By: | May 31, 2024 | Entertainment | Monmouth County
By Pamela Dollak
If you’re reading this, you already know that summers down at the Jersey shore rock – especially come the weekends. But Mondays? Not as much.
However, at Pier Village, the multi-mixed-use facility in Long Branch, Mondays in the summer reeeeally rock – AND roll. Because Mondays at Pier Village are when the best tribute bands in New Jersey -- that cover the best bands in rock ’n’ roll history -- hit the Carousel Stage to strut their stuff and get people on their feet.
Nicole Guilford, Pier Village’s director of leasing and marketing, is the person responsible for this festive night of excellent music and family fun.
She said that when she came on board in 2017, there was entertainment practically every night in the summers at Pier Village, except Mondays. So she implemented a schedule of tribute bands for each Monday in July and August that has become (almost) as legendary as the bands that these groups represent.
“This has been a very successful music series. The residents, guests, shoppers … everyone loves it,” Guilford said. “It brings life to Pier Village on a Monday. And what a great way to support the retailers on a quieter night.”
Mondays at a multi-mixed-use facility
Pier Village is a multi-hyphenate property, on which are an apartment building (with 500 units), two hotels, a bowling alley, pool tables, mini golf, arcades, an array of retailers and restaurants and much more. Shops and retailers are open all year round and, in addition to the summer concerts, there are slew of other events, including but not limited to, movies on beach, artisan markets, festivals, holiday tree and menorah lightings, and more music. For Pier Village’s Monday Night Summer Concert Series, Guilford said that she works very closely with the city of Long Branch, which also hosts a weekly night of music at Pier Village in the summer called “Thursdays by the Sea.” Both concert series are free to the public. The difference between the two is that the city focuses more on original rock ’n’ roll bands, while Pier Village sticks with tributes of many genres, which can bring 100 to as many as 500 people there on any given Monday, depending on the weather or band.
“We have all different types of music. “We like to keep it complementary to the city’s series,” she said, adding that guests can expect tributes for Tom Petty, The Grateful Dead, David Bowie, and, of course, New Jersey’s own, Bruce Springsteen.
A tribute to The Boss
Dave Turner plays piano for The E Street Shuffle, a Springsteen tribute band who will perform as part of the concert series at Pier Village. This will be the fourth summer there for E Street which, according to Turner, has become a favorite venue for the members.
“It’s a cool place … we set up right by the water. It’s just beautiful – very picturesque,” said Turner, whose show with E Street at Pier Village takes place 7 p.m. July 15. “The concerts are really for everybody. They’re very family friendly. Plus, I’ll be home by 10 (p.m.).”
That bedtime is unusual for Turner and the rest of the group, as The E Street Shuffle generally plays between 60 and 80 shows a year, traveling anywhere from New England to Virginia, mostly between St. Patrick’s Day through summer, each band member with a full-time day job on top. Turner, who works in compliance for a medical device company, is a self-proclaimed “nerd from 9-5 who pretends to be a rock star at night.” He’s always a little surprised when people outside of New Jersey take to The Boss.
“A lot of time you think it won’t work when you take a ‘Bruce band’ out of New Jersey,” he said. “But it does, because people everywhere really love his music.”
Turner explained that the band likes to mix up the setlist based on the venue. So if you plan to attend E Street’s show at Pier Village, expect to hear mostly Springsteen classics like “Born to Run” and “Rosalita.” However, every once in a while, Sean Loughlin, lead singer and co-founder of the band, will call an audible if someone in the audience requests something special.
“This is a fun night out for families, so we’ll do a lot of the hits. They don’t want to hear the obscurities,” he laughed.
As for Guilford, she’s a big fan of The E Street Shuffle, but she’d really love to see the real Boss appear one night.
“I’m hoping we get Bruce here,” she admitted. “He’s in the area. Why hasn’t he shown up yet?”
Below is the official lineup for the Pier Village Monday Night Summer Concert Series:
July 1: Live Summer Music Tribute
July 8: Bell Bottom Blues | An Eric Clapton Experience
July 15: The E Street Shuffle | Bruce Springsteen Tribute
July 22: Chicks that Rock the 80s | A Tribute to all the '80s Rock Chicks!
July 29: Damn The Torpedoes | A Tom Petty Experience
August 5: Starman | A Tribute to David Bowie
August 12: Black Dog | The Ultimate Led Zepplin Experience
August 19: Captain Jack | Billy Joel Tribute
August 26: Splintered Sunlight | Grateful Dead Experience