It was a sweltering night in New York City, but no one at Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage seemed to mind. The crowd buzzed with anticipation, and when GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens and her Old-Time Revue took the stage, the heat became just another part of the experience.
With a set that ranged from classic country and old-timey blues to folk ballads and even a rap mash-up, Giddens and her band created a sonic space that felt both timeless and urgent. Her voice—powerful yet delicate—soared across the park, rich with nuance and soul. Her banjo and fiddle playing were equally awe-inspiring, with technical precision and emotional depth that had the audience swaying, stomping, and shouting along.
From toe-tapping hoedowns to songs steeped in longing, the Revue delivered a night of pure musical magic. Giddens’ band features a talented core of players with deep roots in traditional American music, including Justin Robinson (also of Carolina Chocolate Drops), Dirk Powell, Jason Sypher, Amelia Powell, and Demeanor. Each was given space to shine, and the camaraderie and respect among the group elevated the performance beyond a concert into a communal celebration.
Giddens graciously stepped back at moments, allowing her bandmates the spotlight, but her presence remained the guiding force of the evening. With her trademark blend of scholarship, storytelling, and showmanship, she demonstrated that it’s possible to move both forward and backward in time—honoring history while reinventing it.
This performance is part of a big year for Giddens. Her new album, What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow, has been met with widespread acclaim and continues her mission to uplift underrepresented voices in American music history. Her work as a musician, composer, and cultural advocate offers a more complete and inclusive vision of our country’s musical heritage.
Live, she is magnetic. Whether delivering a tender ballad or igniting a fiddle breakdown, Giddens’ performances are rooted in Black folk traditions and fueled by her deep love of the music and its stories. Her SummerStage show was a perfect example—joyous, powerful, and unforgettable.
Giddens has also been making waves off-stage. She was recently featured in the New York Times for her first-ever festival in Durham, which reunited her former band, Carolina Chocolate Drops. And in a recent NYT Magazine feature by Carlo Rotella, her work was spotlighted as part of roots music’s evolution in the age of algorithms.
But on this summer night in Central Park, the algorithm was simple: incredible music, heartfelt storytelling, and a crowd ready to be swept away. Mission accomplished.
Find out more at rhiannongiddens.com
