Jones Beach Theater

Hello everybody!

Seeing how the weather is (sort of) getting better and warmer, I feel it’s only natural that I talk about things to look forward to this summer!

One thing that is a big part of the summer is outdoor summer concerts. Now, I’m sure that many things come to mind when someone says “outdoor summer concerts,” but I’m sure that almost all of you reading thought of the same place as soon as I started talking about this: Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York. 

It is easily one of, if not the most famous outdoor amphitheater in the area, and it has so many different shows in one season. In fact, as I am currently writing this, they already have a very stacked lineup of shows from June to September, with even more shows to be announced. 

In this blog post, I will be writing about all the shows that they have scheduled for this summer, in hopes that any or all of them sound intriguing to all of you reading.

The first show they have on June 5 is some rock band called Triumph, who will also be joined by some other rock band called April Wine, and judging by the fact that me, a person who loves rock music, has never heard of them, I am positive that none of you reading know who they are either. In fact, I feel like if I didn’t specify that they were a rock band, you’d think I was talking about an Insult Comic Dog. They do have an interesting history though, as they formed in 1975, went on hiatus in 1993, performed two concerts in 2008, performed three songs in 2019, reunited for its first public performance in 17 years in 2025, and is going on their first major tour in more than three decades this year. I’m always fascinated by bands that are off the radar for so many years or decades, and then get back together for a massive tour at massive venues, like Big Time Rush or Simple Minds. And this is not the last time I will be bringing this up in this blog post.

The next show they have on June 8 is one of the best pop singers of the 2010s who is absolutely making a comeback with another massive tour: Kesha, who is also being joined by two other artists named Chromeo and Sizzy Rocket.

The next show they have on June 19 is Yacht Rock Revue, which proves that even legendary venues that still get huge names can also get tribute artists.

The next show they have on June 20 is some country singer named Riley Green, who is also going to be joined by three other country singers named Justin Moore, Drake White, and Hannah McFarland.

The next show they have on June 23 is legendary rock singer James Taylor.

The next show they have on June 24 is one of the best rock bands of the 2000s: Evanescence, with two other rock bands called Spiritbox and Nova Twins.

The next show they have on June 27 is a rock band called Godsmack, with two other rock bands called Dorothy and Stone Temple Pilots, the latter of which I am more familiar with than the actual headliner. It’s funny how these things work out.

The next show they have on June 28 is acoustic pop singer Jack Johnson with special guest Latin pop artists Hermanos Gutierrez. I am surprised by how Jack Johnson is performing at such huge venues like this one and other outdoor concert venues, as with the exception of Upside Down, I cannot name a single song of his. 

The next show they have on July 2 is a double header of two iconic 70s rock bands: Santana & The Doobie Brothers.

The next show they have on July 9 is violinist Lindsey Stirling and some pop band called PVRIS. She must be an incredible violinist if she is going on an outdoor summer concert tour this year.

You remember how I said that I am often surprised by how certain artists can be off the radar for years or decades, before reuniting for a tour that sees them performing at some of the biggest venues in the world? Well, the show on July 10 is another example of that, as it’s going to be early 70s rock band The Guess Who with Don Felder from The Eagles. The reason why I find this surprising is because many bands from the same time period, including The Guess Who in past years, have been performing at smaller, more intimate venues, and now they are performing at one of the biggest venues in New York, and it is mostly because they have their two most iconic members again: Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman.

The next show they have on July 16 is one with four alternative rock artists: 311, Dirty Heads, Ocean Alley, and Rome.

The next show they have on July 18 is from a band that has performed there almost every year: Train, and they will be joined by Barenaked Ladies and Matt Nathanson.

The next show they have on July 19 is Toto with Christopher Cross and The Romantics, who are the band that sing What I Like About You.

The next show they have on July 21 is a band that is there every year: The Dave Matthews Band.

The next show they have on July 22 is a double header of two of the best male R&B singers of the 2000s: Ne-Yo and Akon. 

The next show they have on July 23 is a double header of rock bands Chicago and Styx.

The next show they have on July 24 is one of the biggest country singers of all time: Tim McGraw.

The next show they have on July 25 is a rock band that I only know one song by: Muse, who will be joined by two other rock bands called Bloc Party and The Temper Trap.

The next show they have on July 26 is legendary rock singer John Mellencamp, which really surprises me considering what he has said recently. For those of you wondering what I mean, he has been focusing more on theater shows in recent years, with a heavy focus on new material and integrating storytelling segments into his performances, and has also called out several hecklers who don’t like the way he does his shows, telling them during the show that if he wanted to play in a drunken environment, he would play outside or in an arena, that he expects etiquette in a theater much like at a Broadway show, and that his shows are not concerts anymore, but rather performances, and apparently there is a difference. 

The next show they have on July 31 is legendary rock singer Rod Stewart with 80s pop singer Richard Marx.

The next show they have on August 4 is a band that has already performed there several times in the past and has one of the best names ever: Five Finger Death Punch, who will be joined by country singer Cody Jinks and rock band Eva Under Fire.

The next show they have on August 6 is a show that already seems very exciting: Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band.

The next show they have on August 7 is a double header with two stand up comedians: Jeff Dunham and Gabriel Iglesias. I don’t know about you guys, but I feel that if a comedian is performing at a venue like Jones Beach Theater, it confirms that they are at the top of their field. This is also the only time you will ever see a ventriloquist performing at Jones Beach, unless Jeff Dunham performs there again after this summer.

The next show they have on August 12 is rock band Deep Purple, who are in my opinion a band that are not one hit wonders, but have one song that has made all their other songs fade into obscurity, and they will also be joined by rock band Kansas.

The next show they have on August 14 is another comedian that has in my opinion made it to the top of his field: Sebastian Maniscalco.

The next show they have on August 21 is a double header with two 70s rock bands: Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner, and here is something very interesting about this tour, which I only learned about from the internet. Assuming that Lou Gramm is not a part of this tour, which it looks like he won’t be, this will be the first tour between two rock bands with absolutely no original members in either band. Yes, a tour of two iconic rock bands is basically just a glorified tribute band tour.

The next show they have on August 22 is another band that has experienced a massive and out of nowhere resurgence in recent years that is culminating in their massive outdoor venue tour this summer: 2000s rock band The Fray, who will be joined by two other rock bands called Dashboard Confessional and Colony House.

The next show they have on August 25 is Pitbull with Lil Jon, which is certainly going to be a very fun party.

The next show on August 26 is country singer Chris Stapleton with some other country singer named Carter Faith.

The next show they have on August 28 is The Outlaw Music Festival, which features artists like Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson, who is still touring even though he is in his 90s.

The next show they have on August 30 is yet another rock band with one famous song that is suddenly big enough to perform at Jones Beach: Empire Of The Sun, who will be joined by an EDM group called Polo & Pan and a rock band called Midnight Generation. And if you don’t know who any of them are, you are on the same page as everyone else in the world.

The next show they have on September 5 is rock band Breaking Benjamin with three other rock artists: Chevelle, Starset, and Kami Kehoe. I am only familiar with the names of two of these artists, and even then I know nothing about them, or any of their songs.

The next show they have on September 10 is Lil Wayne with special guest 2 Chainz.

The next show they have on September 11 is Jason Aldean with three other country singers named Chase Matthew, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Dee Jay Silver.

The next show they have on September 12 is a double header of rock legends: John Fogerty and Steve Winwood. 

The next show they have on September 13 is the farewell tour of Wu-Tang Clan with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

The next show they have on September 14 is rock band Staind with three other rock bands: Seether, Hoobastank, and Hinder.

The next show they have on September 15 is a triple header of R&B girl groups with TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue.

The last show they have scheduled so far is rock band O.A.R. with special guests Gavin DeGraw and KT Tunstall.

Overall, there are many exciting shows coming here, so go ahead and check them out this summer!