Disco Inferno Heats up Burns Park

The record-high temperature was not enough to faze audience members and performers at Burns Park Tuesday.

Despite the heat, Disco Explosion kicked off the 2010 Music under the Stars concert series with performances from Alisha, Maxine Nightingale and Tavares.

“I said relax and don’t overdo it, but I forgot that when I got out there,” Maxine Nightingale, British R&B and soul singer, said of having to perform just hours after temperatures hit 100 degrees. The weather was no match for Nightingale as she sang popular tunes such as “Bad Girls” “Turn the Beat Around,” and “I’m Coming Out,” all of which had the audience members singing and dancing.

“Disco is a good ice breaker,” Nightingale said of the concert’s theme, “They can’t help themselves. People just go crazy!”

By the conclusion of her performance, it seemed as if she had the whole audience on its feet while she sang underneath the stage’s disco ball and black backdrop. “I love connecting with the audience,” she said. Don't worry if you missed Nightingale’s performance, she'll be coming to Tanner Park  in Babylon on July 31st at 7:30.

The audience was just  as excited to watch Alisha, dance-pop singer, perform her hits “Bounce Back,” “Too Turned On,” “Baby Talk” and “All Night Passion.” Her fast-paced love anthems were the perfect way to kick off the evening.

Having sang at this venue three years ago, Alisha, a south shore resident herself, was excited to return. “I was more than happy to be here,” she said. What she found most gratifying was the audience’s excitement, regardless of the weather.

“[I love] knowing they’re having a good time,” she said.

“We grew up with the music, that’s why we came,”  said Dominick Murello as he enjoyed the concert. Murello said he was looking forward to its last half hour most of all.

“He’s a big fan of Tavares,” Murello’s wife, Lori, said.

Tavares, an R&B group of brothers compared to the Jackson 5, closed the show with hits such as “Turn Your Love Around,” “It Only Takes a Minute” and “More than a Woman.”

The group of brothers, with their synchronized dance moves and white suits, made us feel as if were actually back in the 70’s.

Disco Explosion is but one of the free concerts the Town of Oyster Bay will be hosting this summer as part of the Music Under the Stars series.

“It’s close to home and you don’t need to go into the city for a great show,” said town spokeswoman Marta Kane.