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| No camera at The Pony. But Dave Hause played Russo before playing with The Loved Ones for H4TH. |
Ghosts on the Boardwalk
You think your holidays are busy? Imagine coordinating (by my count for 2015) 22 acts at multiple venues, days of charity fundraisers, a punk rock flea market, DJs, a vegan brunch, and innumerable guest list requests all taking place over the three days immediately following Christmas. My guess is that something like that takes more than a few months of planning. Now, imagine doing that every year for 9 years, dealing with blizzards, nor'easters, and the holiday rush. Take the amount of worry you put into a holiday party. Multiply it by about a million, and you may have an idea of what the indomitable Kate Hiltz, The Bouncing Souls, and Chunksaah Records have been doing in Asbury Park for the last 9 years.
I, obviously, go to a lot of shows. CoolMom and I do some creative planning to accommodate that. But I've never managed to make it to every night of Home for the Holidays. Somebody is having a holiday party. My in-laws are visiting. Whatever. As I think about the difficulties I have making it to three or four shows, I'm amazed by the level of commitment Kate and The Souls have shown at continuing Home for the Holidays as long as they have. With the ninth installment, The Bouncing Souls decided it was time for a change. Last night's show at The Stone Pony marked the band's final Home for the Holidays performance.
For me, the day started with a quick family lunch before heading down to Russo Music for the charity raffle drawing party featuring performances by Chris Brown, Jared Hart, Augusta Koch, and Dave Hause. I didn't win anything, but the music was great. If you happened to look over at me while Hause was performing "Meet Me at the Lanes," I'd just gotten a little something in my eye. Honest.
Winter arrived at some point while we were all inside Russo, and many of us trundled over in the sleet to Convention Hall to catch Tom May and Greg Barnett of The Menzingers. I got a text from CoolMom at some point and headed back over to Lake Avenue for some beers and brats with the family.
I made my way, ticketless, over to The Stone Pony. The first strains of Roger Harvey's set were reverberating through the open doors as I shivered outside until I was able to procure a ticket. The place was already filling, and I staked out what I knew would be a temporary spot up front for the rest of Harvey's set. He was great, and it was his, "K8 and The Souls give up their holidays every year for this" that really started me thinking.
Following Harvey, Static Radio took the stage; and their loyal fans tried to get things going in the pit. Those folks had some moderate success, but I think a lot of people were saving their energy.
Dave Hause and The Loved Ones were next; and, just as Static Radio finished up, some large guys in Phillies caps pushed their way up front. I resolved to tough it out for maybe 2 songs where I was standing, but made it only about halfway through the first song before resigning myself to hanging in the back. Hause is a fantastic frontman; and, if he was serious when he said at Russo that he would be playing a bunch of songs he didn't know that evening, you couldn't tell from his performance.
The Bouncing Souls took the stage as Motörhead's "Ace of Spades" played over the PA. We'd all recently learned of Lemmy Kilmister's passing, and it was a nice -- and confident -- touch. Greg Attonito announced, "It's the last night of Home for the Holidays!" and the band launched into "I Like Your Mom," the first song on their fan-created setlist.
From there, it was roughly 90 minutes of fan favorites, wild crowd surfing, stage diving, and sing alongs with arms held high. The Pony was as packed as I'd ever seen it, and there was the usual constant stream of people coming and going... ...I don't know... ...somewhere... ...wherever it is that people feel like they have to go during the one hour that the band they paid to see is onstage.
As I looked around at just how packed the place was, I could see how The Bouncing Souls would want to give their fans a more comfortable experience at a more convenient time of year. For most people, though, the discomfort of being in a giant sardine can was eclipsed by the camaraderie of being able to "Sing Along Forever." And I felt it as I sang along with "Manthem," "Lean on Sheena," and "Ghosts on the Boardwalk."
We filed out after the final encore. Some headed over to Asbury Park Yacht Club for the after-party. I drove home in the wind and freezing rain to get some rest. The drive reminded me of the "Philadelphia Sound" Home for the Holidays show I attended a few years ago when I drove home with my in-laws in a vicious nor'easter.
The Bouncing Souls are not done in Asbury Park by a long shot. They may be finished with undertaking a huge project right in the middle of the holidays and the uncertainty of winter weather. But I could see them -- and I have absolutely no inside info on this -- maybe moving things to a larger, more open-air venue during some warmer months. We'll see, I guess.
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