Some sprinkles fell in the hour or so before Kevin Morby hit the outdoor stage at a fenced-in lot on Crescent Street a few blocks from Queensboro Plaza late Saturday afternoon.

It appeared during that time that the dark rain clouds above might make for a dud of an event with few attendees.

Morby had played a show the night before at Baby’s All Right, a venue he says he really likes because of the accommodating manner in which the staff there treats musicians.

But a little before 5 PM Saturday, the rain clouds drifted southeast and the sun came out in Queens as Morby, drummer Justin Sullivan and bassist Mike Campbell launched their 40-minute set at The Lot with “The Jester.” About 50 people were assembled at that point including Morby and Sullivan’s Babies bandmate Cassie Ramone (whose solo debut is formally released on Loglady this Tuesday).

The stage’s backdrop included the beautiful building at 2 Court Square which houses the CUNY School of Law. The 50-story Citibank tower also stood large. A steady flow of 7 trains passed.

Sarah Obraitis of M. Wells helped work the beer and food concession at the Lot which is steps from the famous M. Wells steakhouse. 16-ounce plastic cups of Mermaid Pilsner (Coney Island Brewing Co.) cost eight bucks. Admission was free thanks largely to underwriting by a prominent real estate developer with heavy interest is what’s sprouting up in ever-changing Long Island City.

This was Morby’s first performance in the borough of Queens since embarking on the solo career. There was a Babies set at a Chinese buffet restaurant in Ridgewood, Queens back in January 2012 but I had to work that night. Queens doesn’t see a lot of bands stop here so this series of shows at The Lot this summer is something I’d hope would have success. The remnants of a small outdoor swimming pool fills the center of the space with the diving board still intact. Alex Bleeker will play the Lot in a couple weeks. The only small drawback I detected with the venue was a noisy fuel-powered generator behind the sound board but it was only noticeable during quiet lulls between songs. Not a big deal.

A formal announcement on the release date for Morby’s much-anticipated second record will be made this Tuesday. The jewel of a number Morby closed with Saturday is certain to be included. It’s called “All of my Life.” It’ll knock anybody’s socks off for its catchiness. Depending on what’s happening in your life, it can really tug at you – or have intense applicability to the day-to-day view of things. Whether you‘re up – or down. It sounded especially sweet Saturday as I stood there solo with the 7 going by in the background.

-One bit of news picked up at the show: The great and versatile Cate Le Bon is expected to join Tim Presley’s White Fence for a string of dates in late October. It’s spectacular to think about these two being on the same stage at the same time – and it only heightens the excitement of the White Fence show in Brooklyn scheduled for Rocktober 13th.