Beach Road Weekend is making a comeback, this time to celebrate Tisbury’s 350th anniversary, with three concerts on the weekend of July 23-25 at Veterans Memorial Park in Vineyard Haven.
The first concert features Grammy awardwinning Tedeschi Trucks Band, on July 24 at 6 pm. Tickets will go on sale to the band’s fan club tomorrow, to Beach Road Weekend list on Thursday, and to the general public on Friday.
While there are three concerts during Beach Road Weekend, only Tedeschi Trucks Band was announced on Tuesday. Additional bands and ticketing information will be announced at a later date.
“We’ve had a year of expertise now in producing events in a COVID safety–compliant way that is really held to incredibly high standards for keeping people safe and making sure we’re not a source of spread of the disease,” Epstein told The Times shortly after making the announcement.
All profits from Beach Road Weekend “350” will support the Friends of the M.V. Concert Series, a nonprofit organization on the Island set up to bolster Martha’s Vineyard’s live music scene. Beach Road Weekend “350” is produced by the Martha’s Vineyard Concert Series with support from Innovation Arts & Entertainment, Epstein’s company.
“The pandemic has presented the first existential threat of our lifetime for the live entertainment, hospitality, and tourism industries. The Vineyard has been no stranger to the damage that has occurred,” Epstein said in a press release. “These shows are a first step toward safely welcoming music lovers back to the Vineyard, and building a model where live entertainment can thrive once again.”
According to the release, Innovation Arts and Entertainment led the music industry’s efforts to create COVID-safe environments for live entertainment during the past 14 months. It is committed to meeting COVID safety and public health standards. “The experience we earned in 2020 by hosting over 40 concerts and 60,000 ticket buyers at the Yarmouth Drive-In on Cape Cod provided a crash course in how to get fans and bands together in a safe way, while designing and employing best practices at building COVID safety–compliant venues,” Epstein said in the release. “We are extremely proud of the work we did last summer, and continue to this day. We know what it takes to bring live music back safely to Martha’s Vineyard. We can’t wait to do it and help the town of Tisbury celebrate its 350th anniversary.”
Beach Road Weekend will limit ticket sales based on COVID guidelines established by state and local health departments. Tickets must be purchased for each concert separately. Capacity will be restricted to under 2,000 people per show, compared to 9,000 people prepandemic. All tickets will be separated into small sections of box seating in groups of four or more, roped off from other guests. Ticket buyers must purchase every seat in a box. Food and drinks can be ordered online and picked up through contactless delivery. All tickets and concession sales will be digital and cashless.
In an email to The Times, Tisbury health agent Maura Valley said the concerts were given conditional approval at a board of health (BOH) meeting. “The BOH reviewed the plans at their meeting of April 13, and agreed that Mr. Epstein could move forward with concert planning with the understanding that it may have to be canceled at any point due to public health concerns,” she wrote. “A follow-up meeting with the BOH is scheduled for June 22 to look at the current COVID situation and decide if the concert can proceed.”
Editor George Brennan contributed to this report.
Booooooo
I am a frequent concertgoer and reluctant to spend hard money for this event without knowing more details. They do not explain exactly how this is being set up and until then my money stays in my pocket. The seating chart is a joke and looking for more details.
Just asking for viral trouble.
Comments are closed.