Time and Time Again Pat Dinizio

Pat DiNizio tribute

TOM SKEVIN

From left, Jim Babjak and Dennis Diken of The Smithereens, and Little Steven Van Zandt, at the Count Basie Theatre in Ruddy Bank, Jan. 13.

Throughout their career, even at the largest venues they played, The Smithereens always seemed like a hard-working social club band. Following the death of frontman Pat DiNizio in December, surviving members got together, January. xiii, for one more show in that vein at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, filling the venue with loud, celebratory sound, well by midnight.

They had a lot of help. Though every Smithereen can sing pb — and did, for at least ane vocal, tonight — guest stars joined them on all but a handful of the 33 songs. Money raised went to the Basie's new Pat DiNizio Musical Functioning Scholarship Fund. (Additional donations can be made hither.)

The prove was originally planned as a Smithereens/Patty Smyth & Scandal double bill, to be hosted by Footling Steven Van Zandt (as role of his Clandestine Garage at the Basie series) in a club format, with an empty flooring instead of seats in the theater's orchestra section. Later on DiNizio's death, it turned into a tribute.

Smyth and Scandal still performed an opening set, and dedicated their version of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" to DiNizio. And Van Zandt joined Smithereens members Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken and Mike Mesaros for the opening number of their set ("Sorry") and the final encore ("A Girl Like You").

MARK R. SULLIVAN FOR THE COUNT BASIE THEATRE

Davie Davies of The Kinks at the Count Basie Theatre.

Calling the evening "very poignant and very sad," and adding that DiNizio "had one of the near unique rock voices," Dave Davies of The Kinks performed a sweet, touching version of his own "Strangers." Nodding to some of DiNizio's other master influences, there were also songs in the bear witness by Buddy Holly ("Well … All Correct," sung by Marshall Crenshaw), The Beatles ("Delight Please Me," sung past Graham Maby and Kenny Howes), George Harrison ("All Things Must Pass," sung by John Jorgenson) and The Who (the explosive "Sparks" instrumental, from "Tommy").

But the residuum of the evening was devoted to Smithereens material, including signature songs such as "Simply a Memory" (sung by Richard Barone) and "Fourth dimension and Fourth dimension Again" (sung past Peter Zaremba of The Fleshtones). "In a Lonely Identify," "Cigarette" and "Nobody Lives Forever" were all sung by Freedy Johnston; "Especially for Yous" and "Miles From Nowhere," both past Ted Leo.

Robin Wilson of The Gin Blossoms was given iv songs — including perhaps the greatest Smithereens song of them all, "Claret and Roses" — and proved peculiarly skillful at evoking DiNizio'southward resonant rumble.

Among other things, the show was a reunion of people who have contributed to The Smithereens' career. Keyboardist Kenny Margolis, described by Diken equally "The fifth Smithereen," performed on a number of songs. Bassist Severo Jornacion, who took over from Mesaros in the mid-2000s, though Mesaros has returned for occasional shows since tardily 2016, played bass and/or sang bankroll vocals on several numbers, and sang lead on "Business firm We Used to Live In." Kenny Howes, who has also filled in on bass at times, sang "Drown in My Own Tears" and sang with Jim Monaghan on "Blueish Period" and with Graham Maby on "Please Delight Me."

Monaghan and Ken Dashow co-hosted the show; both were disc jockeys at WNEW-FM during the time that that station gave invaluable exposure to The Smithereens.

Mark R. SULLIVAN FOR THE COUNT BASIE THEATRE

Mike Mesaros of The Smithereens at The Count Basie Theatre.

Ed Stasium, who has worked with The Smithereens as a producer, added percussion throughout the dark, and Kurt Reil, who has done the same, appeared with his Grip Weeds bandmates Rick Reil and Kristin Pinell on several songs.

Before singing "Strangers When We Run across," Crenshaw noted that he played keyboards on the studio version of the song (though he is credited as Jerome Jerome). Before Barone sang "Cutting Flowers," Diken said that Barone's band The Bongos gave them a big boost early on by asking them to open a bear witness at New York's Bottom Line.

Suzanne Vega and Garland Jeffreys send written letters that were read before the set started. This was followed past video letters from Southside Johnny, Graham Parker, Willie Nile, Pete Yorn, Marking Hudson and yet some other Smithereens producer, Don Dixon.

Dixon talked nearly DiNizio's "instinctive musicality … that tin't be taught," and Parker said that when he kickoff heard The Smithereens, in the '80s, they felt similar a "breath of fresh air." This was echoed by Howes, later, who said "The Smithereens, — in the late '80s, when I discovered them — saved rock 'n' roll for me."

Before Van Zandt closed the prove with "A Girl Like You lot," Babjak sang, equally the start encore, his own rowdy "White Castle Blues," and 500 White Castle cheeseburgers, donated by the company, were distributed to audience members. It was besides announced that the company is making a $10,000 donation to the Pat DiNizio Musical Performance Scholarship Fund.

Throughout the evening, Babjak, Diken and Mesaros — friends since they were all kids in Carteret — played and so powerfully and flawlessly together that information technology was heartbreaking to think that this may have been the last time they perform together, in this manner. Of course, information technology'southward probably too early to brainstorm speculating near what the future may hold for them. But I'd love to meet, at the very least, an annual night of DiNizio/Smithereens songs at the Basie, benefiting the scholarship fund.

MARK R. SULLIVAN FOR THE COUNT BASIE THEATRE

Robin Wilson of The Gin Blossoms at The Count Basie Theatre.

Here is the bear witness's setlist, with the guest(southward) or the Smithereen who sang lead vocals in parentheses. And below the setlist are some videos.

"Sorry" (Footling Steven Van Zandt)
"But a Memory" (Richard Barone)
"Blues Before and After" (Robin Wilson)
"Green Thoughts" (Robin Wilson)
"Strangers" (Dave Davies)
"Infant Be Adept" (ZouZou Mansour)
"Now and And so" (The Grip Weeds)
"Drown in My Own Tears" (Kenny Howes)
"Behind the Wall of Slumber (Robin Wilson)
"All Things Must Laissez passer" (John Jorgenson with The Grip Weeds and Richard Barone)
"Even If I Never Get Back Habitation" (Marshall Crenshaw)
"Well … All Right" (Marshall Crenshaw)
"Strangers When We Meet" (Marshall Crenshaw)
"Cut Flowers" (Richard Barone)
"Bluish Period" (Jim Monaghan and Kenny Howes)
"Life Is So Beautiful" (Jim Babjak)
"Cigarette" (Freedy Johnston)
"In a Lonely Place" (Freedy Johnston)
"Especially for You" (Ted Leo)
"Miles From Nowhere" (Ted Leo)
"I Don't Want to Lose You lot" (Dennis Diken)
"Top of the Pops" (Bebe Buell)
"War for My Mind" (Mike Mesaros)
"Please Please Me" (Graham Maby and Kenny Howes)
"She'south Got a Manner" (Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan)
"1 Look at You" (The Grip Weeds)
"Nobody Lives Forever" (Freedy Johnston)
"House Nosotros Used to Alive In" (Severo Jornacion)
"Sparks"
"Time and Time Again" (Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng)
"Claret and Roses" (Robin Wilson)