brought back an Asbury Park tradition on Saturday night, taking the stage at the Paramount Theater for the big finale of Light of Day’s Winterfest. It had been five years since the “real governor of New Jersey,” as Springsteen was introduced, attended the annual event, a week-long musical celebration which raises money to fight Parkinson’s Disease and other related illnesses. This 20th year milestone also doubled as a birthday celebration for the organization and its founder Bob Benjamin.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was just warming up, later joining New York rocker Willie Nile for the stomper, “One Guitar,” again adding tasty licks and texture to complement Nile’s pristine vocals. Songs from Grushecky’s catalog got their due as well, kicking off with “Talking To The King” and the gritty “Pumping Iron, Sweating Steel.”