LIVE: African-American Family Day @ Empire State Plaza – 8/1/09

The weather cooperated magnificently for the annual African-American Family Day on Saturday, August 1. Led by Marshall Thompson, the last remaining original member, the vintage Chi-Town smooth-soul sensations the Chi-Lites headlined the fest with a grab bag of hits from their early-’70s heyday.

Other acts who kept the crowd up on its feet throughout the seven-hour long free festival included Stage Left, the hip-sop sounds of rapper Shaun H. Mykals and trumpeter Jimmy Owens and the Jazzmobile. Even Governor Paterson soaked up some of the sun and sounds. Here’s what Andrzej Pilarczyk caught on pixel: