Southside Johnny ”on the spot” in the Bears Den (by Craig Avery)

Remember when you were a kid and the older boys in the neighborhood put a band together and played in your garage? Well, this was nothing like that. But, if you lived in New Jersey, the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and “Southside” Johnny Lyon may have influenced your taste in music. Johnny brought his “Asbury Jukes” to the Bears Den in the Seneca Niagara Casino and rocked the house. With the voice of Joe Cocker and the energy of Mick Jagger, Southside Johnny gave us an hour and forty five minutes of intravenously delivered musical saturation. He cranked. I remember hearing them when they first started back in the mid to late seventies, and I still pictured them as that start-up band with a youthful following. Well, those youths may have some grecian formula in their medicine cabinets now, but they can still boogie. Once again, the Bears Den venue proved excellent as the sound and lighting and intimate design of the room brought the crowd so close you could smell the fumes of the Jersey Turnpike from the guitar cases on the stage.

Thanks Seneca Niagara Casino for giving us great experiences in our own backyard!