6 THENEWYORKER,M AY16, 2022
The summer’s contemporary-music cal-
endar is bustling, as spring postpone-
ments find fresh dates and as new events
from anxious performers continue to
spring up.
Soothing sounds waft across town.
The singer-songwriter Tomberlin sets up
at Music Hall of Williamsburg, débuting
songs from her new album, “i don’t know
who needs to hear this ...” ( June 10).
Following the mellow pandemic release
“What We Drew,” the house d.j., singer,
and producer Yaeji plays her subtle dance
tracks at Brooklyn Steel ( June 19). At
Webster Hall, delicate music emanates
across the stage, with the beaming
sunshine soul of Corinne Bailey Rae
( June 24) and the ethereal dream-pop
electronics of Purity Ring ( June 25).
At Kings Theatre, the Baltimore band
Beach House runs through a lush, hyp-
notic catalogue ( July 19-20).
The calm is disrupted by a string of
rap performers pushing out in different
directions. On May 18, the Atlanta group
EarthGang lets loose the bluesy trap of its
recent album, “Ghetto Gods,” at Brooklyn
Steel. The same day, at Terminal 5, thethrowback indie label Griselda, from up-
state New York, unites key figures from
its roster—Westside Gunn, Conway the
Machine, and Benny the Butcher. On
May 20, the noise group Injury Reserve
and the evasive duo Armand Hammer
continue a co-headlining tour, at War-
saw. The Compton rapper Buddy shares
SoCal bounce beats with a crowd at Bow-
ery Ballroom, on June 23. And at Webster
Hall, on June 27, Lil Tracy, the scion of
musicians, melds melodic rap and emo.
Summer weather brings a slew of
worthwhile open-air shows. As part of
its Summer Concert Series lineup, the
Rooftop at Pier 17 presents the rapper
Pusha T ( June 16), the Kathleen Hanna-
led punk-rock band Bikini Kill ( July 8),
and the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer
Elvis Costello (Aug. 11). The sci-fi band-
leader George Clinton guides an ensem-
ble of performers from his famed funk
collective, Parliament-Funkadelic, across
Central Park’s SummerStage, on June 15.
The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
2022 invites an eclectic cast of characters
to the Prospect Park Bandshell, opening
with the modern sax colossus Kamasi
Washington ( June 8) and continuing
with performances from the Afrobeats
pioneer Davido ( June 17), the soul-fu-
sion band Khruangbin (Aug. 4), and the
neo-soul master Erykah Badu (Aug. 5).
Stadiums welcome a wide-ranging
class of off-center stars. J Balvin, the
Prince of Reggaetón, descends upon
Barclays Center, with collaborations
from his album “Jose,” on May 22.
Forest Hills Stadium hosts indie-folk
artists, both fresh and familiar—the
Justin Vernon-fronted experimental
project Bon Iver ( June 3), the soft-spo-
ken millennial bard Phoebe Bridgers
( June 16), and the chamber-pop troupe
Fleet Foxes (Aug. 13). And, at Madison
Square Garden, the summer starts and
ends with trailblazing bands—HAIM,
a sister trio that has evolved continu-
ously, up to and through the 2020 album
“Women in Music Pt. III” (May 17),
and Rage Against the Machine, iconic
rap-rock revolutionaries who take over
the hallowed venue for a week (Aug. 8-9,
Aug. 11-12, and Aug. 14).
—Sheldon PearceSUMMERPREVIEW
HAIM, J Balvin, Beach House