Great South Bay: Long Island’s Premier Music Festival
Shorefront Park sits at the edge of the quaint town of Patchogue, overlooking the Great South Bay. The normally quiet neighborhood opened its doors to the Great South Bay Music Festival this past weekend for three days of amazing music, food, drinks and fun. Although the grounds are small by festival standards, they featured an expansive and unique vendor section, food court with festival favorites and local restaurants, a ‘Kid Zone’ that had constant activities for little ones, beer tents serving up a large variety of Long Island’s own Blue Point Brewery beer all surrounding three stages.
The weather Friday was perfect: sunny and warm with a salty breeze coming off the bay; there were smiles all around. The crowd was an eclectic mix of people; some you could tell were just checking out the local event, and some were festival veterans; there was also a large portion of the crowd there to just see 311 since this was their only stop on Long Island this summer. The first set I caught after exploring the grounds was The Green, a six-piece reggae band from Hawaii who has been touring with 311 this summer. Their infectious reggae-dub sound with melodic vocals filled the air as the crowd danced and sipped on Blue Point Rastafa Rye. I had never heard The Green before their set, and I definitely walked away a fan, their music perfect for a relaxing sunny summer day.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were up next, and this blast-from-the-past set exceeded all expectations. The high-energy set from the nine-piece included songs from nearly all of their nine studio albums, highlights being the ’90s favorite “The Impression That I Get” and a cover of The Clash’s “Rudie Can’t Fall.” The most impressive thing about the Bosstones’ set is how much fun they still have on stage after 27 years. Ben Carr did not stop moving once. He danced around the stage for the entire set with every member of the band. As the sun went down and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ set ended, the main stage area filled with people eagerly waiting for 311. This was the most crowded I saw the main stage for the entire weekend. Once their set started, a dance-fueled singalong ensued. The band went through their classics such as “All Mixed Up,” “Who’s Got The Herb?” and “Amber” as well as tracks from their 2014 release Stereolithic. After a stacked 19-song set, the band ended the night with an encore of “Beyond the Gray Sky” and “Creatures (Stay Awhile).” As the crowd dispersed, I couldn’t help but smile; Long Island has needed this festival for far too long.
Saturday was dubbed as ‘jam day,’ by the festival and it definitely had the crowd to back that up. While the attendance was smaller on the second day, you could tell nearly everyone in attendance was a true jam-fan. The sun-soaked Shorefront Park started to come alive just before Twiddle took the stage. The band hadn’t played Long Island for eight years, and they sure have came a long way since then. With a much shorter time slot than they’re used to, the band took the crowd through a seven-song set that included fan favorites “Daydream Farmer” and “Latin Tang” as well as the new track “Admyst the Myst.” The crowd wanted way more than one hour from them: ‘One more song!’ chants erupted as soon as they finished their last song, but the band couldn’t back up the stage changes and promised to return to Long Island soon. Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds was up next, the Brooklyn based band is fronted by the pint-size vocal powerhouse Arleigh Kincheloe. Her soulful voice along with the bands ‘dirty funk’ sound drew in the crowd instantly. The set went through most of their 2015 release The Weather Below and also featured covers of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” and Motley Crews’ “Dr. Feelgood.” The Chris Robinson Brotherhood took the stage as the sun began to set on Saturday. The band opened with the very appropriate “Saturday Night on Long Island,” then took the crowd through a seven-song set. The energy picked up as the main stage filled and The Brotherhood played; the entire crowd was having a blast. When Lotus took the stage, the crowd erupted: jumping, dancing, hula hooping. The band went through their hour and a half in what felt like a second.
Sunday’s lineup featured some legends of classic rock and provided the perfect ending to an amazing weekend. Jefferson Starship started the evening off right, bringing members of Electric Hot Tuna on stage for a little unannounced Jefferson Airplane reunion. The crowd went wild (it is the band’s 50th anniversary, after all). It was Lou Gramm’s turn to wow the crowd next; a highlight of his set was the hit “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” which made the entire crowd start singing. Electric Hot Tuna closed out the night with a set filled with their original tracks as well as Jefferson Airplane songs. It was truly a great way to end a wonderful weekend. Great South Bay is an incredibly unique festival with a small hometown feel that provides a premier lineup; I can honestly say there is nothing like it on Long Island. 2015 was wildly successful, and I can’t wait to see how GSB continues to grow throughout the years.
