Outdoor Concerts & Music Festivals

'BAM RHYTHM & BLUES FESTIVAL AT METROTECH'

MetroTech Commons at MetroTech Center, corner of Flatbush and Myrtle avenues, 718.636.4100, bam.org

JUNE 10 Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers

JUNE 17 Chic with Nile Rogers:Forever associated with 'Le Freak' (and the heyday of disco) and 'Good Times' (and the roots of recorded rap), Nile Rodgers's crack studio unit was above all a funk band like no other. And though it can't be the same without bassist Bernard Rodgers and drummer Tony Thompson, both now passed, live onstage so they again must be. CHRISTGAU

JUNE 24 Chris Thomas King

JULY 1 Soul of John Black+Ellis Hooks

JULY 8 Oumou Sangare

JULY 15 Bettye LaVette

JULY 22 Neville Brothers:The protean Neville siblings (Art, Charles, Aaron, and Cyril) have made music under various names and in various combinations over the years as unofficial ambassadors of the New Orleans sound. As comfortable following trends as setting them, it seems there's nothing they can't play. Easily morphing from Crescent City session men to solo artists to Mardi Gras Indians to the most versatile r&b band in the world, the Neville mojo is always working. COOPER

JULY 29 Lucky Dube

AUGUST 5 Ohio Players

BATTERY PARK CITY CONSERVANCY RIVER & BLUES

Wagner Park, Battery Park City, 212.267.9700, bpcparks.org

JULY 8 Black Coffee Band

JULY 15 Shemekia Copeland Blues Band

JULY 22 Big Ed and the Sidepockets

JULY 29 Hugh Pool

'CELEBRATE BROOKLYN!'

Prospect Park Bandshell, 9th Street and Prospect Park West, 718.855.7882, ext. 45, celebratebrooklyn.org

JUNE 16 Los Lobos:This case study in cultural assimilation can play damn near anything as long as it has a touch of roots. Their Spanish-language heritage is at the heart of what they do, that's how good cultural assimilation works. But blues, r&b, country, even the pomo nostalgia of Mitchell Froom–style sampling techniques—all come naturally. And they've spent their lives on the road since 1973. CHRISTGAU

JUNE 18 The Subdudes+Terrance Simien

JUNE 19 Ladysmith Black Mambazo:Joseph Shabalala's eternal, ever-changing chorus were knocking live audiences dead for a decade before they first recorded. Anyone who imagines they'll be all solemn and spiritual are in for a shock. They're gorgeous, and they're jokers—although they've clearly concluded that their actually existing stateside audience has a weakness for reassuring p.c. Also: Vusi Mahlasela. CHRISTGAU

JUNE 24 Burning Spear+Oliver Lake Steel Quartet

JUNE 26 'Hal Willner's Neil Young Project'

JULY 1 'The Unity Sessions': Mooke, Segol 59, Shaanan Strett, Matisyahu & Others

JULY 3 Bacilos+Radio Mundial

JULY 9 Control Machete+Natalia LaFourcade

JULY 15 Alloy Orchestra (playing live accompaniment toThe General)+Invert

JULY 16 Van Hunt and other artists TBA

JULY 18 Dan Zanes and Friends

JULY 22 Pere Ubu+Clem Snide (playing live accompaniment to a film TBA)

JULY 23 Mercan Dede+Les Yeux Noirs

JULY 24TBA

JULY 29 BQE Project (playing live accompaniment to Frankenstein)+One Ring Zero

JULY 30 They Might Be Giants+Corn Mo

JULY 31 'Boricua Festival': Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends

AUGUST 5 Loser's Lounge (playing live accompaniment to Thunderball)

AUGUST 6 Andrea Echeverry+Cabas

AUGUST 7 'African Festival': Kanda Bongo Man+Sidiki+Maria Debarros+Kaleta

'CENTRAL PARK SUMMERSTAGE 2004'

Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, middle of the park, near 69th Street, 212.360.2777, ticketmaster.com, summerstage.com

MAY 19 The Strokes:Onstage they cultivate their air of mystery and sexual standoffishness as unrelentingly as they do on record and MTV, which may well hurt them when they're coyly flirting to the great outdoors. Still, big speakers thrumming their clock-tick rhythm rutting, robotic semi-automatic riffing, and just-keening r&b singing will fill up more metaphysical space than skinny-tied guys ever could strutting. CATUCCI

JULY 13 & 14 Rufus Wainwright+Ben Folds+Guster

JULY 23 Devo:Don't pretend you don't dance the poot. The flowerpot-heads have been at it for 30 years now, and if they've spent the second half of that time coasting on the first half, they've earned it—their songwriting's aged better than anyone suspected it might. They're playing here the same weekend Mark Mothersbaugh's art show opens at Fuse Gallery. WOLK

AUGUST 10 Lucinda Williams

AUGUST 18 'Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue': Emmylou Harris+Buddy Miller+Patty Griffin+Gillian Welch+David Rawlings:Six degrees of separation brings this Americana set to the Central Park stage. Godmother Emmylou Harris, her lead guitarist Buddy Miller, singer-songwriters Patty Griffin and Gillian Welch, and Welch's performing-writing partner and producer David Rawlings have all worked together in various capacities but never in this constellation. All will perform solo, together, and swap instruments. Welch dubbed it running away with the circus, minus the elephants. GEMELLI

SEPTEMBER 13 Jack Johnson+G. Love & Special Sauce+Donavon Frankenreiter

'CITYPARKS CONCERTS 2004'

Various venues with dates to be announced, 212.360.8290, cityparksfoundation.org

'GREAT BAMBOOZLE ARTS AND CULTURE FESTIVAL 2004'

Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, New Jersey, 732.502.0600, thegreatbamboozle.com, stoneponyonline.com

JUNE 4-6:No hoodwinking here. Though the promoters promise no rain and recommend remembering your name, this three-day festival's roster is no joke. Friday features G. Love & Special Sauce, 12-stringer Matt Nathanson, and Australian didj-doing strummer Xavier Rudd. Saturday finds jam scene superstars Moe and Galactic headlining a day full of groove, while Sonic Youth and Patti Smith are the big names for the harder-leaning lineup on Sunday. Also: My Morning Jacket, Railroad Earth, Antigone Rising, Jesse Malin, M. Ward and Friends, OM Trio, RAQ, deSoL. ROTHMAN