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OT: Southside Johnny Suddenly Retires from Touring, Cancels NYE Show

Knight Shift

Legend
May 19, 2011
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Damn, that was sudden. We had tickets for the New Years "Early" show. We had made it to the Count Basie Theater on NYE most every year. Hope Johnny is OK.

I guess he wants to go home, because he won't be singing "I Don't Want to Go Home." A jersey bar band and beyond legend. Probably have seen SSJ and the Asbury Jukes more than any other band over the years.

"Southside Johnny turned 76 on Dec. 4. On Dec. 14, he left the stage after just a handful of songs at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, and The Asbury Jukes finished the rest of the sold-out show without him."

NYE will not be the same without them, nor will the Stone Pony summer stage.






 
Damn, that was sudden. We had tickets for the New Years "Early" show. We had made it to the Count Basie Theater on NYE most every year. Hope Johnny is OK.

I guess he wants to go home, because he won't be singing "I Don't Want to Go Home." A jersey bar band and beyond legend. Probably have seen SSJ and the Asbury Jukes more than any other band over the years.

"Southside Johnny turned 76 on Dec. 4. On Dec. 14, he left the stage after just a handful of songs at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, and The Asbury Jukes finished the rest of the sold-out show without him."

NYE will not be the same without them, nor will the Stone Pony summer stage.






Sad day. NYE shows were a staple for me in the 90s and 2000s. Saw him and the Jukes at the Pony this past Summer. Hope his health issues aren’t too serious.
 
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Very sad. I hope he is ok. I've seen Southside Johnny more than any other band by far. My favorite Pandora station is the Southside Johnny & Asbury Jukes. The band was great because they didn't take themselves seriously and were entertaining and funny! The horns made the band much different back in the early days.
 
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There are fakes,
there are flukes,
but there's only one
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes!

Finally sinking in Johnny & the Jukes will be off the road for the first time in 50 years. He'll more than likely perform here and there once he feels up to it. The road is brutal for those deep into their golden years. No more vans, buses, planes, airports, hotels, etc. for Southside. It's the reason many "vintage" acts do residencies in Vegas.

I've seen SS&TAJ about 100x since 1984. Every show I attended was worth it. Some were better than others, but he never mailed it in. The Jukes never performed the same show twice. The first time I ever actually saw Southside in person was at the RAC when I was a freshman in high school. He sang the national anthem before a Nets/76ers playoff game in 1979.

So many memorable shows.... Bruce showed up at a few of them... Steve Van Zandt, Jon Bon Jovi at some others. Witnessing the camaraderie between the Jersey Shore musicians was always a joy. However, the Jukes didn't need special guests. They brought it live each and every time, regardless of the size of the venue. Although Asbury Park was their home base, the Jukes were truly a Jersey band. I saw 'em at more than 25 different places in NJ... from Waterloo Village to Bound Brook to Holmdel to Jackson to Atlantic City and so many other locales in between.

Here are a few photos I took of Southside at a concert in the parking lot at the Meadowlands before the USFL championship game on July 14, 1985 (the day after Live Aid!).

37186267_10214849122514689_4929428210086576128_n.jpg

36978789_10214849125954775_5941755175734607872_n.jpg

37183207_10214849130354885_4071484604102475776_n.jpg


I met Southside at a NJ Music Exhibit at Morris Museum in Morristown, May 20, 2011. I had him autograph a 2001 Stone Pony poster that day.

471123022_10231406128749497_1625331722756970797_n.jpg

471360405_10231406128709496_4070903260526147135_n.jpg
 
Two of my many favorites! You need to post live versions because Southside was a show himself! Nobody was like him. If you have seen him live, you know!!



 
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There are fakes,
there are flukes,
but there's only one
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes!

Finally sinking in Johnny & the Jukes will be off the road for the first time in 50 years. He'll more than likely perform here and there once he feels up to it. The road is brutal for those deep into their golden years. No more vans, buses, planes, airports, hotels, etc. for Southside. It's the reason many "vintage" acts do residencies in Vegas.

I've seen SS&TAJ about 100x since 1984. Every show I attended was worth it. Some were better than others, but he never mailed it in. The Jukes never performed the same show twice. The first time I ever actually saw Southside in person was at the RAC when I was a freshman in high school. He sang the national anthem before a Nets/76ers playoff game in 1979.

So many memorable shows.... Bruce showed up at a few of them... Steve Van Zandt, Jon Bon Jovi at some others. Witnessing the camaraderie between the Jersey Shore musicians was always a joy. However, the Jukes didn't need special guests. They brought it live each and every time, regardless of the size of the venue. Although Asbury Park was their home base, the Jukes were truly a Jersey band. I saw 'em at more than 25 different places in NJ... from Waterloo Village to Bound Brook to Holmdel to Jackson to Atlantic City and so many other locales in between.

Here are a few photos I took of Southside at a concert in the parking lot at the Meadowlands before the USFL championship game on July 14, 1985 (the day after Live Aid!).

37186267_10214849122514689_4929428210086576128_n.jpg

36978789_10214849125954775_5941755175734607872_n.jpg

37183207_10214849130354885_4071484604102475776_n.jpg


I met Southside at a NJ Music Exhibit at Morris Museum in Morristown, May 20, 2011. I had him autograph a 2001 Stone Pony poster that day.

471123022_10231406128749497_1625331722756970797_n.jpg

471360405_10231406128709496_4070903260526147135_n.jpg
That’s an awesome tribute Mike! Nothing more needs to be said
 
Your ignorance grows lol!
ha no, just better taste in music than you I see

listened to these clips and my first thought was, 'is this a cruise ship act?'

it's like a room full of 'Sonny Jim' fans lolololol
 
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ha no, just better taste in music than you I see

listened to these clips and my first thought was, 'is this a cruise ship act?'

it's like a room full of 'Sonny Jim' fans lolololol
Wow very limited music choices by you. Spread your wings sometimes. I've been to CBGB many times for punk and others. Hard rock, 90s rock, 80s everything. Your such a narrow minded clown.
 
Wow very limited music choices by you. Spread your wings sometimes. I've been to CBGB many times for punk and others. Hard rock, 90s rock, 80s everything. Your such a narrow minded clown.
Are they a cover band?
 
My friend and keyboardist extraordinaire Bobby Lynch had the honor of playing several gigs as a fill in member of the Jukes over the past 15 years or so.

My sense is that Southside has not taken care of himself with diet and exercise the way Springsteen has. So yeah, at 76, this is not easy to do.
 
My friend and keyboardist extraordinaire Bobby Lynch had the honor of playing several gigs as a fill in member of the Jukes over the past 15 years or so.

My sense is that Southside has not taken care of himself with diet and exercise the way Springsteen has. So yeah, at 76, this is not easy to do.
Even Bruce has had some health issues while touring. Touring and performing aren't the greatest match for the geriatric set. I am amazed that some of these guys like Bruce and the Stones can keep going the way they do.
 
Even Bruce has had some health issues while touring. Touring and performing aren't the greatest match for the geriatric set. I am amazed that some of these guys like Bruce and the Stones can keep going the way they do.
The first time I saw Bruce...CapitoI Theater in Passaic 1978.... I couldn't figure how he had the energy to do a set, take a break, and then come back and do another set plus encores. I didn't see how he could do all that he did for close to four hours without serious drug consumption. But by all accounts he didn't.
How he can do anything even remotely close to what I saw him do as a young guy now that he's in his seventies is mind boggling. I haven't seen him perform for a long time, but everybody claims he still does it.
 
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My friend and keyboardist extraordinaire Bobby Lynch had the honor of playing several gigs as a fill in member of the Jukes over the past 15 years or so.

My sense is that Southside has not taken care of himself with diet and exercise the way Springsteen has. So yeah, at 76, this is not easy to do.
I saw a few shows with Bobby filling in for Jeff Kazee!

This was no doubt his most memorable...

471147266_10225082457430165_6415136327031935396_n.jpg
 
My friend and keyboardist extraordinaire Bobby Lynch had the honor of playing several gigs as a fill in member of the Jukes over the past 15 years or so.

My sense is that Southside has not taken care of himself with diet and exercise the way Springsteen has. So yeah, at 76, this is not easy to do.

Even Bruce has had some health issues while touring. Touring and performing aren't the greatest match for the geriatric set. I am amazed that some of these guys like Bruce and the Stones can keep going the way they do.
Bruce travels first class all the way, has a personal trainer and a chef to make healthy food.

Southside toured Europe up until last year, and he had a big following there. The accommodations and food were far from first class. This partly explains why Bruce is in batter shape and can still tour.
 
Wow very limited music choices by you. Spread your wings sometimes. I've been to CBGB many times for punk and others. Hard rock, 90s rock, 80s everything. Your such a narrow minded clown.
The ignore list proves useful again. It's the usual negativity for the same posters that seem enjoy trashing things that make other people happy. Strange way to be. Maybe this podcast will help them.

 
For the Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes fans, this is a fantastic documentary series on Southside and the band.
Not the biggest name in terms of record sales, but a legendary performer live. Focused on blues-based music with horns, and a terrific harmonic player. Credited as one of the main founders of the Asbury sound. A band that does not have extensive record sales that has toured the world for 50 years must have been a solid live act. Can't judge a live performance or a live anything by watching a video. But this is where some people choose to dwell. Their loss.









 
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For the Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes fans, this is a fantastic documentary series on Southside and the band.
Not the biggest name in terms of record sales, but a legendary performer live. Focused on blues-based music with horns, and a terrific harmonic player. Credited as one of the main founders of the Asbury sound. A band that does not have extensive record sales that has toured the world for 50 years must have been a solid live act. Can't judge a live performance or a live anything by watching a video. But this is where some people choose to dwell. Their loss.










Dennis did a fabulous job on this 3-part documentary! I love the fact it's gritty and not polished... just like the Jukes!

I contributed to the effort. I'm credited at the end of Part 2.
 
Thanks to Gary Wien for including my comments in his tribute article to Southside Johnny. For those not familiar, New Jersey Stage is the Garden State's best website covering music, theater, and the arts. Gary runs the site and is also the author of perhaps the greatest book, Beyond the Palace, ever written about the Asbury Park music scene. (In addition, Gary used to be a regular poster on TKR. His moniker was lighty. He stopped posting here a few years ago.)

https://www.newjerseystage.com/arti...jAjqaJwxYOH9MdOr2U_aem_GqCxeZH2DoKQs92WgUWNNg
 
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