The Last 24 Hours

disclaimer: this post is a bit long, but it was a busy 24 hours

Greetings friends ... hope this finds you all well and enjoying these last vestiges of Summer (at least here in NYC.) I, personally, am NOT a fan of the season and I'm looking forward to the cool, crisp days of Fall.

I basically had the week from Hades ... family drama, work drama, apartment drama ... too much frickin' drama! I was seriously ready to move to "a place where I can't be found" (points for whoever gets that reference LOL.)

Luckily, at the end of the week comes the week-end. Brilliant, huh?! *rolls eyes* And though I was missing Jon Bon Jovi and the boys in Mexico, I was getting Southside Johnny and his boys in Jersey. That certainly had to brighten my spirits right?

So off I went to Ridgefield, NJ last night to catch the Jukes. Hadn't planned on attending, but my friend B from Seattle was in town, so off I went. After a rather eventful short train ride we headed over to the show eventually finding parking way out in the hinterlands (possibly west of the Mississippi.) This was the first event in this new park and I have a feeling they may have underestimated what kind of turnout they would have. Walking ... and walking ... and walking to the venue was strangely reminiscent of the BJ Soldier Field shows. But, eventually we made it ...

And thank goodness we did because it was QUITE a night.

First off, there was a choreographed gang of spiders on the stage -- they seemed quite frightened of Johnny and headed towards Kazee, but then possibly caught sight of Jeff's hat and all ran the other way. It was totally like that scene out of the Harry Potter movie ... but with a rock-n-roll soundtrack.

Secondly, it was a fantastic set list which included just about all my favorite songs, great horn playing and the occasional interspersed random song quote from Kazee (always a highlight.)

Thirdly, SSJ was in rare form ... though in actuality, its not that rare ... its just HIM. At one point, he took out all the money out of his pocket and ended up handing it all to me when the guys in the band started circling him. So, there I was with this cold hard cash (okay ... more like hot sweaty mushy cash) in my hands. I'm thinking a new iPhone, Jovi tickets, a taxi back to the car after the show! ... but, no, I was nice and gave it back to him. Next time though ... LOL

I didn't take many pictures due to the lighting. Every few minutes we would get blinded by these bright yellow lights, prompting my friend Linda to say that we probably looked like french fries in the front row. Haha. But, look at this blurry one. What is it with him giving me his version of the stink eye? ... see what I mean about the hat? (truth be told, the hat was absolutely FABULOUS)



And so that was last night.

Who knew it would get even better today?!

A couple of months ago I was chatting online with my crazy German girls when one of them mentioned Rick Springfield. Now, I was a devoted fan of his music in the early 80s and drooled over him as Dr. Noah Drake, but Rick fell by the wayside when a few years later, a sandy-brown haired, blue-eyed singer came on the scene.

But, when B mentioned Rick Springfield, I thought I'd check out what he was up to and found he was doing a concert at the Best Buy (better known as the Nokia) Theater and bought a ticket for the soundcheck package.

What a fantastic experience! From the minute you arrive, through entry to the venue, getting to meet the band, talking with Rick, taking pictures and getting autographs.

The whole thing was relaxed and fun and had a feeling of being part of a family. Rick spent quite a lot of time just hanging out and talking. It was a small group of us -- seems they keep it to approximately 25-30 people which makes it not only manageable for the staff, but an intimate, accessible event for those attending. Rick was incredibly sincere and funny and generous with his time. What a wonderfully nice guy!

I have the distinct feeling I will be attending many more Rick shows in the coming years. :-)



So, after the meet-and-greet I was heading over to have some dinner before the show ... and look who I run into!? The beautiful and talented Montego Glover from MEMPHIS (which I saw for the 15th time last Sunday!) Since I was by myself, I did the "hold camera out and pray" technique. This was the result. LOL



After a bite to eat, I ended up meeting up with two of my fellow Jovigirls Chris and Sandy ... who ironically decided at the last minute to buy tickets to the Rick Springfield show. And only a couple of blocks from there Southside was playing at BB King's so off I went ...



Like Jon Bon Jovi said about Southside at Blossom, "I love that man." Me, too. There truly is nothing like a Jukes show and nobody like Johnny, so I take every opportunity to see them. The energy at BB's is always amazing and I think it brings out not only the best, but the craziest out of everyone. But, a little chaos is good for the soul. *wink*




It was slightly odd to walk in and not see Kazee at the keys though -- he was playing a charity gig in Baltimore. But, his sub Bobby Lynch was really terrific ... oh, and what is it with Jukes keyboard players and hats?! LOL



... and they might not be the original Chuck Taylors, but he got the shoes, too ...



... ahhh, them Jukes horns



with my favorite cheerful lad from England Neal Pawley (you should check out his fun stuff at 11 Acorn Lane)



... and the very sweet Billy Walton who gave me his pick and the set list :-)



I've gotta say, seeing two SSJ shows in two days is always a good thing. And it certainly turned my whole week around ... but isn't that what music is supposed to do? Inspire, console, excite, energize, soothe, transcend.



Okay folks, that's all for now. I'm exhausted! Until next time ...

Now, THAT'S a Party

...just a little something in honor of Bruce's birthday.

Here's a clip from hands-down the best show I ever saw. It was an emotional night. It was an uplifting night. It just simply rocked.

I fell in love with Southside Johnny, Jon Bon Jovi, Little Steven and Bruce all over again that night and the love-affair hasn't ended yet. (and doesn't SSJ look dashing in that suit?! So cool.)

The Divine "Miss L"

Yes, my friends ... our favorite multi-talented songstress/instrumentalist has just announced a few tour dates for this Fall.

The incomparable Lorenza Ponce (talent, brains and beauty ... its lucky she's so damn nice or we might have to hate her! LOL) will be presenting the following shows:

October 26th - The Living Room (NYC) ... her last show there rocked the house! You can read my review by clicking HERE.

November 5th - Bearsville Theater (Woodstock, NY)

November 6th - Stanhope House (Stanhope, NJ)

You can definitely count me in for the NYC show ... and maybe the Stanhope one, too. Sorry, Lorenza, I'm in Niagara Falls for the Jukes on the 5th ... just think ... I get TWO endless (or would that be incessant?) world wonders in the same night - Southside Johnny AND the Falls. Haha.

Anyhoo, if you haven't purchased Lorenza's Soul Shifter, go to her site NOW and do so.

...and to get you in the mood...here's a little clip recorded by my dear friend Rike (or @RikeBJ on twitter) and even though its not one of Lorenza's original songs (like my personal favorite "Testify") I absolutely LOVE her performance of this George Harrison masterpiece ...



...okay...well since I mentioned "Testify", I might as well include that too :-)



See?! It's a great song, isn't it?

P.S. You can follow her at @LorenzaPonce on Twitter. And be sure to visit her Facebook page as well.

Happy Tuesday!

Just had to share what my friend sent me as a surprise ... I'm jumping up and down and screaming VINYL!! *co-workers are looking at me like I'm crazy - but that's nothing new LOL*





Cough...cough...I think I feel a cold coming on. Maybe I'll just have to go home early...

No Words Needed.

*thank you to B for finding and posting this*

Another Clip...

Here's another video from JBJ's "appearance" at the Stephen Talkhouse. I love how Jon gets a bit flustered when he messes up the words. S'alright Jonny, Southside messes them up all the time! Even wrote that into a song ... LOL



p.s. ... and like they say "boys will be boys" ... last time they were at the Talkhouse, the two of them were pushing eachother around the stage then too. Haha.

Forces of Nature

Happy Saturday ... at least here in New York. What a crazy day yesterday!

First and foremost, thank goodness we heard that our Jovifriends in New Zealand are all okay after the earthquake (including Super_Kiwi who is right there in Christchurch and sent around some great shots.)

Secondly, Hurricane Earl ... umm ... all this brew-ha-ha (how DO you spell that anyway?) about evacuating Long Island ... LIRR cancels all trains going to Montauk ... people are stocking up on water and movies from Blockbuster like there's no tomorrow. The end is certainly coming ... well ... not so much. Just a lot of rain. And a lot of media coverage.

And as if that all wasn't enough, we have the force of nature known as Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.

Last night's show at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett is one of the unofficial end-of-summer shows for the gang. The venue is a tiny place right on Main Street that doesn't serve food - just drinks (and lots of them! Or maybe that was just us?)

I always seem to miss this show due to various reasons, but not this year. So, off I went on the Hampton Jitney (remember that Sex and the City episode? LOL) and arrived a couple of hours before the show. It was raining like crazy but that was it in terms of the Earl Effect. Passed the time at a pizza joint (where I ran into Neal and Ed) and had a bite to eat and pondered the variable-rate bond business. Fun, eh?!

Anyhoo, met up with some Jukesfans and we headed over to the venue. In comparison to most SSJ shows, the ticket price was high (but still a steal in comparison to another band I love.) As a result, there seemed to be very few diehards there -- basically us four girls singing and making a good ruckus (which earned us a few amused looks not only from SSJ but from another rockstar too, perhaps. LOL)

It was totally worth the few extra bucks for VIP seating which got us a spot at one of the front tables (luckily on Kazee's side.) Unfortunately (but actually not) it was right under the speaker that was dripping an inordinate amount of water. I say "but actually not" because as a result we ended up with free drinks all night - which we definitely took advantage of! *and another round please* as an aside, I'm still thinking ... lots of water plus electrical wiring in speakers not a good thing

Unlike most SSJ shows, they actually followed the set list ... most likely due to the guest bass player (regular bass master John Conte is in Germany.) Well, they followed it for the most part ... except they didn't do "Lost" -- what's up with THAT Johnny?! *my all-time fave song*

Here's how things went down (as I posted on SSJ boards):

Trapped Again
Passion Street
One More Night to Rock
Lead Me On
This Time Baby's Gone for Good
I Played the Fool
Forever
Walk Away Renee
(did I hear a little Riders on the Storm?)/Strange, Strange Feeling
Coming Back
(Phantom of the Opera intro)/Tango Til They're Sore
Talk to Me (with JBJ)
Love on the Wrong Side of Town
*appearance by JBJ as waiter, complete with towel over his arm*
Woke Up This Morning
Without Love (plus an interesting quasi-angelic solo from JK that sounded a bit like a twisted version of Styx's Come Sail Away intro ... just sayin')
Til the Good is Gone/Tracks of My Tears
Happy
Into the Harbour *sigh*
The Fever
I Don't Want to Go Home
Thank You *wow! just ... wow* (first time I heard it live)

Encore
Cross That Line
Harder Than It Looks
Working Too Hard/Hard Days Night
(more Beatles) Oh, Darling (Jeff vox)
Baby You Can Drive My Car


Band Lineup:
Vocals/Harp/All-Around Frivolity, Southside Johnny
Keyboards/Song Wizard, Jeff Kazee
Guitar, Billy Walton
Bass, Skip Ward
Drums, Tom Seguso
Guitar, Glenn Alexander
Baritone Sax, Ed Manion
Trombone, Neal Pawley
Trumpet, Chris Anderson
Sax, Joey Stann

Yes, as anticipated Jon Bon Jovi jumped on stage for a bit of wrestling/singing with Johnny. And thank goodness he picked on SSJ's shirt, which we have been doing secretly (or not-so-secretly) for some time now.

I had seen Mike Rew come in and figured Jon couldn't be too far behind. Sure enough in came Jon and Dorothea looking tanned, happy and relaxed. Good for them because touring, school, etc etc etc is fast approaching.

Here's the clip of J&J doing Talk To Me ... (which was posted in record time I may add!)



(btw, the video was done by this nice woman from Smithtown ... we met standing out in the rain. LOL)

As you can see from the set list, Jon came out a bit later to offer SSJ a drink. He was supposed to come back up for another song, but that didn't happen. I still await my dream performance of him and SSJ doing "Soul's on Fire" (from the Better Days album.)

I didn't take many pictures because I just wanted to enjoy it ... AND the fact that it was so dark you had to use a flash which I just don't like to do at shows. Anyway, here are a couple of blurry pictures for ya!



...I like this one...JBJ picking on SSJ's shirt (though in all fairness, SSJ picked on Jon's moccasins or whatever the heck those things were LOL.) The fashion highlight of the evening by far was Kazee's red suede sneakers. :-)



...my two guys together at the mic...*sigh*



...and SSJ doing what he does best...



It was a fun night--a bit soggy, but that's alright (please note I didn't say "its alright" ... y'all KNOW how I feel about that song! Haha.)

P.S. Oh, and here are a few funny pics from soundcheck at Martell's Monday afternoon.

...ummm, did they really put Jeff in charge!? SSJ actually came up behind the handful of us that were watching and said "who the hell are those guys?!" LOL



(seriously though, you couldn't ask for a better right-hand guy and SSJ knows it)

Surefire way to get SSJ up on stage...start playing his harmonica...LOL



...and what's this? Is Kazee staring me down?...



Well ... so ends my week with the Jukes. "Its Been a Long Time" since I had so many SSJ shows in such a short period of time and it was a blast for sure. (p.s. if you don't know the reference to the song, check out the Better Days album.)

*Sigh*

...and continuing my Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes week, here's a great clip of an acoustic performance of my fave track from the new album Pills and Ammo (if you haven't purchased it yet, GO buy it NOW ... THEN come back and watch video. LOL)



Absolutely LOVE this track. The lyrics. The harmonies. The groove at the end. *sigh*

I know I promised a few of you I'd do a write-up of the Martell's experience ... sorry, life got in the way. I'll sum it up by saying it was beautiful at the beach and frozen cosmos are the bomb! Oh, and note to Jon Bon Jovi: You're gonna have to fight SSJ for my heart because he stole a good portion of it on Monday by doing "Don't Call Me Baby" for me. *double sigh* I checked "the wall" (I have all my SSJ set lists from shows up on the wall of my room) and I couldn't find DCMB on any of them! Not that it matters if its on a list - he never follows it anyway. LOL

Next up ... Hurricane in The Hamptons.

P.S. Don't forget to vote (for SSJ) in the current "This or That" poll. ;-)