ENTERTAINMENT

Diana Ross concert sells out, but there's a lot more great music this week at beach spots

Roger Hillis
Special to Salisbury Daily Times

There is music galore at the shore in the evenings ahead, including a sold-out concert by a pop-R&B diva who is a bonafide legend. 

Tickets are long gone to see the iconic Diana Ross at the Freeman Stage in Selbyville on Tuesday, July 2. Unquestionably the venue’s biggest show of the year, the booking was a quite a coup.

Ross is in the midst of a tour celebrating her 75th birthday (which occurred back in March). She made headlines in New York City last Saturday, June 22, with a sold-out appearance at Radio City Music Hall which recreated parts of her famous Central Park concert. 

Another Freeman booking that was sold out was a planned Saturday, June 29, gig by guitarist Boz Scaggs — alas, the show has been canceled, with ticket refunds available at point of purchase.

Diana Ross appears during a tribute segment during the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10, 2019, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Scaggs’ entire Out of the Blues Tour has been postponed for health reasons, according to his spokespeople. (Shows at some non-seasonal venues throughout the country have already been rescheduled for the winter months.)

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Country star Josh Turner will perform at Freeman following openings set by MamaDear and Jimmy Charles on Sunday, June 30 ($49 to $69); the music kicks off at 6:30 p.m.

In Dewey Beach, the Bottle & Cork nightclub will feature a reunion of regional cover band Strange As Angels, who were popular in the 1990s, on Saturday, June 29.

There will be sets at 5 p.m. and again at 10 p.m., and the cover charge is the same as it was the night Strange As Angels shared the stage there with a fledgling Dave Matthews Band in the mid-’90s — a mere $5.

The day and evening will also include alternating sets by My Hero Zero, Liquid A and The Benderz.

Looking ahead, electronic dance music act Cheat Codes hits the Cork at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 7 ($40). The one-and-only Billy Bob Thornton and his backing group the Boxmasters return at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 9 ($25). 

The Cowboy Coast Saloon in Ocean City will present North Carolina country music quartet Parmalee at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 2. Tickets are $15.

In Ocean City, the Cowboy Coast Saloon will present the return of country music quartet Parmalee at 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 2 ($15).  The saloon’s annual Throwback Thursday Concert Series also continues each week, focusing on heritage acts with musical catalogs under their belts.

Fuel will return to rock the house July 4, and it has been announced that Southern-rock stalwart the Marshall Tucker Band is slated for Aug. 22. Admission each Thursday is $15. 

Also in OC, Pickles Pub will present a free performance by Jason Morton & the Chesapeake Sons at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 4. Formerly named The Cheaters, the hard-rocking group resides in Nashville; this will something of a homecoming for frontman Morton, as he is a Kent Island native. 

In West Ocean City, Trader Lee’s will feature Joe Jack Talcum from The Dead Milkmen (“Punk Rock Girl”) on Friday, June 28. There will also be sets from a pair of local indie-rock ensembles — Mirror & Wires and The Phantom Limbs. The free show runs from 8-11 p.m. 

Jason Morton & the Chesapeake Sons (formerly The Cheaters) will play Pickles Pub in Ocean City at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 4. Admission is free.

Back in Dewey, the Rusty Rudder has an international triple-bill of rock ’n’ roll set for 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3 ($20). The package tour features Nashville hard-rock quartet Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown; British blues-rock act The Temperance Movement; and Florida roots-rock group Thomas Wynn & the Believers. 

Email Roger Hillis at rogerhillis@gmail.com 

This Week’s Must-See List

  • Diana Ross at the Freeman Stage in Selbyville at 7 p.m, Tuesday, July 2. Sold out
  • Joe Jack Talcum, The Phantom Limbs and Mirror & Wires at Trader Lee’s in West Ocean City at 8 p.m. Friday, June 28. Free
  • Strange As Angels at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach at 5 p.m. and also 10 p.m., Saturday, June 29. $5
  • Parmalee at the Country Coast Saloon in Ocean City at 9 p.m., Tuesday, July 2. $15 
  • Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown, The Temperance Movement and Thomas Wynn & the Believers at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 3. $20
  • Jason Morton & the Chesapeake Sons at Pickles Pub in Ocean City at 7 p.m.  Thursday, July 4. Free

More: Dogfish, Revelation collaborate on Independence Day brew

More: Where to hear live music in Ocean City, Rehoboth, Dewey and more