Free Mardi Gras Music Series

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT > EDITOR'S CHOICES

By Ray Schweibert

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jul. 28, 2010

The New Riders of the Purple Sage kick off the Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk series Aug. 2 with a free concert at Kennedy Plaza.

New Orleans is not just a city soon to commence a defense of its first and only NFL championship, it will also be lending Atlantic City some of the sounds that helped define its notoriety.

Starting Monday, Aug. 2, and taking place most Monday evenings this month (starting roughly 6:30pm) along with other select dates leading up to Sunday, Sept. 5, the free “Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk” series will take place at Kennedy Plaza in front of Boardwalk Hall.

Kicking off the free series will be a classic jam band perhaps best known for its 1960s San Francisco Bay-area influence — the New Riders of the Purple Sage, on Aug. 2.

Some of the of the biggest names from the Crescent City will then descend on the resort, including Buckwheat Zydeco (Aug. 9), George Porter Jr. & the Runnin’ Partners (Aug. 16), Cyril Neville and Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone (with guest AC Weekly editor Jeff Schwachter on Aug. 23), and a twin billing of blues great Guitar Shorty with Latin salsa orchestra La Master A Otro Nivel (Aug. 30).

Additionally, the series will see special appearances by the New Orleans brass band Bonerama on the eve of the Atlantic City Air Show (Tues.,Aug. 24), by John Lee Hooker Jr. (son of the blues legend) on the afternoon of the Air Show (starting 3:30pm Aug. 25), and will end with a series-finale tribute to Fats Domino and Professor Longhair featuring Mitch Woods and his Big Easy Boogie with Jill West and Blues Attack on Sunday, Sept. 5 (Labor Day weekend). Each party will commence around 6pm with lots of Mardi Gras beads, merrymaking and free giveaways from corporate sponsors, of which Atlantic City Weekly is one. For more information, e-mail Carmen Marotta at tonymarto@aol.com.