Last Friday, Forest Hills Stadium in Queens officially reopened for the first time since 2019, with Brandi Carlile and Amythyst Kiah taking the stage to get the post-vaccine concert season started.
Mike Luba, the music exec behind the rehabilitation and booking of the venue, told Gothamist the process to restart things has "been an adventure so far... a lot of fits and starts. We'd been coordinating dates throughout the pandemic, booking and then rescheduling and then rescheduling again."
READ MORE: The Long, Sad, Hopeful Story Of Forest Hills Stadium
Artists who have a more plug-in and play set-up have been easier to book through the shifting landscape of the pandemic, Luba said. "I think it's mostly about being able to head out the door the moment it was safe to do so—not every artist's show lends itself to that. A lot of pop, where you see big production elements, elaborate choreography, there's a lot that goes into that. They can't just get the band in a bus and head out on the road."
Meanwhile, other artists have "held off on booking dates to time to album releases... we're already seeing competition for dates into '22 and '23, there's going to be an incredible amount of great artists touring in the next few years."
As for 2021, the calendar looks like this so far:
- July 31st Bright Eyes, Waxahatchee, Lucy Dacus
- August 21st Wilco, Sleater-Kinney, Nnamdi
- August 28th Dropkick Murphys, Rancid, The Bronx
- September 9th King Crimson, The Zappa Band
- September 10th and 11th My Morning Jacket and Brittany Howard
- October 2nd The Neighbourhood
Returning guests won't see many changes this year, though Luba notes, "We're taking safety seriously and are following all the guidance the city has provided, and we'll have sanitization stations throughout the stadium. And, of course, we're entirely outside, so that helps."
Food vendors will be on hand again, with new carts rotating in throughout the season. And other aspects are staying the same, as well — like the Speakeasy Suites, those little nooks under the stands that are like magical forts from which you can watch the show (and refill your drink). City Winery will also have their own lounge again, which this time around is open to all.
While the West Side Tennis Club has called it home for over a century, and still owns the 14-acre property, Forest Hills Stadium hasn't been a tennis-only venue for a long time. Mid-way through the 20th century, music was added to the roster of big name matches, and legends like The Beatles, The Supremes, Joan Baez, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Simon & Garfunkel (who grew up in the neighborhood), Judy Garland, and The Rolling Stones all taking the stage. Maybe you recall the latter from Mad Men:
