By Eric Jankiewicz
Van Morrison and many other musicians will be joining The Who this summer at Forest Hills Stadium.
The tennis arena announced its schedule recently and the full lineup of performers represents everything from classic rock to soul and funk. From May to September such legends as Santana and Van Morrison will perform at the stadium.
The lineup also includes D’Angelo, Alabama Shakes, the New York Pops and James Taylor.
Tickets went on sale April 24 for most of the shows.
Shows were not always a common thing at the stadium. After the 1960s, music wasn’t played at the stadium, but the tradition was restarted in the summer of 2013 with a show by Mumford & Sons.
But not everyone is happy with the stadium’s revival as a music venue.
Last year, the West Side Tennis Club, which owns the stadium at 1 Tennis Place, held a meeting with the surrounding community. More than 70 residents met with stadium organizers at Our Lady of Mercy and complained about pop-up shops appearing on private lawns and crowds of people congesting the nearby subway stations.
During the meeting, the contracting company in charge of booking shows, Madison House Presents, promised to limit ticket sales to 13,000 instead of the previous 16,000 that led to so many of the residents’ complaints. Residents also voiced concerns about traffic increases and noisy, drunk concert goers.
Stadium organizers maintained that the venue helped put Forest Hills back on the map and greatly contributed to the local economy.
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) appreciated the dialogue that the club initiated and considered last summer’s operations to be orderly.
“They have been very cooperative,” Koslowitz said at the time.
Reach reporter Eric Jankiewicz by e-mail at ejank
