Last July, while basking near the Williamsburg track, I heard music rocking from the nearby McCarren Pool, so I shimmied over to discover kegs of Brooklyn Lager, a full day of live music, and free entry! I claimed my blanket territory and soaked up the sun while watching a few games of dodgeball and revellers slip-n’-slide in their bikinis and boxers.
McCarren pool, built in 1936 as part of New Deal architecture by the WPA (Works in Progress Administration), was one of the largest pools in the world with a capacity of 6,800. It was closed down in 1984 for repairs and has since been abandoned until last year when it was fixed up just enough to hold the pool parties. I was completely in awe of the giant pool bed and the McCarren Pool quickly became my favorite summer venue. I caught several live performances from Deerhoof, Granddaddy and even Spank Rock and MIA (who showed up for a surprise set…) Despite the insane crowds of party people, the huge expanse of the McCarren pool never quite reached capacity.
This year the parties kick off this weekend and as part of the performance line-up you can expect to see current music acts (a la Williamsburg and Greenpoint) including TV on the Radio, Superchunk, Blonde Redhead, Mark Ronson, and most likely many more of our favorites yet to be scheduled. Summerstage, eat your heart out!
The first show is this Sunday, June 24th with Superchunk, Oakley Hall, + / -, and DJ Todd O-Phonic Todd.
For more info visit www.thepoolparties.com
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>