You are now watching: B-Sides With The Smithereens

By Stacy Peterson, MyNC.com

A good friend and I walked into the Carolina Theatre in Durham Thursday night to re-kindle a music tradition that we started back in 1990: The Smithereens in concert.

It’s a long story that involves college, our love of music and playing in various bands together. It is also about our love for the songwriting and the music of The Smithereens, a connection that a group of our friends shared.

Ironically my friend’s first concert was for the tour for the band’s album “11,” the same album that The Smithereens were to play, in sequence, Thursday night as a part of the band’s 30th anniversary in 2010.

On the larger level what we found is a band just as passionate about music, if not more than the first time we saw them. We also found that The Smithereens continue to carry a connection with their audiences that most of today’s bands lack. There is definitely a shared experience that has lasted for the entire career of the band.

On a smaller scale I noticed one small change that brought a new element to the songs of The Smithereens, especially the earlier hits.

Lead singer and songwriter Pat Dinizio trades his Fender Stratocaster guitar for an acoustic. The result is a new sound and depth to his songs. You hear his vocals in a more pronounced way and you hear how the instruments work together with guitarist Jim Babjak’s tasteful lead guitar.

For fans, The Smithereens delivered hits and more Thursday night. With a healthy dose of songs from both “Especially For You” from 1986 and “Green Thoughts” from 1988, The Smithereens kicked off their first set with members of the audience gathering in the side aisles of the classic theatre, dancing and singing along.

By set two, the band did in fact play all of “11″ front to back, including songs such as “William Wilson” for the first time in many years in front of an audience.

As the first night of a theatre tour showcasing “11,” you got the sense that all of the band members found a bit of discovery with the songs live again.

At one point Dinizio asked the crowd how the album sounded. A song or two later he had his own answer: “I don’t remember these songs sounding that good,” he said, referring to tours from years ago.

In many ways he was right. The “11″ songs such as the hits “Yesterday Girl” and “Blues Before And After” carried a defined punch. Then Dinizio’s voice, which I think has improved in some ways over the last 30 years, sounded strong and more melodic at the same time.

There were other highlights as well. I simply love the new song “Since You Went Away.” Talk about power and a great use of spacing in a song. In my opinion, that song should a hit on the radio right now even in advance of a new Smithereens album planned for later this year.

Finally there was a fitting tribute to The Who and the classic album “Tommy” with a medley that kicked off with “Sparks / Acid Queen.”

With Babjak and Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion leading out into the orchestra pit area of the stage, The Smithereens tore through their tribute with Babjak shredding his Fender Telecaster to crowd of dancing fans. The Smithereens will in fact perform their take on “Tommy” on March 2 at Carnegie Hall as a part of a tribute to The Who with several other artists.

In many ways, the 30th anniversary tour from The Smithereens is about years of the band’s hits and a look back. But also, it is also about a great collection of songs that for many fans are timeless.