenix on 9/25
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
French synth-rock band Phoenix—along with special guest Passion Pit—is playing two red-hot, sold-out shows at SummerStage this weekend. Tickets were tough to get, but The House List is giving away a set to the show on Friday, September 25th. So try to Grow a Pair by filling out the form below. List your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Phoenix, 9/25) and a brief message telling us why you think France rocks. Eddie Bruiser, a cheese eater from way back, will notify the winner by noon on Friday, September 25th. Good luck.
A Night of Unique Reggae in Central Park
Friday, July 10th, 2009Matisyahu - SummerStage - July 9, 2009
As summers typically go, this one has been on the weak side so far in New York City. But last night’s show at SummerStage in Central Park was an early highlight in what still remains a long list of outdoor summer concerts in the Big Apple. As the last bit of sunlight pushed its way over the tops of buildings and through the Central Park foliage, opener Umphrey’s McGee finished their set with a long and wonderful cover of the Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” Their energetic jam-band sound was a perfect warm-up to the laid-back headliner.
The White Plains, N.Y., transport Matisyahu filled what felt like the whole park with his uniquely branded reggae. Spinning in circles and dancing in between verses, his joyous performance carried well into the excited crowd. There was nothing over the top about his set, but there didn’t need to be. His backing band never strayed from their task of chugging out reggae beat after reggae beat, executed well by each member. And Matisyahu never missed a step, perfectly rhyming through a set that included the hits like “Youth,” “Jerusalem,” and “King Without a Crown” that made him a household name in 2006. When the sun was long gone, he wrapped up his set, sending everyone home well aware that summer is here. —Sean O’Kane
Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
See Umphrey’s McGee and Matisyahu on Thursday in Central Park
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Some stories seem like you’ve heard them before. But that’s probably not the case with Matisyahu’s. As a teenager on Phish tour, Matthew Miller had an interest in hip-hop and reggae. Later he grew interested in the strict Lubavitch Hasidic sect of Judaism and joined a synagogue where his musical ambition was encouraged. Soon enough Miller had a talented backing band and—under the name Matisyahu—he became an engaging performer of his own mash-up of dancehall, hip-hop, reggae and rock.
Umphrey’s McGee, the progressive-rock group that began at the University of Notre Dame, is part jam (their live shows feature extended onstage improvisation) and part ham (their first studio release was titled Greatest Hits, Vol. III). The band allowed taping of its shows from the very beginning, and as those shows were traded across the country, Umphrey’s earned a following in places the band hadn’t even played yet. They’ve been a national touring band ever since.
What, you ask, does one have to do with the other? They’re both playing SummerStage this Thursday, July 9th. Check out this video of Umphrey’s McGee playing “Made to Measure,” the first song of their most-recent studio album, Mantis. Tickets are still available for Thursday’s show, and if you are, too, get yourself to Central Park.
An Instrumental Soundtrack to a Movie That Doesn’t Exist
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009Explosions in the Sky - SummerStage - June 30, 2009
How do four unassuming guys from Austin, Texas, sell out the Central Park SummerStage? By letting the music speak for itself. This was the perfect venue for Explosions in the Sky’s 10th anniversary—open to the sky, the epic instrumentation echoing the dramatic landscape of towering buildings surrounding the park as the sun went down and the light faded.
This is not a conventional group. They have a deliberate anti-star image. Without a real frontman, you’re left to approach the band as a whole entity. No one is introducing the songs, no one is getting the crowd going. There’s no typical stage show, aside from watching guitarist Munaf Rayani sway, back to the crowd, in his own world. Yet last night the entire audience spontaneously reacted to every rise and fall in rhythm with cheers, even clapping along to the song “Catastrophe and the Cure” as they realized it was all coming to an end.
Since the beginning of their career, Explosions in the Sky have defied the conventions of song structure in a surprisingly accessible way, as the turnout of 5,000 fans attested. The music is all about the timing, allowing for space, letting everything breathe, forgetting about the prescribed standards of pop-music length. As the music is instrumental, it’s not about the individual songs—this is meant to be experienced as an entire movement, not unlike a symphony: all at once, uninterrupted, alternating between delicate melodies and erupting passages. It’s a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist.
Contrary to another live-rock custom, they don’t play an encore at the slightest provocation. Last night was no exception. When they ended the set with “The Only Moment We’re Alone,” they gave it everything, throwing themselves into the massive soaring guitars. There’s nothing left but the ringing in your ears. —Jason Dean
See Phoenix and Passion Pit in Central Park on 9/25
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009Phoenix—with Passion Pit opening—is playing SummerStage in Central Park on Friday, September 25th. You should know that tickets will go quickly. And since we know you don’t want to miss out, act now and get your tickets in advance. Slackers will have to rely on Eddie Bruiser’s big heart for tickets—and that would only be two at the most. So no slacking.
The Rain Can’t Put a Damper on TV on the Radio’s Central Park Show
Monday, June 8th, 2009TV on the Radio/Dirty Projectors - SummerStage - June 5, 2009
TV on the Radio
Friday night, despite the inclement weather, Dirty Projectors and TV on the Radio played to a faithful crowd of rain-soaked onlookers at SummerStage. Though their two monikers suggest technical difficulty, the show went off almost without a hitch. Led by Dave Longstreth, Dirty Projectors, the constantly fluctuating outfit, has hit its stride in its current formation, churning out tunes that shuttle from a cappella to free jazz to afrobeat without missing a step. The group’s X-factor lies in the vocal contributions from Angel Deradoorian, Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle. Their tight, otherworldly harmonies had no trouble rising above Longstreth’s Graceland riffs and Brian Mccomber’s erratic drum beats. The set included several cuts from the upcoming Bitte Orca, out tomorrow. Highlights included the new and stellar “Cannibal Resource” and “Stillness Is the Move.”
TV on the Radio began its set just as the last sunrays filtered through the western skyline. The band launched into an hour-long set, opening with “Love Dog,” while front man Tunde Adibempe split his time between dancing a samba-like rhythm and manning the loop pedals. As the technologically synesthetic name suggests, TVOTR does not constrain itself to conventional instrumentation. For much of the set, guitarist David Sitek played with chimes hung from the tuning peg of his high-E string, occasionally colliding them with Jaleel Bunton’s cymbals. The band played cuts from its three studio albums, evenly dividing the material among each. The show ended with a spectacular rendition of Return to Cookie Mountain’s “A Method.” Adibempe banged on a cymbal plucked from Bunton’s drum set while Sitek thumped on a drum with two shakers, sending rainwater flying. As the last electronic bursts fizzled, Adibempe voiced a thank you to New York with a shout-out to Brooklyn in particular. —Theo Spielberg
© 2009
