Free Outdoor Show Roundup: August 4-9 – Andrew Bird, globalFEST & More in NYC
See some of the best free outdoor summer concerts in NYC this week
See some of the top outdoor concerts across NYC's five boroughs this week with singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, tributes to Aaliyah and Ella Fitzgerald, social dance, and more!
(In case you missed it, bookmark our list of free summer show series for more fun this season)
Lincoln Center Presents Hurray for the Riff Raff
Weds. August 5 at 7:30 pm
FREE; info available here.
Hurray for the Riff Raff brings their beautifully poignant songs, most recently captured on their first live album Live Forever—to The Dance Floor at Josie Robertson Plaza. It's a homecoming for bandleader Alynda Segarra, who grew up in The Bronx before exploring New Orleans, Chicago, and beyond. Hurray for the Riff Raff's sound is equally expansive: broadly indie/folk rock, drawing on influences from contemporaries like Bright Eyes to legends like Lucinda Williams. Segarra, who serves as lead vocalist and principal songwriter, crafts lyrics that are both deeply personal and universally reverberant. Come together and experience New York’s own Hurray for the Riff Raff.
Andrew Bird with the Wordless Music Orchestra Perform 20th Anniversary of “The Mysterious Production of Eggs” at Central Park
Thursday August 6 @ 8 pm
The violinist, singer, songwriter, and composer Andrew Bird has stretched the musical boundaries of folk in an eclectic career that spans 18 albums, developing a multi-layered sound with diverse instrumentation. His most defining work is arguably 2005’s The Mysterious Production of Eggs, which demonstrated an avant-pop sophistication with a mastery of elaborate loops, multi-tracked violin, and his remarkable prowess as a whistler. Bird has headlined shows at iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Red Rocks Amphitheatre, but he’ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of that record at SummerStage in Central Park with the Wordless Music Orchestra, performing the record for the first time in its entirety alongside a full orchestra, followed by a suite of fan-favorites from his nearly 30-year repertoire.
Free & no rsvp needed
New York City Opera: Celebration of Ella Fitzgerald at Bryant Park
Friday August 7 @ 7 pm
New York City Opera returns in August with a performance by three-time Grammy Award-winning soprano Latonia Moore, honoring the timeless music of “The First Lady of Song”.
Free & no rsvp needed
Lincoln Center Presents Zayra Pola
Fri. August 7 at 7630 pm
FREE; info available here.
Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and percussionist Zayra Pola brings her bombastic artistry to Lincoln Center for a night of social dance. The first female percussionist to receive a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Pola defies expectations at every turn—whether it's in her vision of salsa and Latin jazz, or via the empowering messages in her original songs. As a testament to her mighty sound, Pola was honored as a Rising Star at the 2024 NYC National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Gather with old friends and new this summer as you experience La Salsa de Hoy: Zayra Pola's modern sound of Puerto Rico. Get ready for performance with an all-levels dance lesson led by Talia Castro-Pozo—herself a trailblazer as the youngest soloist to join the National Ballet of Peru.
globalFEST at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! With DakhaBrakha, Yeison Landero, Sally Baby's Silver Dollars, and Sunju Park at Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Friday August 7, 5 to 10 pm
The hottest acts from around the planet draw on traditional roots and contemporary influences culminating in a diverse international bill with spectacular performances by agents of “ethno chaos” DakhaBrakha (Ukraine), Cumbia noble Yaison Landero (Colombia), Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars (New Orleans), and Sunju Park (Korea).
Free. RSVPing helps you stay up-to-date on show info, but does not guarantee entry. Bandshell entry is first come first served.
Funk Flex Birthday R&B Picnic: El DeBarge / Jon B / Fonda Rae / Taana Gardner / Strafe / Dres From Blacksheep / DJ M U / Music by Funk Flex at Central Park
Fri. August 7, 7 to 10 pm
Funk Flex has been spinning hip-hop and R&B across NYC’s airwaves for the better part of four decades, becoming a hip-hop institution. His R&B picnic in Central Park celebrates his birthday and this year he is bringing some R&B heavy-hitters for a not-to-be-missed throwback show. They include Jon B, a platinum-selling R&B artist discovered by Babyface whose first three LPs climbed the Billboard 200 album chart and whose collaboration with 2Pac, ”Are U Still Down,” was among the late rapper’s final recordings; Fonda Rae, an American R&B singer best known for her club hits like “Over Like a Fat Rat” and “Touch Me”; Taana Gardner, who saw early success in disco with West End Records in the late ‘70s-early ‘80s, and whose 1981 single “Heartbeat” was famously remixed by Larry Levan into a staple at the Paradise Garage; Strafe, aka Brooklyn native and producer Steve Standard, who is best known for the 1984 single “Set It Off,” which has been extensively sampled in hip-hop, house, and techno circles; and Dres, best known as one half of the duo Black Sheep, the Native Tongues group whose debut LP A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing remains a foundation of New York City’s early ‘90s boom-bap era. Joining Flex on the ones and twos spinning records between sets is his fellow Hot97 DJ M U.
Free. No RSVP necessary.
BRIC Celebrates Aaliyah: One in a Million at Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Saturday August 8, 3 to 8:30 pm
R&B princess Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, and today Brooklyn comes out to celebrate her life and her music. The full lineup has not yet been announced; additional details will be released in the coming weeks.
Free. RSVPing helps you stay up-to-date on show info, but does not guarantee entry. Bandshell entry is first come first served.
|
The 3rd Annual Spooky Spectacular 54 Below (10/31-10/31) |
|
54 Sings The Music of Scrubs Vol. 2 54 Below (9/30-9/30) |
|
Songs for Slutty Girls by Kailey Marshall 54 Below (10/21-10/21) |
|
Lea Salonga 54 Below (12/04-12/04) |
|
Music by Matthew Meade 54 Below (8/13-8/13) |
|
Flame: The Songs of Amara Janae Brady and Xander Browne 54 Below (8/23-8/23) |
|
Elena Shaddow Sings Nine… all of it! 54 Below (10/29-10/29) |
|
Casey Likes: Back To The Past 54 Below (8/08-8/08) |
|
|
Lea Salonga 54 Below (12/02-12/02) |
|
Natasha Castillo: Darin to be Different...The Not So Splish-Splashy Side of Bobby Darin Don't Tell Mama (10/24-10/24) PHOTOS VIDEOS |