Guitar Rock: The Smithereens, Live Concert, Manitowoc, WI, June 18, 2005

February 4, 1990, Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, Winter Carnival Fun Fair. Dave Pirner and Soul Asylum left the stage after their set with Pirner setting his guitar next to the amp to whine and wail and squeal. Eventually, when a sound guy turned it off, the crowd was hushed and restless for the headlining Smithereens to take the stage.

June 18, 2005, Washington Park, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, MetroJam. Brian Henneman and the Bottle Rockets leave the stage after their set with Henneman setting ing his guitar next to the amp to whine and wail and squeal. It’s 15 years later, but when the sound guy turns off Henneman’s guitar, the crowd is restless and waiting for the Smithereens to take the stage.

In 1990, I thought Soul Asylum and the Smithereens were an odd juxtaposition of bands, even more odd given Pirner’s distortion gift left on stage. In 2005, though, besides being an incredible reminiscence for me, I thought Henneman’s distortion gift actually set up the Smithereens quite well. On the surface, the Smithereens have always been like Beatles Beatniks, blending jangly guitars and pop hooks. Yet, as their Manitowoc set list aptly showed, there’s some intense energy in the guitars of Pat DiNizo and Jim Babjak, more energy than you might expect if you only consider them to be an 80’s pop band.

Marking their 25th year together, the Smithereens began their June 18th show on a memory theme. “Only a Memory” showed that the perfect pop rock sound isn’t “only a memory.” “House We Used to Live In” is a look back at a song that looks back, and again, it lived up to the memory of 1988’s Green Thoughts with its jangly guitars, harmonies, Dennis Diken’s Who-like drum vamp solo, and one mic singing on the chorus call-and-response.

That full-edged sound revved up on “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” which comes from the 1986 debut, Especially for You, a somewhat heavier sound peeking through on that album akin to the Cars’ self-titled debut. However, whereas the Cars eventually traveled much too far from those glorious walls of sound, the Smithereens seemed to have just honed the craft, throttling back just enough to let the songs emerge. “Top of the Pops” features that driving rock; it’s a sound that doesn’t age.

Other songs revealed that the Smithereens continued at least some of the themes from the Bottle Rockets sound. “Life is So Beautiful” has a country blues feel, underscored by removing all effects from DiNizo’s rhythm electric guitar. “Something New” played live comes on like a Country & Western ballad that is pure 60’s Beatles with a Miller High Life dipped guitar solo. While Belinda Carlisle didn’t suddenly appear to reprise her duet, “Blue Period” also has that certain bounce of a country ballad buoyed by the bass line.

“Beatniks” has never been an incorrect descriptor for the Smithereens, shown even more in DiNizo’s solo, jazz-focused work. DiNizo can pull a jazz beatnik club feel into a pop song, singing “Especially for You” while smoking a cigarette. The way DiNizo delivers a line even in “A Girl Like You,” one of the most pop rock of their pop rock songs, still has a jazz beat poet air to it.

Energy is key, and many songs get the energy rhythmically from Diken’s drums. “Yesterday Girl” finds the energy in the breaks. “Room Without a View” finds the guitars vamping over a drum solo. “Everything Changes” has a double guitar start, but it’s the bluesy, double kick drum that gives the song its feel, while excellent drumming keeps the song on its toes.

Early shows found the Beatles hawking rockabilly covers, and certainly there’s a rockabilly sense to the Smithereens latter day Beatles sound. “Time And Time Again” picks up this rockabilly feel, adding Diken’s tom tom break for the guitar solo. “Blood and Roses” is slower rockabilly that is grounded in the bass line. The song closed the main set with Babjak windmilling on the guitar and then jumping into the pit to let a young member of the crowd do the final strumming.

That pit solo and extended closing to “Blood and Roses” set the scene quite well for the encore which hearkened back to the crowd rock of the 60’s and 70’s. Thanks to a prolonged guitar tuning session, Diken laid down a rhythm track for himself as he turned out an inspired version of “Break on Through to the Other Side,” part jazz lounge and part full-energy Jim Morrison. When DiNizo finished tuning, he graciously took a smoke break so we could all continue to enjoy Dikens-Morrison.

Earlier in the show, Babjak had sung the Beatles’ “Don’t Bother Me,” like a bibliographical entry showing where the Smithereens had taken a portion of their sound. In that same vein, the encore set then (following the impromptu Doors reference) started with the Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes,” like a campfire sing along with the crowd.

After reading the footnote, we’re back to the main text with the evening’s closer, “A Girl Like You.” The extended solo section brought back the Who feel. Then to add just one more bibliographical reference, DiNizo broke into the 60’s anthem “Get Together,” (“C'mon people now, Smile on your brother, Ev'rybody get together, Try and love one another right now”).

While the Smithereens revealed their sources during their show, “A Girl Like You” can stand on its own, featuring one of the best guitar riffs ever. After reaching such momentum, the song came to a close. The band threw in a little “Time and Time Again” tag, and then it was time for Manitowoc to be quiet again.

Thanks to the Smithereens for their help. And thanks to the organizers of Metro Jam for another incredible event. If you’re musician, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, should be on your list of places to play!