Did we not tell you just a few days ago that #summeriscoming? Here is further proof: The first Prospect Park free concert of the season has just been announced, and it’s going to be a hell of a way to dance off the winter blues and light a fire of soul to keep you dancing under the summer sky. Brooklyn’s own Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are opening the season with a free show at the bandshell on June 8! The show will kick off the 38th year of free (and some ticketed) concerts at the bandshell concerts at the bandshell — expect the full lineup of summer concerts to be announced before too long too. Ladies and gentlebros, start your summer Google calendars.
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings’ 2014 album, Give the People What They Want, was nominated for an R&B album Grammy. Jones, a former corrections officer at Riker’s Island and a backup singer for Lee Fields and Amy Winehouse, was born in South Carolina and grew up in Bed-Stuy. Her songs are part Nina Simone mixed with James Brown and a splash of Winehouse to give a contemporary touch to the classic soul and funk. Jones is also still fighting off cancer, which is another reason to go support her, because fuck cancer.
The band played the bandshell as part of the Daptone review in 2010, but this is their first headlining performance at the park.
The other benefit concerts (aka paid) already announced for the series, recently renamed the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, include Tame Impala on June 14 and 15, Ray LaMontagne on June 22 and Beirut on Aug. 2.
The show on June 8 starts at 8pm, but gates open at 6:30pm and you can sit in the park and picnic while you wait for the show. There will be a line. There is always a line. Admission is free but you can give a $3 donation on your way in. There’s bike valet parking too.
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