School’s out for summer! And you know what that means?
Well, besides less clothes, more camping, and euphoric seasonal scents, summer also means outdoor concerts and music festivals!
Luckily, Long Island has its share of sizzling summer shows, and for your convenience we’ve put together a “when and where” of the hottest music festivals on Long Island, and coolest concerts at Jones Beach. So, grab the sunblock and get ready to hit up the food trucks, because your summer vibes are about to get groovier.
Long Island Summer Music Festivals
When: Saturday, July 8, 2017
Where: Jones Beach, Wantagh
Every year metal heads, indie and underground rock enthusiasts, emo teenagers, and bikini-top-wearing babes flock to Warp Tour for a full day of musical festivities. Bands kick things off at 11:00 am and rock on throughout the evening. There will be food vendors and plenty of band t-shirts, pinback buttons, stickers and obsessive groupie merch to buy, and autograph ops. Bring your mosh pit shoes and make sure to check out the list of artists and stages over on the official website.
Great South Bay Music Festival
When: July 13 – 16, 2017
Where: Shorefront Park, Patchogue
This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Great South Bay Music Festival. According to their website, it’s the “longest running, and largest four-day, American-themed music, art and cultural family event on Long Island.” This one is especially great for those who love shopping handmade because you can expect a butt-load of crafters selling soaps, candles, dream catchers, and other hippie swag. Here, you can check out the pretty rad artisan market, eat some awesome festival food and visit the beer and wine gardens, all while enjoying some outdoor concerts.
Artists at this event include Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory, Zombies, Eddie Money, and more. Head to their website for the full lineup.
Long Island Sound and Art Festival
When: Sunday, August 20, 2017
Where: Northport Park, Northport
Now this festival serves up all your outdoor summer festival fun including a wickedly cool drum circle (I don’t know of too many other places with a drum circle). Plus, it’s totally FREE! The event starts at noon and goes until 6:30 pm. Expect live music all day long, as well as live painting, art exhibitions, vendors, and hula-hoops! Oh, and dogs are welcome here too!!
Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival
When: August 19 – 20, 2017
Where: Jones Beach, Wantagh
If you prefer something more mainstream radio, Long Island always brings the heat with its wild Billboard Hot 100 concert series. This year headlining will be Big Sean + Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled, Echosmith, and more. This is a HUGE party concert experience featuring a total of 40 acts across three stages, including one stage right on Jones Beach sand, and plenty of shirtless dudes wearing Ray-Bans.
Jones Beach Theater, Long Island outside concert venue.
Jones Beach Summer Concert Picks
Besides playing host to a few of the festivals above, Jones Beach also happens to be king of summer concerts in general. Here are our must-see shows:
Foreigner / Cheap Trick / Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience
When: Thursday, July 20, 2017
Foreigner is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year with a tour appropriately named the 40th Anniversary Tour. It features Cheap Trick along with Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience.
Boston / Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
When: Sunday, July 23, 2017
Boston’s Hyper Space tour promises to be out of this world as it soars to Long Island with Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.
When: Friday, July 28, 2017
Chicago teams up with The Doobie Brothers for a nostalgic, Friday night concert on the beach.
Styx
When: Wednesday, August 16
Styx's United We Rock tour features REO Speedwagon and former Eagles guitarist Don Felder as they, too, serve up a nice heaping of nostalgia… but on a Wednesday night.
When: Friday, August 25, 2017
Want some classic southern rock? Catch Lynyrd Skynyrd's One More For The Fans summer tour with Hank Williams Jr.
And last but not least, we recommend catching Deep Purple, Alice Cooper and The Edgar Winter Band as they take the Jones Beach Theater stage late August.
For a full rundown of all the Jones Beach 2017 summer concerts, check out this article from Newsday.
BONUS Awesomeness
Led Zeppelin Laser Light Show @ Vanderbilt Museum
Experience the orgasmic sounds of Led Zeppelin playing to a sweet laser light show, Fridays + Saturdays at 10:00 pm at the Planetarium. The show is 52 minutes long and tickets are $10.
BUT HURRY! Laser Led Zeppelin only runs until June 24th. Then, it switches to Laser U2 for the remainder of the summer (which is still awesome, but it’s not Led Zeppelin).
Rock On Long Island
Which event will you attend? Tell us on Facebook!
And don’t forget to stop by our Psychedelic Gift Shop and Head Shop in Bellmore, NY. We have all the accessories you need to make your summer of concerts complete. From smoking and vaping supplies, to backpacks and cases, to t-shirts and caps, and much, much more, Euphoria’s got you covered for a magical, musical summer.
~ Peace!