A cool breeze blows off the glistening Atlantic ocean as we stroll the sunny Asbury Park Boardwalk this Friday, August 4, 2017, taking in the sights and sounds of this historic seaside town.
As we pass Convention Hall and the Paramount Theater, we’re reminded of the town’s artistic past. Here, musical innovators like John Philip Sousa, Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton and, later, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny arrived, and ultimately went on to make their marks in musical history.
This evening, street musicians dot the boardwalk every 50 yards, taking passersby back in time with each of their musical selections.
A saxophonist pays homage to the big band era of the ’40s as he toots out Gershwin’s “Our Love is Here to Stay,” while just down the boards a bit, an acoustic guitarist gets fingers tapping by strumming the Drifters’ 1960’s ditty, “Up On the Roof.”
Nearby, a steel drummer plays a Top 40 tune from the ’70s, inspiring us to sing along on Orleans’ memorable “Still the One.”
Further on down the boardwalk, we can hear the 90’s sound of the band, Dropkick Murphys, as they warm up on the Stone Pony’s outdoor summer stage, while directly in front of us, we find ourselves fascinated by an up-and-coming drummer pounding away to music from the current decade.
Despite this smorgasbord of music history being played out under the bright blue skies, we duck into Tim McLoone’s Supper Club. In doing so, we take a step back in time ourselves, as the unusual round-shaped ediface we’re entering originally was a glittering orange and white Howard Johnson’s restaurant when it was built back in 1963.
As we climb the stairs up to the Supper Club, a staff member jokingly explains to us that the building is “like a Rubik’s cube.” The venue has several levels — each with its own charm.
On the lower level, in addition to outdoor restaurant seating on the boardwalk, there’s an authentic rock bar where we’re told former Bruce Springsteen drummer, Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez, is readying himself to perform tonight with his band.
On the second level is the Supper Club itself. Reaching the top of the stairs, we immediately realize why this place is still beloved in Asbury Park — the elevated view of the ocean is stunning.
Not only does the Supper Club boast an outdoor terrace that overlooks the boardwalk and ocean, but from the interior of its starry nightclub space, patrons can even view two seminal Asbury Park musical nightspots — The Wonder Bar and The Stone Pony.
As diners enjoy their meals, music wafts throughout the cozy saloon via two large flat screen televisions where Tommy James and The Shondells sing “Mony Mony,” Neil Diamond croons “Cherry Cherry,” and Roger McGuinn performs “Turn, Turn, Turn.”
When a clip of a legendary 1960’s band performing on television’s Ed Sullivan Show takes over the monitors, it instantly gets many patrons’ attention.
The song is “Good Lovin’” and the group is The Young Rascals — a band which stars tonight’s feature performer at McLoone’s: Eddie Brigati.
Brigati, a Jersey Boy from Garfield, became world-renowned for his work with The Rascals. For that legendary Jersey band, Brigati and his songwriting partner, Felix Cavaliere, created some of the most enduring songs of their generation, notably, “A Beautiful Morning,” “Groovin’,” “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long,” “You Better Run,” and many more.
Prior to his stint with The Rascals, however, Brigati got his start as a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters, replacing his older brother, David Brigati, in the band.
The Rascals became the first all-white group signed to Atlantic Records. They — along with such artists as The Righteous Brothers and The Box Tops — were practitioners of a genre of music which many referred to as ‘blue-eyed soul.’
In 1970, after their contract with Atlantic expired, however, Brigati left The Rascals.
In 1997, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, in 2005, into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2009, Brigati — along with his songwriting partner, Felix Cavaliere — was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
It wasn’t until 2012 — 42 years after the Rascals broke up — that Brigati and his original colleagues in the group — Felix Cavaliere, Gene Cornish, and Dino Dinelli — would perform again when they played six shows at the Capital Theater in Port Chester, NY, in 2013, and fifteen dates at the Richard Rogers Theatre on Broadway in a production entitled Once Upon a Dream.
The show was produced by long-time Rascals’ fans, Steven Van Zandt — well-known for his work with another Jersey group, The E Street Band — and his wife, Maureen, a co-star of his on TV’s The Sopranos.
Following the success of the North American tour of Once Upon a Dream, in 2017, Brigati appeared in Eddie Brigati: After The Rascals, a show custom created for him by the Van Zandts, in which he played to packed houses in New York City.
And tonight, Brigati is poised to perform his show to a sold-out crowd right here at Tim McLoone’s on the Boardwalk.
Before Brigati takes the stage, club patrons are treated to a warm-up performance by Asbury Park singer and songwriter Laura Crisci.
Taking us back to the 60s, Crisci performs tunes like The Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” her voice and guitar earnestly crying out the eternal question.
Crisci also performs a tune made famous by Peter, Paul, and Mary — Willy Welch’s clever song about baseball entitled “Right Field” — in addition to several originals which, she reveals, were written about “the human condition of love.” One of these tunes, “Catch Me If You Can,” is a rocker which has the crowd repeatedly responding to Crisci’s lyric, “I’m gonna let love find me,” by singing, “Catch me if you can.”
Taking us back to the ’70s, Crisci concludes her set by moving the house with a spirited rendition of Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me,” the crowd eagerly singing along.
Once band members take their places, Eddie Brigati, 70, takes the stage to enthusiastic cheers and applause.
Opening his set with We Might Be Giants’ 1996 tune, “We’ve Got a World That Swings,” Brigati sings, “I’d like to take you on this wild, wonderful venture/Fly like a kite through space/No strings.”
42 years After the Rascals, Brigati’s voice sounds wonderful — pitch-perfect, clear and resonant, and with precise phrasing and diction — but, most importantly, unlike some of the artists out there performing these days, Brigati sings with tons and tons of heart.
Following excited applause, Brigati welcomes the crowd to Asbury Park.
Revealing, “It was easy making New Jersey famous in the early days,” Brigati goes on to list various musical acts which got their start in the Garden State before exclaiming, “From now on we’re all relatives. Tonight, I would like to honor the great singers and songwriters I’ve admired all my life.”
Here, Brigati performs a compelling new piece entitled “Eddie’s Song” where, through the song’s music and lyrics, he shows the audience how he’s been able to, over time — as he sings — “reintroduce myself to me.”
This slow, jazzy ballad not only perfectly showcases his rich baritone voice, but it also clearly explains to the audience who Eddie Brigati is today, the audience happily applauding when he utters the final lyric of the song with a wink, stating, “You know, I think I’m gonna like this guy.”
Following great applause, Brigati jokes, “That song is from my Broadway show — the one I haven’t done yet,” going on to acknowledge, “Stevie Van Zandt wrote that song for me and he also produced this show with his wife, Maureen.” Here, Mrs. Van Zandt, who happens to be seated in the audience, receives animated applause from the appreciative crowd.
Following a breezy version of the classic 1967 Bee Gees’ tune, “To Love Somebody,” Brigati masterfully performs a power ballad from Broadway’s Sunset Boulevard, “As if We Never Said Goodbye.” His voice pleading for a time gone by, Brigati communicates the emotion of this Andrew Lloyd Webber composition when he croons, “I’ve spent so many mornings/Just trying to resist you/I’m trembling now/You can’t know how I’ve missed you.”
Moving on to Tim Harden’s 1967 composition, “If I Were a Carpenter,” heads nod in time to the easy groove as Eddie’s voice caresses the audience and fills the room with feel-good nostalgia.
Then its back to Broadway again with another Andrew Lloyd Webber composition, “High Flying, Adored,” from Evita, after which Brigati says, “I’ve just fallen in love with these Broadway songs chosen for me by Maureen Van Zandt!”
Going on to reminisce about the Young Rascals’ rise to stardom, Brigati recalls, “When we lived in Garfield, NJ, we dreamed how we could get across that Hudson River. To us, Broadway was like going to Mars — but somehow we did it! And, in 2013, our show, Once Upon A Dream took us beyond our wildest dreams.”
And the dream continues tonight when the co-creator of the classic 1967 #1 hit “Groovin’” — one of the highlights of the Once Upon a Dream show on Broadway — performs his original composition in this intimate setting at McLoone’s.
Sounding as great as ever, the slow groove of the song takes the audience straight back to the ’60s as the crowd joyfully sings along — filling in the lyrics each time Eddie takes a break to enable them to sing — and enthusiastically cheering at the end!
After performing “Corner of the Sky” from Broadway’s Pippin — where Eddie makes this classic song his own with his unique inflection and style — he exclaims, “I love this new Broadway world I’m living in!”
Taking the crowd on a music history lesson, Brigati talks about his elder sibling, David, who happens to be in the house tonight. Referring to him as “my brother, my mentor, my hero,” Eddie tells the audience about David’s work with such groups as the Hi-Fives, Joey Dee and the Starliters, and The Rascals.
“He has a voice like an angel,” proudly notes Brigati, adding, “and that was him doing all the high parts on the Rascals’ tunes.”
Explaining that it was David who took him to his very first recording session where — at the tender age of sixteen — he sang on Joey Dee and the Starliters’ version of a Johnny Nash song, Eddie performs that very tune here tonight, “What Kind of Love is This.”
Moving on to a masterful rendition of Ben E. King’s 1963 smash, “I Who Have Nothing,” Brigati’s voice pleads with the emotion of a lover scorned. Drawing on all of his past stage experience, Brigati shows that he clearly knows how to create art in time with just a microphone, a song, and a crowd.
The audience joyfully snaps along on “Lot of Livin’ to Do” from Broadway’s Bye Bye Birdie, where Eddie — his untied bow tie hanging around his open collar — looks as happy and relaxed as could be as he effortlessly sings.
A swirling Hammond organ sound perfectly complements Brigati’s voice on The Rascals’ “Baby Let’s Wait,” after which he touches the audience with his rendition of George and Ira Gershwin’s “Our Love Is Here To Stay.’
An impressive storyteller, Brigati talks about growing up in an Italian household where, he jokes, “Every house had a picture of Jesus, Kennedy, and Sinatra.”
Here, he launches into a tribute to Frank Sinatra with his rendition of “You Make Me Feel So Young,” clearly loving his opportunity to get to sing such classics from the Great American Songbook.
The crowd cheers and Eddie responds with a consummate version of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send In the Clowns” from A Little Night Music. Pouring his soul into his performance, Brigati shows off his excellent phrasing — demonstrating he knows exactly how to stop a note, bend a note, and pause a phrase.
Taking the breath away from many present in tonight’s audience, here — in this intimate space — Brigati performs a song with which he will forever be associated: The Rascals’ “How Can I Be Sure.”
Stopping time in its tracks, Eddie rewinds the clock to 1967, making many in the crowd viscerally feel fifty years younger than they are and, likely, enabling some of the more youthful members of the crowd to understand just what it was like to be young in the 1960s.
Following an elated standing ovation, Eddie softly says, “Thank you all for sharing my dream.”
Then, Brigati thanks his band and all the people who put his show together before asking the crowd to “help us out” on his first encore number.
As the audience claps, disco lights spin, and everyone here at McLoone’s attending this party disguised as a concert emphatically sings along on Eddie’s world-renown composition, “People Got to Be Free” — a song with a message as relevant today as it was when Eddie and Felix Cavaliere created it back in 1968.
Following more cheers and applause, Eddie performs his final selection, “This is the Moment” from Jekyll and Hyde, declaring, “When I look back/I will always recall/Moment for moment/This was the moment/The greatest moment/Of them all.”
This stellar performance from this bona fide singing star brings the cheering crowd to its feet, after which Eddie warmly replies, “Thank you Asbury Park! Thank you New Jersey. I love you!”
As the crowd happily files out of the club, we take a moment to chat with several audience members who share their experiences regarding tonight’s top-notch performance.
Howard from South Brunswick states, “It was a revelation to see how happy Eddie is after being out of the limelight. It’s amazing — he’s so sincere. I’ve been a fan since the ’60s, but I never got to see him on TV,” before adding, “I did, however, get to see Once Upon a Dream on Broadway and to see Eddie and all of The Rascals together was great!”
Paula from Toms River comments, “Eddie has a great voice — he can sing anything! I had the original Rascals’ albums — the LPs,” before going on to note, “I was pretty young, then,” and adding, “I was really impressed to see what a strong voice he has today.”
Amy from Jersey City agrees, saying, “Eddie was great. He is so sincere. He is a true performer.”
Likewise, Peggy from Brick, notes, “Eddie was fantastic! I really liked when he did the Rascals’ tunes — I like going back to the oldies — and this show truly brought out all of his talents.”
Similarly, Rod from Toms River says, “With a concert titled After the Rascals, I was expecting Eddie to just rock out, but he did a show which was more like a saloon singer would do — and I just loved it!”
Lastly, Lynn — who traveled to Asbury Park all the way from Rockport, Maine specifically for Brigati’s concert tonight says, “I really didn’t expect this type of show from Eddie, but I loved it! He is so genuine. I loved him when he was on TV on the Ed Sullivan Show in the ’60s. Now with all these Broadway songs, he ought to be on Broadway!”
Continuing, “I’m so glad I made the trip,” Lynn explains, “As it turns out, Eddie’s partner in The Rascals, Felix Cavalieri, is playing five minutes from my house in Maine tonight, but I drove nine hours to New Jersey to see Eddie. In fact, before the show, I saw Eddie, and when I told him that very story, he gave me a kiss and said, ‘Tell Felix to send me some lobster!’”
Concluding, “This performance was theater at it’s best,” Lynn adds, “but my favorite part was ‘How Can I Be Sure.’ And I loved seeing Eddie in this intimate venue. I loved his song choices. I loved the quality of the production. But, especially, I loved getting to see Eddie all grown up!”
To learn more about Eddie Brigati, please go to facebook.com/ebeedbee. For information on the upcoming Rockit Academy Performs Music from the Summer of Love concert with special guest Eddie Brigati at Red Bank’s Count Basie Theater on August 26, 2017 at 7pm, please click on: countbasietheatre.org. To learn more about Laura Crisci, go to lauracrisci.com. For information about upcoming performances at McLoone’s Supper Club — including Steve Forbert with Laura Crisci on August 25 and Bobby Bandiera’s Traveling Wilbury’s Tribute on Sept. 8 — please go to timmcloonessupperclub.com.
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