Nothing says summer more than free outdoor concerts. BBQs, beach towels, and liberal helpings of bronzing sunscreen are a tradition between late May and early September. For the past three summers a rundown former public pool in Greenpoint, Brooklyn has played host to literally thousands of eager music lovers and a diverse roster of bands. This summer will be its final as an outdoor venue. The city has plans to convert it back into a swimming pool and provide a different sort of entertainment for the locals.
On Sunday, August 3, three of the bigger and better names in underground rock took the stage at Brooklyn’s McCarren Pool to help give the venue a proper send-off as it fades into indie rock history.
The pool was recently featured on the front page of the Friday August 1 Arts section of
The New York Times, where fans mourned its demise as a free outdoor venue. But there was no sense of loss Sunday afternoon with a mile-long line wrapping around the venue of fans looking to catch Deerhunter, the Black Lips, and King Khan & the Shrines.
After a summer that saw the makeshift outdoor music hall play host to the Breeders, MGMT, Ween, Ronnie Spector, and a farewell performance at the end of the month from Sonic Youth, Sunday’s show was no let down. All three co-headlining bands were at the top of their game.
King Khan (the former Spaceshits guitarist and one half of the doo wop garage duo the King Khan & BBQ Show) led his German-based rolling soul revue the Shrines through a rampage of a set that was equal parts Mighty Hannibal, Sun Ra, and
Ike & Tina. It was the final stop on a six-week U.S. tour that saw the band hit both coasts, the Pitchfork Festival, and just about every small town and major metro area in between.
Atlanta’s Black Lips and Deerhunter took a break from their extended touring hiatuses to make the trip to NYC. Deerhunter’s dreamy ethereal psychedelia and the Black Lips’ garagey self-proclaimed “flower punk” rounded the afternoon off. Check out some shots below from the day’s events. If you’re in the area, do try and catch one of the few remaining shows at the pool.