In 1977, Waterloo Village opened an open-air concert field about a mile down the road from the historic village to raise restoration funds. Actually, in Byram Township, New Jersey, locals remember (and I grew up at the perfect time) the advertisements on WDHA, WNEW, WPL, WLIR, WDRE, and others announcing major acts performing in outdoor venues, including Waterloo Village and nearby South Mountain Reservation. Looking back, I never knew, nor did I care, but the State of New Jersey had sponsored music promoters to offer major acts in these country settings. No one knew how big they would become.
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Waterloo Village and the concert field (map) have hosted numerous concerts since 1977. We counted 53, and I am sure we missed a few, but here’s what we gathered. How many did you attend?
(post a comment at the end of the story).
- Muddy Waters – Performed: July 4, 1977
- Johnny Cash Performed: Aug. 19, 1979; June 14, 1986
- The Beach Boys Performed: Aug. 2, 1987; July 2, 1988
- John Kay & Steppenwolf Performed: June 10, 1988
- The Gregg Allman Band Performed: June 10, 1988
- America Performed: June 24, 1988
- Arlo Guthrie Performed: July 15, 1988; Aug. 5, 1989 (with Pete Seeger)
- Chicago Performed: July 24, 1988; Aug. 29, 1990
- Roy Orbison Performed: July 29, 1988
- Bob Dylan Performed: Sept. 10, 1988; July 17, 1989; July 30, 2000 GA $43.50
- Indigo Girls Performed: June 6, 1989; Aug. 6, 1999
- Neil Young Performed: June 6, 1989
- Bad Company Performed: June 23, 1989; July 18, 1990
- Steve Miller Band Performed: June 29, 1989
- The Allman Brothers Band Performed: July 4, 1989; Aug. 30, 1990; Sept. 1, 1991; Aug. 7, 1993; Sept. 4, 1994; Aug. 13, 1995
- Edie Brickell Performed: Aug. 22, 1989
- Melissa Etheridge Performed: June 14, 1990
- Joe Cocker Performed: July 5, 1990
- Stevie Ray Vaughan Performed: July 5, 1990
- Damn Yankees Performed: July 18, 1990; Aug. 31, 1991
- John Denver Performed: July 27, 1990; June 21, 1991; July 30, 1994
- The Moody Blues Performed: July 29, 1990
- Santana Performed: Aug. 15, 1990 – GA $26
- Blues Traveler Performed: Aug. 30, 1990; Sept. 1, 1991; Sept. 4, 1994
- Lollapalooza 1991 Performed: Aug. 11 and 14, 1991. The lineup included: Ice-T, Rollins Band (pictured), Butthole Surfers, Fishbone, Body Count, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction, Siouxsie, and the Banshees. GA $25.00
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer Performed: July 31, 1992
- George Thorogood & the Destroyers Performed: Aug. 7, 1992, GA $22.00
- Lollapalooza 1992 Performed: Aug. 12, 1992. The lineup included: Body Count, Lush, Truly, Porno for Pyros, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Cypress Hill, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine (pictured), Soundgarden, Ministry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam
- Ray Charles Performed: Aug. 16, 1992
- Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band Performed: Aug. 28, 1992
- Spin Doctors Performed: July 8, 1993
- Lollapalooza 1993 Performed: July 12-13 and 16, 1993. The lineup included Unsane, Babes in Toyland, Arrested Development, Fishbone, Dinosaur Jr., Truly, Primus, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains, Jane’s Addiction (pictured), Royal Trux, Front 242.
- Phish Performed: July 25, 1993; June 23, 1995. A concert-goer died at the 1995 Phish concert that had attracted 30,000 people even though only 18,000 tickets were sold. Events like this had utterly overwhelmed the area’s limited access roads and caused considerable friction with the surrounding towns. The foundation began downsizing the concerts around this time. Ticket: $22.50
- HORDE Tour 1994 Performed: Sept. 4, 1994. The lineup included The Allman Brothers Band, Blues Traveler, Dave Matthews Band
- HORDE Tour 1995 Performed: Aug. 11, 1995. The lineup included Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers; Blues Traveler; The Black Crowes
- Rusted Root Performed: Aug. 13, 1995
- The Wallflowers Performed: July 25, 1997
- 98 Degrees Performed: Aug. 27, 1999
- The String Cheese Incident Performed: Aug. 28, 1999
- Jeff Beck Performed: Aug. 31, 1999
- Gov’t Mule Performed: Aug. 28, 1999; Aug. 11, 2000
- moe. Performed: Aug. 28, 1999; June 7, 2003 GA $33.00
- Bad Religion Performed: May 28, 2000
- Blink-182 Performed: May 28, 2000 GA $25.50
- ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Performed: Aug. 1, 1999; July 15, 2000
- Peter Frampton Performed: July 21, 2000
- Blue Oyster Cult Performed: July 21, 2000
- Guster Performed: July 30, 2000
- Medeski Martin & Wood Performed: Aug. 11, 2000
- Bela Fleck & the Flecktones Performed: Aug. 11, 2000
- Alan Parsons Performed: July 21, 2001
- The Flaming Lips Performed: Aug. 9, 2003
- G. Love & the Special Sauce Performed: Aug. 15, 2003
- Something Corporate Performed: Aug. 15, 2003
- 311 Performed: Aug. 15, 2003
- Peter Tork Performed: May 23, 2013
- Bourbon Street Blues Festival Performed May 20-21,2017 – Headlined by the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band and the Robert Cray Band. Other performances by Bernard Allison, Mike Zito, Bonerama, the Bob Lanza Blues Band, the Above Ground Blues Band, Billy Hector, the Fins, Lee Delray, Robert Ross and Mike Esposito. $80
- Let it All Hang Out Festival: Performed: August 23,24,25, 2019
- The Highland Festival is an environmental festival celebrating local food, music, arts, history, and cultural and natural resources in New Jersey. The festival features live entertainment with two days and two stages with entertainment by New Jersey musicians. Local food vendors offer locally sourced food with cooking demonstrations, tastings by New Jersey chefs, and more.
- Waterloo Concert Field (or the Fields at Waterloo)—This location is well suited for large events (500 vehicles to several thousand vehicles). It has electricity, water, fencing, lighting, and ample parking.
There May Be Hope
Waterloo Village Today
Today, Waterloo Village has both a tired look and a bright future. Over the past twenty years, many of the 26 village structures have lacked preventative maintenance. It just looks tired.
Friends of Waterloo Village, the Canal Society of New Jersey, the Morris Canal Greenway, and the NJ Division of Parks and Forestry care for the village. Weddings continue, the caterer operates, and schoolchildren come. Parking is still $5, which goes directly to the park. And they have a $3 million restoration grant in the bank!
Waterloo Village, Allamuchy Mountain State Park
Waterloo Road, Stanhope, NJ 07874
(973) 347-1835 (administered by Kittatinny Valley State Park)
Waterloo Village Concert Field, 1 mile down Waterloo Road
This 19th-century village, located on the banks of the Morris Canal, contains a working gristmill, a general store, a blacksmith shop, a canal museum, and several historic houses. It also includes an early 19th-century log cabin farm site and a 17th-century Lenape Indian Village exhibit. Waterloo Village is open from dawn to dusk, and the Historic Site Office is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call for historical programming and event information.
More Waterloo History & Tidbits
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- Great Story on the Smith Family of Waterloo Village
- NY Times Visits Waterloo Village in 1981
- Waterloo Village Concert Set Lists (Setlist.fm)
- The Highlands Festival
- Yes you can RENT Waterloo Village
- Byram Township Historical Society
- The 2015 Movie Silent was filmed in Waterloo Village
- Wild West City (Nearby and you should go)
Want to hold A Special Event of Your Own at Waterloo Village? You Can….For the Right Price
