Canada Day in Central Park

I had the chance on Sunday afternoon to head down to New York City for the Canada Day (July 1st) celebrations, held at Central Park Summerstage. Pianist/vocalist Sarah Slean opened the show with a dark, Tori Amos-ish set. Slean was followed by The Dears - an interesting band whose music recalls Black Sabbath, Vanilla Fudge, and The Cure. Next up was famed producer Daniel Lanois (who has worked extensively with U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel and others) with monster guest bassist Darryl Johnson. Lanois played an inspired and highly spontaneous set, consisting mainly of songs from his newest CD Shine. Alternating between his Fender Mustang and a pedal steel guitar, Lanois displayed a sort of rugged musical virtuosity that casual listeners might interpret as sloppy. If you get a chance, I highly recommend taking in a Lanois show (especially if you're lucky enough to catch him in a duo performance with the unbelievably talented Brian Blade on drums). Unfortunately, despite being a fan, I didn't have the time to check out Rufus Wainwright. The buzz was, however, that Rufus also played a great set.

Related Links
NYC Summer Concerts - lots of free shows around New York
DanielLanois.com - tour dates, sound clips, and more
SarahSlean.com - video and audio footage, online store
TheDears.org - tour dates, audio clips, and more
RufusWainwright.com - audio, lyrics, message boards
SARS Benefit - July 30th concert features Rolling Stones and others