For the 2013 edition, organizers promised that all the kinks have been worked out and this years festival would be outstanding. One new twist to this festival was the addition of a third day, which would be an opening night paid concert with The Darkness, Flaming Lips and Yeah Yeah Yeahs gracing the stage. If you purchased a ticket to this opening night you were also given a ticket to your choice of Saturday or Sundays festivities. I didn't make it to Fridays show but from what I heard, The Darkness hit the stage around 4:45 pm, Flaming Lips a little after 6 and Yeah Yeah Yeahs were finished around 8. That's tough for a New York crowd to make it out to Brooklyn by 5 or even 6 on a Friday before our 'summers hours' have kicked in. Not sure why the show had to be done by 8 each night but I assume being a city park has something to do with it.
As with last years festival, I was given a ticket a few days before hand and went on Saturday. Also, as with last year, I had a great time. Light rain much of the afternoon kept a good chunk of ticket holders away making it a breeze entering the venue, getting food and drink as well as getting good views of the bands. There seemed to be some confusion as to the beer/wine tents in which you had to purchase a cup for $2 to gain a bigger selection of drinks while you could also purchase a smaller selection at other booths around the grounds while not needing the $2 cup. Food selections were broad and included options from restaurants from around the NYC area. I went with the 'Phat Thai' from Pok Pok, a small Thai restaurant located on the Lower East Side. This shit was spicy but delicious so thankfully I had easy access numerous cold IPA's from an upstate brewery to wash it down.
As for music, the selection also varied. As we walked in Father John Misty was on the stage. While I love his cd, this guy is super annoying in concert as you can read in a previous post. Pearl and the Beard were a 3 piece which included 2 girls (oddly neither of them named Pearl) and a guy with a beard. They had a singer/songwriter type vibe and the lead singer sang and played a snare drum standing up which for some reason seemed kind of cool. The star of the day came up next on the main stage and that is a man called Lorenzo Cherubini, otherwise known as Jovanotti. Where have I been? This guy was awesome. This italian has been around since the late 80's, churning out 12 albums that blend hip hop, funk, ska, reggae, word music and even rap. He has been called Italy's first rapper but he is so much more. He is an amazing performer that sings in italian, english and spanish. He gave shout outs to the early NYC rappers that influenced him along with professing his love for the Beastie Boys during a cover of 'no sleep til brooklyn'. It's performers like Jovanotti that make me love music so much. I knew nothing about this guy, he comes out and blows me away to the point that I want to know everything about him and hear all of his music. Truly inspiring. Headliners Matt & Kim were a big disappointment for me. I expected a lot more as I have heard great things about them live. While they do their best to make their performance exciting, it just seemed very boring and more of a schtick. Less then halfway thru their set I headed to the second stage to encounter a small dance party going on as Red Baraat were on stage. These nine brooklynites play something called Bhangra Funk Dhol 'n' Bass which blends jazz, funk, hip hop in a crazy party vibe. Wow! So much fun and definitely a must see next time they play NYC.
Unfortunately for Googa Mooga, the rains came down hard during the night into Sunday and they were forced to cancel day 3 of the festival. Changes made from year one to year two were positive. Hopefully they are able to continue and we see an even better year three in 2014 and beyond as you can't beat a day in the park complete with great food, great drink, great music and great friends.
Check out Jovanotti from SXSW this past year
Check out Red Baraat performing a few years ago
