Concert Review: BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn Creates Magic With Anoushka Shankar

There are those that believe life is magic. I always struggled with that beauty of that perspective; as if life it this energy that can transform desires into spells and spells into truths. Yet, at Anoushka Shankar’s performance at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn, I understood it a little bit more.

First, before Anoushka lit the stage, My Brightest Diamond came on, accompanied with a choir, to bring her standard artistic empowerment. For her, art is only powerful when it encourages its spectators or listeners to makes their own life into a work of art. Seeing her with a batch of extremely talented kids sing to a respecting and bettering the future was right up BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn’s mission. This series wants you to dance and groove, but it also wants you to vote and protect democracy. While, nowadays, even saying you are for “equality” or “social justice” opens a controversial discussion, at BRIC! there is an open door policy of supporting people from all walks of life. Hence, they have such diversity in crowd and artists like, Anoushka Shankar. 

The way Anoushka Shankar’s music danced with the wind made me believe that music could do ballroom with nature. She brings the lush landscapes and ruby tales of Eastern culture into sound. She reminded me of my recent interview with Ana Tijoux; in which she said “even the abstract has a message…. and music with no words can be political.” Anoushka Shankar’s music is an example of that. She shows life in sound, and makes you think of stories, cultures, peoples, and landscapes you have never seen but oddly know. She is a prime example that there is a basic goodness to humanity anyone can embody so that everyone can feel.

Shankar’s show was completely soothing. Under the dark sky, open air of Prospect Park Bandshell you felt safe and guarded from the world. Not a lot of concert series offer you artists that envelop you with the range of noise. You could listen to Anoushka, but also the surrounding families, the friends picnicking behind the seats, and people happily chatting as they bought fries, a beer, or even some local accessories. By now, I have been to several BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn concerts, and it is an opportunity for you to experience new musics and dance troupes of high caliber, but also our great people: The New Yorkers! As the summer heads its final row, CHECK OUT BRIC CELEBRATE BROOKLYN”S LINEUP HERE!