Spoon made a great case for being the best American band of the last 30 years on Wednesday night at SummerStage in Central Park. With no new record to promote — they’re currently finishing up their 11th album — we got a 20-song set full of hits (“I Turn My Camera On,” “Inside Out,” “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” “The Way We Get By,” “The Underdog”), deep cuts (“Out Go the Lights,” “Take a Walk”), and a few surprises. It all fit together, showcasing the band’s impressive, ever-growing body of work. It being a free show was icing on the cake.
Old friend and former tourmate Hamilton Leithauser, who is sporting a Julian Casablancas-esque hairdo these days, joined the band for “Do You” and a cover of Larry Williams’ “Bony Moronie,” after which most of the band left the stage, leaving Britt Daniel and Alex Fischel alone to perform a spare piano-and-guitar version of David Bowie’s Blackstar song “I Can’t Give Everything Away.”
Fischel remains Spoon’s MVP, switching between guitar and keyboards all night and occasionally, as on “I Turn My Camera On,” functioning as an onstage dub producer, twisting and stretching sounds with reverb, delay, and echo that brought new life to old favorites. Everyone in the band — including guitarist/keyboardist Gerardo Larios and bassist Ben Trokan — was firing on all cylinders, though, and I especially appreciated the camera over Jim Eno’s kit that, via the LED screens, visualized what a great, inventive drummer he is. Of course, Brit is a great frontman, bringing swagger and a distinctive guitar style (sonically and visually).
We also got two songs from Spoon’s last album, Lucifer on the Sofa: the ripping “The Hardest Cut” and the anthem “Wild,” which both felt custom-built for big outdoor stages like this. “Wild” closed out the main set, but they came back for four more songs: “The Underdog,” “Trouble Comes Running,” “Black Like Me,” and “Got Nuffin.” It was a fantastic show, and it’s impressive that three decades in, Spoon are still bringing the heat. And the one new song in the set, “Lose Control,” showed that we have something to look forward to this fall or early next year.
Spoon fans who showed up early at SummerStage got an extra treat: Britt Daniel came out at the end of Bodega‘s opening set to cover Girls Can Tell‘s “The Fitted Shirt.” Before that, Bodega played a couple songs from their upcoming All Inside Aquarium and a few older songs too. They’ve always been good live, and their current lineup, including a stand-up drummer, had the crowd on their side well before Britt made his appearance.
Chicago’s Ratboys made for a great lead-in to Spoon with a rip-roaring set of countrified rock. With Julia Steiner playing a Flying V, I couldn’t help but think of ZZ Top, and they were not shy about throwing shapes, busting out the rock moves, and shredding, with pedal steel and the occasional fiddle adding to the fun. They were a blast.
Check out photos by Ellen Qbertplaya from the whole night, plus Spoon and Ratboys’ setlists, below.
After the show, Britt and members of Ratboys and Bodega headed to Night Club 101 to DJ the afterparty.
SETLIST: Spoon at Summerstage in Central Park 7/8/2026
Take a Walk
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
The Hardest Cut
I Turn My Camera On
My Mathematical Mind
The Way We Get By
Who Makes Your Money
Do You (with Hamilton Leithauser)
Bony Moronie (with Hamilton Leithauser)
I Can’t Give Everything Away
I Summon You
Out Go the Lights
Inside Out
Lose Control
Rent I Pay
Wild
Encore:
The Underdog
Trouble Comes Running
Black Like Me
Got Nuffin
SETLIST: Ratboys at Summerstage in Central Park 7/8/2026
Open Up
Anywhere
Penny in the Lake
The Window
I Go Out at Night
Light Night Mountains All That
What’s Right?
Go Outside
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