Summer festivals in concert on cancellations
There is no sadder news to music fans than the realization that this may be the first summer where they won’t hear live music at their favorite mass events elbow to elbow with like-minded enthusiasts.
While Live Nation is considering experimenting with drive-in concerts and reduced-capacity shows, nothing beats sitting on the lawn with your friends at the Xfinity Theatre while enjoying an over-priced craft beer.
So far, the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford has canceled its May 30 appearance by the Zac Brown Band.
The Zac Brown Band was also supposed to coheadline the Greenwich Town Party. Organizers had initially hoped to delay the event until August but eventually called the whole event off. The annual allday town music festival, which is traditionally held Memorial Day weekend and is the biggest event of the year in Greenwich, was also set to feature Mumford & Sons.
And 2020 would have marked the Levitt Pavilion’s 47th Summer Season under the Stars; instead, organizers decided to cancel. It will be the first time in their history they will not produce a season.
The Harbor Yard Amphitheater, being built to replace the old Stadium at Harbor Yard, delayed its opening until May 2021 because of supply issues with the coronavirus pandemic. Their scheduled summer concert season will not take place this year.
The Music Mountain Board of Directors said they made the difficult decision to cancel the summer concert season in Falls Village and in-person education programs for the very first time in its 91-year history.
The Milford Oyster Festival, with headliners that have included Blues Traveler, Blue Öyster Cult and Kansas, has canceled the August event.
Similarly, there will be no Norwalk Oyster Festival , which has featured performances from Willie Nelson, Little Feat and The Monkees.
The Branford Green, normally filled with jazz enthusiasts on Thursday evenings in July and August, will be barren of live bands as town officials nixed the Branford Summer Jazz On The Green Concert Series.
While it has shelved its food truck events and summer concert series, Celebrate Shelton still plans to bring music to the masses this summer — virtually. Celebrate Shelton, founded six years ago by Nicole Mikula, Michael Skrtic and Jimmy Tickey to promote the city’s downtown, will hold a virtual summer concert event on July 24.
In nearby Ansonia, the cultural commission director said the weekly summer concerts will not be happening, nor will Ansonicon,
the Harvest Festival and Rock The Valley, an afternoon and evening music festival.
As for Derby, their weekly summer concert series on the green will be canceled.
And in Stamford, both Alive@Five and the Wednesday Nite Live concert series have been axed. Stamford Downtown Special Services District spokesmen said they hope to develop alternative live music events.
As for the casinos, Mohegan Sun Arena either canceled or rescheduled its events through June including Dave Matthews Band, Michael Bolton and Ozzy Osbourne. As for the rest of the summer, there are some concerts still on the books. While Barenaked Ladies has rescheduled, Harry Styles and Matchbox Twenty are listed for July and Rod Stewart in August.
At neighboring Foxwoods Resort and Casino, all concerts through May were postponed or canceled, including Kesha. Later events, however, may still be possible, such as Lil’ Kim, Jackson Browne and Pink Martini.