3 Timeless Concerts Recorded at Central Park That We Can’t Forget

New York City is home to likely the most famous park in the world. Indeed, Central Park is expansive and beautiful. It’s also historic. Over the years, some of the biggest musical acts in the world have stopped by the 843-acre area to play for their fans.

Videos by American Songwriter

And that’s just what we wanted to highlight below. We wanted to dive into three concerts that famously used Central Park as their backdrop. These are three timeless concerts recorded at Central Park that we can’t forget.

‘The Central Park Concert’ by Dave Matthews Band (2003)

The Dave Matthews Band was one of the biggest groups of the 1990s. With songs like “Crash into Me” and “Satellite”, the jam band accrued millions of fans all over the world. They boast a number of No. 1 albums on the Billboard Top 200, and DMB is also one of the biggest-grossing live bands of all time. And it was in 2003 that the collective likely saw the height of its fame. That’s when about 1,000,000 people traveled to New York City’s Central Park for a free Dave Matthews Band show. The concert was preserved on CD and DVD, and today it remains a fan favorite.

‘The Concert In Central Park’ by Simon & Garfunkel (1982)

While DMB is one of the most recent examples of an extravagant show at Central Park, the band likely drew inspiration from a show that happened more than 20 years before it. Indeed, in many ways, Simon & Garfunkel set the standard for Central Park rock performances. The duo’s pristine recording from the park in the Big Apple came out in 1982, and it remains perhaps the crowning achievement of the two old New York City high school friends. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel met as kids in the city, and that bond made them music legends.

‘Diana Ross Live In Central Park’ by Diana Ross (2012)

A few years after Simon & Garfunkel recorded their set in Central Park, pop star Diana Ross decided to do something similar. Ross hosted two shows in Central Park to raise money for charity. But the first night was cut short due to a giant storm in the area. The second night provided a sunnier experience. The shows were actually broadcast on Showtime. They drew some 800,000 people in person and many more on TV. Later, in 2012, the concerts were finally released on DVD for fans to enjoy. They depict Ross at the top of her game. The hundreds of thousands of people are in the palm of her hand.

Photo by Steve Eichner/WireImage