Atlantic City Set To Close Out Summer With 3 Huge Beach Concerts
By Dan Majka
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Known as the Entertainment Capital of the Jersey Shore, Atlantic City has drawn some of the biggest musical acts to its world-famous beach and boardwalk. Set to a backdrop of sun, sand and surf, the Atlantic City Beach Concert Series offers fans the perfect way to say goodbye to summer.
"The outdoor concerts on the beach is a very unique experience, if you think about it," said Geoff Gordon, regional president of Live Nation. "You get to see your favorite artist on the beach, great music and have all these great restaurants, and if you want to gamble, the (casinos) are there. There is great food, great drink, great nightlife, because the shows are over basically at dusk, so it's just a great way to bring people down to (Atlantic City), have a great time."
The concert series kicked off in August with a very successful performance by Jimmy Buffett and continues through Labor Day weekend with three more shows. Zac Brown Band hits the stage on Thursday, September 1, followed by a Florida Georgia Line on Saturday, September 3 and wrapping up with a performance by Blink 182 on Monday, September 5.
"These shows generally start at 4 o'clock and are over about 7:30 (p.m.)," Gordon said. "So it gives you enough time to get down there, get your party on, go out on the beach, see some great music and still have a lot of energy and time left to go out to the great casinos and great restaurants down there."
READ: Interview: Beach Bound With Zac Brown Band In Atlantic City
With several casinos closing their doors, the Atlantic City Beach Concert Series could help provide a boost to the resort town's struggling economy.
"At the present time, not a lot of great news is coming out of Atlantic City," Gordon explained, "and honestly, this is not great news, it's amazing news coming out there and great fun."
The event has seen capacity crowds of 25,000 to 50,000 people attend in the past. Now, in its third year, this summer promises to be even bigger.
"This is a great experience down there. It really is unique," said Gordon. "I mean there's nowhere else really on the East Coast where you can see huge shows like this on a beach, and again, take Atlantic City up on the offerings that they have, the great casinos, great food, great times."
And with Live Nation also producing the annual Made In America Festival along the Ben Franklin Parkway, music fans will have plenty of entertainment over the holiday weekend.
"Labor Day is a great end of the summer weekend, a way to get your last licks in, a way to have a great time at the end of the summer," Gordon said. "So having Made in America, these great country shows and Blink 182 on Monday is just a great way to bring some great music to the fans. It's really, really exciting."
READ: Lineup Announced For Made In America Festival
And the music doesn't stop there. Live Nation and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority are offering fans a free concert at the end of September called AC Community Beach Fest.
"We just booked a great free show and we're very proud of that. It's a great community event, as well, It's on Thursday, September 22 with En Vogue and Bell Biv Devoe," said Gordon. "We'll be announcing a few more artists and a few more speakers on that, but it's really just to give to the community. So we want to offer it free to everyone down there, as well as around the surrounding area, just as a thank you with the CRDA and have a great show."
To purchase tickets to Atlantic City Beach Concert Series or to download free tickets to the AC Community Beach Fest, click here:
