There’s no better way to spend a sultry summer night than outdoors listening to music.
In Montclair, there are several venues where you can hear live music en plein air while relaxing with a drink and a bite to eat.
Montclair Brewery (101 Walnut Street) features musical events throughout the year, but in the warmer months their large parking lot morphs into a beer garden, featuring tables, chairs and a stage. This weekend, there will be music on Friday and Saturday nights (July 19 and 20). Friday, it’s a roots band, Water Street, from northwestern New Jersey; on Saturday, it’s The Normal Living, a seven-piece indie-rock band from Manhattan. (Check the brewery website for the full summer calendar.) Jersey breweries can’t serve food on site, but at Montclair Brewery you can bring takeout from any of the many eateries in town—airy-crusted pizza from NJM fave Brick & Dough, perhaps, or Thai food from Sukhumvit, right across the street. Order one of the pub’s signature beers, such as the Hava Guava IPA, or the Baobiere, made from the baobab fruit of brewmaster Leo Sawadogo’s native Burkina Faso. The $5 cover charge goes to the musicians.
The Wellmont Arts Plaza (5 Seymour Street), in the heart of downtown Montclair, hosts concerts throughout the summer in partnership with Jazz House Kids, the nonprofit behind the Montclair Jazz Festival. On Thursday, July 25, a “soundcheck” for the jazz festival will feature Wallace Roney Jr. and the Jason Marshall Quartet; on Saturday, July 27, a student jamfest; on Thursday, August 8, the Ries Brothers; and on Wednesday, August 14, a Prince/David Bowie tribute band. (Check out the Jazz House Kids website for the full schedule and details.) Pharmacie Bar + Kitchen serves food and drink on the plaza; you can also pick up food and non-alcoholic drinks at nearby restaurants to enjoy during the concert. Concerts are free; some seating is available, but to be safe, bring your own chair.
The big outdoor musical event is the world-class Montclair Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 14, when the cars on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair will be replaced with multiple stages, food trucks and restaurant grills. (Check the Jazz House website for details.)
The new owners of The Kitchen on Forest (171 Forest Street), which has replaced the beloved neighborhood joint Ruthie’s Bar-B-Q & Pizza, plan to continue Ruthie’s tradition of hosting backyard bands. Jazz/rock/folk band Doug Hall and Friends, a local favorite that played the restaurant’s first stint last month, play again on Friday, July 19, from 7-9 pm. The BYO restaurant offers many of the same comfort-food items that Ruthie’s did: ribs, pizza, mac and cheese, and red cabbage slaw. Manager Sibel Oz says she plans to host the Doug Hall band again, along with other groups, into September and October. (Check their website and Instagram page, @kitchenonforest, for future details.) There is no cover charge, but a bucket is passed for donations, which go to the musicians.
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