Initial Asbury Lanes lineup announced for Summer
Acts include Kurt Vile and the Violators, Bishop Briggs, Lupe Fiasco, Phoebe Bridgers, Allah-Las, Tennis and Black Lips
An initial line-up of artists scheduled to perform at the rehabilitated Asbury Lanes this summer has been announced by promoter The Bowery Presents and iStar, the waterfront redeveloper which owns the venue.
Kurt Vile and the Violators, Bishop Briggs, Lupe Fiasco, Phoebe Bridgers, Allah-Las, Tennis and Black Lips are among the first bands confirmed to headline Asbury Lanes. The list also includes multiple performances by New Jersey natives Thursday and Railroad Earth, in addition to local artists Sandy Mack, Quincy Mumford and the Reason Why and Pepperwine.
The venue will open Memorial Day weekend.
“Asbury Lanes has played a key role in the rich and storied music history of Asbury Park,” said Mark Shulman, principal at The Bowery Presents. “When paired with the noteworthy bookings that The Bowery Presents is known for, the reborn Asbury Lanes will become the premier intimate venue for the entire region.”
After a half-century of use, structural and mechanical issues plagued the Lanes, which faced imminent danger of closing or demolition. Istar embarked on a restoration of the building by designer Anda Andrei and architect Dominic Kozerski.
Salt Hotels, which operates The Asbury hotel for iStar, will also operate Asbury Lanes.
“We want to stay true to the Lanes’ roots while also celebrating its transformation,” said David Bowd, president of Salt Hotels. “We have purposefully handpicked a mix of local and national acts — many of the bands are returning to once again perform at the venue, while new artists are ready to bring this classic venue into the future.”
Bowd said about 20 more event dates through the summer, some with multiple acts, will be announced in the coming weeks.
The local management team at Asbury Lanes has been receiving a large number of social media messages from local bands who want to play and music fans suggesting acts, Bowd said. That input has already been an important source of information for potential performers, he said, and Bowd encouraged anyone to contact his local team through the Lanes’ Facebook or Instagram pages. While The Bowery Presents books the national touring acts, Asbury Lanes’s local management are booking the local and regional artists themselves.
Bowd said at least 50 percent of the acts at Asbury Lanes will be local or regional musicians booked by his team.
“We’ve been getting a huge amount of Instagram messages and Facebook messages saying ‘I just saw this cool band, they’d be amazing at the Lanes.’ We’ve already contacted bands based on social media messages we’ve gotten,” said Bowd.
“Who are our locals performing and have we got enough?” Bowd said his team are constantly asking. “We’ve made a commitment and we want a really high number. We’re very focused on that, and we’re able to focus on that as we’ve got The Bowery Presents focusing on the national acts. We’ve got the time to make sure we get those local acts.”
Asbury Lanes Event Calendar:
May 25 – The Cold Seas // Wyland
May 30 – Sandy Mack All Star Jam
June 3 – Dark City Strings // Levy & the Oaks // Thee Idea Men
June 8 – The Shady Street Show Band // Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why // Pepperwine
June 12 – Kurt Vile and the Violators
June 13 – Tennis
June 16 – Turtle Soup // Waiting On Mongo // Psychotic Submarines
June 19 – Bishop Briggs
June 29, 30 – Railroad Earth
July 1 – Lupe Fiasco
July 6 – Maxi Priest
July 26 – Black Lips
July 29 – Tyler Childers
July 31 – Phoebe Bridgers
August 16 – Sparta
August 18 – Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
August 22 – Allah-Las
August 23, 24 – Thursday
Tickets for these initial shows will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 13 at 12:00 p.m. via AsburyLanes.com or BoweryPresents.com, where event information and venue details can be found. AXS is the venue’s exclusive ticket provider.
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