Concerts coming to Hudson Fields in 2017

Highway One, known for bringing music of all kinds to Dewey Beach, is taking its show on the road this summer.

Alex Pires, Highway One partner, said beginning June 1, when country music’s Old Dominion will play, Highway One will host five to six concerts at Hudson Fields, off Route 1 outside of Milton.

“It’s very exciting,” he said Jan. 12. “It’s an awesome location.”

Most of Highway One’s Dewey properties – the Rusty Rudder, Jimmy’s Grille, Ivy and Northbeach – play host to music entertainment of some kind throughout the summer months, but it’s the Bottle & Cork that draws acts from across the country.

The problem, said Pires, is that the Bottle & Cork can only hold about 1,100 people. There’s really no place in Delaware that can serve performers of the next tier, he said, which he described as an act that can bring 2,000 to 4,000 people.

“Once an act gets bigger than the Cork, they’re gone from Delaware,” he said.

According to the Hudson Fields website, the property is made up of 18 acres of playing surface, which can accommodate lacrosse, field hockey, soccer and rugby.

Christian Hudson, of Hudson Management, said Jan. 12 that he approached Highway One last summer after hearing 2016’s Delaware Junction concert had been cancelled. In 2015, Highway One partnered with Live Nation, one of the country’s largest concert promoters, to bring the now-defunct, three-day festival in Harrington.

Christian said he told Highway One they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

“They can do something similar, but smaller, down here,” said Hudson. “We offer something a little bit bigger than the Bottle & Cork, but not as big as the State Fair stage. It’s a sweet spot.”

In a Jan. 4 email, Hudson said since the airport opened in 1952, it’s been in continual use as a venue for events of one kind or another – including concerts. He said the Beach Boys, Chicago, Hall & Oates – bringing 25,000 to 30,000 people – have performed there in the past.

The vast field was also home to Punkin Chunkin for almost all of the 1980s, said Hudson. “The property actually has a very long history of hosting all kinds of events,” he wrote.

Highway One has been teasing Cape Gazette readers about the upcoming concerts for weeks. In the Jan. 3 edition, a full-page ad told readers to stay tuned for an announcement of an outdoor concert this summer at Hudson Fields. Then in the Jan. 10 edition, the ad reveals when tickets will go on sale for the first concert – Friday, Jan. 20. A closer examination of both ads reveals a Highway One presents Hudson Fields logo.

Pires said the contracts for the other acts have yet to be finalized, but he’s looking to bring a couple of Christian rock bands, a jam band, a pop band and then a finale with Delaware-based bands.

“The first year in, we’re going to take it easy,” he said. “See what the lay of the land is.”