NYC Radio: WPLJ Kicks-Off Summer At The NJ Shore

Asbury Park Press Photos

The Goo Goo Dolls -- perform during the WPLJ 95.5 FM's summer kickoff. By dawn, hundreds had lined the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk, a mix of mothers and daughters, high school friends and families, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Todd Pettengill, a host at the event with 95.5 WPLJ’s Todd and Jayde in the morning, said the number of people who show up in his 18 years hosting always surprises him.

“I mean [the audience] camp[s] out, they stay the night, and I think for most people it’s not specifically about the acts, it’s just about the party…and getting together with friends and making a tradition,” Pettengill said.

The early morning concerts on the beach have become a staple of Memorial Day at the Jersey Shore.  Thousands of bleary-eyed music lovers drove down to the  beach to usher in summer with drinks at dawn, loud music and a celebratory atmosphere fed by radio hosts.