Once again, Light Of Day WinterFest offered much needed energy and hope during cold, dark days...
- Lisa Iannucci
- 5 minutes ago
- 7 min read
January 21, 2026
With all the current distractions of life in New Jersey, USA circa 2026 - from inclement weather, to omnipresent electronic-device-addiction, to the dramatic and at times horrifying events transpiring around the country – it seemed like it was going to be pretty hard to focus in on what was going on onstage at the various venues of Light of Day WinterFest 2026, "the Main Event" of which, "Bob [Benjamin]'s Birthday Bash," took place this past Saturday night at Red Bank, NJ's Count Basie Center for the Arts. But if it was diversion and respite you needed, the annual fundraiser to fight Parkinson’s, ALS, and PSP could not have been more well-timed. For those who still believe that rock and roll can save your life, this was particularly true.
And fortunately, Light of Day Board Member – and MC with 100 jackets – Remember Jones was once again in the house. Unfortunately, he did not appear with the typical full-band extravaganza for which he is known, but was instead backed by the stellar roots rock keyboard of Bobby Lynch (Asbury Jukes, etc.), whose prodigious talent and showmanship was the perfect accompaniment to the effervescent Jones. The show, originally slated for 6;30, began somewhat unexpectedly at 6:10, with the lights suddenly going out and Jones announcing his presence via a rousing cover of Elton John’s “The Bitch is Back.” (Incidentally, it's worth noting that Jones also graciously acknowledged his fellow WinterFest 2026 MCs for other key events throughout the extended weekend: the three New Jersey-based radio greats Tom Cunningham, Jeff Raspe, and Rich Russo.)
The usual LOD show structure – full band performances interspersed with brief acoustic sets – began in earnest with the full-band version of Asbury Park's Williams Honor, and many other event stalwarts rounding out the evening’s lineup. This year’s standouts included a lovely, vulnerable and endearing acoustic duet by Matt and Eryn O’Ree on “He Loves Me Anyway,” and yet another high energy set by the great Willie Nile.
Nile is just off a record release in mid-2025, and performed a pair of new songs, including the rousing “We Are We Are,” just the sort of get-off-your-butts-and-into-the-street anthem that audiences have come to expect from the veteran New York roots rocker, ably powered by the punk energy of bassist Johnny Pisano. Nile seemed in a bit of a rush to bring out “some friends” – who turned out to be James Maddock and Some Guy Named Bruce – for “One Guitar,” and turned in the expected rabble-rousing performance, but with a catalog like Nile’s, it’s a shame that some room could not have been found in the schedule for a couple more songs. His material in particular seems particularly well-suited to the anxious national mood. (Nile's onstage guests also included Jill Hennessy on backing vocals. At another point in the evening, Hennessy delivered a pointed solo-acoustic version of Springsteen's "No Surrender.")
Keyboards were in full effect in this year’s iteration of LOD, what with Bobby Lynch’s hip-shaking Little Richard mini-set with Remember Jones, Jeff Kazee (Asbury Jukes, etc.) backing both Nile as well as Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers later on, and the mad piano intensity that is Low Cut Connie’s Adam Weiner. Weiner, who was introduced by Jones as a person of high integrity, “the first person to cancel at the Kennedy Center” last year, bounded onto the stage hollering, “Do we have any tough cookies in the house tonight?”, an allusion to his COVID-era Tough Cookies home broadcasts. “You are from Jersey,” he continued, “you have to be tough.” He then launched into “Death & Destruction” from the 2018 release Dirty Pictures (Part 2). The song opens with the immortal lines “Everybody’s acting like an asshole/The lunatics are messin’ with the vibe.” Hard to argue with that statement.
“But cookies are sweet as well,” Weiner continued before blasting into the manic “Revolution Rock and Roll.” It was a bravura performance, but he never really found his groove with the audience, due to the brevity of the set. (Most of the evening’s sets seemed more abbreviated than usual and most of the evening felt rushed, which was too bad, given the caliber of many performers.)
Also memorable was John Rzeznik, who turned in another heartfelt acoustic set, immediately following Light of Day Executive Director/Co-Founder Tony Pallagrosi's passionate statement of the organization's long-standing commitment to its cause. Rzeznik's set featured material dealing with his struggles to get sober, including “Sympathy” and “Bitter Pill.” Rzeznik drew a respectable number of fans to the event, too, and sprinkled some self-deprecating humor throughout his set. Anticipating what was to come later in the evening, he offered, “I’m not rich enough to alienate half my audience, so I’m not going to get political.”
As per usual, the night was closed out by Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, this time with special guest Gary "U.S." Bonds. But by then, everyone knew that there was another “special guest,” and folks leapt to their feet as the unmistakable backbeat of “New Orleans” rang from the rafters and Bruce Springsteen took the stage with Bonds.
“Bonds is motherfuckin’ 86!,” Bruce shouted with a grin, embracing his old friend. Older fans have been waiting years for a repeat performance of the legendary Bonds/Bruce jams of the early/mid’80s, and this one did not disappoint; the mini-set featured a spirited vocal duet on “Jole Blon” and “This Little Girl,” the infectious single from the first of a pair of album collaborations between the innovative 1960s roots rocker and the E Street posse.
With the departure of Bonds, the set fell into some fairly typical song selections from past LOD shows, with the topic of this year’s de rigueur preacher rant by Springsteen repeating his assertion from last year that he is "definitely not a billionaire!” “I heard they were doing this list of billionaires, and they listed Beyonce,” he began, pacing the stage. “They kept going, and came to me. Now, I want to make it clear, I have partners.” Prowling back and forth at the lip of the stage, he continued, “but what really matters is what’s in your love account.” This, of course, was his patented LOD intro to another 1980s-era R&B chestnut, “Savin’ Up,” written by Springsteen for Clarence Clemons and his Red Bank Rockers, and still a relative rarity.
Other highlights included 1992’s “Lucky Town,” somewhat inexplicably introduced by Bruce as a “deep cut” but always a welcome addition to the setlist. But the real surprise of the night was what happened next. It was apparent something was afoot, as he walked over and said something to Grushecky, who nodded. Springsteen then walked back to the center mic. Clearly reading from a teleprompter, he launched into a pointed speech about the current political situation in America that echoed similar remarks made last year during his European tour.
“This next song is probably one of my greatest songs... I wrote this song as an ode to American possibility. It was both to the beautiful but flawed country that we are, and to the country that we could be. Right now we are living through incredibly critical times. The United States - the ideals and the values for which it stood for the past 250 years - is being tested as it has never been in modern times.”
Pausing for a moment, to let that sink in, he received some modest applause before continuing. “Those values and those ideals have never been as endangered as they are right now. So as we gather tonight in this beautiful display of love and care and thoughtfulness and community, if you believe in democracy, in liberty... if you believe that truth still matters, and that it's worth speaking out, and that it's worth fighting for... if you believe in the power of the law and that no one stands above it... if you stand against heavily armed, masked federal troops invading an American city and using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens... if you believe you don't deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest... then send a message to this President, and as the mayor of that city has said, 'ICE should get the fuck out of Minneapolis.'”
As more applause echoed throughout the theater, Bruce concluded, “Well, this song is for you, and in the memory of mother of three and American citizen Renee Good. Thank you...” The response, while positive, was not raucous. Instead, scattered audience members made comments like “thank you” and “yes!” as he began the opening harmonica riff to “The Promised Land.”
These comments were not altogether unexpected, given that this was his first public appearance before a large audience in the U.S. since the 2024 election, but they were clearly made with care and forethought, in willingness to use a powerful platform to speak out in a way precious few other artists have done since the onset of the current domestic terror in several American cities. They were made knowing that there would be those in the audience and in his fan base who would neither accept nor agree with what was said. They were made knowing there would be significant blowback from the White House, and that the story would make headlines around the world. But they were, for the most part, welcome.
The evening concluded in its traditional way, with many if not all of the WinterFest artists assembling onstage with Light of Day founder Bob Benjamin, whose own struggle with Parkinson's disease led to the creation of the Light of Day event and organization, for a group performance of its adopted anthem, Springsteen's song "Light of Day," followed by a “Happy Birthday” singalong and the usual encore, an acoustic “Thunder Road.” After the final song, Bruce reached down, grasped Bob’s hand gently, and turned to walk offstage.