PATTI CAKES: Tunga and Abie Takavarasha (above) treated 4-month-old Tadi to his fi rst concert on Tuesday.
Patti LaBelle (below) opened the 2019 season of Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park. Photo by Trey Pentecost
asked four men from the audience
“white or black, gay or
straight” to join her on stage,
and the crooner was quickly
fl anked by two drag queens,
including local nightlife fi gure
Merrie Cherry, who helped belt
out the classic tune.
Another gent who joined La-
Belle proved reticent to depart
the stage when asked, and was
eventually escorted offstage by
security as the singer quipped
“Bye, Felicia!”
LaBelle, who celebrated her
75th birthday on May 24, entertained
the crowd for nearly two
hours, singing songs, including
“On My Own” and “If you
don’t know me by now.”
Tuesday’s concert will be
followed by 21 free musical performances,
two fi lms screenings,
a pair of dance shows,
and fi ve paid concerts until Columbia’s
Bomba Estereo closes
the series on Aug. 10.
BY COLIN MIXSON
She was LaBelle of the ball!
Brooklyn music fans endured
long waits to join legendary
gospel crooner Patti La-
Belle as she reigned in the Bric
Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
at the Prospect Park Bandshell
Tuesday night.
The line to get into the
free summer-concert opener
started at the meadow’s music
hall near Ninth Street,
and stretched for six blocks
through Brooklyn’s Backyard
past the Bartell-Pritchard
Square Entrance and right
onto the sidewalk!
But it’s not every day you get
to see an American icon in action,
according to one Ditmas
Park man, who said the chance
to see LaBelle was worth any
wait.
“You don’t want a situation
where you miss a chance to
see Patti LaBelle,” said Tunga
Takavarasha, who brought
wife Abie, and 4-month-old son
Tadi. “I mean, she’s a legend.”
The concert opened with
a fairly drab succession of
speeches from speakers, including
Bric President Kristina
Newman-Scottand,
First Lady Chirlane McCray,
Park Slope Councilman Brad
Lander, and Council Majority
Leader Laurie Cumbo, which
tested the crowd’s patience,
and at one point audience
members erupted in chants of
“Patti, Patti, Patti,” as the big
shots dragged on.
Finally, the gospel queen
emerged on stage at around
8:30 p.m., introducing her 1989
hit “If You Asked Me To,” with
a nod to Canadian diva Celine
Dion.
“I had the pleasure of hearing
my good friend Celine Dion
sing this song. But don’t get it
twisted — I sang it fi rst!” La-
Belle teased.
And during a rendition of
“Lady Marmalade,” the singer
INSIDE
Street
dreams
A giant graffiti
exhibition comes
to Williamsburg
By Aidan Graham This show will spray it and say it!
A new exhibit in Williamsburg celebrates graffiti
artists and rule breakers with a massive display of street
art. “Beyond the Streets,” opening on June 21 in a newly built,
soon-to-be office building, showcases more than 150 of the
world’s most important street artists, with a special focus on
the Brooklyn artists who turned spraying paint on the side of a
subway car into a global phenomenon, said the show’s curator.
“We have a lot of New York-focused pieces, and a lot of
work that is historical,” said Roger Gastman. “There’s a section
that is very hip-hop oriented, and there’s a section on activism,
highlighting artists that have used street art to draw attention
to specific causes.”
The gallery, which will be open for about two months,
includes special sections devoted to counter-culture figures,
with a tribute to the 30-year career of Shepard Fairey, whose
work includes the ubiquitous stickers “Andre the Giant has a
posse” and the Barack Obama “Hope” poster. Another installation
is devoted to Brooklyn’s own Beastie Boys, featuring
never-before-seen artifacts, song lyrics, and artwork inspired
by the band.
“There are so many great Beastie Boys surprises that you’ve
never seen before,” said Gastman. “We worked really closely
with Adam Ad-Rock and Mike Mike D on the Beastie Boys
exhibit. They were in the process of putting out a book, so they
went through their archives, and they have saved up a lot of
incredible things.”
The two-story exhibit takes up almost as much space as a
Manhattan city block, and its sprawling array of paintings, pictures,
and immersive installations means that people will likely
visit the massive space multiple times, said Gastman.
“It’s hard to claim definitively that it’s the biggest street art
show ever, but it probably is,” he said. “There’s a lot to see. One
visit alone will not give you a view of the whole show.”
Gastman said that Brooklyn provides the perfect backdrop
for this expansive look at the medium, because the art is deeply
rooted in the city.
“New York is so intertwined with the art form,” he said.
“New York City didn’t start graffiti, but it made graffiti
famous, so it’s amazing to bring it here and show how huge
this culture is.”
Throughout the summer, the gallery will host artist talks
and panel discussions on the past and future of street art,
according to Gastman, who said the vast endeavour proves
the mainstream viability of an art style often dismissed as
vandalism.
“This art form is not just a subculture, or a blip in our culture,”
he said. “It’s a full-blown art form, and it’s gotten bigger,
bolder, and more innovative.”
“Beyond the Streets” at Twenty Five Kent 25 Kent Ave.
between N. 12th and N. 13th streets in Williamsburg, (718) 213–
8554, www.beyondthestreets.com. On display June 21–July 31.
Wed–Sun, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. $25.
Street smarts: The graffiti exhibit “Beyond the
Street” features this photo of Lil’ Crazy Legs in
Riverside Park during the 1980s. Martha Cooper
Your entertainment
guide Page 53
Police Blotter ..........................8
Brownstoner ......................... 18
Standing O ............................ 32
Letters ....................................38
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QUEEN OF KINGS
Patti LaBelle kicks off Bric Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival
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