A busy summer concert season continues when the Moody Blues play the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater tonight. 

Last night I caught John Mellencamp touring behind an excellent  “Sad Clowns and Hillbillies” collection. In a somewhat strange twist, this show did not sell fast, or well even after a reduction in ticket price after the initial on sale and a lengthy stint on Groupon. Then a few days before the Tuesday night show was to happen, many tickets appeared for sale on stubhub for as low as the $10 to $15 dollar range before fees. Since there is a 10 PM curfew to appease the neighbors, there is a 6:30 start time for most shows making it difficult for some to make the eeekday gigs. Throw in the LIRR track repair summer of hell and ticket sales were sluggish. The Forest Hills Stadium was mostly full at show time as Mellencamp played a little more than an hour and a half with opening acts Valerie Carter and the great Emmylou Harris who both also helped out with John’s set. 

A highlight last night was Emmylou and her band playing a beautiful version of “Abraham, Martin and John” written by Dick Holler and first made famous by Dion.

Legendary chain smoker John Mellencamp’s was in good voice and an entertaining “Tuesday Afternoon” and evening in Queens seemed to be had by all.

Moody Blues tickets for Jones Beach were available for as low as $20 and were seen on Groupon for $15. The classic rock concert landscape is a mixed bag this year and there are bargains out there to be had to catch some great live rock and roll music this summer.

I’m Jusr a (Pop) Singer

Rock on!

GQ