The Essex County Free Summer Music Concert Series
Posted July 11, 2022ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO INVITES THE PUBLIC TO ENJOY THE ESSEX COUNTY FREE SUMMERMUSIC CONCERT SERIES
Upcoming Events Feature Concerts by The Verdict Reggae, the Maplewood Concert Band, Layonne Holmes and Frontiers: A Journey Tribute
Essex County, NJ –Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. invites the public to visit the Essex County Parks System and enjoy the 2022 Essex County Free Summer Music Concert Series. Upcoming events feature The Verdict Reggae, the Maplewood Concert Band, Layonne Holmes and Frontiers: A Journey Tribute.
“Our Free Concert Series offers a diverse lineup of performers who will take center stage in venues throughout our historic Essex County Park System. Pack a blanket, enjoy the cool evening breeze and dance to the sounds of classical, rock and roll, jazz, big band, Latin and more,” DiVincenzo said.
The Verdict Reggae
The Verdict Reggae Band has been rocking the house from venues as varied as the Stone Pony in Asbury Park to the NFL owners meeting at the Super Bowl in Miami. The polished energy has been fed from the wide-ranging experiences of jamming with stars such as Chaka Khan and Stevie Wonder. They have opened for legends such as Sting and Madonna and performed at Carnival in Trinidad and on network TV. The Verdict Reggae will perform as follows:
Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Essex County Ivy Hill Park
Mount Vernon Place
Newark, NJ
Newark, NJ
The Maplewood Concert Band
The Maplewood Concert Band is a wind ensemble made up of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. The ensemble performs free seasonal concerts in the winter, spring and summer. Members also perform in smaller ensembles for town events, school enrichment programs and more. The Concert Band is a performance group for high school and college students, experienced adults, and musicians who would like to have more performance opportunities or increase their music skills in a community environment. The ensemble performs various styles of music including classical transcriptions, traditional "band" music, marches, and modern/contemporary pieces, although no style is off-limits. The Maplewood Concert Band will perform as follows:
Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex
Clipper Pavilion
Cherry Lane
West Orange, NJ
Layonne Holmes
Layonne Holmes is a singer with a rich alto voice and a repertoire that includes funk, soul, jazz, blues and rock & roll. Her career has been varied, working on recordings with the E Street Band and the Lou Reed Band, and sharing the stage with Darlene Love, Phoebe Snow, Southside Johnny, Gary U.S. Bonds, Ben E. King and Lesley Gore. Holmes also performs with the Motor City Revue, Tim McLoone & The Shirleys and Holiday Express. Layonne Holmes will perform as follows:
Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Essex County Vailsburg Park
Oraton Parkway and Vailsburg Terrace
(Near the Playground)
Newark, NJ
Frontiers: A Journey Tribute
Frontiers: A Journey Tribute is comprised of Elaine Tuttle, Damon Marks, Scott Morley, Marc Windler and Gerry Fortus. These five talented New York City area musicians recreate the music of Journey to perfection, note for note – every nuance, every iconic riff, all the feels. Frontiers covers all the greatest hits of Journey, taking you back to the late 1970s during Journey’s magical inception with Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon, and to the 1980s with Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, when Journey’s timeless, chart topping hits such as Open Arms, Separate Ways, Send Her My Love, Faithfully, Stone in Love, Don’t Stop Believing, Who’s Crying Now, Anyway You Want It, and many others ruled the airwaves. Frontiers: A Journey Tribute will perform as follows:
Date: Friday, July 22, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Essex County Brookdale Park
Watchung Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ
Bellevue Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ
The SummerMusic Concert Series is being sponsored by Rose Squared Productions and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. The series is also made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State.
Concerts are held at accessible sites. Persons who require special accommodations or assistance are asked to call at least two weeks prior to the concert to alert staff as to their needs. Admission to the concerts is free. For more information, please call the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs at 973‑268-3500.