Forest Hills Stadium will mark its 100th anniversary with a concert series featuring headlining acts from Dave Matthews Band, Duran Duran, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Smile, Fallout Boy and even 89-year-old Willie Nelson.
Thirty music and comedy performances are featured during the 2023 season which will also include the inaugural Head In The Clouds New York Music & Arts Festival and the return of LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells Festival, celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop.
Additionally, The New York Pops — the 78-musician independent pop orchestra will perform with Jason Mraz as part of the Stadium’s ongoing partnership which began in 2015.
Forest Hills Stadium is well known to rock aficionados as the venue where Jimi Hendrix was booed off the stage by an angry crowd waiting for The Monkees to perform in July 1967.
Hendrix became so enraged he slammed down his guitar and flipped off the crowd as he stormed off stage. Other notable concerts at the venue in the 60s and 70s included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Doors, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles and the homegrown Simon & Garfunkel, graduates of Forest Hills High School.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s coming up on a full decade since we began renovation of the stadium,” said Mike Luba, the executive responsible for the stadium’s rehabilitation who produces concerts at the venue in coordination with The Bowery Presents. “We’ve come a long way since that first show with our brothers in armsMumford and Sons, who bravely stepped up to play the opening night back in 2013. It’s been incredibly rewarding to ride along with the stadium crew, the hundreds of artists, our invaluable community neighbors and partners as well as the over one million folks who have found their way out to the magical oasis of a stadium smack in the middle of Queens.”
Concertgoers can grab a pre-show bite from a growing list of local restaurants including Greek cuisine from Nick’s Bistro; meat, vegetarian and vegan heroes and more from Stacked Sandwich Shop; slow-cooked brisket and pork from Mighty Quinn’s BBQ. Forest Hills Stadium also features food vendors spread out over its grass tennis court concourse. The venue features a trophy area that pays homage to its storied history as the original home of the U.S. Open, where crowds witnessed the meteoric rise of tennis star John McEnroe from Douglaston.
Forest Hills Stadium supports community-driven initiatives in an “effort to give back to Queens,” including QueensWay, and Queens Community House.
Tickets for the Dave Matthews Band performance on Friday, June 9 are selling fast for their first concert in Queens since they played Citi Field in the summer of 2010. The band is known for having one of the most loyal fan bases in rock for the last three decades, and they’ve sold more than 25 million tickets since their inception, making the Dave Matthews Band the second-largest ticket seller in history.
For more information on the performances during the 2023 season, visit the Forest Hills Stadium website here. Speakeasy Suites are available with concierge services for groups, both large and small. They line the stadium’s horseshoe interior and each features special decor and unobstructed views of the performance stage.
