I'll admit, I'm a bit of a new fan of Southside. I'm not an old-timer, who has seen him play countless times at the Pony down in Asbury Park. That's my father. My dad used to tell me stories about going down to the Stone Pony every weekend, and just checking out the music scene. Dad's favorite was Southside.

My parents, both from the great state of New Jersey, turned me on to Shore music from a young age. The main music I was exposed to was Bruce Springsteen. I grew up listening to the Boss, all the time. But recently, I went through my parents CD collection, and found six or seven different Southside albums. I threw "The Best of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes" on my CD player, and my jaw dropped. Songs like "I Don't Want To Go Home" and "This Time It's For Real" blew my mind. The song that sold me as a Southside fan was "Talk To Me". Such a fun song.

So, one night, in a Southside furor, I looked up tour dates. He's playing 40 minutes from here. Excellent. My dad and I grabbed GREAT seats, and counted down the minutes to the show. We went to see him at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester on May 21st, and we were incredibly excited. We got there just in time to see the warmup band, and took our seats. Then, the warmup band left, and the roadies did their duties. The stage grew dark, and the man, the myth, the legend himself took the stage. He had a platoon of a backing band, including the mesmerizing Miami Horns, and the elite, ever impressive Bobby Bandiera. From the moment that show started to the moment it ended, it was nonstop enjoyment. The band ripped into the setlist, tearing the roof off the place, bringing joy to all the Shore music lovers out there. He played my favorites, and then some.

The best part of the show came when he played "Talk To Me". Everyone left their seats, and flooded to the front of the stage. It was like seeing him at a small venue, like the Pony. We were all dancing, and laughing, and havin' a party. I was lucky enough to be right up front with a bunch of Jerseyites, and my father. I was about five feet away from Southside, which was awe inspiring. They played encore after encore, whipping us all into an absolute frenzy. After the show, my Dad and I lingered behind, I guess in a combination of not wanting the night to end, and also in an attempt to beat the traffic. Then, a miracle happened. That awesome roadie came out, and pulled off Southside's own handwritten setlist from the stage, and handed it down to me. I absolutely was stunned. Starry-eyed, I headed home in a Southside joy.

Ray Waldron