As the sluggish summer season grinded to a halt, two fine outdoor concerts rescued New York. Joni Mitchell played her jazz at Forest Hills, and the Cars prayed to the ghost of "96 Tears" in Central Park.

With a band dhat includes Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Michael Brecker, and Jaco Pastorius, Joni included a selection from "Mingus," showing the range of her work while managing to unify it in the contemporary form. Her encore was "Shadows And Light," performed mostly acapella, with the Persuasions in support. Time, many people feel, for a new live album to preserve these interpretations.

The Cars played a sodden Wollman's Skating Rink, but the darkness of the night didn't stop a frolic. The sense of Roy Thomas Baker's artful production was preserved on stage as Rick Ocasek and Benjamin Orr ticked through "Let The Good Times Roll", Let's Go," and " My Best Friend's Girl." "Double Life" missed the exquisitely shifting emphasis in rhythm between drum machine, drums and plucked guitar, but "Bye Bye Love," sung by Orr, shimmered with moody power.