By: Brenda Bredahl
My husband and I dropped our son off at a friend’s house in Osceola, Wis., in a downpour, and the rain followed us back to Hudson. It was looking like our big night out to hear a band from our youth – the Smithereens – was going to end up a cozy night at home. We had been playing the releases we owned all day: Green Thoughts, 11, Blow-Up (with the stunning cover design by the late great graphic artist Saul Bass), A Date with The Smithereens, and God Save the Smithereens. Recording on Capitol and RCA, the Smithereens enjoyed a heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and charted with the singles “Blood and Roses” and “A Girl Like You.” They were also noted to be one of the first artists to close-caption their music videos for MTV.
We had to pinch ourselves when we heard the ‘Reens were playing at the River Rock Music Festival at Lakefront Park in Hudson. For a minimum $5 donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, we weren’t going to miss them – except, perhaps, in the case of rain. With all our familial obligations, we couldn¹t make it to the Flamin’ Ohs, who were earlier in Friday’s evening lineup, but I had seen them live many times in the glory of the 1980s when my brother’s band the Torpedoes opened for them at the Longhorn Bar and other now-extinct clubs in Minneapolis.
We arrived at the Lakefront Park, a place of my not-too-troubled youth, where many nights were spent listening, on the boombox, to Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble, the Pretenders, the Police, and other bands, while carrying on like youth still do on the banks of the glorious St. Croix River. The rain was just about over, and charity volunteers said the band was giving it 15 more minutes. About 50 people were scattered under the tents; apparently most had gone home. As we approached the stage, a festival organizer yelled, “The Smithereens are playing at Dibbo’s in 35 minutes.” We couldn’t believe our luck, and rushed back to the car to stash our umbrellas.
The metal band scheduled for the night, Krisvox, graciously gave up its first set to the Smithereens. Dibbo’s, another place of my ill-spent youth and a sponsor of the festival, was so charitable to be an impromptu venue for the visiting Smithereens.
Inside was probably the most packed house Dibbo’s has seen since Foghat (or should I say the remaining member of Foghat) played there in the post-banana-night 1980s. And that meant there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. The only downside was the cig smoke, but a couple of puffs of albuterol took care of that.
Toward the end, we got right up front to catch the sweat from hard-working frontman/singer-songwriter/guitarist Pat Dinizio and pressed his now ample flesh after the show. It was better than we could have imagined. Dinizio’s beautiful mellow voice is still there, despite the cigarettes he still smokes. With three of four original members – Dinizio, amazing guitarist Jim Babjak, equally amazing drummer Dennis Diken and the “fifth Smithereen,” whose name I didn’t catch, on bass – this was one show that ranks up there in our musical memories with seeing SRV at the storied Prom Ballroom in St. Paul or unplugged Steve Earle at First Avenue in Minneapolis. And right at Dibbo’s!
The ‘Reens played all their pop radio favorites as well as some of the more artier work, like the acoustic “Especially for You,” which made the cut on our wedding compilation tape and was especially nice for us to hear on one of our rare nights out. In addition, a signed guitar, which brought about $350, was auctioned off for the foundation, and they came back for an encore of several songs. What luck that rain brought.
Photo by Tony Bredahl.
Location Info:
Dibbo's
Artist Info: The Smithereens
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