Fans flocked to Forest Hills, Queens this weekend to catch two days worth of music, food, and fun hosted by Alt 92.3 for their first annual Summer Open. The saturday portion of the event featured acts like Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Revivalists, and The Lumineers. While the Sunday portion featured an afternoon with Smith and Thell, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional, Fitz and the Tantrums, Young The Giant, and The Head and The Heart.
It was a picture perfect afternoon without a single cloud in the sky. After a rainy week in the city, the weekend event was met with perfect conditions. Well before the shows start time fans were entering the tennis stadium turned concert venue to dive into the plentiful options of food, drinks, and activations by sponsors like Canon and Aperol.
Smith and Thell kicked off the afternoon with a set of folky pop tunes. The band comes all the way from Sweden and they captivated the crowd of early arrivals. Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional pulled out a short and sweet acoustic set that had fans singing their favorite nostalgia filled songs like Vindicated and Hands Down.
Fitz and The Tantrums brought a dance party with them as they cycled through a set of their best known songs and couple of new ones. Fans were mesmerized by Noelle Scaggs and Michael Fitzpatrick’s synchronized dance moves. Their two part harmonies added an extra special note to the performance and made it one of the best sets of the afternoon.
Right as the sun was setting, Young The Giant took the stage. Golden Hour was met with a high energy set from the band. They took a soft approach to the start of their set with was a subtle intro that slowly launched the crowd into a full on performance. Their mirrored stage set up perfectly reflected the sunlight and gave the band an even more spectacular atmosphere to be performing in. Fans were singing and dancing along in the nearly full stadium.
The Head and The Heart closed out the night with their soulful and folk-pop filled set. The sun was completely set and the stadium was completely aglow with the lights from the stage. Nearly every person in the stadium knew the words to their songs. One particularly magical moment happened as the band performed their track Let’s Be Still. Fans held up the flashlights on the phone and for a moment everything felt truly bigger than just a concert.
Day two of the Alt 92.3 Summer Open was a memorable night and exciting for all fans in attendance. Not many great shows hit Queens so it’s great to see so many people turn out for a sick lineup. View more photos from the Summer Open below. All photos by Carol Simpson.
Impressions Magazine 