Surviving members of The Smithereens will pay tribute to the late Pat DiNizio at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, Jan. 13.
Following the Dec. 12 death of Pat DiNizio, the planned Jan. 13 Smithereens appearance at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank will be transformed into a tribute concert titled “Time and Time Again: A Celebration of Pat DiNizio.” Surviving members of the band will perform with a variety of guest vocalists, including Steven Van Zandt.
Patty Smyth and Scandal will also perform a set, as originally planned.
“I was set to host this Smithereens and Patty Smyth and Scandal show as part of Citi’s Underground Garage at the Basie series,” Van Zandt said in a press release. “With the sudden, tragic passing of Pat DiNizio, I think it’s appropriate that we take this moment to pay tribute to him. I will be honored to sing a few of his songs with the band, and I’m asking any friends of mine if they can make themselves available for a song or two. We’ll see who’s around and announce them shortly.”
The show will take place in the Basie’s new, open floor “club concert” configuration. Both original Smithereens bassist Mike Mesaros and bassist Severo Jornacion, who replaced Mesaros in 2006 (though Mesaros has rejoined the band for occasional shows since October 2016), will participate, along with guitarist Jim Babjak and drummer Dennis Diken. (UPDATE: The full lineup is not yet available, but Marshall Crenshaw, Richard Barone and The Grip Weeds have all announced, independently, that they will be participating.)
Tickets, priced at $50, will go on sale today at noon; visit countbasietheatre.org. Pre-sale tickets bought last week will be honored. (UPDATE: An additional 200 tickets, in the theater’s balcony, will go on sale at 5 p.m. today). A portion of the proceeds will go towards the establishment of the Pat DiNizio Musical Performance Scholarship at the Basie’s Performing Arts Academy. Donations can also be made at countbasietheatre.org/commemorative-giving. (Select “Pat DiNizio Musical Performance Scholarship” in the dropdown menu.)
(UPDATE: The band has announced that a live stream will be set up for this show, so that people can watch via the internet.)
Here is a video of the DiNizio and the band performing “Time and Time Again,” a track from their 1986 Especially for You album, at the 2007 Union County MusicFest at Nomahegan Park in Cranford.
