Review: Light of Day Shows an International Affair
Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/09/04
By RICHARD SKELLY - CORRESPONDENT

There was lots of bonding going on at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park
over the weekend. Musicians performed together on stage. Audience
members formed new friendships and rekindled old ones, carefully
maneuvering themselves in front of the stage and asking politely if
they were blocking the views of others while Freehold native Bruce
Springsteen played a set with Joe Grushecky's band.

Volunteers bonded backstage, lending helping hands to stuff gift
baskets for those who'd purchased VIP seating, or moving boxes of T-
shirts to merchandise tables, or carrying parcels from cars and vans
parked outside.

In the end, as exhausted volunteers -- and patrons from as far away
as Spain, Italy, Japan and England -- shuffled their feet out the
door of The Stone Pony well after midnight Monday morning, the fifth
annual Light of Day concerts were all about that warm, fuzzy feeling
one gets inside from helping out for a good cause.

Created by Highland Park-based impresario and record executive Bob
Benjamin to raise funds for research for the Parkinson's Disease
Foundation and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the concerts grew
from one night at the Downtown Cafe in Red Bank five years ago to an
evening's worth of entertainment at Tradewinds in Sea Bright and The
Stone Pony in ensuing years. Last year's Light of Day benefit shows
encompassed two nights at the Pony, where this year, Benjamin and a
platoon of volunteers and supporters pooled their resources to create
a marathon of music that ran to nearly eight hours of music on each
of the three nights.

In five years, it's amazing how international the annual Light of Day
concerts, usually held the weekend after Benjamin's birthday on Nov.
3, have become. Sunday morning on the patio at the Berkeley-Carteret
Hotel, a small group of Italians discussed Saturday's show and
Springsteen's set in detail over coffee. On Sunday night at the show
on the back patio at the Pony, a woman from Barcelona who spoke very
little English offered up a stick of gum for a stranger. And manning
the Light of Day T-shirt table all weekend long was a couple from
Great Britain.

On Sunday night, British-raised New Yorker Shane Fontayne said he was
depressed about the outcome of the election as well as the failure of
the New York Yankees to secure their way into the World Series.

The guitarist/songwriter offered up thought-provoking lyrics on his
own "Weight of the World," as well as an exquisite composition
inspired by the Brazilian composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim. On Saturday
night, Buffalo-raised singer-songwriter Willie Nile performed "Hard
Times in America" with a crack backing band that included Matawan
native Steve Conte on guitar and Art Nardini from Grushecky's band on
bass. He also tested out a new song about the March bombings in
Madrid, Spain, inspired by a newspaper account of the tragedy, "Cell
Phones Ringing (In the Pockets of the Dead.)"

The Smithereens' lead singer and songwriter Pat DiNizio followed
Malin's set Friday night with an acoustic-electric set of his own
from the Pony's main stage, telling the audience: "I'm not going to
talk about politics, I've had nearly two years of it; that's enough.
I ran for office (state Senate) two years ago. If you lose, you
lose." He then launched into an acoustic rendering of one of the
band's many hits, "Only A Memory."

Benjamin, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at 39, is an
advocate for embryonic stem cell research. He let his political
opinions be known as Grushecky, Springsteen, Willie Nile and others
on stage at Saturday night's finale wished Benjamin a happy birthday
after the closing theme song "Light of Day." "My birthday was
actually Nov. 3, and I woke up disappointed that day," said Benjamin,
referring to the presidential election.

Despite his recent efforts on behalf of Sen. John Kerry's campaign,
Springsteen appeared well rested and in good spirits Saturday night.
He made no political statements from the stage. Instead, he offered
up a truly inspired performance with Grushecky's band, delivering
soulful vocals and focused, tasty guitar solos during renditions of
"From Small Things, Big Things One Day Come," "Johnny 99," "Atlantic
City" and "Murder, Incorporated" among other chestnuts from his deep
repertoire. He, Grushecky and Bill Toms also traded guitar solos
during Saturday's finale.

Other performers at the massive Light of Day marathon related their
personal connections with Parkinson's disease.

Hightstown-raised guitarist, singer and songwriter Charlie McIntosh,
now living in Manchester, England, flew in for the benefit shows,
like so many others. He told an audience Saturday night that his
father died from ALS, a form of Parkinson's disease.

Long Branch-based Albie Monterrosa, a co-founder of the Latin-rock
group DeSol, told the crowd: "My dad has Parkinson's disease. He's
had it since 1992, and it's a scary thing," before he and the band
launched into an inspired take on "Oya Como Va."

Throughout the five years of Light of Day benefit shows, Springsteen
has been a steadfast supporter, performing, hanging out and signing
autographs for fans from around the United States, Canada and Europe.
He may not have any relatives who have suffered with Parkinson's, but
he has seen first-hand how it has affected Benjamin.

On Sunday night, the big crowd that had come out for Springsteen the
previous day was gone. Groups of several dozen supporters from
England, Spain and Italy remained at the marathon, as well as fans
and Stone Pony regulars from the Shore area.

One patron, Nancy Boot from Birmingham, England pointed out, "The
people really dedicated to this cause were here on Friday and Sunday
nights as well, not just Saturday night for Bruce." Boot's husband,
Peter, suffers from Parkinson's. A longtime drummer in northern
England, Boot has been active in rock bands there since 1958. As he
did wind sprints on the Asbury Park boardwalk in the sunny, spring-
like weather, he said,

"I have Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease does not have me."

Reference:

Ligh t o f Day
http://www.lightofday.org/

Bruce Springsteen with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers
http://www.ametrano.net/bruce/pony.html

Bruce Springsteen makes appearance at Parkinson's benefit
http://www.livedaily.com/news/7301.html?t=98

Springsteen rocks Pony for charity
http://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,1106232,00.html

Bruce Springsteen Performs at Charity Concert
http://1010wins.com/topstories/local_story_313073017.html

Springsteen Makes Surprise Appearance in Asbury Park
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/arts/music/08cnd-springsteen.html

It's business as usual when The Boss shows up
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-
2/109989324096130.xml

SOURCE: Asbury Park Press, NJ
http://tinyurl.com/6hqy8

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