There was plenty of surf, rock sounds and screaming fans at the Saturday, June 29 Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and Rascals concert on the beach in Seaside Heights.
The thing was, some of the screams came from the rides at the Casino Pier, located just behind the stage.
“Hear the screaming behind me,“ said Southside, referring to the Disko ride on the pier. “They love me!”
That might have not quite been true for the Casino Pier kids, but for the 3,000 plus on the beach for the show, Johnny and the Jukes had them at hello. Or in this case, the first song, “Better Days.” The band was sharp and rolling and Southside was rocking with a big raspy voice, bodily gyrations and quick quips and asides.
“No matter how cold it gets on a beautiful summer night in Seaside,” sang Southside on “The Fever” as the temperature dipped into the mid '60s on the beach. “I'm burning, burning, burning for you!”
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Southside is showing no ill effects after leaving the stage during a show at the Stone Pony in February. The Seaside Heights show was the second in two days for the band − he and Jukes played at the Rock, Ribs and Ridges Festival in Augusta on Friday, June 28.
As for the Jukes, guitarist Glenn Alexander delivered sweet tones and a deft touch on the “Key to the Highway” solo and keyboardists Jeff Kazee's solo on “Walk Away Renee” was exquisitely grand. Drummer Thomas “Goose” Seguso banged up a storm on “On the Beach.”
No, there wasn't a storm on the beach on Saturday, but it was unseasonably cold, windy and misty. The effect was oddly invigorating. When Alexander kicked a beach ball toward the audience that landed on the stage, the wind took it and it flew up and backwards over the roof of the stage, never to be seen again.
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes get their kicks from rock 'n' roll and R&B, not from beach balls.
The Rascals, featuring Felix Cavaliere, opened the show with a set of their classic hits, including “Good Lovin'“ to close the set. Founding member Gene Cornish, who suffered a health setback in 2018, came on stage toward the close of the set.
“I live in Jersey now and the Rascals started in New Jersey, in Garfield,” said Cornish, 80, who then delivered the sweet blues harp on the classic “Groovin'“ as Cavaliere sang.
The sound mix was not favorable for the Rascals and it was poorer the farther away fans were on the beach. The mix improved for the Asbury Jukes but also diminished the farther away you were.
The show was part of the Seaside Heights Live series. Upcoming shows include Michael Franti & Spearhead with Trevor Hall on Saturday, July 13; Melvin Seals & JGB, Tom Hamilton, and Waiting on Mongo on Saturday, Aug. 10; UB40 on Friday, Aug. 16; and, tapping into the borough's dance club history, a Seaside Summer Freestyle Fest 2024 (hosted by Sal Abbatiello) with George LaMond, Sa-Fire, Soave, Robin S, C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams, Tag Team, DJ Anthony Mangini on Saturday, Aug. 17.
Visit seasideheightslive.com for more info on the concerts.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com.
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