TV on the Radio Rocks Brooklyn

TV on the Radio played Celebrate Brooklyn last night and rocked the Prospect Park Bandshell. The expanded version of the band features a full brass section and backup singers--something they didn't have the last time GL saw them. At points, there were 15 people up on the stage. Tunde Adebimpe was a manic presence, repeatedly splashing the audience with bottled water, presumably to make up for the threatening rain clouds that failed to produce precipitation. Kyp Malone did his thing, and even sat a little girl--his daughter we presume--on stage in between encores.

The performance was videotaped, with a mechanical camera overhead for the entire show, and the band seemed truly blown away by the huge hometown crowd that turned out.

Gowanus Lounge would be remiss if we didn't note that Celebrate Brooklyn is one of the fronts in the war for the hearts and minds of Brooklynites over Atlantic Yards. Therefore, as we walked in, we were first handed a modest postcard by a young woman who said, "Stop the Overdevelopment of Brooklyn." (The card is promoting the anti-Atlantic Yards Rally at Grand Army Plaza on July 16.) About eight or nine yards further into the park, was a gentleman handing out Forest City Ratner's big, glossy promo brochure full of happy, smiling people (including the model who says she's horrified to be "Bruce Ratner's poster girl").

Us, we dug seeing TV on the Radio at Celebrate Brooklyn.