It was Common’s ground!
A beloved borough concert series kicked off its 40th year in Prospect Park on Tuesday with a set by award-winning rapper Common, whose free show could be described in one word, according to an attendee.
“Amazing,” said Williamsburger Amy Klewitz. “He puts on such a great show.”
The Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar–winning rapper from Chicago took to the stage of the Prospect Park Bandshell to usher in the fourth decade of arts-and-culture purveyor Bric’s Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival — a summer-long series of free and ticketed shows that will feature acts that include Latin-rock band Los Lobos, singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, and blues-soul guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. through August 11.
And before Common burned up the green space with his lyrics, Bric leaders and generous donors gathered for a gala inside a special tent set up within Brooklyn’s Backyard, where they toasted the organization’s outgoing president Leslie Schultz, who ran it for 13 years before stepping down.
Bric bigwigs are in the midst of a nationwide search for Schultz’s replacement, according to a rep, who said there is no timeline for announcing her successor.
