Sounds of the Shore

For many Jersey Shore music aficionados, the highlight of the summer schedule will no doubt be Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s performance at the sixth-annual Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park on September 15.

Though it’s after Labor Day, the date is still part of the summer, and who in the heck wants to argue semantics, anyway? Springsteen will perform at his coastal home, joining the likes of Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam as headliners at the two-day event, which also features Noah Kahan, Gaslight Anthem, The Black Crowes, Norah Jones and The Trey Anastasio Band.

Tickets sold out almost immediately, but those who missed out on Bruce (he’s also appearing on August 21 and 23 at Citizens Bank Park) will still have plenty of opportunities to enjoy great music at the Shore this summer.

As usual.

From cover bands to big-name headliners, folks vacationing and living from Asbury Park to Cape May have a robust menu of auditory options at a variety of different venues, ranging from larger halls to the beach. There will be impromptu jam sessions and big-name performers. Some acts will play for free. Others will charge top dollar. What is certain is that just about everybody will be able to find something they enjoy.

One of the top spots for music year-round is Atlantic City. There are plenty of bars that have bands that play throughout the summer, and casinos welcome a wide variety of smaller, local acts and cover bands, along with a significant menu of tribute bands that specialize in one artist’s work.

For instance, Resorts along will present homages to David Bowie, the Temptations, Coldplay, ABBA, ELO, Neil Diamond and the Beatles. For those who look for the real thing, there are several big names lined up to play AC this summer. Included are Kesha (July 3 at Hard Rock Live), Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (July 6 at Ocean Resort and Casino), Asia (July 12, Tropicana Casino), Brian McKnight (July 12, Ocean Resort and Casino), The O’Jays (July 13, Hard Rock Live), Blue Oyster Cult (July 13, Golden Nugget), Hank Williams Jr. (July 26, Hard Rock), Ludacris and T.I. (July 27, Hard Rock), Black Eyed Peas (August 4, Ocean Resort and Casino), Boyz 2 Men (August 16, Borgata), Miranda Lambert (August 31, Hard Rock) and Squeeze and Boy George (September 14, Tropicana).

Those who tend to migrate further up the coast for their Shore fun have the opportunity to check out some big-name acts at Asbury Park’s legendary Stone Pony, which has for decades presented some significant up-and-comers, along with more established bands. On July 10, country storyteller Jamey Johnson performs, while O.A.R. comes to the Pony on July 19. Deadheads from every shore point will converge on July 21 when the Dark Star Orchestra arrives. The Struts will rock on August 3, while The Gaslight Anthem plays there on August 16, in a preview of what fans can expect the next month at Sea.Hear.Now.

When Kacie Rattigan checks in on musicians who have come to Cape May to be part of the town’s Summer Concert Series, the feedback is almost unanimously positive.

“People love coming to Cape May,” she says.

Howard Street Rample at the Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, NJ

Rattigan is the Director of Civic Affairs, Recreation, Tourism and Marketing for the city, a position she has held for three-plus years. During that time, she has seen several artists entertain crowds in the 800-seat Convention Hall. Last year, Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits, The Association and Jay and the Americans headlined the series.

This year’s group is even stronger. On July 7, Mac McAnally, who rode shotgun with Jimmy Buffett for decades, will begin the series. On the 28th, Richard Thompson takes the stage, and Donovan Frankenreiter will appear on August 11. On August 15, John Oates – one-half of the prolific band Hall & Oates – headlines, and The Hooters close things out on August 24 and 25.

“Most of the shows are sold out or close to it every year,” Rattigan says.

While those concerts feature some big names, others are just fun tributes. In Cape May this summer, fans of Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Elvis Presley and the British Invasion have the chance to see tribute bands in July and August.

Those looking to pack a ton of musical fun and legendary acts into three days can check out the third annual Capestock Festival from August 16-18. The celebration of “peace & music” takes place in Convention Hall and on the beach outside it. A variety of cover bands playing the sounds of artists like The Who, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin and Lynyrd Skynyrd will take the stage, with local favorite Grateful Dead tribute band Splintered Sunlight closing everything out late Sunday afternoon.

“We want to bring live entertainment to the county and the city,” Rattigan says.

There is no denying the value of familiar names and tributes to the Cape May scene, but nothing encompasses the city’s vibe quite like the Howard Street Ramble, which takes place every Thursday night from the week before Memorial Day until Halloween. The jam session takes place at the Chalfonte Hotel in the venerable King Edward Bar. Musicians from all over the area convene to jam and enjoy the unfettered joy of making music.

Patrons crowd into the Chalfonte and line up outside on the lawn to hear proceedings, which do not abide by any setlist, program or other rules. The music makers come together hoping to imbue each evening with its own personality and special sound. The Ramble began in June 2016 and has hosted a wide variety of strummers, pickers, strummers, fiddlers and harmonicists. The music can vary, but it is mostly American in nature, and when the sun finally sets, and the neighbors request some quiet, the Ramblers move into the King Edward for Ramble After Dark and continue. It’s a perfect Cape May tradition and one that seems to get better with each successive note.

Cape May isn’t the only city in the southern NJ county to have upped its summer musical offerings. Pop and rock fans who will be in the Ocean City area have an impressive collection of talent to sample. In fact, the OC Music Pier could well outdo its shore rivals this summer.

The biggest party will take place on August 5-6, when The Beach Boys play two shows (6:00 and 8:30) on both nights. Now in its remarkable 63rd year, the venerable surf-and-fun band is once again fronted by 83-year-old founding member Mike Love, who seems to get younger with each new year. Bruce Johnson, who has been with the band since 1965 (minus a six-year hiatus in the ‘70s) is also part of the lineup. Expect a non-stop collection of hits.

Also playing the Pier are The Wailers on July 8, John Lodge of The Moody Blues, who will be performing the classic album “Days of Future Passed” (including legendary cuts “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon”), along with other hits on July 15, 10cc on July 29, Herman’s Hermits on August 12 and Graham Nash, who will provide an evening of “More Songs and Stories” of his Hall of Fame career on August 26.

A little further south in Cape May County, Avalon will once again host its Thursdays at Surfside series. Although it doesn’t include any big names, the tribute lineup is indeed impressive and runs from July 11 through August 29 and features bands covering the music of Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones and the Eagles, among others. On August 15, the Yacht Rock Gold Experience will capitalize on the recent easy-listening fad, and it all ends September 5 when The Amish Outlaws present their versions of songs from many different music genres.

It’s all part of the smorgasbord of summer music offerings that should make Shore vacations even more fun.