Ocean City rocks with Springfest, Dewey Beach hot spots in full swing as beaches heat up

The month of May is kicking off with a bang at area beaches, as multiple annual events will take place this week that feature a plethora of live music.

In Ocean City, the 32nd edition of Springfest is good to go at the Inlet and will run May 4-7. In addition to free tunes by local bands outside all four days, there will be three consecutive evenings of ticketed concerts under the big tent.

Shadows of the 60s: A Tribute to Motown’s Super Groups will kick things off Thursday, May 4 ($20, $25). Alternative-rock act Collective Soul will bring its radio hits to the stage Friday, May 5 ($35 to $45). Country legend Marty Stuart will show his guitar skills Saturday, May 6 ($25 to $45). All three concerts begin at 7 p.m.

Those who waited until the last minute to decide whether to do Springfest this week are in luck when it comes to the three concerts — a glance at the online seating charts reveals that plenty of tickets are still available for each of them.

In Dewey Beach, the Rusty Rudder opened for its 44th year on St. Patrick’s Day, and is now open seven days per week. At 9 p.m. on May 4, the Rudder’s house band, Love Seed Mama Jump, will kick off its weekly Thursday night deck parties as it has done for many a moon. There will be acoustic music by Jexxa beforehand at 5 p.m.

The Rudder’s nearby sister business, the Bottle & Cork nightclub, will open for its 87th season at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6. There will be eight consecutive hours of music by Laura Lea & Tripp Fabulous, the JJ Rupp Band and good ol’ Love Seed Mama Jump.

The Cork has already gotten a head start on the summer season by selling advance concert tickets. It doesn’t have one of the afore-mentioned online seating charts for a very good reason — the general admission, 1,100-capacity venue doesn’t have any seats. However, it has been keeping patrons abreast with “low-ticket alerts.”

At last tally, the Bacon Brothers (featuring of course, yes, that Kevin Bacon) on Thursday, June 1, had sold 743 tickets; Chris Lane on Thursday, July 6, had moved 818 tickets; and the Sunday, July 23, reunion of Tommy Conwell & the Young Rumblers had sold 486 tickets. Buy now or forever hold your peace.

In other concert news, the Freeman Arts Pavilion in Selbyville has finally revealed the on-sale date for what may be its most-anticipated event of 2023. It was announced last month that Grammy winner Brandi Carlile will play a special solo acoustic show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4.

Tickets are now set to go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, May 5, with a strict limit of four per buyer. (Members of Carlile’s official fan club will have pre-sale access beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 4.)

In Berlin, the Ocean Downs Casino will welcome the return of Journey tribute act DSB (which stands for Don’t Stop Believin’) at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 6, as part of a Kentucky Derby Day celebration. The band will perform outdoors. Tickets are $25, and purchasers will receive a $10 “free play” casino voucher.

Looking ahead, town officials in Bethany Beach are prepping for the annual concert series at the bandstand, which will occur at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday, June through August — and then 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October. Singer-guitarist Rob Benton will kick off the series June 1.

Bethany will also present its eight annual Poseidon Festival on Memorial Day weekend. Nautical-themed activities for all ages will take place, and Jimmy Buffett tribute act Parrotbeach will play the bandstand at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 26. Yacht-rock group 3 Hour Tour will perform at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 27, followed by the U.S. Navy Cruisers at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 28.

Email Roger Hillis at [email protected]

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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Ocean City's Springfest, Dewey Beach hot spots kick off May with bang