Red red wine, good times at Nassau County's UB40 concert

Among slews of cover bands and various types of entertainment acts this summer, Nassau County has also welcomed popular bands that most people recognize, to its lakeside concert venue in Eisenhower Park. Last week, the county welcomed UB40, a British reggae and pop band that formed in Birmingham, England in 1978, drawing a huge crowd of fans, who came out to see the group, and listen to many of their hits, which were released throughout the 1980s and 90s.

Today, UB40 features Jimmy Brown, Robin Campbell, Earl Falconer, Norman Lamont Hassan, Matt Doyle, Martin Meredith, Laurence Parry, Ian Thompson, Jahred Gordon, Matt Campbell and Gilly G. 

UB40’s music is characterized by its blend of reggae rhythms with pop sensibilities, and they have been credited with helping to bring reggae into mainstream popular music. Two of their biggest hits are actually covers — “Red Red Wine,” a Neil Diamond song that UB40 covered and made popular in 1983, and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” an Elvis Presley classic, that topped the charts in numerous countries in 1993. Signature songs that play into the group’s style include “Kingston Town”, a 1990 hit, and “I Got You Babe,” a duet with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders — which was also a cover of Sony & Cher song.

Whether people were hitting the lawns of the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre to hear hits that were reminiscence of their childhood, or just wanted to have a good time on a warm, summer evening, there was not a space to be found among the hundreds of seats.

Concerts in Eisenhower Park are free of charge, and sponsored by NYU Langone. For more information on upcoming shows and entertainment nights in Nassau County, visit NassauCountyNY.gov.