Summer concert schedule for Stone Pony, PNC MetLife and new ParkStage

Who's the new kid on the block of the Jersey Shore outdoor summer concert scene?

It'sParkStage at the East Freehold Park Fairgroundsin Freehold Township. The venue has a capacity of 9,200, but most events will see 5,000 to 7,000 concertgoers on the grounds. Two outboard screens on stage left and right are 16 x 13 feet in size to help bring the action up close.

The ska-punk band Sublime, now fronted by Jakob Nowell, son of late original frontman Bradley Nowell, will open ParkStage's debut concert season on Friday, June 19. Then, a big show to watch out for isMonmouthNJ 250: The Concerton Friday, July 3. Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, the Jake Clemons Band, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers with Gary U.S. Bonds, Low Cut Connie and the Weeklings will star — and cross your fingers for a visit from Freehold Borough native Bruce Springsteen.

The new ParkStage, a collaboration between the Count Basie Center for the Arts and Monmouth County Tourism, is expected to bring a concert experience similar to that of the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park inland to the county's Route 33 corridor.

“ParkStage is a meaningful part of our centennial celebration, a time to honor where we’ve been and look ahead to what’s possible,” said Adam Philipson, president and CEO of the Basie Center, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. “It reflects our belief in the power of the arts to bring people together, support the local economy and create moments of joy for everyone in our community.”

The new venue is part of another big summer for local outdoor music venues. The Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park features 20 shows, including a visit from former Van Halen frontmanDavid Lee Rothon Friday, June 5.

The PNC Bank Arts Centerin Holmdel has more than 30 shows planned. Highlights include Machine Gun Kelly and Wiz Khalifa's Lost Americana Tour on Tuesday, June 9; yacht rockers Toto and Christopher Cross with '80s power pop band the Romantics on Saturday, July 18; Pussycat Dolls, Lil' Kim and Mya representing the ladies on Wednesday, July 15; and John Mellencamp’s Dancing Words Tour: The Greatest Hits 2026, where he's promising to play all the hits, on Saturday, July 25.

Several big tours are coming to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford this year, including theBTS reunion touron Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2; Chris Brown and Usher's R&B Tour on Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8, and Bruno Mars for four nights, Friday, Aug. 21; Saturday, Aug. 22; Tuesday, Aug. 25, and Wednesday, Aug. 26. The concerts start late at MetLife this year, as the venue is hosting the FIFA World Cup through mid-July.

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Here is New Jersey's 2026 outdoor concert season schedule:

MettLife Stadium, East Rutherford

• BTS, Aug. 1 and 2

• Chris Brown and Usher, Aug. 7 and 8

• Guns N' Roses, Aug. 12

• Bruno Mars, Aug. 21, 22, 25 and 26

• Ed Sheeran, Sept. 4 and 5

• Karol G, Sept. 17 and 18

• AC/DC, Sept. 25

Go:1 MetLife Stadium Drive, East Rutherford;metlifestadium.com

Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park

• Joe Russo's Almost Dead, May 22

• Shadow of the City featuring Bleachers, May 23

• Dance Gavin Dance, the Fall of Troy, Wolf & Bear and the Novelists, May 29

• David Lee Roth, June 5

• Turnpike Troubadours and Lucero, June 6

• Young the Giant, Cold War Kids and Almost Monday, June 11

• Yellowcard, New Found Glory, Plain White T's, June 12

• Primus, Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, June 13

• Hot Mulligan, June 16

• Yellowcard, New Found Glory, Plain White T's, June 19

• Jimmy Eat World, June 25

• Streetlight Manifesto, June 26

• Bouncing Souls: Stoked For The Summer, June 27

• Silverstein and Story Of The Year, July 12

• Billy Currington & Kip Moore, July 18

• Shakey Graves and Dope Lemon, July 24

• Lucy Dacus, July 25

• Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors, Aug. 6

• Dogs in a Pile, Aug. 8

• Yacht Rock Revue, Aug. 14 and 15

• The Fray and Dashboard Confessional, Aug. 19

• Dylan Scott, Aug. 21

• Front Bottoms Champagne Jam, Sept. 4

• Social Distortion, Sept. 5

• Charley Crockett, Oct. 2

• Rise Against, Oct. 3

Go:913 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park;stoneponyonline.com

ParkStage, Freehold Township

• Sublime, June 19

• Dark Star Orchestra, June 20

• Umphrey’s McGee, Moe, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Lotus, June 21

• The Head and the Heart with Wilderado, June 26

• Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, Jake Clemons Band, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers with Gary U.S. Bonds, Low Cut Connie, Weeklings, July 3

• America's Wonders, July 10

• B-52s and English Beat, July 11

• Brantley Gilbert, July 30

• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with Patty Griffin, July 31

• Lake Street Dive, Aug. 1

• Andy Grammer, Aug. 22

• Almost Queen, Sept. 4

Go:East Freehold Showgrounds, 1500 Kozloski Road, Freehold Township;parkstage.org

PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel

• Kid Rock and Jon Pardi, June 5

• Machine Gun Kelly and Wiz Khalifa, June 9

• Riley Green, Justin Moore, Drake White and Hannah McFarland, June 18

• Ashanti and Trey Songz, June 19

• Jack Johnson, June 21

• Sammy Hagar, June 22

• Evanescence, Spiritbox and Nova Twins, June 26

• Santana and Doobie Brothers, June 27

• Godsmack, Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy, June 28

• Goose — The Band, July 2

• The Guess Who, July 5

• Tim McGraw and 49 Winchester, July 10

• Lindsey Stirling, July 11

• Weird Al Yankovic, July 12

• Jason Aldean, Chase Matthew and Mackenzie Carpenter, July 17

• Toto, Christopher Cross and the Romantics, July 18

• Ne-Yo and Akon, July 19

• Muse, July 22

• 311 and Dirty Heads, July 23

• Train, Barenaked Ladies and Matt Nathanson, July 24

• John Mellencamp, July 25

• Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner, July 26

• Motley Crue and Tesla, July 31

• Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band, Aug. 4

• Five Finger Death Punch, Cody Jinks and Eva Under Fire, Aug. 5

• Beatstock with Deborah Cox, Treach and more

• Kesha, Aug. 19

• Howard Jones, Aug. 21

• Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, Aug. 26

• Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, Aug. 29

• Empire of the Sun, Sept. 2

• Pitbull and Lil Jon, Sept. 3

• Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle and Starset, Sept. 6

• Babymetal, Halestorm and Violent Vira, Sept. 9

• Wu-Tang Clan & Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Sept. 11

• TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue, Sept. 12

• O.A.R., Gavin DeGraw and KT Tunstall, Sept. 17

• Logic and G-Easy, Oct. 3

Go:Exit 116, Garden State Parkway, Holmdel;pncbankartscenter.com

Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden

• MMRBQ 2026 featuring Godsmack, Alice Cooper, Hooters and more, May 9

• WMMR Presents: Triumph The Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded Tour with April Wine, May 28

• Kid Cudi, June 2

• Black Crowes and Whisky Myers, June 12

• Evanescence, Spiritbox and Nova Twins, June 20

• 92.5 XTU Anniversary Show with Hardy, June 27

• Dave Matthews Band, July 10 and 11

• Five Finger Death Punch, July 20

• Chicago and Styx: The Windy Cities Tour, July 21

• Tim McGraw, July 23

• Ne-Yo and Akon, July 25

• Train, July 26

• WMGK Big Gig 2026: The Return Of The Carnival Of Sin with Motley Crüe, July 27

• Muse, July 29

• 5 Seconds of Summer, Aug. 8

• Riley Green: Cowboy As It Gets Tour, Aug. 13

• Avenged Sevenfold and Good Charlotte, Aug. 14

• Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner, Aug. 20

• Chris Stapleton's All-American Road Show, Aug. 28

• MMR Presents Breaking Benjamin, Sept. 2

• Lil Wayne, Sept. 11

• TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue, Sept. 13

• Staind, Sept. 16

• Jason Aldean, Sept. 19

• Mt. Joy, Sept. 26

• Gorillaz, Sept. 27

Go:1 Harbour Blvd, Camden;freedommortgagepavilion.com

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press:Summer concert schedule for PNC MetLife, Stone Pony, ParkStage