City summer concert series, events to start

By RUBEN LOWMAN

With warm weather and sunny skies already upon us as we move further into 2022, the kickoff to summer is just right around the corner. 

For locals and visitors of North Myrtle Beach, the unofficial beginning to the summer starts by pulling up a chair and dancing the night away while catching live music the city hosts at a couple venues. The Times has you covered with a rundown of the great selection of city events on offer to kickstart your summer.  

The city’s parks and recreation department coordinates two concert series, Music on Main and Sounds of Summer, that bring the good vibes and boogie back to the beach’s residents and visitors. All ages are welcome to attend and everyone is sure to have a rockin’ good time. 

One of the best aspects of the concerts is the musical diversity on hand – one week you might be jamming out to the riffs of classic rock, shagging away to beach music, two-stepping to country music or even bopping around to a big band blaring out the American Songbook. 

First up, for the second year in a row, the Music on Main concert series is sponsored by Coastal Carolina National Bank (CCNB), with the city’s free concert series located at the Horseshoe on Ocean Boulevard. 

The concerts are held weekly around 6 p.m. on Thursdays throughout the summer season until October, with the first show by the band Brickhouse coming up on June 2. 

Beginning around 4 p.m., Ocean Boulevard is blocked off and concertgoers begin to gather and pull up a beach chair, towel or even a golf cart to get a good spot for the show. The Horseshoe provides the perfect venue for a wonderfully intimate experience, as you soak up the setting sun and relax to great live music just a few steps away from the ocean. 

The initial spate of performers sees Brickhouse followed up by The Tonez on June 9, the Main Event Band on June 16, Bullfrog on June 23 and Rivermist closing out the month on June 30. The end of the season will see performances by Gary Lowder & Smokin’ Hot on September 22 and Blackwater Rhythm and Blues Band on September 29. 

Starting a a few weeks later, the Sounds of Summer concert series brings the live music experience from the beach to the “woods” in a family-friendly environment. 

Set in amongst the magnificent and enchanting native trees at the NMB Park & Sports Complex Amphitheater, concertgoers can bring their beach chair or blankets and enjoy the tranquility of the setting and dance the night away under the moonlight. 

Typically held every third Friday during the summer months, Sounds of Summer gets underway June 17 with a performance by Fire Lake, a Bob Seager tribute band. That is followed by Living on a Prayer on July 15, the Paul Grimshaw Band on August 19 and the season finale of Head Games on September 16. 

Another upcoming event the city is holding is Pickleball with the Stars & Variety Show, which will be something that every local will want to catch. Held at the J. Bryan Floyd Center on Possum Trot Road, the event will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, with four local celebrities taking part in a friendly pickleball tournament with all the proceeds going to fund the construction of outdoor courts at the center for the rapidly-growing sport. 

An excellent variety show with some special guests will follow the competition, which will feature local music legend Greg Rowles and NMB City Councilmember Nikki Fontana, as well as local TV personalities Laura Pence and Ed Piotrowski. Each local celebrity will be paired with coaches that are members of the NMB Pickleballers Association. 

Tickets are $15 with free admission for children 10 and under. Tickets are available online at parks.nmb.us – online services – Pickleball with the Stars, or at the door.