On Friday, June 19, 2015, I got the chance to see Van Morrison perform at the iconic Forest Hills Tennis Stadium.
If you live in Huntington, the way to get there is on the Long Island Railroad, and I have to say they did a fantastic job getting us there and home again. The round trip cost only $15.00 to Forest Hills Station! Since only four cars platformed at Forest Hills Station, the train cars were so crowded that the conductors could not punch our train tickets. They did that at the end of this line.
When we got off the train there were many guides, police, and event workers helping the crowds to walk the side streets to the stadium. They were ready for us.
There was a ticket booth, but we had gotten our tickets on line and printed them out.
Gates split the crowds.
Conveniently located food and beverage court inside the gates.
The stadium.
Before we went up to our seats, I got a New York Style pretzel.
Up the stairs in portal seven
The stadium looked great. The last time that I came to Forest hills was in the 60's to see the Supremes and the Four Tops.
The Forest Hills Tennis Club could be seen in the background with people wearing their "whites" and playing on the grass.
Bleachers filled up,
so did the folding chairs and green seats.
Taj Mahal was supposed to be the opening act, but due to illness, another band replaced him. Their lead singer's style was a cross between James Brown and Muddy Waters. They warmed up the crowd as it came in and was seated.
After about an hour, the roadies removed the instruments from the first band and replaced them with the Van Morrison band's equipment.
Van Morrison came out playing the sax. I inserted these Getty images because I was farther away in a bleacher seat.
Out from a not so large man, came the unique and very loud sound of Van Morrison to the delight of his fans. The people danced, sang along, and jumped all over the place to his rhythms. The went crazy when he belted out "Brown Eyed Girl."
The evening ended with his "Gloria" and the fans were standing and singing and loving everything about this summer outdoor concert. By the way, the Long Island weather which is often unpredictable was perfect.
Another great concert experience. There are many You Tube videos of the concert on line to enjoy.
