Okayfuture TV: Bonobo, Cibo Matto + ODESZA Bring The Future To Central Park Summerstage
This past Sunday, Bonobo, Cibo Matto and ODESZA brought the future out to dance on the wet grass around Central park SummerStage in NYC. Before the day had even started, we had to question whether we’d even have a show or not. There was a 40% chance that rain would fall upon New York right around 6 p.m., exactly when the 2nd installment of Okayplayer's 5-concert SummerStage series was slated to begin. Still, hours before doors open there was a mob of fans waiting to see their beloved musicmakers. While we indeed weathered (pun intended) some showers during sound check (throwing plastic tarps over stage monitors and other expensive sound gear) ...Hallelujah! the electronic music gods blessed us and our already near-capacity audience with clear summer skies as ODESZA took the stage. Playing a stunning, seamless set of their melodic, arm-raising and mood-lifting sounds like crowd pleasers, “My Friends Never Die” and “Sun Models,” ODESZA’s performance was an incredibly strong start for the evening.
By the time ODESZA wrapped it up and Cibo Matto took over, thousands had settled into Rumsey Playfield and communal dance parties had taken over the venue. During their highly entertaining set, NYC music scene veterans Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori fearlessly pounced across the stage in a choreographed air-guitar inspired dance to a bass solo break-down. As the Central Park sky dimmed to night, the stage lights grew bright and effervescent (smoke machines), and the crowd stirred with excitement. The man of the hour, Simon Green AKA Bonobo, with 15 years of Ninja Tune releases under his belt (and more recently a year’s-plus worth of touring across 30 countries) was making his way to the stage, with full band in tow – I counted a 12-piece, including both strings and brass sections, plus drums and keys, and the mesmerizing Szjerdene. As Bonobo and his band, along with special guests Grey Reverend and the lovely Andreya Triana, belted out fan favorites at their final show in North America, on this enormous tour, the smiling masses sparkled and waved with cellphone flashes as they danced under the moon. We thought, “could this moment be any more magical?”
Get a taste of the magic via our full Okayfuture TV video recap above and hit the link below for a full photo gallery and more info:
