By Greg Ellison
(Feb. 24, 2022) Although the packed house at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club resulted in some fans missing out on the music inside last Saturday, plenty of opportunities to catch a groove outdoors will begin in May with weekend performances set through September.
Before hosting live acts on the water starting in the spring, two offseason shows were planned, including Journey tribute band
Photo courtesy Julie Malinowski
Journey tribute band Eclipse Steve Perry replicator works the crowd at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club on Saturday.
last Saturday and Great Train Robbery on March 11.
Matt Ortt Companies CEO Ralph DeAngelus said last weekend proved far too cold to consider staging outdoors.
“We did it upstairs,” he said. “It was first come, first serve for tickets.”
Lines formed outside before the doors opened at 4 p.m. on Saturday, with capacity quickly reached.
“We had no idea we were going to sell out in 16 minutes,” he said. “We thought we were going to do well, but who could have ever guessed?”
While outdoor shows at the club can pack in up to 600 people, the stage room inside is limited to 250.
“That’s just a giant difference,” he said.
Much to the chagrin of management, the smaller space left a few folks out in the cold.
“You want to accommodate everybody and when you can’t you feel bad,” he said. “I hated sending a couple of hundred people away, it was horrible.”
Before kicking off the outdoor show schedule on May 6, Great Train Robbery will perform on March 11 at 5 p.m.
Admission is $5, with doors opening at 4 p.m.
DeAngelus said the March 11 show is scheduled indoors and will again be first come first served.
In terms of pre-sale options, DeAngelus said past experiments proved troublesome.
“We tried selling them online ahead, but people were never definitive,” he said. “For us it just creates more problems.”
Despite a few hiccups last weekend, DeAngelus said customer feedback has been glowing since the Yacht Club reopened on Super Bowl weekend after a brief winter hiatus.
“It’s been a nice return,” he said.
Until spring, the Yacht Club opens at 11 a.m. from Thursday through Sunday.
Photo courtesy Julie Malinowski
Journey tribute band Eclipse filled the Ocean Pines Yacht Club to capacity on Saturday, with numerous music fans turned away at the door for the early evening performance.
Ocean Pines Yacht Club live music schedule:
May 6 Great Train Robbery
May 7 Josh Christina
May 13 Sons of Pirates
May 14 Exit 93
May 20 Scorpion Rose
May 21 Opposite Directions
May 27 The Benderz
May 28 Tranzfusion
May 29 Great Train Robbery
June 3 Full Circle
June 4 Bob Lougheed & the Memphis Mafia
June 5 Downhill Uprise
June 10 Over Time
June 11 Mike Hines & the Look
June 12 Beach Bandits
June 17 Tranzfusion
June 18 Kaleidoscope
June 19 Rockaholics
June 24 Sons of Pirates
June 25 Opposite Directions
June 26 Hometown Strangers
June 30 Josh Christina
July 1 Tranzfusion
July 2 Eclipse: the Ultimate Journey Tribute
July 3 Great Train Robbery
July 7 Brian and Things
July 8 Full Circle
July 9 KiTTYBACK
July 10 Over Time
July 14 Beach Bandits
July 15 Kono Nation
July 16 The Funsters
July 17 Rockaholics
July 21 Nelly’s Echo
July 22 Mike Hines & the Look
July 23 Jaded Love
July 24 Sons of Pirates
July 28 Downhill Uprise
July 29 Janglebachs
July 30 Weird Science
July 31 Zander Jett
Aug. 4 Zander Jett
Aug. 5 Tranzfusion
Aug. 6 Kittyback
Aug. 7 Over Time
Aug. 11 Lauren Glick
Aug. 12 Great Train Robbery
Aug. 13 Lee Alverson’s Tribute to Elton John & Billy Joel
Aug. 14 Josh Christina
Aug. 18 Brian and Things
Aug. 19 The Big House Band
Aug.20 Full Circle
Aug. 21 Rockaholics
Aug. 25 Nelly’s Echo
Aug. 26 The Benderz
Aug. 27 Jaded Love
Aug. 28 Scorpion Rose
Sept. 3 Tranzfusion
Sept. 5 Great Train Robbery
Sept. 9 Over Time
Sept. 10 Eclipse: the Ultimate Journey Tribute
Sept. 16 Sons of Pirates
Sept. 17 Full Circle
Sept. 23 Josh Christina
Sept. 24 KiTTYBACK
Oct. 1 Jaded Love