Howard Jones at Jones Beach Theater

Things Can Only Get Better Tour

Howard Jones will take the stage at Jones Beach’s Northwell at Jones Beach Theater on Thursday, August 20, 2026 for a full performance by Jones and his band. Also performing on the Things Can Only Get Better Tour are Wang Chung, The English Beat, and Modern English.

The Things Can Only Get Better Tour will start in Napa and travel east to shows in Saratoga, Paso Robles, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, and West Valley City before arriving in Wantagh for the Jones Beach performance. 

Howard Jones

One of the most positive songwriters of 80’s pop music is Howard Jones, a singer, musician and songwriter born on February 23rd 1955 in Chester, England has, with his work on synthesizers, been a true pioneer of the synth-pop genre in the mid 80’s. Fans at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater concert will be treated to live performances of songs such as “New Song”, “What Is Love?”, “Things Can Only Get Better”, “No One Is to Blame” and “Like to Get to Know You Well” all performed live by Jones and his full band.

Jones’ Human’s Lib went #1 in the UK in 1984, with his follow-up album Dream into Action from 1985 going on to achieve great success. The single “New Song” from his 1984 album was performed by Jones at the famous Live Aid event in 1985 and the song has since appeared in many contexts including a scene from the hit TV show Breaking Bad. Jones recently released a new single titled “Stand Up” in 2026 in which he returns to the music scene. 

Wang Chung

lead vocalist/guitarist Jack Hues is known for his high-energy performances bringing his inimitable style to each show. The set list is a potpourri of the biggest dance hits that Wang Chung fans know and love, including “Dance Hall Days,” “Everybody Have Fun Tonight,” “Let’s Go,” as well as the movie title song “To Live and Die in L.A.”

As well as their five Top 40 hits from the US, Wang Chung also have written and performed songs for many movie soundtracks. Their body of work includes songs from their debut album, Clear Light as well as their Dark Matter album and the points in between on the Curve and more recently the combination work they have done. 

The English Beat

The English Beat are a 2 Tone band known for their innovative mix of Ska, Reggae, Pop, Soul, Latin and Punk. They are often credited, along with The Specials, and Madness to name a few, in creating a whole new genre of music. Their hits include; “Mirror in the Bathroom”, “Save It for Later”, “Tears of a Clown” (a cover originally by Smokey Robinson), “I Confess”, and “Can’t Get Used to Losing You”.

The band released three studio albums, I Just Can’t Stop It, Wha’ppen? And Special Beat Service. Many of their songs were huge hits in the UK, and have also influenced many other artists. 

Modern English

The iconic post-punk band Modern English who originally went by the name of The Lepers and were a 5 piece from Colchester in Essex, that are still active today. The band’s work in the early days was extremely dark and could have been classified under the post-punk genre, but as the band members matured the music slowly evolved into more commercial and melodic sounds, incorporating vast amounts of synthesizers in many of their tracks. Their most famous 80’s song is without a doubt “I Melt with You” taken from their album After the Snow, released in 1982, and has since been featured in numerous films and TV shows including Hands Across the Sea and the beautiful Ink and Paper. 

Northwell at Jones Beach Theater Information

Northwell at Jones Beach Theater at 895 Bay Parkway, Wantagh, NY 11793 (also listed as 1000 Ocean Parkway) The Jones Beach Theater is an amphitheater that is situated in the Jones Beach State Park. The venue has many different seating options for attendees, including reserved ballpark-style chairs, general admission lawn seating and even state-of-the-art VIP suites.

For more information on the venue and the many amenities that it provides please contact the Jones Beach Theater at 516-221-1000 or via email at [email protected]. The Jones Beach Theater is hosted by Live Nation and will make sure that your concert experience is the best that it can be.

Parking Information

General parking is in FIELDS #4 and #5 located off of Bay Parkway and Ocean Parkway for Jones Beach Theater’s concert goers. VIP Parking, Premier Parking, Reserved Parking or Easy Out Parking is available for an additional fee. Call 516-221-1000 or email [email protected] to speak with a Northwell at Jones Beach Theater’s parking concierge to plan your concert going experience from start to finish.

Ticket Information

Tickets for this show are only $39 for admission to this outdoor summer concert venue. Tickets are available online at Ticket Squeeze, by clicking the buy tickets button below or at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater box office. As this show promises to attract a large crowd of fans of all ages it is strongly advised that all tickets are purchased in advance and that you arrive at the venue very early to allow time for parking and entry.