"I want you to notice when I'm not around." - Radiohead "Creep"
When Southside Johnny Lyon failed to make Bobby Bandiera's annual "Hope" concert in Red Bank in 2015, everyone noticed when the leader of the iconic Asbury Jukes wasn't around.
"We need Southside Johnny," vocalist and longtime Southside foil Gary U.S. Bonds said during the middle of the concert.
Bandiera, a former longtime Juke, hilariously explained Lyon's absence early in the show, claiming that the quirky veteran was hit by a bus. During the encore Bandiera made up a new story noting that Southside was home in Ocean Grove playing parcheesi and eating pizza. So why wasn't Southside, who was on the bill, at the concert?
"I had some issues with gout," Lyon said from his Ocean Grove home. "It just hurt way too much to stand up. With having to report at 5 p.m. for that show, well, it's a long night. I was at home and probably eating pizza."
Lyon, 76, has a lot of miles on the odometer and like many of his peers, has retired from touring. Fans have noticed that he's not around but look back at his remarkable accomplishments and still enjoy the terrific canon of music that is part of his rich legacy.
"I Don't Want to Go Home," isn't just Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes' first album. It's a phrase that could have been the title of a Lyon biography. Lyon and the Jukes was consistently on tour ever since that record dropped in 1976. The title track was written by the group's co-founder Steven Van Zandt, who also produced the group's first three albums.
"I Don't Want to Go Home" is the leadoff track of the debut disc and has been a favorite throughout the band's run. Van Zandt left the Jukes to not only become a member of the E Street Band but also to serve a Bruce Springsteen's consigliere.
Lyon, Van Zandt and Springsteen were early key players in the Asbury Park music scene during the '70s. The latter has always been close with Lyon and wrote a few songs that became hits for Southside Johnny and the Jukes, such as "The Fever" and "Fade Away."
"Bruce has always been so generous with me," Lyon said. "I remember when he said I should record "The Fever," Lyon said. "I told Bruce, 'You've got to be kidding me. This is a great song. You should do it.' Bruce said it didn't fit on his album and for him to give me such a song was one of the most generous things ever. It's an amazing song. It's what I call a real singer's song. I can't express how grateful and appreciative of what Bruce did when he gave us his song."
"The Fever" was written by Springsteen and "I Don't Want to Go Home' is from Van Zandt but Lyon made each song his own since he's always been a wonderful interpreter. Beyond that Lyon is one of the greatest rock and roll frontmen. You never knew what was going to emanate from Southside's mouth during a show.
But what made it special was that it wasn't an act. Lyon was as entertaining during interviews as he was onstage or hanging out backstage. It's not surprising to see the charismatic singer-songwriter tending to his garden clad in his underwear while relaxing at his Ocean Grove home.
Lyon, who has resided in Nashville and Delaware, can live wherever he likes but he prefers Ocean Grove. "I've always loved Ocean Grove and Asbury Park," Lyon said. "It's a special part of the country. I love being here. if that weren't true I'd live somewhere else."
Lyon's performances were special. You never know when it's going to end for rockers of a certain age. I had no idea I would be attending Lyon's penultimate show, in December of 2024 at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
The venerable venue is best known as the theater in the cult classic "The Blob." I caught a Rush tribute band at the hallowed hall a few years ago but I wanted something more and checked out Southside. I had no idea that the end of his touring days was on the horizon. Lyon delivered a stirring 24-song set. A version of The Rolling Stones' "Happy," a cover of Springsteen's "Hearts of Stone" and a poignant take on Little Steven and the Disciple of Soul's "Forever" were among the highlights.
Lyon engaged the audience and cracked wise. It was business as usual. Lyon brought the house down with a killer version of Sam Cooke's "Having a Party," which feels like it was written for the consummate entertainer.
The show was right up there with a New Year's Eve Southside concert I caught in 2022 at the Count Basie Theater. The Phoenixville show was so inspired that I thought about ringing in another New Year with Southside in Red Bank.
But like many fans, I was blindsided by the news less than a week after the Phoenixville concert that Lyon would no longer tour. The Stone Pony, which hosted countless Southside shows paid tribute.
"We are grateful to have been able to share 50 memorable years together," Stone Pony management posted on social media a few days before last Christmas. "From our original house band, to our annual anniversary celebration, and every Summer Stage show in between, it was always a party with Southside. His lyrics have carried us through life's highs and lows, and his voice has been the soundtrack to so many of our moments. Johnny, thank you for your passion, talent, loyalty...and for making us dance! Your legacy will live on with every fan who sings along."
The aforementioned Bonds nailed it when speaking about his close friend. "There's simply no one like Johnny," Bonds said. "He's an original. There's no one remotely like him and that's uncommon in the world of music. That goes for his music and his performance."
If Lyon never sings another note, his legacy is considerable. The New Jersey Hall of Fame recognized that by inducting Southside in October of 2019 at the Paramount Theatre. Lyon identifies as New Jersey and explained that when he was honored.
"If we tried to play in New York City and we told them we were a New Jersey band, they would tell us, 'We don't want you," Lyon said. "Philadelphia, they were a little more welcoming but not by that much. My parents would watch Johnny Carson and he would make jokes about New Jersey. I always wondered what that was all about. What was different about New Jersey than any other state? There was a real ax to grind for me. I wanted to prove that New Jersey was as good as any other state as far as the music was concerned, and that made me stronger, more aggressive and work my a** off."
Lyon's impact is more about the Asbury Park sound than a Garden State vibe. Lyon, Springsteen and Van Zandt share that sonic bond with a city that is its own entity. Southside Johnny is Asbury Park. However, Lyon, appropriately enough, lives just south of town.
Southside on why he chose Ocean Grove. "I've always loved Ocean Grove and Asbury Park," Lyon said. "If that weren't true I'd live somewhere else."
Lyon has often been asked about his nickname. During the peak of "Late Night with David Letterman," the iconic chat show host asked Lyon about the moniker when Southside performed on the program in May of 1989. "Actually it means the Southside of Chicago. I had never been to Chicago when I got the nickname. I'm actually from the Southside of Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Hey, It's the same thing, the same atmosphere. It's a retirement community for old Methodists."