05/26/09 Gang Gang Dance/Soft Circle/PackFM & others @ Lehman Lawn, Barnard College New York, NY

It was a nice treat to see local psych dance rock group Gang Gang Dance up close and personal on a university quad. The earlier part of the schedule lulled a bit, so we crossed over to the Columbia campus and stumbled upon a sparsely attended folk festival.

08/08/08 88boadrum w/Gang Gang Dance @ East River State Park, Brooklyn, NY

The original boadrum took place in Brooklyn Bridge Park at exactly 7:07pm on the 7th day of the 7th month in the 2007th year after jeebus. A concept of the Japanese noise psych freak whatever rockers The Boredoms, the boadrum incorporated 77 drums and a sort of composed accompaniment by the band. The spectacle drew unforeseen crowds, and many were relegated to bird's eye views from the Brooklyn Bridge walkway. Not wanting to fight the masses, we wandered elsewhere and stumbled upon a Korean gallery opening with a delicious buffet.

By 2008, the trinumeral event was a bi-coastal, Nike-sponsored affair. The Boredoms held down Los Angeles and enlisted local noiseniks Gang Gang Dance to conduct the concurrent New York performance. In order to stem the crowds of 2007, the New York event was moved to the larger East River State Park and employed a free ticketing system.

Forecast rains never materialized, but Nike was kind enough to provide 88boadrum ponchos, a unique memento. As for the music, the band seemed nearly inconsequential anchoring a cacophonous rumble of 88 drum kits spiraling outward across the East River under a perfect July night sky. It stands as one of my most memorable musical experiences.