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David Byrne (!), Woodstock, Bonnie Rait, Taj Mahal & other Prospect Park concert news

David Byrne @ Radio City Music Hall (more by Chris La Putt)
David Byrne

Celebrate Brooklyn‘s opening night gala (and first concert of the season) will take place at the Prospect Park Bandshell on June 8th.

The Green Gala will be an exciting eco-friendly evening with a zero waste goal that launches other green initiatives including cycling and recycling efforts to reduce the Festival’s environmental impact and to promote eco-friendly practices. All proceeds from the gala provide vital funds for Celebrate Brooklyn’s free programming and will also support our green initiatives.

5:30 Cocktails & Dinner
7:30 Remarks
8:00 Performance (reserved seats)
10:00 Dance Party

Tickets for all of the above will cost you anywhere from $325 for a single ticket, to $10,000 for a Vice Chair Table. However, if you just want see the performance aka DAVID BYRNE, you can, for free (or pay the $3.00 suggested donation).

Most of the shows at the Brooklyn bandshell are free (like did I mention David Byrne on June 8th???), but a few are benefits (aka cost money) to help make the free ones happen. MGMT and Kuroma (sold out), Animal Collective (still on sale), and Jackson Browne (still on sale) all fit into the benefit category. Now you can also add Bonnie Rait and Taj Mahal to that list. They are on tour together and will play there on August 12th (on sale date TBA) (all dates below).

The full lineup of free shows happening at the bandshell in Prospect Park this summer will be announced in a few weeks. Until then we can try and figure them out. One possibility is King Sunny Ade on July 18th. Do you know any others? We’re also keeping track of who is playing Central Park Summerstage.

The bandshell is not the only place events happen in Prospect Park though. The Long Meadow, with the addition of a stage, can and has also become a venue (usually for opera, orchestras, and other more-high-art events). According to the Daily News, there’s now also a chance it will also become the location of Woodstock‘s planned NYC anniversary concert

“It’s big, it’s convenient. There’s public transportation – and Brooklyn’s cool,” said Lang, 64. “I’d love to do it. But it’s been a very tough year.”

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe confirmed the city is in talks with Lang about the event.

“New York City has a wonderful legacy of great free concerts,” said Benepe, adding Prospect Park would be a great spot for such a concert.

“It’s a park we have been pointing concert promoters to,” said Benepe. “There’s no space anywhere in Central Park as large as the the Long Meadow in Prospect Park.”

Lang, who grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, said he knows the clock is ticking and that to make the free daylong show work, he has to find the necessary $8 million to $10 million to pay for it by the end of the month.

If the money comes through, Lang is hoping to attract up to 150,000 people and feature a mix of Woodstock legends like Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Neil Young, as well as newer bands that fit the vibe, like Dave Matthews and Phish.

David Byrne‘s Brooklyn show comes five days after the not-free one he’s playing at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ. You can also catch him playing a different set on May 3rd at Radio City Music Hall. You may have caught him earlier this year, also at Radio City, at one of his two Eno-shows he played there.

Bonnie Rait & Taj Mahal dates below…

Bonnie Rait & Taj Mahal – 2009 Tour Dates
Thu Aug 6 – Williamsport, PA – Community Arts Center
Sat Aug 8 – Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center
Sun Aug 9 – Wallingford, CT – Chevrolet Theatre
Tue Aug 11 – Newark, NJ – NJPAC
Wed Aug 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Prospect Park Bandshell
Sat Aug 15 – Boston, MA – Bank of America Pavilion
Sun Aug 16 – Vienna, VA – Filene Center at Wolf Trap
Tue Aug 18 – Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Wed Aug 19 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
Fri Aug 21 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
Sat Aug 22 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
Sun Aug 23 – Grand Rapids, MI – Meijer Gardens
Tue Aug 25 – Indianapolis, IN – The Lawn at White River State Park
Thu Aug 27 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fair
Fri Aug 28 – Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Cove at Harrah’s Casino
Sun Aug 30 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Tue Sep 1 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Amphitiheatre
Wed Sep 2 – Boise, ID – Idaho Botanical Gardens
Thu Sep 3 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield Winery
Sat Sep 5 – Bend, OR – Les Schwab Amphitheatre
Sun Sep 6 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle
Mon Sep 7 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheatre
Wed Sep 9 – Friant, CA – Table Mountain casino
Fri Sep 11 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
Sat Sep 12 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
Sun Sep 13 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
Wed Sep 16 – Oakland, CA – Venue TBD
Thu Sep 17 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
Sun Sep 20 – TBA, – TBA
Wed Sep 23 – Albuquerque, NM – Sandia Casino
Thu Sep 24 – Phoenix, AZ – Dodge Theatre
Fri Sep 25 – Rancho Mirage, CA – Agua Caliente Casino