On Friday, August 12th, 2011, Sonic Youth played what was to be their final North American concert. Now, the band is releasing a recording of the show as a new live album: “Live in Brooklyn 2011” arrives August 18th via Silver Current, and will be available on vinyl, CD, and cassette tape for the first time. The remixed and remastered LP will also be released digitally via Goofin’. Fitting that their storied career would bookend with a panoramic view of New York City where it all began 30 years before, having left in their wake one of one of the most powerfully influential careers in rock music.
Listen to Sonic Youth’s 2011 performances of “Brave Men Run (In My Family)” and “Death Valley ’69.”
“Live in Brooklyn 2011″ capture’s Sonic Youth’s full 17-song set from their August 2011 show at the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn. The legendary band played in front of a scenic view of the Manhattan skyline after opening performances from Kurt Vile and Wild Flag.
Sonic Youth ripped through a 17 song set that spanned from deep cuts off their first studio album and highlighting many other albums all the way through to their last, like a band with everything to prove. Or as Brooklyn Vegan said at the time: “While most bands who are thirty years into their career are either fading away or living off of the nostalgia of their older material, Sonic Youth continue to sound and perform as fresh as ever.”
Steve Shelley explains the uniquely career spanning set list of “Live in Brooklyn 2011” and how it came to be, as well as the importance of outdoor NYC summer shows in Sonic Youth’s legacy:
“This show was a culmination of a run of really special outdoor summertime shows in New York City for us,
releases August 18th, 2023
Sonic Youth:
Kim Gordon – Voc, Gtr
Mark Ibold – Bass
Thurston Moore – voc, gtr
Lee Ranaldo – Voc, gtr
Steve Shelley – drums
The Fat Angel Sings 