Caleb's Concert Guide: July 16-20
The Roots, Os Mutantes, Brazil Week, Johnny Osbourne, Amythyst Kiah and more
It’s Brazil Week! At least it is at Lincoln Center, where there’s a plethora of Brazilian artists performing. I’m particularly excited about Os Mutantes (Thurs), the Tropicália band that debuted in 1968 with a really incredible, trippy, self-titled record. In Queens, Summerstage takes over Flushing Meadows-Corona Park two great shows this weekend: hip-hop royalty The Roots (Sun) and a diverse line-up of Indian artists brought together by DJ Rekha for their Basement Bhangra party (Sat). Meanwhile in Crown Heights, Celebrate Brooklyn! takes over Bower Park for a night of reggae and hip hop with headliner Johnny Osbourne and a film that highlights the story of dancehall queen Sister Nancy (Sat). Finally, if you’re looking for something a little softer there are three excellent singer-songwriters performing around the city: Amythyst Kiah (Thurs), Samora Pinderhughes (Sat), and Hannah Cohen (Sun).
And did I mention it’s all free?
Wednesday, July 16
Rogê with DJ Binky Griptite, 5-7:30 pm
Manhattan West Plaza (385 9th Avenue, Midtown)
Kick off Brazil Week with some really solid samba from Rogê at this early show in Midtown West. DJ Binky Griptite, guitarist and founding member of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, opens.
Lenine, 7:30 pm
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center (Amsterdam Ave. and West 62nd St., Upper West Side)
Seven-time Latin GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter. I haven’t heard much of his music yet, but I guess it’d lean towards alternative rock if I had to put a genre on it. By the way, I’ve been to a few shows at both Summerstage and Lincoln Center that have reached capacity pretty early in the night. You can up the odds of getting in at Lincoln Center by getting free “Fast Track” tickets for concerts the Monday before each week. Tickets go live at noon, and are available on the event page on the LC site. Otherwise, show up well before showtime because people are going OUT these past few weeks.
Thursday, July 17
Os Mutantes, 7:30 pm
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center (Amsterdam Ave. and West 62nd St., Upper West Side)
Really fun psychedelic pop from a group that’s been around since the mid ‘60s. Their debut album is a beautiful mix of that classic pop sound from the era and crazed guitar solos, distortion, non-musical samples that are all over the map, and so much more. I’ve just started to discover the bounty of incredible Brazilian musicians that came out of Brazil in the 60s and 70s, and it’s a real treat to see one of the central figures of the Tropicália movement live on stage in 2025.
Amythyst Kiah, 8 pm
Nelson A. Rockefeller Park (Chambers Street & River Terrace, Lower Manhattan)
A great Americana singer-songwriter. Performing on the river in a gorgeous park. The River and Blues series is always a delight if you’re at all interested in the roots scene.
Friday, July 18
Rashid + Tulipa Ruiz + Melly, 7:30 pm
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center (Amsterdam Ave. and West 62nd St., Upper West Side)
This show is a continuation of Lincoln Center’s Brazil Week. A line up of three young Brazilian artists, covering a span of genres including hip hop, pop, and R&B.
It should be fun but full disclaimer: I frankly haven’t spent any time with the music of these artists. Since I didn’t have anything else on my calendar for Friday, why not list them? (If something else is on my radar later this week, I’ll be sure to edit this post — just check the site CalebsConcerts.Substack.com for the latest version).
Saturday, July 19
Johnny Osbourne, Smif-N-Wessun, 4 pm
Brower Park (Park Place between Kingston and Brooklyn Aves, Crown Heights)
Celebrate Brooklyn! takes over Brower Park in Crown Heights for one big ambitious day of programming. The headliner is dancehall/reggae icon Johnny Osbourne, but there’s also golden-era rap pioneers Smif-N-Wessun, hip hop trio Bush Babees, and Chip-Fu with a handful of DJ sets. The night ends with a movie screening, details about that further down.
*Newly added*
Beenie Man and Patrice Roberts, 6 pm
Wingate Park (Brooklyn Ave between Winthrop St and Rutland Rd, Little Caribbean)
If you’re looking for some dancehall that’s a little more contemporary than Johnny Osbourne, this concert’s for you. Beenie Man and Patrice Roberts are some of the biggest names in Dancehall and Soca, respectively. Show up early, these are superstars of their genres in the center of a predominately Caribbean neighborhood.
DJ Rekha’s Basement Bhangra Beyond, 6 pm
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (Universe Ct, Flushing)
Summerstage has been presenting this party by DJ Rekha for a couple years now, and it always promises to be both a great showcase of artists from across the Indian diaspora and a fun party, with DJ Rekha hosting, a Bhangra dance lesson (an energetic Punjabi folk dance/music), and drummers. The headliner is Rashmeet Kaur, who seems to be the featured vocalist on a lot of EDM tracks but has plenty of solo projects out as well. Also on the line up: Tara Lily - an alternative jazz artist mixing in elements of electronica, trip-hop, and alternative R&B with classical Indian Music - and Sonny Singh, who brings Sikh music and Punjabi anthems to the 21st century. You might know him from the Brooklyn band Red Baraat.
Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, 8:30 pm
Brower Park (Park Place between Kingston and Brooklyn Aves, Crown Heights)
To cap off the night of live performances from dancehall and hip hop artists (see above) at Brower Park, Celebrate Brooklyn! screens “Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story.” Sister Nancy is a dancehall legend and her signature song Bam Bam has been sampled well over 100 times by the likes of Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé. But she didn’t get paid for it. Messed up! Excited to hear the full story and see this film.
Samora Pinderhughes, 10 pm
The Glade at Little Island (Between 13th and 14th St in Hudson River Park, Meatpacking District)
Samora Pinderhughes is an incredible singer-songwriter/pianist and activist. He might make you cry, but it’ll be cathartic and a much needed exhale. Looks like the show features his full band that includes a brilliant choir. This music, under the stars, for a late night show, is a match made in heaven.
Sunday, July 20
Hannah Cohen, 2 pm
Union Pool (484 Union Ave, Williamsburg)
Dreamy indie pop from The Catskills. Instead of trying to pinpoint Hannah Cohen’s sound in my own words, I’ll throw a list of names you may be familiar with that puts her in a certain world of indie music.
First, her influences (heard all over the latest record Earthstar Mountain): Dusty Springfield, Gal Costa, Minnie Riperton, Ennio Morricone, Neil Young and Sly & The Family Stone.
Second, some of her collaborators on the album: Sufjan Stevens, Clairo, and Cohen’s partner Sam Evian, who produced the album.
The Roots, 7 pm
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (Universe Ct, Flushing)
A band that needs no introduction, but just in case… they’re a Hip Hop band from Philly led by drummer Questlove and rapper Black Thought that came up in the ‘90s. They’re also the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Even if you’re not familiar with their music, a quick skim of the video below should give you a taste of the energy they bring to their live shows. Still can’t believe this is free. Don’t be late! They’re popular, and some of the SummerStage shows have been reaching capacity pretty early on in the night.
Coming up:
July 22: Nosky’s Baroque Band (Central Park)
July 23: Cymade (Central Park)
July 24: Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (Nelson A. Rockefeller Park)
July 25: Cécile McLorin Salvant (Bryant Park)