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Overcast Mumford & Sons rejuvenates 90-year-old arena
Forest Hills venue hosts first major concert in two decades
Stepping off the train at the Forest Hills stop of the Long Island Railroad around 5 p.m. on Aug. 28, it did not take long to sense the buzz surrounding the Queens neighborhood, with the anticipation of Mumford & Sons appearing on stage at the seldom-used West Side Tennis Club in a few short hours.
The streets were lined with potential concert goers, thousands of whom, like me, had also traveled via the LIRR. With the stadium sitting adjacent to the train station, it makes for an extremely convenient trip for Long Islanders traveling westbound. It’s also a less than 10-minute ride from Jamaica, a major LIRR hub.
No doubt, the excitement was a direct result of the band’s popularity. Since their mainstream emergence in 2009, the English folk rock group has experienced great success — two multi-platinum selling albums and two Grammy Awards top that list of accomplishments.
But even more than that, the palpable buzz seemed to emanate from an arena’s rebirth. The stadium — called the West Side Tennis Club, because, when built in 1921, was in the west side of Manhattan — once hosted the world’s most iconic musicians: The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Sinatra, Hendrix, to name a few. And true to its name, it was once the region’s home for tennis; from 1924 to 1977, it hosted the U.S. Open.
But the venue hasn’t hosted a major concert — or much of anything, for that matter — in more than 20 years. So to come back with one of the world’s biggest acts in Mumford & Sons, well, as arena president Roland Meier said during a Herald interview last month: “It’s big.”
Meier said that arena officials moved fast to revamp the venue in time for the concert. The stadium comprises upper-deck bowl seating, which was first-come, first-serve, and the stage level below was standing room only.
Finally, at 8 p.m., Mumford & Sons took the stage, and throughout the duration of their near two-hour set, the atmosphere could only be described as electric. They wasted little time playing their biggest and most recognizable hits, including “I Will Wait” and “Little Lion Man” early in the set.
