2026 Great South Bay Music Festival Days 1 & 2 Recap

The Great South Bay Music Festival just wrapped up its 17th anniversary. Its smaller, jam-heavy earlier days have given way to a four-day, eclectic lineup featuring a handful of different genres. Pop-punk, reggae, jam, and more have been staples of their recent lineups. Their 2026 lineup echoed that with The Used, Sublime, Gov’t Mule, and My Morning Jacket headlining each of the four days. It’s a fest that draws in music lovers of all kinds from all over the island and beyond. Barring a handful of technical difficulties throughout the weekend, the festival was a really great way to take in some music in a beautiful setting. We didn’t catch all of the sets, but we tried to get to as many as possible. Here are Rich’s thoughts and photos from the first two days of the fest.

Day 1

The first act of the festival was Gamblers. Their set was enjoyable, and a great way to kick things off. Their 2024 record Pulverizer is a favorite of ours, and to catch some tracks off it live was great. They played on the Five Towns College stage, which was supported by students from the college, and the college even live streamed sets throughout the weekend. Across the field was the main stage, and its first act of the day was Imposters. Another band with a ton of energy. It set the bar high for the main stage.

Back to the Five Towns College stage for No Fly List. They’re self-described as heavy pop and that absolutely nails what they’re doing. At times, they can get heavy, but their energy is so infectious you just can’t help but groove. Throughout the fest, this stage had sparklers going off, and it just fit so well with what No Fly List were doing. Immediately after on the main stage was the Georgia-based Cartel. They kicked up already high-energy main stage up a notch with an incredibly engaging pop-punk set.

Deadlands then played on the other stage, and they turned in one of the more unique sets of the fest. Heavy riffs and an incredible vocal performance from lead singer Kacey Karlson grabbed the attention of anyone wandering by.

Throughout the day, I found myself thinking about the Long Island scene. Bands from the area, or close enough, turning in some great performances, and a pretty large crowd for a Thursday afternoon into evening. For a while, I considered the Long Island scene mostly insignificant, being fed ads for Journey cover bands and needing to go to the city to catch anything compelling. And the bands coming from the island seemed to just stop, or disown the scene altogether. But then Bayside kicked off their set on the bay, and while they too simply say they are from “New York”, they proudly stated they played their first show 26 years ago in Bellmore, about a 45 minute train ride west. They said they originally practiced in Islip, a quick drive away. Not only that, they said they were proud to carry the Emo label thrown on them.

And the Long Island fans had nothing but love for them. As someone who never truly gave Bayside a shot, I thought their set was fantastic. A lot of energy, great sing-along parts, and a super talented band. It had its louder and quieter moments, and each one kept the growing audience enthralled. I could see how these songs hitting at just the right time in my life would have made me a big fan, and I’m glad to see people find comfort, meaning, catharsis from music like this.

In-between the two main stage headliners was local band Koyo. After this set, they’re fuckin’ legends to me. Their blend of pop-punk, hardcore and emo just makes you want to run through a damn wall. Seeing all the people out there for Bayside and then the energy around Koyo back to back made me realize the Long Island scene is indeed far, far, far from dead.

The Used wrapped the day with their headlining set on the main stage. They’re another band I wrote off years ago, but in a live context, I came to love them. Bert McCracken is among the best frontpeople I’ve ever seen. His energy is off the charts, and it’s repaid in kind by the fans in attendance. Being up front, you could just feel the love from the crowd – and it was a fascinating crowd. It seems like the fanbase of The Used hasn’t changed much since I was in high school. It’s still a lot of high schoolers. I don’t know if I would have said this before seeing them live – but their music is indeed timeless, and will always resonate with young people just trying to figure out who they are. Much like I said about Bayside, The Used’s music can be so meaningful, its loud moments so cathartic. McCracken even invited fans to come on stage. And just like Bayside, he stated he was a proud flag-waver for Emo. McCracken intro’d their last song as “The best song ever written” and launched into “A Box Full of Sharp Objects” – with a drum solo and a cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” mixed in. An enjoyable, high-energy set with some truly great fans in attendance.

The first day was a real blast, a mix of different styles of punk made it really feel like a day at Warped Tour. Hell, it was even on the Great South Bay like some of the later Warped Tours. At times it was nostalgic, but it also was so great seeing young bands kick so much ass. Throughout the weekend you could easily spot Koyo and Imposters shirts. The crowd was also so laid back and chill, which almost seems surprising for a day with such angst-filled music. But anyone who’s been to these types of shows know we all look out for each other.

Day 2

The second day of the 2026 Great South Bay Music Festival was billed as Reggae Friday, and featured, well, a lot of Reggae. Super fitting for the day’s headliner, Sublime. This day also featured another smaller stage, the Jambalaya stage which offered even better views of the bay. On the two smaller stages were mostly local bands, with IRIEspect kicking things off with a killer, super fun set on the Five Towns College stage. I came in kind of riffing on “Strong Island” but came out absolutely loving them.

Project Vibe got the festivities started on the main stage. Early in their set, the audio mix was a bit off, vocals, keys, bass all low or missing, but they eventually got it all tuned in and their set was really great. Then we caught Reggaelar People on the Five Towns College stage, and they were also just another really fun set. Our first trip to the Jambalaya stage was for Roots Foundation, a crew with a deep respect for the history of Reggae. A lot of love came through on that stage.

Then it was back to the main stage for The Ries Brothers. Those two dudes really, really killed it. Charlie, on drums and vocals was so much fun to watch, and hear, do his thing. Especially since Kevin Jordan was completely unpredictable beside him. Ripping solos on whatever he could get his hands on, his guitar, a ukulele, melodica. Doesn’t matter. If it makes noise, he’s rippin’ on it. A great set that ranged from heavy blues-inspired riffage, to some jammier stuff, and fitting for the day’s festivities, some reggae.

Then it was off to the Jambalaya stage for what was my favorite set of the day, Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads. Mixing the music of Talking Heads with the stylings of Reggae, it was just so much fun. Their takes on “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” and “Crosseyed and Painless” were awesome. They closed out with “Psycho Killer”, and while the fans in attendance never quite nailed it when singing along, the vibes were great.

During the Talking Dreads set, I took a short excursion to the Five Towns College stage to catch just a bit of Bunktown Falls‘ set, and they just had some great energy around them as well, blending reggae with other rock styles. Then on the main stage was Common Kings, who absolutely rocked it. They’re a great mix of styles, grounded in dub and reggae, with the virtuosity that comes with playing together for 20 years.

Then it was back to the Jambalaya stage to catch the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble. A fantastic set that got the audience up and skankin’. On the Five Town College stage, Oogee Wawa put on a really fun set as well. The energy at the fest was at its max.

Then, it was time for Sublime, and it was the most crowded the fest felt over these four days. On a day full of fun performances, Sublime still managed to take it to another level. The band was flanked by two enormous inflatable dogs. Signs and other references to Long Beach, California (not to be confused with Long Beach, NY, also on the south shore of the Island) were scattered on the stage. There was even a quarter-pipe where their DJ, Doug Boyce occasionally shredded on.

Jakob Nowell, son of the late original singer of Sublime, Bradley Nowell, got a ton of love. There were many fans up front yelling out words of encouragement and love throughout the set. Nowell was honest about his own past, his own struggles, the demons he’s battled, and how he wished his father was on the stage. While that sounds heavy, Sublime kept things upbeat with their songs, a reminder that even in dark moments, there’s still time to dance, and just let loose. At times he teased the crowd, saying they were done with the set, asking if they should play more. Even saying they wanted to wrap things up to go get some Taco Bell. Everything about their set felt so authentically Sublime, Nowell cares about his father’s music and is continuing that legacy brilliantly. As is the rest of Sublime. Also, the line at the Taco Bell drive-thru on 112 on the way out of Patchogue was insane. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t stop off at one on the way back home in Levittown.

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It was a really fun couple of days down at the Great South Bay Music Festival. In our next post, we’ll recap the final two days with thoughts and photos featuring Gov’t Mule, Little Feat, and My Morning Jacket.