ASBURYJUKES.NET – BY LINDA IORIO – NJ CORRESPONDENT – JULY 5, 2004

Ya know, somebody oughtta kick me in the head the next time I say I’m not going to see Southside Johnny on the Fourth of July (in NJ) cuz it’d be too crowded, too many drunks, and seeing fights among the drunks. Yeah it was crowded, but I didn’t see one drunk idiot, or any fights.

I breezed down the [Garden State] Parkway in record time, with not one minute of traffic. Met up with Florida Barb in her room at the Berkeley, a hotel that never ceases to amaze me with its musty smell and general lack of care. The elevators were clanking or not working, paint was peeling in some spots, and some of the glass doors going in/out of the building needed to be cleaned badly. The hotel looks neglected and in need of some TLC. And this is supposedly AFTER a rennovation that took place some years ago??? Somebody oughtta dump a gazillion dollars into that place and REALLY give it the overhaul it deserves.

Barb took me on a tour of the ballrooms —- hey wait a sec, why is the Florida girl giving the Jersey girl a tour of a landmark NJ hotel???? The ballrooms are beautiful with their ornately carved ceilings, chandeliers and window treatments.

We went to the beach for a while and it felt soooo good to feel the sand between my toes. The water was cool but not freezing. Relaxing on the beach with Barb and taking in the ocean was just the thing I needed as it soothed my thirsty soul. Too bad it was low tide and the awful smell of mussel shells was overpowering! It’s nearly 10 hours later and I’m STILL getting a whif! (must be in my hair)

We sat on the beach as we discussed Barb’s agenda for Tuesday, when she’ll head to NYC for a taping of the Conan O’Brien show. Jesse Malin is playing on the show that day, and we’ve been on a serious Jesse kick lately. Unfortunately, I’m not going; my job gets in the way of my life.

On the big outdoor stage, Bobby Bandiera played a set to “open” for Southside, and he did a buncha bluesy tunes and got the audience juiced. His new CD was just released too, which Southside mentioned later on. I mentioned to Barb, who didn’t know, so maybe this is news to some of you guys too — that Bruce auditioned Bobby for the part that Nils got in the E Street Band, but alas, Nils got the job. Bobby is certainly one of THE most underrated guitarists around.

Southside was his typical wise-ass sarcastic self that I love, complete in red Converse sneakers, Levi’s and a white button-down shirt. He grew a mustache and goatee which I didn’t like cuz it made him look much older, but perhaps it was the gray hairs.

Around 9:30, there were fireworks from the beach, and they were pretty darn good. Southside commented on how he likes the ones that make the big boom sound (the duds), but there weren’t really any until almost the end. I was really impressed at how good the fireworks were. At one point, Southside looked towards the fireworks and said, “Do you MIND?”, as if the fireworks were interrupting HIM! Too funny.

At another point, he and LaBamba sang The Star-Spangled Banner (USA’s national anthem) together, but he let LaBamba finish it. Yet another time he commented on how psychedelic the fireworks looked, and how it reminded him of 1967 all over again. Then Bobby and the band started playing “Mellow Yellow” (Donovan) as Southside sang the song.

Then for the fireworks grand finale, he made the band stop playing and as I watched him watching the fireworks, with the colors lighting up the sky and reflecting against his face, I got nostalgic about my own childhood summer days in Asbury Park, and imagined what his childhood Asbury summers may have been like, growing up next door in Ocean Grove, yearning to come over to Asbury for the thrills and excitement that was lacking in Ocean Grove.

Towards the end of the show, a little girl came from behind the stage (the daughter of Jeff Kazee, keyboarder of the band), and held Southside’s microphone out to the audience, at which point we were supposed to sing the words (can’t remember the song, but it’s one of the most popular). Southside grabbed the mike from her hand in a “disgusted” way (he was joking, of course) and showed her HOW to hold it towards the audience. Then he turned towards the girl and waved his hand as if to say “Get the hell away from me, kid”. Another moment that made me crack up.

Another funny moment was when Southside took a clothespin that was holding the cord of his mike onto the stand (what was THAT about?), and gave it to Bobby. Bobby then hung it from his earlobe, as Southside shouted “Keith Richards”.

I honestly don’t know if I’m more entertained by the songs, the way he sings them, or the man himself. As far as “personality”, I think he’s one of the best on stage. I just love how he makes fun of himself and the band. He really teased Mark “Love Man” Pender, who screwed up a song which made Southside stop and scold him. Christ, he even teases people in the audience — he’s the Don Rickles of rock ‘n roll.

Part comedian, part actor, part sex symbol (yeah, I see it and I’d bet I’m not the only girl who feels this way), the man pretty much has it all. And not to mention the voice — one of the most distinctive in the business in my humble opinion. Another moment I liked was when he told the girls in the audience “never trust a man who plays a harmonica” (and he plays it well, I might add).

I bought a really cute SSJ T-shirt, light blue with dark blue sleeves, with a white silhouette of the man on the front, with “Southside Johnny” under it, and “Asbury Jukes – Made in 1975″ on the back.

You know you’ll always see the familiar faces of friends at a Southside show, and it was great to run into them tonight. One thing I like about Southside shows is that there are always more men than women in attendance. I even saw two very young guys there, who I saw at a Jesse Malin show last week. And now there they were at Southside – it’s GREAT to see such young people with GOOD taste in music.

I am so glad I decided to go. Besides the show itself, beautiful weather, fireworks, hanging with friends, and even a carnival in Bradley Park (on the big lawn between the Berkeley & the Wonder Bar), it was a great day all-around. At the end of the night, as I walked down the boardwalk to where my car was parked, cutting across Bradley Park, I came upon the carnival workers cleaning up and shutting down. The lights on the rides were still on, and what else could I think of but “…the aurora is rising behind us…”. At that point, I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be but “Fourth of July [in] Asbury Park.”

Linda

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