Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes took the stage at the Bear’s Den, inside the Seneca Niagara Casino, in Niagara Falls, New York, at 8:05 PM on Friday night. The packed house cheered as Southside Johnny began the show with “Forever.” Southside Johnny and his nine piece band, known as the Asbury Jukes, performed their hearts out for a very receptive audience. The crowd stood and gave a standing ovation after nearly every tune. If not for house security, I don’t think the audience would have bothered to sit down.
The band performed tune after tune for a little over two (2) hours. The musicians were fantastic and Johnny’s raspy voice has a “sleazy blues” quality that defines his vocal style. At one point, he asked someone in the audience if he could sing. The man answered “no” and Johnny proceeded to say “neither can I.” The New Jersey native also played the harmonica. There was a terrific sax solo during “Walk Away Renee” and the Jukes got extra funky during “You’re My Girl,” which also included a guitar solo. It was party time when Johnny started shakin’ the maracas to keep “Happy.” A roadie even joined in on the tambourine. Johnny got a little sentimental during “Heading Into the Harbor.” It’s a new song that really showcased the horn section, especially the trumpet.
Although I did get a glance at the set list taped to the stage, I noticed that they barely followed it. About an hour and a half into the show, Johnny yelled out “What do you want to hear?” Someone screamed “Trapped Again” and that’s what we heard. Before taking us to “New Orleans,” Johnny introduced the Jukes and sprinkled in some Buffalo weather jokes. He even added some lyrics and sang “Buffalo’s fine you know, but some poor bastard’s shoveling snow.”
Due to the intimate setting of the venue (443 person capacity), the audience was able to interact throughout the show. During “Talk To Me,” a girl got up on stage, with Johnny’s prompting, and lead the audience in a chorus. Johnny also noticed a security guard repeatedly tell an older gal to sit down as she stood up to dance over and over again. He walked into the crowd during “I Play The Fool” and danced with that same lady. He absolutely made her night and the rest of the audience stood to cheer them on.
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes closed the show with “One More Night to Rock,” before a two song encore that ended with “Hearts of Stone.” The Jukes are a group of amazing musicians and Johnny’s raw vocals and commanding stage presence complemented the Southside flavor of the evening. Fan or not, this was a great performance and definitely worth checking out.
Set list:
Forever
Cross That Line
Without Love
Walk Away Renee
This Time Baby’s Gone for Good
Lead Me On
You’re My Girl
Love on the Wrong Side of Town
Happy
Keep On Moving
Harder Than it Looks
Cadillac Jack
Heading Into the Harbor
Trapped Again
New Orleans
Talk To Me
The Fever
I Play The Fool
I Don’t Want To Go Home
One More Night To Rock
Encore:
Got to be a Better Way
Hearts of Stone
We would like to thank Tony Astran from the Seneca Niagara Casino for allowing BackstageAxxess to review the show.
