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MUSIC OF THE SEA
The best summer concerts in Coney Island
BY CHANDLER KIDD
Summer is here, and Coney Island
is heating up with live music
performances of all genres! Here are
10 concerts by the beach you should
be sure to sea!
Unless otherwise noted, all shows
are the Ford Amphitheater 3052
W. 21st St at the Boardwalk in Coney
Island, (718) 954–9933, www.fordamphitheaterconeyisland.
com.
Proud and loud!
Brooklyn transgender rapper
Uncle Meg will wave the rainbow
freak flag at Coney Island’s Sideshow
stage on June 27 during “Uncle
Meg’s Pride Extravaganza.” The
night, part of the Music of Curiosities
seasonal music showcase, will
feature hip-hop and performance
art from artists who bust the gender
binary, including Brooklyn metalrap
duo Ratchet by Nature, Soup,
and KikiRiki Live Poultry.
Coney Island USA (1208 Surf Ave.
at W. 12th St. in Coney Island, www.
coneyisland.com). June 27 at 9 pm.
$20.
Ever after!
Get ready for the greatest weekend
ever at Coney Island, when twoday
music festival “The Greatest
Day Ever” brings 16 electronic and
hip hop artists to the People’s Playground.
The sixth annual festival,
previously held in Williamsburg,
the Bronx, and Governor’s Island, is
in Coney for the first time, and your
ticket will includes free rides at
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement
Park, Luna Park, and on other rides
imported by the festival. This year’s
lineup includes Carnage, Cashmere
Cat, Pusha-T, Zeds Dead, and a dozen
more artists.
www.thegreatestdayever.com.
July 13–14 at 3 p.m. $65 (one day); $99
(both days).
Original Jersey boy
The legendary voice behind “Big
Girls Don’t Cry” and “Can’t Take
My Eyes off You” is coming to Coney!
Frankie Valli and the Four
Seasons have been touring steadily
since 1962, and they will perform
their classic hits at Coney Island’s
Ford Amphitheater on July 19.
July 19 at 7:30 p.m. $29–$125.
Local legends
The Coney Island Music Festival
44 COURIER LIFE, JUNE 21-27, 2019
CAN’T BE BEAT: The awesome musical about the life of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, “Fela!” comes to Coney Island as a free Summerstage
concert on July 26. Transgender rapper Uncle Meg will host a hip-hop Pride Concert at Coney Island USA on June 27. Old-school pop-rock
heartthrob Frankie Valli will perform his hits at the Ford Amphitheatre in Coney Island on July 19.
will rock the People’s Playground on
July 20 with an outpouring of free
music, rain or shine. The event will
feature some of the city’s best local
bands, including the Feelies, Bane’s
World, and Los Wilds, along with
some mystery acts to be announced!
On Stillwell Avenue, between
Surf Avenue and the Boardwalk
(www.allianceforconeyisland.org).
July 20; 3–10 p.m. Free.
Fall for Fela!
Summerstage presents a “Fela!
The Concert,” a music-only adaptation
of the Broadway play about
Fela Kuti, the founder of Afrobeat,
featuring the show’s Tony-winning
10-piece Afrobeat band. The show is
free, so you have no excuse to stay
home!
July 26 at 7 p.m. Free.
Starry night
Hip-hop stars Eric B and Rakim,
Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Lil Cease
and DJ Marley Marl will swing by
the Coney Island Boardwalk for the
“Heart of Hip Hop” event. The show
is one night only, so you do not want
to miss your chance to miss these
big-name rappers !
Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. $25–$100.
I really think so
Put on copious amounts of Aquanet
for the perfect big ’80s hair, and
put on your sunglasses at night!
Now you are ready to travel back
in time to the 1980s with the “Lost
80’s Live” tour. The retro concert,
now in its eighth year of touring,
will feature Flock of Seagulls and
a handful of bands known mostly
for one song, including the Motels
(“Only the Lonely”), Farrington &
Mann (formerly known as When in
Rome, who play “The Promise”),
The Vapors (“Turning Japanese”),
and more.
Aug. 2 at 6:30 p.m. $25–$175.
A killer show
Well known in the underground
rap scene, rap duo $uicideboy$ has
recently appeared on the Billboard
charts. The duo will stop by Coney
this summer with special guests
Denzel Curry, Germ, Turnstile, and
more.
Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. $29–$133.
Space case
A new music venue is set to rise
over the Coney Art Walls this summer,
and its first concert will be
“Moon Dot Beach,” an all-day festival
of electronic music headed by
beat-maker “Space Jesus.”
Amuse at the Coney Island Art
Walls (3050 Stillwell Ave. between
Bowery Street and the Boardwalk in
Coney Island, www.bitly.com/moondotbeach).
Aug. 17; 2 p.m.–midnight.
$39–$59.
Where the Boyz are
The R&B band Boyz II Men has
been singing since the ’90s, so they
are defi nitely men by now. Expect
to hear the now-trio sing hits like
“I’ll Make Love To You,” and “It’s So
Hard to Say Goodbye,” along with
some Motown hits, if we are lucky.
En Vogue will open for the Boyz at
the Ford Amphitheater.
Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. $29–$271.
Jeff Fasano
Associated Press / Matt Sayles
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