Thousands of people flocked to the Forest Hills stadium to hear Mumford and Sons play in August. The second concert in this stadium’s music series will be the Zac Brown Band this summer. Photo courtesy Michael Perlman
The Forest Hills Tennis Stadium has rolled out a full season of musical acts this year, with the Zac Brown Band topping the list.
The Grammy-winning country act known as the Zac Brown Band is slated to play June 21 at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, with tickets going on sale Saturday, officials from the storied 17,000-seat concert venue said. The Zac Brown performance is expected to be one of six performances at the iconic stadium this season, and a more expanded list of roughly 12 acts will follow over the next two years.
The Forest Hills Stadium, owned by the West Side Tennis Club, has already become a famed Queens attraction with major events like the U.S. Open and musical performs from names like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones making their marks at the site. Mumford & Sons helped kick off the venue’s reopening with its first show in 15 years last August in front of a sold-out crowd.
The stadium was slated to undergo its second phase of a multimillion-dollar renovation scheme this year, which includes new seating, wider aisles and more handrails.
Some residents who live near the stadium have argued that popular events scheduled there had a negative impact on homeowners in the area, including creating issues with parking, and there were reportedly not enough seats for ticket holders at the venue. After the Mumford & Sons show, the West Side Tennis Club penned a letter to the surrounding community acknowledging there were some bumps in the road.
“As many of you know, this was the first show in many years at the stadium, and we collectively experienced the growing pains that come with reopening a new venue,” the WSTC wrote in its letter the day after the Mumford & Sons concert. “We hope you enjoyed the show, but we will gladly offer full refunds to those of you who did not have an optimal experience at the stadium.”
By Phil Corso
