Tuesday Evening in Red Hook: SummerStage presents Talib Kweli at Red Hook Park

On the first evening of summer, we were in Red Hook Park for Talib Kweli's powerful, magnetic dynamite show.

From the moment he strode onto SummerStage's outdoor stage in Red Hook, the man was in total control of the crowd and his high-octane, smart rhymes and music.

Backed up by an incredible band and DJ, Talib exuded energy and the dangerous intelligence we've always appreciated in his work. (Listen to the interview he did with Broadcastr on being an artist in the digital age.)

And his range was wide; we particularly admired his contemplative hip-hop singalong version of "Eleanor Rigby" for a change of pace.

It was a gorgeous night, with warm temperatures but cool breezes and it all felt magical.

Everyone seemed to be in some combination of excitement and bliss. SteveOrtiz1973 uploaded this great video of Talib performing "Move Something" (and he has others, too):


We're grateful we got to see Talib Kweli in Red Hook Park tonight, and we guess with the Smith/9th Street station closed for a year, that walking from and to the Carroll Street station did us good.