The Time Out New York blog
Your up-to-the-minute guide to New York City events, restaurants, bars, nightlife, ticket alerts and NSFW ephemera.
Live photos and review: R. Kelly at the Prudential Center
Fri Jul 1
Photograph: Jon Klemm
Though much has been made of the spectacle of simply witnessing R. Kelly perform, the tone of his latest record, Love Letter, suggested that the night's proceedings might be a smidge classier than any given date from the Double Up tour; Love Letter, a Motown-hearkening curveball, leans on the classic grooves and visual aesthetic of a past, golden era. In line with that thought, a black-and-white clip of Kelly and a onetime lover hoping to get back in the picture rolls to open the show, and Kelly summons up the his trademark sincerity in the face of absurdity, doing his best Rat Pack mugging, complete with lit stogie and mahogany bar. The show that followed was a nimbly balanced set of both the well-loved sex jams everyone came to see and the new stuff, a set that dove into freakiness but didn't stay there forever.
Jon Klemm snapped photos up top; click past the jump for the rest of the review.
R. Kelly is a performer—while weaving in and out of songs, he'd vocalize the...
Tonight's best parties and nightlife events
Fri Jul 1
Jonathan Toubin Photograph: Eleanor Logan
Shakin' All Over Under Sideways DownThis hoedown at Home Sweet Home features Mr. Jonathan Toubin and guests on the turntables for an evening of soul, garage rock, girl-group material, glam, punk, rockabilly and more.Salsa Groove After-Work FridaysGet the night started with live combos, DJs and free salsa dance lessons at S.O.B.'s....Manhattan Haitian Dance Party...then hang around until later in the night when the DJs and bands switch over to Haiti's konpa music.Tonight's best free party:No Name FridaysThe No Name Movement crew is back in business with this weekly soiree in the East Village's Karma, with a rotating roster of DJs playing a mix of mash-ups and Top 40 material.
See more things to do tonight
Where to celebrate Canada Day
Fri Jul 1
Mile End Caroline Voagen Nelson
The USA's big day isn't until Monday, but if you really need an excuse to party early, today is Canada Day. The festivities already began with a block party in the East Village on Thursday, but there are still plenty of places to celebrate with dancing, food and renditions of "O Canada."
Windfall will host a free Canada Day Bash complete with Canadian music and dishes, temporary tattoos and glowsticks until 2am. And if you can't wait until the evening, they'll also serve a Canadian lunch menu in the afternoon. 23 W 39th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-869-4606, windfallnyc.com). 11:30am; free.
Le Pescadeux in Soho will be giving free champagne to those of Canadian origin, and co-owners Bruno Soubirous and Chuck Perley (a Montreal native) will serenade the crowd with Canadian tunes. 90 Thompson St between Prince and Spring Sts (212-966-0021, lepescadeux.com). 6pm; free.
Third and Long invites everyone (even non-Canucks) to join their Canada Day party. Canadian beers...
We were there: MakerBot Studio
Thu Jun 30
Last week, I visited the MakerBot Studio on Dean Street; this week, I am a three-dimensional, open-source and—here's the clincher—printable object.
The world of MakerBot is pretty mind-blowing. Essentially, how it works: Anyone can scan an object with a laser, input this information into a computer, store the shape onto a flash drive and insert the drive to the nearest Thing-o-Matic—that is, a printer that prints in plastic and in three dimensions—and watch the object be re-created in ABS (the same stuff that Legos are made from).
As the guys keep telling me, I could print shower curtain rings or solid, working gears or anything else I can get to sit still for a few seconds. Hey, I know something that can stay in one place for at least ten seconds!
In addition to its mind-blowing quality, here's where the world of MakerBot gets very, very goofy. Becoming a design object that anyone with a few thousand bucks for a 3-D printer and a spool of plastic tubing can use and abuse...
July's hottest shows
Thu Jun 30
Dirty Beaches + Lower Dens. July 1. South Street Seaport, River to River Festival, free. Photograph: Courtesy of The Seaport
Though we feel pretty good running down both the most notable upcoming shows and July's best shows, as well as the best free concerts all summer long, there's always room for a few more picks, right? Up top are some of July's hottest shows that still have tickets available, and, man alive, is there some good stuff. From rowdy, pugilist rapper Waka Flocka Flame in the Bronx to oddball party-starters Gang Gang Dance on a boat, July brings the heat, so to speak. And don't forget to dip into MoMA's excellent summer series, Warm Up, for some weekly grooves alfresco.
Send tips and cat photos to:
- Senior Editor: Amy Plitt (@plitter)
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