By Jay Lustig Times of Trenton, 11/05/00
The legendary Asbury Park nightclub the Stone Pony was reborn in May, reopening under new management after nearly two years of silence.
Early yesterday morning, more than five months after it began doing business again, the Stone Pony was finally rechristened.
Bruce Springsteen, who appeared at the club countless times in the 1970s, ´80s and ´90s, jumped onto the Pony´s small stage around 1:40 a.m. and didn´t stop playing until 3:15, according to the club´s owner and others in the audience.
Joining Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers, he dazzled the sold out crowd with a hardrocking set that included some of his own songs ("Murder Incorporated," "Ramrod," "Light of Day"), some Grushecky-written material, and two grand finales covers of "Twist and Shout" and the Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes classic, "I Don´t Want To Go Home."
During "Ramrod," Springsteen barked "Big Man!" at the point where Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist who plays in his E Street Band, usually takes a solo. Since Clemons wasn´t around, Springsteen took the solo himself, on guitar.
"Still today, people are numb," club owner Domenic Santana said yesterday afternoon. "They´re calling me, saying, ´Was that a dream that I had last night?´"
It was the first time Springsteen appeared at the club since October 1995, when he, Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter-guitarist Grushecky and Grushecky´s band the Houserockers kicked off a short tour celebrating the release of the Springsteen-produced Grushecky album "American Babylon." Springsteen played guitar through out that show, and didn´t do much singing.
The occasion of yesterday morning´s visit was a benefit - called the Light of Day Concert, in honor of the Springsteen song - that raised more than $16,000 for the Parkinson´s Disease Foundation. Springsteen was not billed, but since he has made many surprise concert appearances in the past with Grushecky, the benefit´s headliner, his participation was not a total shock.
The show, which began about 7 p.m. Friday, also featured sets by rockers like Willie Nile, Marah, Samhill, the Danny White Band and Joe D´Urso & Stone Caravan. Springsteen arrived about 11:30 p.m. and watched some of the other performances, said Santana.
"He was right by the sound booth with Patti," said Santana, referring to Springsteen´s wife, E Street Band singerguitarist Scialfa. "Patti was walking around the room saying hello to all her old friends."
Scialfa, Nile, John Eddie, members of Marah and Samhill and others joined Springsteen and Grushecky for the epic "Twist and Shout." Also among the 30 or so people on stage for that song was benefit promoter Tony Pallagrosi, a former Asbury Juke who now runs his own Red Bank-based concert promotion company, Concerts East.
"People have been waiting for this for five years," said Pallagrosi. "There remains a special feeling in people´s hearts when Bruce plays the Stone Pony. When it happens, it makes people feel like they´ve still got a bounce in their step."
Even at 3 in the morning.
Springsteen, who lives in Rumson and owns a farm in Colts Neck, has kept a low profile since his 1999-2000 reunion tour with the E Street Band ended in July. He did, however, jam with Scialfa, Jon Bon Jovi and others at a private stable in Middletown on Oct. 21, at a gala dinner benefiting a local equestrian program. He has no official recording or touring plans at the moment.