Taking Back Sunday, Umphrey's McGee and moe. to play Great South Bay Music Festival

It’s not even spring, but summer is already being planned as the 17th annual Great South Bay Music Festival, which will be held July 24-27 at Shorefront Park in Patchogue, has announced some of its headliners for two of the four days.

Long Island’s own Taking Back Sunday tops the bill on July 24 with an undercard of Say Anything, Gym Class Heroes and Head Automatica. This marks TBS’ return to the event and first appearance since 2019.

“Taking Back Sunday is a big draw and the guys are hometown boys,” says festival founder and promoter Jim Faith. “We love having them and they enjoy coming.”

On July 26 moe. and Umphrey’s McGee co-headline jam band day with support bands Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Eggy. The band moe. is another GSB veteran, having last played in 2022, as well as Umphrey’s McGee, which performed in 2018.

“Our shows are usually pretty high energy with a lot of improvisation,” says moe. drummer Jim Loughlin. “We try to make our time onstage as impactful as possible by playing a lot of fan favorites.”

Faith adds, “Umphrey’s and moe. are beloved in that world because they are amazing musicians. After a couple of years people look forward to seeing them again.”

More bands are set to be announced soon. However, July 25 will have a reggae rock theme while July 27 is going in a more '80s-'90s classic rock direction.

Meanwhile, an arts and crafts marketplace, beer tent and food court are set to round out the festival.
“We are trying to stay ahead of the curve and give people what they want,” says Faith. “But the focus will always be on the music.”

Tickets ($62-$69.50) are currently on sale at greatsouthbaymusicfestival.com. However, prices will go up in the coming months as the festival draws closer.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.