Three Bands, One Great Night at the Stone Pony
There are some concert lineups where you can pretty much predict what the crowd will look like. Fans wearing one band's shirt, another group's fans gathered somewhere else, and people waiting for their favorite act.
August 6 at the Stone Pony Summer Stage was different.
Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms and Blues Traveler brought three very different bands together for a night that seemed to pull everyone into the same place in time. If you were listening to music in the late '80s and '90s, there was a pretty good chance that something from this lineup was part of your life.
And judging by the crowd, those memories are still very much alive.
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler closed the night, and for me they were the perfect band to put at the top of this particular lineup.
I've always thought of Blues Traveler as an eclectic band. Maybe that's fitting for a group that came out of Princeton, New Jersey. There is the pop and MTV side of the band that produced songs like "Run-Around" and "Hook," but surrounding those songs is a much deeper mix of blues, rock, folk and improvisational jam music.
And then there is John Popper.
Popper's harmonica playing has always been one of the band's defining sounds, and seeing him work through the set reminded me why. The set moved through songs including "Sweet Talking Hippie," "Things Are Looking Up," "Run-Around," "Carolina Blues," "But Anyway" and "Hook."
It was a little bit of everything that makes Blues Traveler such an interesting band.
There was also something especially cool about seeing them here in New Jersey. Princeton is part of the band's history, and it's a place I used to call home. Seeing a band that started there headlining the Stone Pony Summer Stage was a nice connection for me.
Gin Blossoms
By the time Gin Blossoms took the stage, the Summer Stage was ready for a catalog of songs that has held up remarkably well.
Robin Wilson was in great form. His voice was strong, he was completely comfortable on stage and he had that familiar foot-on-the-monitor pose going for much of the set. He has a relaxed way of performing that makes it easy to get pulled into the songs.
And there were plenty of them.
"Follow You Down," "Until I Fall Away," "Found Out About You," "Allison Road," "Hey Jealousy" and "Til I Hear It From You" were all part of a 12-song set that could have easily been expanded into a full evening.
The Gin Blossoms continue to be one of the hardest-working bands around, and it shows. Jesse Valenzuela, Bill Leen and Scotty Johnson have been part of the band's long-running story, with Wilson continuing to lead the way.
Hit after hit, the crowd knew the words.
Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors had the job of opening the night, and they came out swinging.
Chris Barron was on fire. Dressed in black, moving all over the stage, standing on speaker cabinets and working the crowd from one side to the other, he brought an energy that immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
The set was only seven songs, but there wasn't much room for anything unnecessary. "What Time Is It?," "Jimmy Olsen's Blues," "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," "Purple Rain" and "Two Princes" were all packed into a short, energetic set.
There is also a great New Jersey connection between Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler.
John Popper and Chris Barron were high school friends in Princeton. Popper was part of an early version of a band called Trucking Company, which eventually evolved into the Spin Doctors. Popper ultimately focused on Blues Traveler, while Barron became the voice of the Spin Doctors.
So there was a little bit of history happening on that stage before Blues Traveler even played a note.
That may be what made this lineup work so well.
All three of these bands could have headlined the Stone Pony Summer Stage on their own. Instead, they shared one night, and the audience stayed locked in from the first song to the last.
The rail stayed solid all night. There were no obvious factions in the crowd. Everyone seemed to be there for the music, and everyone had a song that brought back a memory.
It was a night built around three bands, a lot of great songs and a very specific time in music history.
And judging by the crowd, that time isn't finished yet.
Blues Traveler Gin Blossoms Spin Doctors Stone Pony Summer Stage Bill Baumann
