With Long Island Sound acting as both the cool relief from summer temperatures as well as the backdrop of festival-goers’ camping grounds, Seaside proves to again be the ideal location for this year’s festival.

Bridgeport Mayor, Bill Finch, says there is always a spot for Vibes in his city.

“We are looking forward to the return of Gathering of the Vibes to Bridgeport this summer. The Vibes has been an exceptional addition to Bridgeport’s burgeoning arts and entertainment scene, and allows us to showcase the Park City to visitors from around the state and country,” he said.

Getting to know the area from the account of a local can hone you in on the little known aspects of this popular recreation spot. Growing up in the area, Seaside Park has been a warm weather destination for not only city residents, but those coming down from their inland homes to enjoy a relaxing “daycation” and people have been making the trek since the mid 1800s.

The development of Seaside stems back to the tail end of the Civil War era, when a wealth of the park’s land was donated by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus founder, Bridgeport resident and former mayor, P.T. Barnum. Plans to expand the small park spread wildly throughout the community, as Bridgeport saw the need to construct more recreational meeting places for residents. As a devoted citizen who loved his city, Barnum’s vision was to help build and strengthen Bridgeport’s financial state and notoriety. His name is prominent throughout Bridgeport, and Vibes attendees and locals alike can be reminded of it with his honorable statue inside the park. His legacy in history remains as he played an integral role of leadership during an era of mass industrialization.

Long after the days of Barnum, Seaside Park is still a big hit among Southern Connecticut residents. With the arrival of Gathering of the Vibes coming in five months, taking advantage of this time away from the festival to learn more about your stay will enhance it when the time comes.

Located in the South End section of the city, a portion of Seaside Park ends in Black Rock Harbor, a historic part of Bridgeport that is now a populated neighborhood with access to fishing, shopping, nightlife and of course, great restaurants.

Before, after or during your stay at Vibes this year, pencil in Captain’s Cove to the itinerary. The seafood restaurant is nestled on a marina overlooking Long Island Sound in Black Rock. Enjoy two stories of dining area right on the water. The Cove is wildly popular during the summer months due to their fresh lobster, clams, fish, full bar, and the array of live entertainment playing on the deck.

Hosting the music and arts festival at Seaside has had a direct effect on Bridgeport’s overall relationship with music. The park’s impressive role in the community through Vibes has sparked the interest of bar owners who saw the impact of music in their city. The growing number of music showcases and art festivals in Fairfield County can likely be attributed to the success of Bridgeport’s years hosting Vibes festival.

Bridgeport offers what festival goers need. The urban area adds spice and pizzazz to the outlying coastline where Gathering of the Vibes is held. There is both a natural beauty of Seaside Park, its beaches; access to sports fields, hike trails and great biking backdrops along the beach, as well as the convenience of nightlife, a plethora of dining options and family-friendly access to Bridgeport stapes such as the Beardsley Zoo, The Discovery Museum and summertime AAA baseball league, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The quick type of a few words in your search engine can bring up some truly fantastic information that can alter your stay at Vibes this year for the better. Beyond the gates of historic Seaside Park proves a good time waiting to be had.

As we sit in anticipation for the summer months, Mayor Finch can assure prospective festival goers that having Bridgeport host the Vibes is always a wonderful decision.

Seaside Park — one of two Frederick Law Olmsted designed parks in our city — provides a beautiful venue for music lovers. What better place is there to listen to great music and enjoy natural beauty at the same time? Welcome back, Vibes!

Where were you the first time you heard the music of Jane’s Addiction? Was there a particular song that turned you on to the band? What do you remember of the experience? And what about the first time you heard the band perform? What about the last?

Personally, I was a classic rocker throughout high school but, shortly after graduation in ’88, a friend happened to have the incredibly shocking, Nothing’s Shocking. One last summer bash at said friend’s family cottage before college, a spin of this mind altering, genre defining recording and none of us would ever be the same. “Summertime Rolls” indeed!

The years that followed saw the band reach commercial success with “Been Caught Stealing” and then succinctly break up, whether several line-up changes, reunions, and the evolution of the modern festival with Lollapalooza. 2011 saw the band reform and release The Great Escape Artist to great acclaim. Of course, summer brought the band to our corner of land for a Saturday evening festival performance like none other and, well, Jane’s Addiction certainly didn’t disappoint.

I found myself floating through a sea of heads towards the stage on the opening notes of “Whores.” And how great was it to get a whole set full of classic Jane’s songs? When bassist Chris Chaney began the rolling notes of “Ted, Just Admit It,” while Perry Farrell danced around with a bottle of wine in hand and introduced drummer, Stephen Perkins, as having a brother who was a Deadhead, I was taken back to the high school party at a beach house.

I situated myself about 9 rows deep, looking right up at the band and was simply out of my mind. The raging “Ocean Size” was a crowd favorite with VibeTribe singing along in unison, and certainly fitting on the shore of the Long Island Sound. “Three Days” was a slow, mind-altering state of smoke filled, psychedelic bliss and, for this fan anyway, the pièce de résistance was the band moving through their cover of The Who’s “Sparks” into their own classic “Mountain Song” — the song that ignited my soul to the wonder of new music more than twenty years ago. While it was to be expected, the set closing acoustic performance of “Jane Says” or as Farrell described it, “ …our sad, sad story,” was the closer to a Saturday night at The Vibes that the Tribe had indeed been waiting for.

And so what about you? What do you remember about Jane’s Addiction from GOTV 2011? What was your favorite song of their set? Was it as much of a flashback for you as it was for me? Maybe it was your first Jane’s Addiction performance. Or maybe you’d never heard the band live, or even better, never heard of the band at all? Did their performance meet your expectations? Share your thoughts with the rest of the Vibe Tribe below.

2011 is behind us and we’re looking ahead to summer 2012 and our return to Seaside Park. Can’t wait to see you all again.

Billy Cliff

Small music venues, restaurants and bars host local talent frequently, and showcase bands that have sounds similar to those of Vibes artists. And while the winter months may prevent us from heading down to Seaside Park to soak up the sun, Bridgeport and its surrounding areas do their best to give the curious music adventurers something to do.

Bridgeport pizza restaurant and hot spot, Two Boots, located approximately ten minutes from Seaside Park on Fairfield Avenue, hosts live music every weekend with bands pumping out reggae, blues, jazz, rock and folk. Voted Best Restaurant with Live Music by Fairfield Weekly’s Reader Poll for four consecutive years, Two Boots has the funky upbeat atmosphere that most channels the spirit often seen at Vibes.

Roberta Pettit, Manager of the Bridgeport Two boots says she credits the restaurant’s dedication to showcasing local music to its founder, Phil Hartman.

The arts are a big part of his life, and it was important to him to bring live, local and original music to this area specifically. His vision was to help build downtown Bridgeport, he saw an opportunity here, she said.

While there are a string of Two Boot’s restaurants throughout New York, the Bridgeport location is one of the only that hosts live entertainment.

He [Hartman] was most excited to do it at this location, in this building, Pettit said.  He is so dedicated to supporting local musicians and all genres of music, which creates a diverse crowd here.

A Wisconsin native, the young manager says she can see the transformation of downtown in just the ten months she has been a part of Two Boots.

There is a different element in this area now with the addition of new restaurants and other places of entertainment such as the Bijou theatre.

The Bijou Theatre located a couple steps away from Two Boots is the area’s growing venue for stand-up comedy, plays, and film showcases.

Such places help aid in downtown Bridgeport’s reputation of being an arts and music related community. There are several venues to seek out cabaret and concerts such as the Playhouse on the Green, Downtown Cabaret Theatre, the Klein Memorial Auditorium and bigger concert venues such as the Arena at Harboryard.

Just this past December, the Klein Memorial Auditorium held its New Year’s concert series by Vibes veterans, Dark Star Orchestra, a Chicago-based Grateful Dead tribute band whose following stretches across the nation. Drawing fans both young and old, Dark Star Orchestra is no stranger to playing shows throughout Connecticut, including the New Haven’s legendary Toad’s Place, where music greats such as The Doors, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones have all rocked out.

Keeping in the theme of diverse arts and recreation, Housatonic Community College, located just blocks from Fairfield Avenue, holds the largest art collection in any two-year community college in the nation. Holding exhibits frequently, Housatonic boasts over 5,000 pieces throughout the campus.

Past exhibits have displayed both contemporary and traditional works, but the museum is most notably intriguing due to its collection of art by legends such as Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Auguste Rodin. The best part about making the trip to Housatonic’s Museum of Art is that it is completely free and open to the public.

With less than an hour drive from Bridgeport to New York City, the influence of music and art has seeped over the border, infectiously taking over Fairfield County and beyond. Other big cities such as Stamford and New Haven are nesting grounds for down-to-earth restaurants, killer nightlife, and tasty eats. The potential to experience new and upcoming bands is endless.

The best part about being so close to the annual Vibes action, is that within close proximity of Seaside Park, residents of the area can check out previous Vibes artists, such as the McLovins, Deep Banana Blackout, Kung Fu, Max Creek, Assembly of Dust and a handful of others who have played shows throughout Connecticut and are likely to do so again.

Keeping your eyes and ears open for new and upcoming music has proven easier than ever with the help of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Getting through the rest of winter is easier with the help of good tunes alongside good company.

Indulging in a night of Two Boots pizza and craft beers in the great city of Bridgeport, or wherever you may be, is ideal to keeping your spirits lifted through the dreary months. Until the warm breezes of July visits us again, keep the good vibes flowing by embracing your neighborhood music scene.

seum is most notably intriguing due to its collection of art by legends such as Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Auguste Rodin. The best part about making the trip to Housatonic s Museum of Art is that musica_seaside.wps”ÿp”ÿp

(” ming amount of music venues in close proximity that showcase tunes from bands that have got similar vibes to the bands we get to see every summer.