Do you know what a “thunderstruck" is? Well neither did I until I saw the New Romeo video way back when and as it turns out it was only me and a few hundred close friends that did see that video but I still remember it to this day.

It all started back in 1976 and growing up in Western Massachusetts and having never been on a vacation. You can only imagine how excited I was to be packing up the car with my folks for our first road trip. Somehow, someway my parents had been convinced that the Joisey Shore, and in particular, Wildwood was the place to take my brother and I for our first and only vacation. We drove 8 hours, checked into the Singapore Motel and immediately fell in love with this place they called New Jersey. The guys that helped us find our room also were the life guards, the guys that got your suitcases, the parking lot sweepers, the maintenance guys and also most importantly were the hamburger and hot dog cookers on the Thursday nite barbeque, …they were called “chop chops.” ( get it, Singapore Motel = chop chops!! … it all made perfect sense…) I idolized these guys. They were working at a motel with a pool on the beach, cooking hotdogs and saving girls in the deep end, how could it ever get any better than this. As I sat with them at the pool in between their “chop chop” duties all they talked about was music especially along the Jersey shore during the summer. They were from Philly and loved music, especially some stuff up Asbury Park and in particular at this place called the Stone Pony. So, because at that time my entire goal in life was to become a “chop chop,” I listened to every single thing they talked about and if they mentioned something, anything at all, I would go find it and listen to it. And a funny thing happened on the way back up the Parkway, as the vacation was winding down, this raspy blues infected voice with a contagious horn section was telling me that “I didn’t want to go home,” and the journey began.

I am now a little over 50 years old and recently saw Southside at BB Kings in NYC for my 50th show. I’m not quite sure, but I think my first show was either at the Chateau de Ville dinner theater in Framingham, Ma or the Channel nightclub in Boston. Since then, no place or venue has been safe from a “Jukes Roadtrip”….Long Island, Rhode Island, any of the Islands, all over New Jersey, the Bottom Line in NYC, Civic Center in Springfield, MA , the Boston Garden, Ocean City boardwalk where Southside told them to either wake up or the town should consider not being a dry town any longer, to some mountainside in NH on a 100-degree day, to a Wolf Den on an Indian reservation in CT, to a Music Circus in Cohasset, Ma where after SS had been on a “timeout” for a year or two, he came back to play again and Clarence Clemons decided to play with the horns that night and some Bongiovi guy played guitar over on the side. That was GREAT. They were there not to do anything except support and play with their friend on his way back. It still brings tears to my eyes. Jersey rock and soul is a spectacular genre of music and it ain’t just cause of the music, it’s because of the people and the music. It inspired me so much that I even had them play “This Times It’s For Real” after I won a racquetball tournament back 1982 as I accepted the 1st place trophy. Corny, yes….but a great memory nonetheless. I could go on listing the places all over where I’ve seen the boys, play but I’ll spare you any more of the details for now. But suffice it to say that it was always an experience for me. On any given night you could see what seemed like 50 musicians on stage……,horns, back up singers, people everywhere to a stripped down group of hardcore Jukes and almost every single time you got a great show. I mean a passionate, energetic, get ready cause at any time you could take off kind of show. Man o man I love to see youse guys live!

Over the last year and a half, I have been seeing this woman who happens to live in Hampton Beach, NH! I have taken her to see the Jukes 4-5 times now and twice at The Casino Ballroom at Hampton Beach and a couple a things you should know about Hampton Beach……
1) Southside and the Jukes have been playing there almost every Labor Day weekend for close to 25 years… (Johnny, correct me if I’m wrong here!) and
2) It’s at the beach! (funny thing how the beach is at Hampton Beach, go figure!)

At the end of every summer, my pilgrimage comes to me and I embrace it. The Jukes playing at the beach just like it was in the beginning, I know, I know it’s not New Jersey but it’s sand, salt air and Southside and I challenge anyone reading this to describe a better way to end a summer. So let me end my little diatribe here with why I was inspired to write this. Last week, my beautiful lady Jennifer and my wonderful little 11 year old boy Teddy, and I decided to take a page out of a Seinfield episode and celebrated a fake holiday, Festivus. We wrapped an aluminum pole in tin foil and lights for the Feats of Strength and wore Festivus hats and while we were sitting around the table telling each other why we’re disappointed with the other, I got my Festivus gift from them. JUKEBOX, the 4 cd collection. It made me realize how much I have enjoyed Southside Johnny over the years. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes always bring a smile to my face. If I ever have felt down, the music reminded me of a good place and good times, and if I was feeling on top of the world, the music took me jut a little bit higher. Thank you. I have enjoyed this ride so much, I can’t wait till it opens again in the spring…..and this year will be another special year for me and in the world of Jukedom as it will be Teddy’s first Southside Concert. So, Johnny this year when you pull up behind the Casino in the parking lot to go up the long steep steps for the show, look back over your shoulder and see if a little kid is there that looks like he is from Western Mass. If you see him please wave Hi and tell him “Southside’s here, the Jukes are here, and we’re havin’ a party!

Thanx again.

PS..Track 12 on Disc 2 ….New Romeo!!!!!!!!!…I knew I would hear it again…….damn that Thunderstruck.