Carly Simon, Starbucks at Astor Place, NYC

On this sunny May Day afternoon, I was fortunate enough to grab the last neon green wristband to Carly Simon's five-song acoustic set at Starbucks on Astor Place. The cavernous space was packed with fans hoping for a musical afternoon delight, and they noshed on complimentary pastries as they waited for the show to begin. After a short introduction, Simon came up and sat on a stool at center stage wearing a black blazer and beatnik poet sunglasses. Her four-piece band, which included a barefoot bongo player, framed the blonde singer. She eased into her set with three mellow songs from her new album This Kind of Love which dropped this Tuesday. While slow, the bongos and the wooden hinge box Simon played added a Peruvian groove as bold as the coffee beans brewing in the background. During the second song, Hold Out Your Heart, Simon and her bongo player, perhaps inspired by the coffee house setting, began to snap their fingers to the beat. But the crowd knew things were going to pick up when Simon exchanged the box for a guitar. "It's fun to redo songs when they take on new meaning," Simon said before launching into Anticipation and You're so Vain. They didn't have an electric guitar wailing in the background but it didn't stop Simon and her crew from rocking out Vain. (I didn't know the cowbell could produce such a strident and angry sound until this afternoon). The song started out slow but forceful, with Simon spitting out the scornful lyrics. Soon the whole band joined in, which increased the volume and attitude during landmark phrases like "clouds in your coffee" and "wife of a close friend." It was a good move on Simon's part to close with the karaoke favorite—something old to promote something new.