Forest Hills has a summer of shows lined up at its local stadium and residents are keeping a close eye to make sure it does not harm the community. Photo by Debbie Cohen
It has been an ongoing revival since last August for the Forest Hills Stadium, when the band Mumford & Sons put it back on the map with its first concert in 15 years.
Now, the Forest Hills community said it is ready for another string of concerts to roll through the stadium as the summer rolls on.
The stadium had fallen into disrepair over recent decades, but revived itself over the past year with four concerts planned for this summer season. Some residents said they were concerned about excessive noise and large crowds, but a spokesman for the the 112th Precinct said things have been rather calm so far.
The Zac Brown Band kicked off the summer shows on June 21 and sold 13,000 tickets. The 112th Precinct upped its police presence near the stadium whenever a major event rolled through, a spokesman said. And with one major concert already under its belt this summer, there have so far been very few noise or parking complaints.
Roland Meier, president of the stadium-affiliated West Side Tennis Club, said the Zac Brown show was terrific and well organized.
“The membership was very happy,” he said. “In other words it was the perfect day.”
Some residents, however, said they were leery about the noise from the first concert and wondered if there were bad days ahead.
“I heard some noise during the concert last Saturday, but not much,” Xeumei Yu said, a Forest Hills resident who lives right across from the stadium. “The concert lasted over three hours and I am concerned about future concerts being too noisy for my daughter and me.”
Mike Luba, concert promoter for the Forest Hills Stadium, said he was excited about the three concerts and another possible two magic shows lined up for this summer.
“The next performance includes Modest Mouse and Brand New, who are performing on Aug. 7. It’s already sold out,” Luba said. “There has been a lot of positive feedback from the public, and the police said there were hardly any complaints. Most people are taking mass transit to the concerts, but there are also parking garages in the area, so parking has not been an issue.”
Frank Gulluscio, district manager of Community Board 6, said there have been no major complaints and so far only two noise complaints brought to the board’s attention.
“Everything seems to be under control and it is good for the economy,” he said. “Stores are making money.”
Aug. 19 will bring Drake and Lil Wayne to Forest Hills and The Replacements will be at the stadium on Sept. 19.
The Forest Hills Stadium, equipped to hold up to 17,000 people. opened in 1923 as home of the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament.
By Debbie Cohen
