The Kooks Played Central Park w/ Illinois and Stellastarr*

The Kooks at the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park (09/10/08)
Luke Pritchard of The Kooks at Central Park

Last night, massively popular band, (in the UK), The Kooks rolled into the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park and they brought their friends Illinois and Stellastarr* with them. Bumpershine rock star photographer Tim Griffin was there to capture all the action.

I couldn’t make it myself, but here’s what Matt Simpson of WNEW had to say about The Kooks performance:

“Enough of the doom and gloom stuff, let’s have some fun.”

Pritchard yelled that out after the fifth song and then launched into a rocking Monday, followed by a string of fan favorites including Do You Wanna, Naive, and Shine On, before taking a quick break. Out came Pritchard after a few minutes, alone with an acoustic guitar. He thanked the crowd and then acknowledged “all of our friends,” pointing to a big group at the side of the stage. He appeared to get choked up for a minute, and then started to play another crowd favorite Seaside. Another acoustic song and a guest spot by ‘Marquis’ on the violin gave way to the full-band encore Love. Pritchard threw himself into the crowd at the end, just as he’d done at Terminal 5, and then it was over. There may be few greater pleasures than walking home through a lamplit Central Park, ears still ringing but sweetly from another great show on a night when it still felt like summertime. [WNEW.com]

Stellastarr* at the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park (09/10/08)
Stellastarr* at Central Park