Bands: Classic Stones Live, Cris Jacobs, Carbon leaf, The Amish Outlaws, Tusk (Fleetwood Mac tribute)
Dates: June 12, June 13, June 19, June 26, July 3

The summer is here and outdoor concerts are back! My favorite part of the summer is shooting for Rocking the Docks and seeing new bands I never seen before and some favorites as well. The series takes place mostly every week at the Lewes Ferry Grounds in Lewes, Delaware – right next to the Cape May / Lewes Ferry and the Grain on the Rocks. Most of the concerts are done by 8:30-9pm, the weather so far has been perfect and there’s some new things this year.

There’s more food vendors, there’s a vendor market featuring local clothing, jewelry and art. The VIP section and stage are moved and VIP guests get 2 complimentary drinks. Coast TV’s Mallory Metzner is emcee but she didn’t start emceeing until show 3 with Carbon Leaf. Petey the Peacock has been in attendance for some shows and has been a hit and getting the crowd to dance and pose for pictures.

The first show was The Classic Stones live, with British accents and the look to match. They swagged like Jagger and brought out locals and tourists for a fun opening night of Rolling Stones tunes. The very next night was Maryland’s own Cris Jacobs with his full band, along with Sweet Leda who the locals love around here. Cris Jacobs performed last year with Dumpstaphunk so it was nice to see him play with a full band and hear his new album.

Show 3 was the one I was looking forward to since it was with Carbon Leaf and Shine Delphi. Carbon Leaf is one of my favorite bands and it was certainly pretty sweet to have them play only a few minutes from my house. Shine Delphi had a gypsy jazz solo vibe which I dug, and he frequently plays Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats in Rehoboth Beach. Carbon Leaf played some of their usual songs like “What About Everything” and “Life Less Ordinary,” but also played songs I haven’t heard in awhile like “Love Loss Hope Repeat,” “On Any Given Day” and “X-Ray.” They will at some point, release their new album but they have a new single “Love For Sale” but they didn’t play that night. Seeing Carbon Leaf is always a highlight and hopefully I get to see them somewhat soon again.

Amish Outlaws sold out last year and this year was no different. People come in droves for them, and are dancing (whether or not they want to or not). Big Daddy Abel was riffing and making jokes as usual, and felt pity for Petey the Peacock since it was like 97 degrees outside. So I have to think it was 115 in the suit. The band played a mixture of rock, hip hop, country and all the stuff that people enjoy – along with props, bubble guns, and lightning. Oh wait, that last part was’t part of the act but since there was a nearby storm coming through the Amish Outlaws had to end the show just a few minutes earlier than intended. They still played for a long time so people got their money’s worth.

Tusk, the number one tribute band for Fleetwood Mac from NJ performed on July 3rd and was just as crowded as Amish Outlaws the previous week. People love their tribute acts down here. There was just a bit of holiday traffic to contend with for this one since Cape May was doing fireworks so a lot of people were getting on the ferry to go see that. Everything worked out okay in the end and the band was a lot of fun. I have to admit, I don’t know too many Fleetwood Mac songs but knew more in the second half of their set.

This series has been a blast to see and photograph. Gorgeous sunsets and perfect spot to see a show along the water. Tickets are still available for the remaining shows so be sure to get them at rockingthedockslewes.com.

• Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel (This THURSDAY – July 11th)
• Yacht Rock Schooner (July 24th)
• The Record Company (July 26th)
• Kelly Bell Band & Lower Case Blues (August 1st)
• The Dip & Oh He Dead (August 7th)
• Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass (August 14th)