2026 Great South Bay Music Festival – Day 3 & 4 Recap
The first two days of the 2026 Great South Bay Music Festival were celebrations of Emo, Pop-Punk, Hardcore, Reggae, Ska, and so much more. Headlined by Sublime and The Used, with a lineup also full of local and nationally touring acts, it showed the strength of the Long Island scene, both from within, and the bands its able to draw to the island. You can check out our coverage of the first two days of the festival here.
Day 3
The third day of the festival wasn’t quite as easy to classify as the first two days. Headlined by Gov’t Mule, the best way to put it would be southern-fried jam. The first performance of the day, however, was by the School of Rock in nearby Farmingdale. It was fun seeing those kids rock on stage, and some of them really have a bright future if they want to pursue music.
Long Island psych-rockers Orchyd kicked things off on the Five Towns College stage with some funky jams and face-melting shredding. Then it was time for a local guitar legend, Kerry Kearney‘s Cajun Review. Kearney has a style that is truly unique, one that he dubs “Psychedelta”, a mix of swampy blues and spacey jams.
The next set I caught was Firetog & Co. on the Jambalaya stage, one of the most fun sets of the festival. Headed by the band’s namesake Phil Firetog, it was an engaging set from start to finish. Their sax player was just having the time of his life up there, too. Then it was time for LaMP on the main stage, for those who know, they know these three are a jam supergroup. Scott Metzger is a guitar virtuoso, and Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski are a formidable duo who’ve played alongside Trey Anastasio among other huge names in the jam scene over the years. Just hearing these three guys do their thing was a treat.
Then it was time to get even more into the roots of Great South Bay Music Festival, and this day’s theme. The next two acts on the Jambalaya stage were two tribute acts, The Ripple All-Stars and the Allmost Brothers Band. The Ripple All-Stars are a long-running Grateful Dead tribute who have a monhtly residency at the Bitter End in New York, they even joked about having the longest running residency now that Billy Joel is retired. And what’s better than hearing “One More Saturday Night” on a beautiful Saturday evening. The Allmost Brothers Band are, of course, an Allman Brothers cover band, and they truly played the music of legends with precision and care. There were some technical issues on that stage during the day, and the Allmost Brothers made sure to take their time and get everything right, and the set was better for it.
In-between those two tribute acts, bluegrass singer-songwriter Sierra Hull took the main stage. On days like these, sometimes it’s hard for an artist to appeal to an audience waiting hours to see the headliners, but it was easy for Hull. An engaging, and warm set kept peoples’ attention. And just witnessing her mandolin playing was phenomenal. It’s easy to see why she’s collaborated with so many big names – Sturgill Simpson and Eric Clapton just to name a couple.
After Hull, Ernie & The Band played on the Five Towns College stage, and they absolutely rocked it. Just some dudes who you can just tell love playing music. Without anyone actually named Ernie in the band. Then it was time to rotate over to the main stage for Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers. Hornsby is a damn legend, for way more than “That’s Just The Way It Is”. His career is full of incredible collaborations, a time as a member of the Dead, and so much more. His set showed not only why he’s earned that status, but that he keeps building on it. The stories Hornsby told added so much context to his ever expanding musical universe.
After Hornsby, Robinson Treacher hit the Jambalaya stage with a fun set. I only caught a couple of songs, but the vibes were warm and inviting, and Treacher is a magnetic frontman. On the Five Towns College Stage, the 26-year old with a 23-year long music career, Quinn Sullivan, took the stage. Sullivan not only has been playing guitar since he was 3, but he’s been in the national spotlight for almost just as long. And it showed during his set at the fest, great guitar playing, and undeniable musical craftsmanship were on display.
Then it was time for the big headliner of the day, Warren Haynes’ legendary Gov’t Mule. It was a perfect set to follow that pair of Dead and Allmans tribute bands. Everything from Haynes tonight just sounded so perfectly heavy, a bit of distortion really went a long way. Seriously, I could listen to Haynes shred forever. It had been quite a few years since I’d seen Haynes and Gov’t Mule live, up at Mountain Jam, but damn did this set take me back. Especially that performance of “Soulshine”.
Day 4
And when we talk about unclassifiable, the final day of the festival was full of bands that defy all classification. It may be easy to consider this a second consecutive “jam” day, but other than the Grateful Dead tribute, and even that had performers who go far beyond jam, it was a day with a bit of everything. Including a headliner famously dubbed “a jam band for people who hate jam bands“.
The day kicked off with Albert Liu & The Wild Hearts on the Five Towns College stage. A great set that kicked off with an explosive version of “All Along The Watchtower”, followed by covers of Kings of Leon & Green Day before he started mixing his own original songs into the set. Space Turtles then opened the Jambalaya stage with a kickass set, a bit post-punk, a bit indie, and totally killer.
Then it was time for TAZ on the main stage. After a bit of a delay, TAZ showed exactly why he’s such a rising star – with huge accolades already to his name, starring in School of Rock on Broadway, opening for the Stones, and so much more. A shortened set due to the delay, but there was no lack of face-melting riffs, especially once he let loose and took his shirt off.
Then, it was time for The Astral Party on the Five Towns College stage, a set that may have been my favorite of the whole festival. Experimental, weird, at times, loud, just a kickass, creative set from a young band. The kind of stuff that just feels special in the moment. Check out their 4-track EP Tap into The Astral Party and you’ll be hooked.
Another top set contender was Andrew Weiss and Friends. A really cool set that was a blend of 70’s folk, country, pop, indie, Americana, and rock. A real treat for those who ventured from the main stage area. But, it would be completely understandable for someone to just hang there, as up next was the Bob Weir Celebration featuring an all-star cast of Andy Falco (Infamous Stringdusters), Rob Eaton (Dark Star Orchestra), Alwyn Robinson (Leftover Salmon), Eric Finland, Pat Falco, and Leslie Mendelson. It was really special set, dedicated to a man whose influence could be felt throughout the entire festival.
The gutsiest move of the entire festival, however, was Owls By Day kicking things off with Billy Joel’s “The Stranger”. A decision that could have gone either way, but they absolutely nailed it. From then on, they had the Long Island audience’s attention. Really cool stuff from a quickly rising band in the jam scene. I then caught Little Feat on the main stage, and it was great to see these legends play. I’ve said it before about bands like this, as long as there’s a respect for the music being played, “legacy” acts worth seeing, even if the members have cycled, in Little Feat’s case, multiple times. And while there are still members who date back, the new ones make it obvious there is still care in what they’re doing. Maybe even more obvious when they play the new tunes live.
Next, on the Jambalaya stage was Miles To Dayton. Another band with a folky-blend of music, with some really great tunes. On the Five Towns College Stage was Kelli Baker. Baker’s stage presence is just incredible. Someone you can’t ignore, and the crowd grew throughout her set. Doesn’t hurt that she had a hell of a band backing her.
And then it was time for the final day’s headliner, My Morning Jacket. The Jacket are unpredictable, but on this night, they kept it simple. Kicking things off with a Jim James solo track, “State of the Art”, they played a lot of their recognizable tunes, like “Circuital” and “One Big Holiday”. They also played a version of “Phone Went West” where they interpolated “Weather Report Suite” by the Grateful Dead, and took it even one step further by doing a straightforward cover of “One More Saturday Night”. Overall, their set didn’t provide any deep cuts, but it succeeded in winning over the people who had never seen them before. After “Phone Went West” the guy next to me leaned over and said “wow, I had never heard them before, but once I realized they were playing the Dead, nothing but love.” And leaving the festival grounds, overheard convos echoed that sentiment. “that was my first time seeing them, they’re amazing live.” With a frontman like Jim James, how could you not become a fan?
It’s easy to see why The Great South Bay Festival has lasted 18 years, and has grown into a staple of the Long Island music scene. Local bands and internationally touring acts. It’s so much more than a Jam fest, even though that’s woven into the very DNA of Great South Bay Music Festival. And each night had its own distinct crowd, from the young fans of Bayside and The Used, the likely very high audience for all the Reggae and Sublime. The older jam crowd for Gov’t Mule, and whatever My Morning Jacket fans can be classified as. It’s a festival that touches any fan that likes guitar-based music. Long Island is lucky to have it.
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