Tri-state Area Music Festivals Debut for Summer

The summer season opens a new stadium for leisure, including musical entertainment. There are plenty of summer festivals touring nationally that make stops in New Jersey and surrounding destinations between May and August.

Coming to West Freehold in Monmouth County, the Skate and Surf Festival hosts a series of headliners including Fall Out Boy, Timeflies, A Day to Remember and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19. Other favorites that will perform include Streetlight Manifesto, LIGHTS, Into It. Over It, Of Mice and Men, Bayside and Saves The Day. A single day pass costs $59.99, while a two-day pass costs $99.99.

The 18th annual Vans Warped Tour has two dates in New Jersey, one at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel on July 7 and the other at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden on July 12. Another local option is at the Nassau Memorial Coliseum in New York City on July 13. Popular artists that will be performing are The Wonder Years, August Burns Red, Man Overboard and The Story So Far.

There are also headlining summer festivals happening outside, but not entirely far from the state. The 9th Mountain Jam festival features The Gaslight Anthem, The Lumineers and other rock bands over a four-day weekend from June 6 through June 9. Currently, single-day passes can be bought at the "pretty early" ticket price of $79; however, prices will rise to $89 and up as the festival approaches. A three-day pass averages $247, including the camping option, and $222 without it.

On the same weekend, Governors Ball, hosted on Governors Island off of the island of Manhattan headlines major acts including Kings of Leon, Kanye West, Of Monsters and Men, Grizzly Bear and Kendrick Lamar on Friday, June 7 to Sunday, June 9. Currently, all three-day and single-day passes (except for Friday) are sold out.

Long Island Fest will be held at the 89 North Music Venue in Patchogue, N.Y., on Saturday, June 15.

"Long Island Fest is a newer fest that draws in many different awesome hardcore, pop punk and some metal core bands from all over the place but mainly focuses on New York City and Long Island hardcore scenes," junior Ryan McGrath said.

"This year, it was just recently announced that bands like On the Might of Princes and Indecision are playing," McGrath added. "On the Might of Princes opened for Texas is the Reason's reunion set when I went to the first day of Revelation Records 25th Anniversary Showcase in New York City back in October. I was really bummed that I missed their set the first time around, but now that they're playing at Long Island Fest, I am definitely not missing out on seeing them."

Other popular acts performing include I Am The Avalanche and Daylight. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

On the weekend of August 8 to 11, This is Hardcore will celebrate its eighth year at Philadelphia's biggest festival described as "four days where we turn the biggest rock venue in Philadelphia into the nation's biggest hardcore show," according to its official website.

"This is a fest that I have shown interest in going to for years, but never had the chance to. This year, Modern Life is War is playing a reunion, which I am really stoked about. Other bands like Kid Dynamite, Ceremony, Defeater, Trapped under Ice and The Suicide File are on the bill," McGrath added. "Even GWAR is headlining the fest. That should be a crazy cool time."

Festival and weekend passes vary in price from approximately $110 to $130 for the This Is Hardcore festival. Both passes can be bought through Ticketmaster.

Down south in Dover, Del., major acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Vampire Weekend and Foster the People will conquer the Firefly stage.

"After attending last year's festival, I knew I had to go again," junior Jessica Waldron explained. "I'm excited because the staff and fellow concert-attendees were so friendly, there were so many attractions other than the performances themselves, including an arcade area, a hammock hangout and a 'vineyard.' The musical acts were phenomenal, and everyone was there to have a genuinely fun time, which it was."

Currently, a three-day pass costs $258 and can be purchased through the festival's official website, FireflyFestival.com.

Additionally, on the weekend of August 15 to 18, the Peach Musical Festival in Scranton, Penn. will feature the Allman Brothers Band and Bob Weir and the Rat Dog. General admission to the festival, currently at its second early bird phase, costs roughly $129 while the camping admission, also at its second early bird phase, costs $225. Ticket prices will most likely see two more phases at progressively higher rates.

dcorcion@ramapo.edu