Is there any better big venue live band these days than Sonic Youth? Okay, maybe Radiohead, maybe Phish, and maybe—depending on how their Madison Square Garden debut goes this week—even Arcade Fire. (Yes, we just used Phish in the same breath as Sonic Youth; the crucifixion line forms on the right!) But none of those bands possess Sonic Youth's illustrious history, or restless dynamism, or reckless edge. Frontman Thurston Moore is middle age (his wife/bandmate Kim Gordon's even older!) but after seeing them crush the Celebrate Brooklyn bandshell in Prospect Park Saturday night, it's clear that their particular blend of punk-pop-noise rock is some sort of magical, anti-aging elixir that ought to be bottled and sold worldwide. Don't grow old gracefully; shred it every step of the way with Tonic Youth. more ›

Though the solstice isn't until tomorrow, let's just bend the rules a little and agree that one of the best concerts of the summer has already taken place, last night under the stars at the Prospect Park bandshell. On a perfectly sublime June night, eight eminently talented musicians gathered to pay homage to Miles Davis's groundbreaking jazz fusion double LP Bitches Brew, which debuted some four decades ago. Last night's brewmasters were led by composer and cornetist Graham Haynes, who was joined by Marco Benevento on keyboards, James Blood Ulmer on hollow body electric guitar, Adam Rudolph on percussion, the amazing Melvin Gibbs on bass, An­toine Roney on clarinet, the explosive Cindy Blackman on drums, and DJ Logic on turntables. more ›

All Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz wants to do is build a nice little $64 million concert hall in Coney Island's Asser Levy Park, but the local critics won't stop trying to undermine him. Opponents say that besides gobbling up precious park land, it would be so close to nearby synagogues that concerts couldn't be scheduled on Friday nights and Saturdays, because city law bans amplified sound within 500 feet of a place of worship during religious services. Also, they think it looks weird. Opposition leader Ida Sanoff tells the Daily News, "It's going to be like a spaceship plunked down in the middle of a park across from people's bedrooms." And all this negativity is really starting to get to Marty, who says the criticism's "hurtful because I don't deserve it. I've entertained the people in that neighborhood since 1991. I've put a smile on their face for 31 years. Why would I want them to frown?" The amphitheater's architect promises the state-of-the-art sound design would focus the sound toward the audience, not the neighbors, but naysayers like Sanoff remain unconvinced: "We don't need this. We have benches and walkways now." Construction's expected to start in the fall anyway. more ›

Late New York composer and Broadway writer Richard Rodgers became world-renowned, but as The NY Post notes, "never forgot his Harlem roots." Yesterday his family donated $1 million to restore the neglected bandshell at Marcus Garvey Park, and as Bloomberg reminded everyone at a press conference--Rodgers also donated the original funds (to the tune of $150,000) to build the facility in 1970. The city has also put forth $4 million towards the renovation, which will begin in the Fall of 2009. When complete the new bandshell will feature improved acoustics, new seats, wheelchair accessible sections and a new name: The Richard Rodgers Bandshell. more ›