Was that you, you sneaky little devil, beating your friend with a free mat at the last pool party ever? Or maybe that was you having a chat with your bud about high brow skateboard art at 3rd Ward this summer. Or – hold the phone – was that you getting in my way while I tried to snap intimate behind-the-scenes portraits of M.I.A. at her McCarren Park concert? Even if it wasn’t you, I shared each of those zany moments with someone this summer, and now I’m going to share the commemoration of a season past by shamefully exposing you to my version of a lame television montage episode. Ready yourself for some of my favorite summer moments!
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I’ve done a lot this summer. I’ve experienced everything from cliché walks on the beach (oh, can’t you feel that misty ocean air?) to late night concerts in the park (oh can’t you feel people’s soaking, sweaty hair!?). And though I don’t spend every moment in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, some of my best times were spent there.
Like the time I saw Bonde do Role bring the house down Brazillian style at Club Europa in Greenpoint. They were the headliners, and played after three bands. Before the show I was familiar with their sound but didn’t really know what they looked like. I actually got to the concert early and remembered seeing these two guys and two girls dancing like crazy in the small audience. The guys kept lifting up their shirts while the bands played on stage, revealing words they had written in pen all over their stomachs. Who are these wierdos? I wondered. It was only after they performed that I realized they were Bonde do Role. If only I had know, I would have scored some phenomenally hilarious photos! Good thing they were just as boisterous on stage as they were off. I got a great shot of MC Pedro D’Eyrot with his head in female leaf Ana Bernardino’s dress. Funky goodness.
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M.I.A.’s show at McCarren Park Pool was amazing but for different reasons. With her, I knew exactly what to expect but was still wowed. Touring in support of her sophomore album Kala, Maya’s signature colorful style and erratic dance beats turned Greenpoint into a jungle for the night. The crowd whooped, hollered, sang along, and even got to participate in the performance. At the beginning of the song Boyz, M.I.A. invieted all the ladies onto the stage and I was one of the lucky ones to make it up before guards stopped the stampede. In shock to be within an arm’s length of one of my musical idols, I snapped as many shots as I could with my little digi camera. Yes, I was one of many trying to steal a peace of her presence and bring it home, but I still managed to make it out with out with some good footage.
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A summer recap column wouldn’t complete without mentioning all of the Sundays I spent at the JellyNYC pool parties in McCarren Park Pool. I saw movies about synchronized swimmers, paid two dollars to for an honest appraisal of my appearance, watched grown men dive head first into a castle slip ‘n’ slide, and even witnessed history as Obama supporters gathered to register Brooklynites and say farewell to parties in the pool. It’s the end of an era, it is. And I’m stoked to have been able to be a part of so much stellar fun. Speaking of Stoked, one of the best openings I saw this summer was the benefit for Stoked Mentoring at 3rd Ward. Who knew skateboarders could be so civic-minded?
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