The best shows at SummerStage 2017

Unstoppable septuagenarian gospel legend Mavis Staples hits the stage behind last year's Livin' on a High Note, an effervescent effort featuring songwriting from Nick Cave, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and TUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus. Staples cited Pharrell Williams's "Happy" as an inspiration for the album, saying in an interview with the Guardian, "I told my songwriters I wanted songs just like that, that would make people smile, also because I’ve been making people cry for so long.” It's quite possible you'll do both at this Central Park show.

Going strong in the wake of a 2014 memoir, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You?, the funk legend unleashes his colorful current crew at this free outdoor shindig.

If you missed Costello when he hit town last November, you're in luck: The staggeringly brilliant smart-rock songsmith is returning to NYC on a repeat of his "Imperial Bedroom & Other Chambers" tour. As before, you'll hear selections from his superb 1982 album, Imperial Bedroom, interspersed with other tunes. Unlike most of SummerStage's shows, this gig ain't free, but it's well worth the ticket price.

Considered a one-hit wonder by some, thanks to its briefly inescapable 1992 jazz-rap smash, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” this trio’s commercially underperforming 1994 follow-up, Blowout Comb, has belatedly but deservedly become part of the canon of rap’s golden age. Aspiring beatsmiths and DJs will want to show up early for the 6pm workshop with local DJ school Scratch Academy—and be ready to take notes after, when the always-on-point Natasha Diggs steps up to the decks.

Grammy Award–winning pianist and R&B auteur Robert Glasper brings his genre-melding Experiment to SummerStage as part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival. Also on the bill are playful Brooklyn quintet Phony Ppl and electrifying New Orleans soul outfit Tank and the Bangas. The vibes will be almost impossibly good, trust us.

Iconic vibraphonist and R&B pioneer Ayers joins forces with Fela Kuti's son, Seun Kuti, to pay tribute to the founder of afrobeat. Count on Brooklyn six-piece Underground System, which fittingly takes its name from a Fela Kuti song, and esteemed selector DJ Rich Medina to get the crowd up and moving early.

Chilean singer and multi-instrumentalist Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte, better known as Mon Laferte, serves up her warm blend of rock, blues, pop and cumbia behind her latest, La Trenza. Sharing the bill are Bronx-based rapper Princess Nokia and ÌFÉ, the ultra-compelling new project of Otura Mun that weaves together electronic beats, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and Yoruban devotional singing.

As beloved an indie-rock institution as Hoboken has ever spat out, Yo La Tengo is known for employing its compendious knowledge of covers in its live shows (and also on 2015's Stuff Like That There), so it's possible you'll hear anything from Hank Williams to Sun Ra at this outing. Opening the show is wistful English alt-rock outfit Ultimate Painting.

Alt-rock icon PJ Harvey’s latest release, The Hope Six Demolition Project, is another singular statement. The record balances weighty tone and musical simplicity, serving as another example of Harvey's penchant for dark, compelling songwriting rooted in odd moods. Her output is always arresting, expect no less from this SummerStage benefit performance.

Brazilian singer Soares made a name for herself in the 1950s, incorporating elements of New Orleans jazz into traditional samba music. Since then, her inimitable rasp and unwavering courage in the face of tragedy, exile and hardship has made her a living legend. Expect to hear from her superb 2016 album, The Woman at the End of the World, which ventures into the gritty blend of samba and punk known as samba suja, or dirty samba, at this show.