Carnival of Soul

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ — When the coronavirus pandemic shut most of New Jersey down in March, musicians throughout the area suddenly found themselves with nowhere to play.

Nightclubs and restaurants were shut down. Large gatherings of any kind were nixed. For musicians, it was simply too quiet.

Marc Rinaldi and George Melassanos of Jersey Shore Production Group decided to see if they could change that. Friday their efforts are coming to fruition with the first of their pop-up drive-in concert series in Seaside Heights called Rock the Lot.

The drive-in event will be held on Fridays in the Bayside Parking Lot at the west end of Sumner Avenue. Tickets are $20 per person with a maximum of five per vehicle — no party buses, limousines or vans are permitted — and a special Tailgate Ticket (for $60) allows you to purchase a parking spot beside your car to set up chairs and dance and still stay socially distanced.

“We are trying to keep the live music scene alive,” Rinaldi said. “So many entertainers have lost their jobs during this time and we are just trying to keep them going.”

The concerts feature some local favorites and cover a variety of music styles, with an emphasis on keeping it family friendly.

Friday’s concert band is Slippery When Wet, a Bon Jovi tribute band. The rest of the schedule is as follows:

• Aug. 27: Big Hix (country)
• Aug. 28: Shorty Long and The Jersey Horns
• Sept. 3: Kickin’ Nash (country)
• Sept. 4: Event Horison (Seaside Heights Fire and Police appreciation night )

Rinaldi and Melassanos have been promoting local music events for 16 years, and said their main goal is they don’t want the local scene to die.

“We believe in this town and would like to see the rebirth of this iconic town after COVID-19,” Rinaldi said. “We understand this is the new normal way of seeing live entertainment for now.”

In addition to the music, there will be “a food truck or two,” and live videos cast on a 20-by-20 LED screen.

Tickets are available on Eventbright.com and this Friday they will be sold at the gate, too, Rindali said. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

“My partners and I are not making anything off it,” he said. The town donated the space and a generator to run the amplifiers, microphones and other electronics. “The ticket prices cover the band and production.”

Seaside Heights officials were very helpful during the process, Rinaldi said. If the first few concerts go well, they may extend them into October, he said.

“This is definitely something that people need and want, they just can’t do it in a club scene,” Rinaldi said. “(The bands) just want to play and be heard.”

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