Sandbar Sessions

Florida Keys events at Sandbar Sessions.

Only on Little Palm Island…
Imagine your favorite act playing a private show, just for you. Instead of squinting to see small shapes on a distant stage, they’ll be strolling on the sand beside you. What were once blinding lights are now replaced by a backdrop of the moonlit waters of the Atlantic Ocean. An intimate performance for only a limited number of lucky fans. The Sandbar Sessions on Little Palm Island are a once in a lifetime opportunity to truly get up close and personal as your favorite performers serenade a small audience of guests on the shore. Dine, dance and lose yourself in the moment at our Florida Keys events. A limited number of packages are available with exquisite dining options and luxury accommodations. Sandbar Session tickets are complimentary to guests of the island.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Emmy Lou Harris

October 16, 2020

A 14-time Grammy winner and Billboard Century Award recipient, Emmylou Harris’ contribution as a singer and songwriter spans 40 years. She has recorded more than 25 albums and has lent her talents to countless fellow artists’ recordings. In recognition of her remarkable career, Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2018.

Harris is known as much for her eloquently straightforward songwriting as for her incomparably expressive singing. Admired through her career for her talent as an artist and song connoisseur, Harris shook up country radio in the 1970s, and established herself as the premiere songwriter of a generation selling more than 15 million records and garnering 14 Grammy Awards, three CMA Awards, and four Americana Awards.

Harris is one of the most admired and influential women in music. She has recorded with such diverse artists as Linda Ronstadt, Daniel Lanois, Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler, Neil Young, Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, Ryan Adams, Beck, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett and most recently Rodney Crowell. Few artists have achieved such honesty or have revealed such maturity in their writing. Forty years into her career, Harris continues to share the hard-earned wisdom that—hopefully if not inevitably—comes with getting older, though she’s never stopped looking ahead.

A longtime social activist, Harris has lent her voice to many causes. She has performed at Lilith Fair, helping promote feminism in music and organizing several benefit tours to support the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. Harris is also an avid supporter of animal rights and is actively involved in Bonaparte’s Retreat, the dog rescue organization that she founded.

PAST EVENTS

Ronnie Spector

March 9th, 2017

Only a few artists in history have been capable of defining an entire era in pop music. Ronnie Spector is one of those artists: the embodiment of the heart, soul, and passion of female rock and roll in the 1960s. And to this day, no one has ever surpassed Ronnie’s powerful trademark vocals and her gutsy attitude. For these qualities and more, Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

The Ronettes—recorded a long string of classic pop hits: powerful, poignant teen anthems like the Grammy Award-winning “Walking in the Rain,” “Do I Love You,” “Baby I Love You,” “The Best Part of Breaking Up,” “I Can Hear Music,” and the international Number One smash “Be My Baby.” These records are among the best-loved and most-emulated recordings in the history of rock and roll.

Room reservations are limited so reserve your stay soon!

Jana Kramer

March 22nd, 2017

Just ask Jana Kramer and she’ll tell you she’s: “Just getting started.” And it’s that drive and love for music that has been the driving force behind her career. After all, in just a little over three years, she has become one of country music’s brightest new stars. Her platinum debut single, “Why Ya Wanna,” rocketed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2012 making her the most played new artist of that year. Her self-titled debut album hit No. 5. In 2013, the Academy of Country Music honored her with its Top New Female Artist Award.

That’s a lot to have accomplished in just a little time. And Kramer is grateful for the success that has come her way. ”I still have a lot to prove,” she insists. “I’m better at what I’m doing than I ever was before. And I’m not going anywhere.” Kramer, you see, was already a star when she broke into country music, with a massive fan base she had built as an actress in numerous films and TV shows. What few knew was that long before reciting her first scripted line, Kramer was a passionate lover of country music. In fact, she ended her high-profile, two-year run on The CW’s “One Tree Hill” to focus on her singing, songwriting and onstage performance.

Room reservations are limited so reserve your stay soon!

Fabulous Thunderbirds

March 7th, 2016

For over 30 years, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band. The group’s distinctive and powerful sound, influenced by a diversity of musical styles, manifested itself into a unique musical hybrid via such barnburners as “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up”. Co-founder Kim Wilson, the sole original member, still spearheads the group as it evolves into its newest incarnation.

John Hiatt

February 25th, 2016

This American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards and has been awarded a variety of other distinctions in the music industry. He remains one of the most respected and influential American singer-songwriters

Dave Mason

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, songwriter, and legendary guitarist Dave Mason has been making music since the age of 18 when he teamed up with fellow England native Steve Winwood to form the band Traffic. Since then he has penned dozens of hits, and has been linked with numerous other members of rock and roll elite, including Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac,The Rolling Stones, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Rita Coolidge, Leon Russell, Ron Wood and Mama Cass Elliot. Mason has been performing to sold-out audiences for years and has sold millions of recordings worldwide.

LEE RITENOUR

March 26, 2015 Grammy award winning guitarist Lee Ritenour has received a rich cross section of exposure to jazz, rock and Brazilian music. From one of his first sessions at 16 with the Mamas and Papas to accompanying Lena Horne an d Tony Bennett at 18, his forty year eclectic and storied career is highlighted by a Grammy Award win for his 1986 collaboration with Dave Grusin, Harlequin; 17 Grammy nominations; numerous #1 spots in guitar polls and the prestigious “Alumnus of the Year” award from USC. He has recorded over 40 albums, with 35 chart songs, notably the Top 15 hit “Is It You,” which has become a contemporary jazz radio classic. For island packages call 800-343-8567

JEFFERSON STARSHIP

April 27th , 2015 Performs & Celebrates The Music of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE 50th Anniversary Jefferson Starship, created by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner; and, David Freiberg, also a former Jefferson Airplane member and co-founder of the legendary Quicksilver Messenger Service – celebrated their 40th Anniversary in 2014. The band, descended from Jefferson Airplane – who performed at Monterey and Woodstock, at Altamont with the Rolling Stones, and shared the bill countless times with Grateful Dead & Janis Joplin, and whose music helped define a generation focused on civil rights, environmental awareness and anti-war activism – is set to perform the landmark recordings “Dragonfly” and “Red Octopus” – the latter catapulted them to the top of the charts twice in 1975. In 2015, the band performs & celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Jefferson Airplane & The San Francisco Sound, Kantner & Freiberg were instrumental in creating.

Dr. John

May 5, 2014

A legend with his unique blend of voodoo mysticism, funk, rhythm & blues, psychedelic rock and Creole roots to the island.

Taj Mahal

March 27, 2014

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Composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Taj Mahal is one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music. Though his career began more than four decades ago with American blues, he has broadened his artistic scope over the years to include music representing virtually every corner of the world – west Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the Hawaiian islands and so much more. What ties it all together is his insatiable interest in musical discovery. Over the years, his passion and curiosity have led him around the world, and the resulting global perspective is reflected in his music today. Taj has been nominated for nine GRAMMY® Awards.

America

May 18th, 2013

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On May 18th, 2013, the legendary band AMERICA performed at Little Palm Island as part of the wildly popular Sandbar Sessions. An intimate group of 100 guests enjoyed an unforgettable evening in paradise. With 80 degree temperatures, an ocean breeze and great songs like “Ventura Highway” and “Sister Golden Hair” drifting over the crowd – the night was amazing.

Rickie Lee Jones

November 7th, 2012

Rickie Lee Jones has made a career of fearlessly experimenting with her sound and her persona. Her unforgettable 1979 debut landed her two Rolling Stone covers in two years, and elements of her image were absorbed into the culture, from the Chuck E. Cheese pizza chain to the interest in jazz and signature costume (fingerless gloves, spandex, hat) from so many female pop singers who followed.

Never content with one style or identity, though, she went on to create such masterworks as Pirates and The Magazine, and to delve into such daring projects as the pioneering electronic accompaniment of 1997’s Ghostyhead and her impressionistic representations of the words of Jesus Christ on The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard in 2007. Now she brings this exploratory bravery to The Devil You Know—to the desolation of the New Orleans lament “St. James Infirmary” and the solace of Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe”.

Keb Mo

March 21, 2012 Keb Mo is a master at blending blues, jazz, r&b and soul through melody and rhythm. Keb Mo captured the lucky island gathering with his musical spirit and virtuosity. Many die hard fans of the Sandbar Sessions returned for this event on March 21, 2012. May new guests enjoyed the show as well and vowed to return for the next session in this amazing setting. What a magical night in the tropics!

Aaron Neville

October 19th, 2011

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If you were lucky enough to be amongst the intimate crowd of 100 guests to attend the Aaron Neville Sandbar Session on October 19th, then we don’t need to tell you what a spectacular evening ensued. Aaron Neville serenaded the shores of Little Palm Island with his enchanting vocal melodies, inviting nostalgic and romantic memories with his classic hits. New, soulful tunes stunned the crowd as Aaron sang angelically in front of a sparkling ocean background. Make sure you don’t miss our next Sandbar Session. You never know which of your favorite artists will vie to play at this one of a kind venue. Check in regularly for new acts here.

Indigo Girls

Monday, February 21, 2011

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Oh what a night! For more than two decades, Indigo Girls Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have presented some of their best music in front of cheering crowds. Sometimes in the cramped confines of a small club, sometimes in a vast arena packed with thousands – but for 100 lucky guests, the sand at Little Palm Island proved to be the experience of a lifetime!

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriters celebrated their long-standing passion for live performances – featuring songs from their upcoming release, Staring Down the Brilliant Dream on IG Recordings/Vanguard Records. Available on June 29th, the two-disc CD features 31 songs, each hand-selected by the duo to capture the most memorable moments of their 2006-2009 shows.