To kick off 30 years of free concerts at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Bandshell, soul, funk, and r & b singer, 2002 Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and all around entertainer Isaac Hayes performed with his 9-piece band on June 12 for Celebrate Brooklyn.Thousands turned out for the event, filling the bandshell with a sea of people. To witness everyone in one area for the sole purpose of hearing a legend was a thrill to me. The sight at the park was beautiful, the set up was nice, and I was able to snag a sit up front on the right side of the stage with my close friend. It was exciting to be apart of such a special night and hear so many of his hit songs.
Hayes came out at 8:20 p.m. decked in his long black jacket and signature wraparound shades. 40 minutes into the groovy set, the members and Hayes made their way off the stage while the drummer and percussionist performed an amazing 5 minute duet. Then everyone came back to continue playing songs for another 50 minutes. The sound was great, and the band performed amazingly causing me to move around in my seat.
He played songs such as “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Walk on By,” “Joy,” “Do Your Thing,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” and “Soul Man.” There was a bass solo, there was a guitar solo, a drum duet, and then there was the “Theme from Shaft,” to close the set. For the first time of the night Hayes wasn’t behind his keyboard playing. He stood up, conducting his band like an orchestra, oddly enough with no horns, for the opening, before turning around to sing Shaft. Some footage from the concert is here.
With each song the diverse crowd of thousands, young and old, seemed to respond and explode into a beautiful passion, singing and dancing in the perfect weather. The smiles I saw made me happy and even more excited. I would’ve never thought I’d have the opportunity to see Isaac Hayes for such a huge celebration, for free. I could hear the influence he brought today’s artists and witnessed the impact and beauty of his sexy, funk music. What an honor and a privilege.
Also, photos are available here.
Celebrate Brooklyn is a program of BRIC Arts providing a summer of music, dance, theater, and film at Prospect Park Bandshell. Its season consists of 25 free performances over 9 weeks.
Upcoming Events include:
Saturday June 14- Miriam Makeba, 7:30pm
Thursday, June 19- Medeski Martin & Wood, 7pm
Saturday June 22, Salif Keita, 6pm
Thursday, June 26- Carolina Chocolate Drops, 7:30pm
Friday June 27- Cold War Kids, 7pm
Saturday, June 28- Crooklyn Dodgers Reunion, 7pm
More information and the rest of the season's events available at Prospect Park’s website.
very solid review. im glad you had a good time catching issac hayes.
ReplyDeleteGreat show and a wonderful review.
ReplyDeleteI have just one addition to your review. "Hayes made their way off the stage while the drummer did an amazing 5 minute solo."
That was no solo as Jason Hann was on percussion. BTW, Jason was a part of String Cheese Incident for the last few years of their life.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment sunshine bob. Oh, hmm, can you explain how it wasn't a solo or what I should call it.
ReplyDeleteWell, it isn't a solo if 2 people are playin', it's a duet. Or, in the case of this drum & percussion set, a duel. :-)
ReplyDeleteBest regards,
SSB