STANDING PAT, FOR BOB’S BIRTHDAY
Pat Guadagno, seen here in a previous Bobfest at Two River Theater, summons his Tired Horses for the 2009 edition of the annual tribute concert. (Photos by Scott D. Longfield)
The first year, they wound up performing the show in an insane asylum.
After that, it was the parlor of a 19th century German household. And this year it’s a fancy apartment in 1929 Buenos Aires. But ask Pat Guadagno for his favorite place to play and he’ll probably name the barnyard-rustic, small-town set design that was nailed together for the 2008 production of Mark Twain’s A Murder, A Mystery and a Marriage, a musical for which he appeared onstage as leader of the bluegrass-flavored orchestra.
When the self-described “saloon singer” and ubiquitous bard of the Jersey Shore bars brings his annual Bobfest concert to the stage of Red Bank’s Two River Theater, he shares the proscenium with the scenery for whatever the latest show would be — in this case, the just-opened Private Lives. And if you’re wondering about that insane asylum, it was the setting for the 2006 revival of Joe Orton’s farce What the Butler Saw.
The by-now traditional celebration of Bob Dylan’s birthday returns to the Bridge Avenue auditorium for the fourth consecutive year tonight, in a 7:30pm performance that stands a good chance of being sold out. It’s the eleventh edition of a show that began life as a loose jam at the old Downtown Cafe, and come Memorial Day Monday it’ll be the 68th anniversary of the gruff-but-lovable Dylan himself.
Guadagno, of course, is always out there working the local clubs; putting his mental jukebox of pop/rock classics and his finely honed guitar mastery into service at places that range from the most delightful local holes-in-the-wall to the area’s newest and spiffiest restaurants. He’s shared the stage with several of his heroes; delivered the national anthem to a crowded major league ballpark and hobnobbed with open-mic buskers and political bigshots alike.
But it’s as founding father of Bobfest that he’s built his artistic legacy. The event has drawn nationwide interest and established him as a dedicated keeper of the Dylan flame, although he’s professed that he’s “not a worshipper.”
What he is, is a savvy interpreter who “puts the emphasis on the lyrics of Dylan’s songs,” fleshing out the raggedy arrangements and conversational sing-speak of Dylan’s own sound with lusher, more melodic settings. To that end, he calls in his official Bobfest band, the Tired Horses — the 2009 edition of which includes Mary McCrink, Rich Oddo, Yuri Turchin, Rene Woolley and Phil “Red River” Rizzo, with whom Guadagno has worked for over 40 years. Also promised for tonight’s show are guest performers Marc Muller of Shania Twain’s band; Steven Delopoulos (of Burlap to Cashmere), and Nashville singer-songwriter Daniel Petraitis — with Jersey 101.5’s Big Joe Henry largely in charge of the emcee duties, and a cocktail reception in the lobby, hosted by Jamian’s Food & Drink.
Despite the name, the Tired Horses display admirable stamina at these affairs; playing two sets of nearly three hours and dozens of Dylan tunes, from the obvious ones (”Like a Rolling Stone” is a traditional showstopper) to the obscurities (”To Make You Feel My Love,” a McCrink-crooned favorite). In fact, 2009 is the first year in which the band played a couple of long-clamored-for “away” gigs in advance of the Big Bob, in Vermont and at Atlantic City’s Dante Hall.
For the sixth consecutive year, Guadagno will honor his late brother (and longtime bass player) Tony by donating a portion of the proceeds to the Rock and Roll Music Fund Anthony X. Guadagno Memorial Scholarship, allowing young New Jersey musicians to attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
Tickets for Bobfest 2009 are priced at $30 and can be reserved through the Two River Theater website, or by calling the box office at (732)345-1400. After tonight, it’s business as usual for Pat, with a regular Tuesday night gig at Long Branch’s Celtic Cottage, and upcoming gigs at Mattison Park (May 28) and Windansea (May 30).
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May 18, 2009
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