Bloc Party played to a sold-out (exactly how many people is that?) McCarren Park Pool. When I first heard that Live Nation had scored a contract to produce live (and expensive) concerts at the pool, it was hard for me to supress my fear that they would get it all wrong. While appreciative of them for cleaning up the pool for an experimental dance performance last summer, hardly anyone was looking forward to them getting the concerts as quid pro quo for their $200K cleanup effort.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that they didn’t completely mess the whole thing up. Sure, the same ornery security people that Live Nation seems to hire for all their venues - gruff, sometimes surly chaps warning you they’ll kick you out if your camera ever leaves your bag. The proliferation of cameras at the concert proves that no one even listens to security’s hollow threats anymore. Besides, how the hell were they gonna pinpoint, let alone kick out, hundreds of picture-takers?

Anyway, back to the concert - I’d never seen Bloc Party before and I’m fairly certain this is the largest venue they’d ever played in NYC. While I’m certain that they’re a great small venue band, I feel as if their style of music was meant for large, outdoor venues. The high energy and fast-paced tempos are conducive to plenty of fan participation - dancing, arms flailing about, and crowd surfing. I don’t believe I’ve had more fun at an outdoor concert - at least at one where I paid to get in - in a long time.

Midlake played at Mercury Lounge on the same night as the Cold War Kids.

Cold War Kids played to a sold-out Mercury Lounge crowd. Some might say that the sell-out was due to the Kids being on the bill. It’s my second time seeing them and they were just as much fun the second time around. Cymbal crashing while resting atop a cinder block, maracas, and tambourines - these guys know how to have fun on stage.

Benjy Ferree played at South Street Seaport.

Nicolai Dunger opened for Elvis Perkins at the River to River Festival.

Elvis Perkins played at South Street Seaport.

The Hold Steady played a free show in Battery Park last night. The band, made famous by playing four shows in 48 hours at 2005’s SXSW, played a stripped-down acoustic set.

The first band I caught at the Jens Lekman show, Tom Thumb & The Latter Day Saints, was as advertised - a folky rock sound. Nothing too remarkable about this band and the crowd seemed to feel the same way.

Preceding Jens Lekman’s set was the aforementioned Frida Hynvonen. After setting her beer down on the piano, she remarked on the bass-thumping Middle East Downstairs club underneath TT’s. It didn’t seem to bother her too much as she went on to put on a great show, combining her beautiful voice with a certain lyrical whimsy.

Oh You’re So Amazing Jens! Playing to a sold-out TT’s in Boston, Jens Lekman put on an awesome show that was engaging and cute. He had the stage presence and charm of Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian, right down to same lilting, accented voice when he speaks to the audience. With a band of six lovely lasses for support, Jens jumped right into making sweet, beautiful live music.

After disappearing offstage, Jens came back for an encore with touring parter, Frida Hynvonen. After a bit about how he didn’t speak English, with all the phrases he knew the result of sounding it out phonetically, he and Frida did a song all in Finnish. Before he started singing, he uttered a few phrases in Finnish and Frida provided the translations, very much in the fashion of “languages on tape” - highly amusing.