Last Wednesday, before the George Lamond/Judy Torres concert, kids were running around with brightly colored ice cream in the summer breeze, and people were starting to dance to the dj beats. While some people walking by were drawn to the stage in the park, most of the people there knew exactly what they were going to get: classic, old school freestyle, the kind that was born in the Bronx – or “Da Bronx,” as Judy clarified.
Before getting started, Judy reminisced about her childhood in the Bronx, summers spent climbing over fences to take a dip in the community pool, and her first recording when she was 18, in a manager’s small Bronx apartment. She thanked the audience for staying faithful, and shouted, “If you’re proud to live in the Bronx, when I count to four, I want to see everyone jump!” From then on, no one was standing still.
Finishing up, Judy introduced George Lamond as a “handsome, beautiful young man” and he sang to the crowd, his sweet voice projecting over the park. His fans, which amounted to much of the audience, filled in the lyrics whenever he paused.
When asked if he had been to any CityParks Concerts in the past, one man replied, “Are you kidding? Do you really think I’d miss ‘em?” Another man added, “We come every year!”
For the third concert at Crotona Park, come out to see KRS-One this Wednesday, July 22 at 7PM. “The Teacher” has been MCing since the 80s, and he’s bringing it back to his old neighborhood this week: the South Bronx. If you want to check out other CityParks Concerts around the city, visit CityParksFounation.org. We’ll see you out there!
– Text by Hannah Levinson & Jessica Glazer.
