Music festivals

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Day: The Bamboozle; North Beach/Asbury Park, NJ (1½hrs from NYC by NJ Transit)
Two of the Garden State’s finest bands will be coming home for this three-day festival at Asbury Park. On May 20, pop-rock lifers Bon Jovi share the beachside main stage with the Gaslight Anthem, whose accessible punk rock owes more than a little to Jersey’s native son Bruce Springsteen. Other highlights from the fest include the hyperactive DJ Skrillex (May 18), New York’s new hip-hop champion A$AP Rocky and the mighty Foo Fighters (both May 19). (thebamboozle.com). May 18–20; day pass $65 (Friday), $75 (Saturday, Sunday); three-day pass $190.

Weekend: Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore (3hrs 30mins from NYC by Amtrak)
The city’s jack-of-all-trades club, Sonar, will be a sea of black when this massive metal party takes over the venue. Genre enthusiasts will have a chance to catch acts like the influential Godflesh, the seriously punishing Morbid Angel and the oddly soothing Agalloch, plus a host of other big-name and emerging talent. (marylanddeathfest.com). May 24–27; day pass $50 (Friday), $52 (Saturday,Sunday); three-day pass $150; four-day pass sold out.
Where to stay: Providing a quiet counterpoint to the madness, Hotel Brexton is within walking distance to the club, so you’ll be able to pop back to reapply your corpse paint if it starts to smear. (877-380-6708, brextonhotel.com). Rates start at $185.

Long weekend: Rockport Chamber Music and Jazz Festivals; Rockport, MA (5hrs from NYC by car)
Take in performances against a backdrop of the picturesque harbor of this former fishing village. Held over five weeks, the Chamber Music Festival (June 7–July 16; Thu–Sun) attracts high-caliber international stars, including early-music master Jordi Savall, as well as closer-to-home talent such as New England Conservatory piano chair Bruce Brubaker, who will reinterpret works by John Cage and Philip Glass. Rockport Music’s inaugural Jazz Festival (Aug 15–19) brings American Songbook singer Ann Hampton Callaway and pianist Ellis Marsalis (father of trumpeter Wynton) to the stage. (rockportmusic.org). $20–$78.
Where to stay: With a history dating back more than 160 years, the grand Emerson Inn by the Sea has an expansive veranda and outdoor pool. (800-964-5550, emersoninnbythesea.com). Rates start at $159; mention TONY when booking by phone to receive a bottle of champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries on arrival, plus 25 percent off weekly rentals of the inn’s ocean-view cottages, both through June 30.

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