Went to see Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes the other night. Not sure if I should be posting the videos but the show was so great I wanted to share. It really was a great show and I was so happy to see Southside in such great form at age 64.
Anyway, here’s the story…
Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes
And The Band…
Well going to see an old favorite musician and band is always a crap shoot. You never know if they will be any good any more or if the current band is equal to the memories. Often, these old guys (Johnny is 64 at the moment) can still sing and put on a good show.
Well these guys put on a great show, and John Lyon (Southside Johnny) still has a strong voice, even though he said he was recovering from a cold the previous week.
And the 8-piece band was excellent. It included the usual bass, drums, guitar, and keyboards (B3 organ and piano) plus his horn section of sax, trumpet, and trombone. All were excellent. And the best part… They all seemed like they were having a ball. The joy really came through. Sorry I couldn’t get more shots of the band but they really were cool. It’s not bad by the end.
To learn more about the band visit The Jukes site here.
The Show
The show lasted about 90 minutes and I have a solid 60 minutes of video below including all the hits and a great encore. Highlights include great versions of The Fever, Talk To Me, I Don’t Want To Go Home, and Having A Party. For you serious Southside fans who know all the songs, there’s lots of others there too.
Again the best thing about the show was the band’s enjoyment. You could see they all got along great and were having a ton of fun. This is the kind of band I would love to be in. Great songs, cool solos, and great dynamics and variations in arrangements. They were a blast to watch.
The Crowd
I can’t help but mention the crowd. I know Southside Johnny was very big in New Jersey and the New York area. Of course, they come out of the Bruce Springsteen tradition of rhythm and blues and New York rock and roll. But at this show the crowd was very enthusiastic. In fact, there were a few in the audience I was concerned about. They were a little too into it. Like the girl who had to stand up directly in front of the main speakers at the front of the stage and dance wildly all night long. This was a reserved seating concert by the way.
And as I looked around I saw many people who sang along on EVERY song. They knew every word and were way into it. The Capitol only holds about 450 people so the crowd was not so big, but everyone was with Southside every step of the way. I’m sure many in the crowd hailed from New Jersey and New York.
Anyway, it was a great show and I hope I captured it in the videos. I hope you enjoy it. I know I did.
And again, if you want to check out Southside Johnny’s website go here.
But remember, if you watch this you’re an accessory to breaking the law. I won’t tell if you don’t.
