The 10 best outdoor summer concerts

Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba

WHERE: Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell
WHEN: Sat, Jun 14, 7:30pm
COST: FREE

Performing-arts fest Celebrate Brooklyn really knows how to throw world-music events, and this one has an extra-special draw: South African star Miriam Makeba—whose colorful, rhythmic shows are the very definition of soulful Afropop—is saying farewell to touring.

Coolness: More earthy and spiritual than cool
Crowd: Large, and diverse in age and ethnicity
Hassle: Low

Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend + Kid Sister + Born Ruffians

WHERE: Central Park SummerStage
WHEN: Sat, Jun 14, 4–8pm
COST: FREE

Brave the throngs; this one’s a no-brainer. The season’s biggest indie buzz magnet (and deservedly so), a Kanye-approved femcee from Chicago, plus a nervy, new-wavey Toronto trio—all on a Saturday afternoon—add up to eclectic party time.

Coolness: Blogtastic
Crowd: Straight-up jammed
Hassle: High—get there by at least 3pm

Gogol Bordello

Gogol Bordello

WHERE: McCarren Park Pool
WHEN: Fri, Jun 20, 6pm
COST: $35

The local Gypsy-punk outfit knows how to work a crowd, and its high-energy stage show will likely make your fellow revelers a little crazy—so use caution when venturing into the area in front of the stage.

Coolness: Neither cool nor not cool­—the group’s polyglot dance music is all-inclusive
Crowd: Could be packed, but the sprawling venue should have room to spare
Hassle: Medium

Rachid Taha

Rachid Taha + Dengue Fever

WHERE: Central Park SummerStage
WHEN: Sat, Jul 5, 3pm
COST: FREE

Even if you don’t understand the languages here (Taha is French-Algerian; Dengue Fever singer Chhom Nimol is Cambodian), you’ll recognize the beats as pure danceable rock.

Coolness: Très hip (both singers are from former French colonies)
Crowd: Should be space to jump around; plus the long weekend could mean fewer people
Hassle: Medium

Nellie McKay

Midsummer Night Swing with Nellie McKay and the Aristocrats Swing Band

WHERE: Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park
WHEN: Tue, Jul 8, 6:30pm
COST: $15

Backing the unsinkable Nellie McKay with a swing band is so genius, you’ll wonder why no one’s thought of it before. But if you don’t dance, watch out: Someone may swoop in and sweep your gal off her feet. Protect yourself by showing up early for lessons.

Coolness: Off the charts!
Crowd: The launch of a popular series plus a bona fide young pop star equals a mob scene
Hassle: High for fellas who don’t show up for the preshow dance lesson

Feist

Feist

WHERE: Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell
WHEN: Wed, Jul 9, 7:30pm
COST: $35

An outdoor Feist concert? If Park Slope didn’t already exist to host this show, they’d have to invent it! And now that the ubiquitous commercial has been retired, it’s safe to start publicly liking this sparkling performer again. Ready, and-a 1, 2, 3, 4…

Coolness: Depends on how cool you think iPod commercials are
Crowd: Huge
Hassle: High. Could be a hot mess—come early, and consider taking a half day at work

Black Lips

JellyNYC Pool Parties with Black Lips + Deerhunter + King Khan and the Shrines

WHERE: McCarren Park Pool
WHEN: Sun, Aug 3, 2pm
COST: FREE

The JellyNYC Pool Parties have become a big draw for young New Yorkers, both for the music—today’s show features three scruffy, aptly weird rock bands—and other summer frills such as Slip ’N Slide, dodgeball and ice cream.

Coolness: Pitchfork would approve
Crowd: Hip bands, free show, Greenpoint…do the math
Hassle: High; be prepared to wait in lines for entry and drinks.

Dirty Projectors

Dirty Projectors + White Williams

WHERE: South Street Seaport, Pier 17
WHEN: Fri, Aug 15, 7pm
COST: FREE

The Seaport can feel like a small open-air club if you stake out a good spot—worth it to soak up the Projectors’ ethereal avant-pop and White Williams’s kaleidoscopic dance-rock.

Coolness: Insider cachet meets upwardly mobile indie
Crowd: Massive but friendly
Hassle: Low

Black Dice

Battles + Black Dice + Gang Gang Dance

WHERE: Central Park SummerStage
WHEN: Sat, Aug 16, 3–7pm
COST: FREE

After modern tribalists Gang Gang Dance and the noise-electronics of Black Dice tenderize the kids, future-rock bashers Battles will electrify them by waging sonic war. Earplugs might be a good idea: TONY just rated Black Dice as the loudest band in the city.

Coolness: Experimental neomath-primitivist fest—cool, right?
Crowd: Medium—sizable, but not enough to fill the space
Hassle: Low