Get ready to reelin’ in the years as Ventnor’s Sunset at Ski Beach series returns Wednesday, July 29, with an evening created for anyone who appreciates brilliant songwriting, sophisticated arrangements, and exceptional live musicianship.
Countdown to Ecstasy, the Philadelphia-area tribute celebrating the music of Steely Dan, will take the stage beside the bay for a free concert filled with jazz-inflected rock, unforgettable hooks, razor-sharp lyrics, and some of the most carefully crafted songs of the 1970s.
Food and craft vendors begin serving at 5:30 PM, with the music starting at 6:30 PM at Ski Beach, located at Dorset and Burk Avenues in Ventnor Heights.
Last Wednesday, Red & The Girls Can’t Help It brought an incredible level of energy to Ski Beach with a powerhouse celebration of the women who helped shape rock and roll.
The band had the crowd engaged from the beginning, filling the lawn with music, dancing, and the kind of excitement that has made Sunset at Ski Beach one of Ventnor’s most successful summer traditions. Families, friends, and visitors packed the bayside venue for another memorable Wednesday night—and the video below captures just a little of that amazing atmosphere.
Last week brought the power and energy of women in rock. This Wednesday, the series changes direction with the musical precision and sophisticated sound of Steely Dan.
July 29
5:30 PM
6:30 PM
Open to Everyone
Named for Steely Dan’s acclaimed 1973 sophomore album, Countdown to Ecstasy is a Philadelphia-area ensemble formed around one central principle: respect for the music. This is not a costumed impersonation show or a theatrical recreation of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. It is a group of talented, experienced musicians tackling one of rock music’s most challenging catalogs with the care and precision it deserves.
Steely Dan’s recordings were famous for their meticulous construction. Rock, jazz, blues, funk, R&B, Latin rhythms, and sophisticated studio production were combined with unusual chord changes, memorable melodies, polished vocal harmonies, and some of the sharpest lyrics in popular music. Reproducing that sound onstage requires much more than simply knowing the notes.
Countdown to Ecstasy brings those intricate arrangements to life with a full ensemble capable of handling the music’s layered keyboards, horns, guitars, percussion, harmonies, and sudden rhythmic turns. The band describes its approach as placing spirit and musical integrity ahead of costumed replication—and that philosophy has made it a favorite among both serious Steely Dan devotees and casual listeners.
Countdown to Ecstasy draws from across Steely Dan’s recording career, mixing radio favorites with deeper album tracks that longtime fans rarely have an opportunity to hear performed live.
The band’s repertoire includes Steely Dan standards such as “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Do It Again,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Peg,” “Josie,” “Hey Nineteen,” “Deacon Blues,” and “FM.”
Serious fans can look forward to material such as “Bodhisattva,” “Your Gold Teeth,” “The Boston Rag,” “Doctor Wu,” “Green Earrings,” “The Caves of Altamira,” and “Home at Last.”
The group’s songbook also reaches into Donald Fagen’s solo catalog, including selections from The Nightfly such as “I.G.Y.,” “New Frontier,” and the album’s title track.
The evening’s exact setlist may vary, but the band’s official repertoire spans Steely Dan’s major albums from Can’t Buy a Thrill through Gaucho and beyond.
Steely Dan never fit comfortably into a single musical category. Becker and Fagen wrote songs with the accessibility of pop music but filled them with jazz harmonies, unexpected chord changes, intricate instrumental passages, dark humor, and characters living on the edges of respectable society.
Their studio standards became legendary. Every guitar solo, horn arrangement, keyboard part, vocal harmony, and rhythm-section groove served the composition. The resulting records rewarded both casual listening and close examination, which is why new generations continue discovering the catalog decades later.
That complexity also makes the music especially exciting in concert. Hearing a full band navigate the shifting rhythms of “Aja,” the guitar lines of “Reelin’ in the Years,” the horn-driven energy of “My Old School,” or the relaxed groove of “Home at Last” gives listeners a new appreciation for just how much is happening inside these familiar songs.
“At Ski Beach, the musicianship comes with a view—the sound of a great band onstage as the summer sun disappears over the bay.”
What began as another addition to Ventnor’s summer calendar has grown into one of the community’s most anticipated weekly traditions. Now in its sixth season, Sunset at Ski Beach has established Wednesday night as a true destination for residents, seasonal homeowners, and visitors from throughout the Downbeach area.
The 2026 season opened with one of the largest crowds in the series’ history. An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people filled Ski Beach for the July 8 performance by Don’t Call Me Francis, spreading chairs and blankets across the lawn and gathering near the stage for a picture-perfect evening by the bay.
That momentum has continued throughout July. Last week’s performance by Red & The Girls Can’t Help It once again demonstrated what makes these evenings special: a talented band, an enthusiastic audience, local vendors, families gathered across the lawn, and an unmistakable energy that carried through Ski Beach from the opening song to the end of the night.
Large crowds are nothing new at Ski Beach. A 2024 concert also welcomed approximately 3,000 residents and visitors, demonstrating that the series has developed a loyal following that returns throughout the summer. Ventnor’s Summer Beach Jam and Sunset at Ski Beach program has earned Best of the Press recognition for Best Concert Venue three consecutive years—2023, 2024, and 2025.
The success comes from more than the quality of the bands. Ski Beach offers an atmosphere that is difficult to duplicate: an open lawn beside the bay, room for families and groups of friends to settle in, food and craft vendors nearby, boats passing in the distance, and a sunset that often becomes part of the show.
Sunset at Ski Beach is the Wednesday-night counterpart to Ventnor’s Saturday Summer Beach Jam. While the Saturday concerts bring an energetic oceanfront atmosphere to Newport Avenue, the Ski Beach series offers a relaxed bayside experience in Ventnor Heights.
Families spread blankets across the grass, friends arrange circles of lawn chairs, children play nearby, and visitors enjoy dinner from local vendors as the sun begins to drop behind the stage. By the time the music is underway, the sky over the bay often shifts through shades of gold, orange, pink, and purple.
With a different band every Wednesday, the series moves comfortably between classic rock, soul, party music, tribute performances, and jam-band favorites. Every concert is free, making it one of the easiest and most welcoming ways to enjoy a summer evening in Ventnor.
The food and craft vendors at Ski Beach are an essential part of the Wednesday-night experience. Beginning at 5:30 PM, visitors can grab dinner, enjoy something sweet, browse handmade goods, and meet some of the local businesses and makers who contribute so much to the Ventnor community.
The Ventnor Business Association is proud to help spotlight the member businesses that participate in community events throughout the summer. Supporting these vendors helps keep money within the local economy while allowing residents and visitors to discover businesses they may continue supporting long after the concert ends.
Bring a chair, meet up with friends, support Ventnor’s local vendors, and enjoy the music of Steely Dan against one of the best backdrops at the Jersey Shore. Countdown to Ecstasy takes the stage at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, July 29, at Ski Beach in Ventnor Heights.
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Event lineup and times are subject to change. Outdoor performances may be affected by weather conditions.
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