Mumford & Sons Set to Open Forest Hills Stadium’s 2016 Season

Forest Hills Stadium has just announced its first show of the summer: Mumford & Sons will be kicking off the 2016 season on June 16. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on February 4 — they’ll set fans of these folkies back $70 apiece. The gig will be something of a second coming for Mumford & Sons, who were the first act to grace the stadium’s stage following the venue’s hiatus from 1997 to 2013. Since then, Forest Hills has drawn such excellent acts as Alabama Shakes and D’Angelo. Its intimate environs and storied past rank the venue as one of New York’s most quirky and alluring musical destinations.

Last year saw the release of Mumford & Sons’ third LP, Wilder Mind, which had the banjo-friendly band expanding their sound. The quartet conceived most of the album while in Brooklyn at the home studio of the National’s Aaron Dessner.

The last time Mumford & Sons hit Forest Hills, the band’s Ben Lovett donned a headband à la the tennis greats who’ve likewise passed through the stadium. When speaking to the Voice last May, stadium owner the West Side Tennis Club’s president, Roland Meier, hinted at larger ambitions by stating that he was “using music to get back to tennis.”

Showtime is 6:30 p.m., with this early-bird scheduling being now (pardon the mixed sports metaphor) par for the course. Since it reopened its doors, the stadium has endured a difficult relationship with surrounding residents; noise complaints have pushed start times earlier than later.

Tying a net between music and tennis, the Forest Hills Stadium summer series provides Queens with some much-needed musical clout, and the past three seasons have been a star-studded affair. Watch this space for additional schedule updates for the hallowed venue.

Mumford & Sons hit Forest Hills Stadium on June 16 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, click here.