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Forest Hills concert permits blocked amid dispute between residents and venue, per NYPD letter
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Mar 25, 2025
Modified Mar 25, 2025
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Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Mar 25, 2025
Modified Mar 25, 2025
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A slate of concerts scheduled for this summer at Forest Hills Stadium is now in limbo after the NYPD said there was a breakdown in cooperation between the stadium and the local homeowners association that controls the private streets around the venue.
In a March 19 letter, NYPD Inspector William Gallagher told the West Side Tennis Club, which operates the stadium, and its concert partner, Tiebreaker Productions, that the department would not issue the required sound amplification permits for the 2025 season. He said the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, a private group that manages the surrounding residential community, had refused to allow the NYPD to close the privately owned streets for concerts due to safety concerns and past disruptions.
"The NYPD's crowd control on these private streets is necessary to ensure public safety and welfare when events are hosted at the Stadium," Gallagher wrote, adding that permits would remain on hold “until and unless FHGC grants the NYPD permission” to close the area during shows.
Forest Hills Stadium, which was a marquee tennis arena before it was a concert stage, has become a flashpoint in recent years as tensions have grown between the venue and some of its neighbors. Residents have cited disruptive crowds, loud music, blocked driveways and even public urination as reasons they want the concerts reined in.
“There was one round of concerts where there was electronic dance music for three days straight,” said Douglas Gilbert, a member of the group Concerned Citizens of Forest Hills who has lived in the area for more than 30 years. “The windows basically vibrated for three days straight and it’s just impossible to do anything in the house.”
Gilbert, an attorney, is part of an ongoing lawsuit against the stadium that is currently under appeal.
Attorney Christopher Rizzo, who represents the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, said the venue has repeatedly skirted city regulations with little oversight. In a 2023 email, he said concertgoers “routinely trespass on Gardens property” and shows “wildly exceed City noise limits creating a nuisance.”
Despite the NYPD’s letter, stadium officials appeared undeterred. In a statement Monday, their attorney, Akiva Shapiro, said the venue was still preparing for the 2025 concert season and blamed a “vocal NIMBY minority” for the controversy.
“[They] tried and tried again to shut the stadium down and kill the music,” Shapiro said.
Mike Luba, who heads Tiebreaker Productions, has previously dismissed neighbors’ complaints as exaggerated. He said the company has spent more than $1 million on soundproofing efforts since 2013 and typically ends shows by 10 p.m., adding that residents’ concerns are taken seriously.
Concerts featuring Phish, Leon Bridges, the Alabama Shakes and The Black Keys are among the shows scheduled to take place at the 14,000-seat venue this summer. Billboard recently named Forest Hills Stadium the top East Coast amphitheater for 2025.
A spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement that the department had to take action "to keep people safe" and looked forward to the parties reaching a compromise.
Supporters of the stadium, including some local business leaders, said the concerts are an economic lifeline for Forest Hills. They alleged that a small group of homeowners is jeopardizing jobs and millions of dollars in spending.
Tom Grech, president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, called the freeze on the concert permits “a travesty.”
“The idea that a handful of individuals can wield this kind of outsized influence to the detriment of an entire neighborhood is both outrageous and unacceptable,” Grech said in a statement Monday. “Forest Hills Stadium has done everything right.”
He added that he still planned to attend the slated concerts this summer.
“I have two tickets for them this upcoming summer. I don’t intend to give them up, I don’t intend to not go,” he said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
Music
public safety
queens
concerts
forest hills
art
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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