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Some Fantastic Place: Glenn Tilbrook and Pat DiNizio Bring Rock to the People in Paramus
It may have only been your average hotel ballroom slash conference center at the Raddison Hotel in the shadow of the Garden State Parkway in Paramus, New Jersey, but the Rock 2 The People Concert Series managed to transform it into some fantastic place to see a show.
 Glenn Tilbrook set the bar high as Rock 2 The People kicked off their concert series! "This is rock to the people and for the people," stated Rock 2 The People co-creator Lee Tannenbaum in a recent radio interview with Kweevak.com's Rockin' Rich Lynch, before his partner Pat DiNizio interjected to finish his sentence, "and by the people." Together these two men, Lee Tannebaum — a New York based businessman and motivational speaker, and Pat DiNizio — front man for the world famous rock band The Smithereens, decided to put their business acumen and rock experience together to create a new and innovative music showcase. But why now? "There was a need to fill the void left by the demise of the fabled Bottom Line in New York," DiNizio continued. "We need a new home for the type of artist that played there and for the audience that was so fond of going to that particular venue. A lot of them are from our neck of the woods in New Jersey. So, we're trying to provide a new home for the people who love music in the tri-state area." As so they built it and they came. By all accounts the duo's first night of presenting classic rock music to the public on June 04, 2004, was a smashing success and the event had a vibe much different from your usual rock concert fare. To begin with, each concert patron was individually greeted my Mr. Tannebaum, or a representative of Rock 2 The People, before being cordially escorted to the seating area inside the conference room turned intimate music theater. Music fans could also mingle with the performers in a pre-show happy hour in the hotel's bar and lounge. By the time Mr. Tilbrook reached the stage around 10 p.m. a standing room only audience had gathered inside the warm, intimate room and they were exuding an excited buzz in anticipation of the performance by their rock hero from Squeeze. After opening with the energizing 'Pulling Muscles From a Shell' the exuberant Tilbrook made a proposition to the crowd to "stack the chairs" referring to the restraining layout of seats. However, the crowd – many of them in their late thirties and early forties – seemed to prefer the option of seating, and no attempt was made to stack them. After playing two songs from recent solo records — 'Hot Shaved Asian Teens' and 'This Is Where You Ain't' — the crowd started to come alive when Glenn played the live favorite, 'Is That Love', from the East Side Story record. When he played the next tune, another song from East Side Story — the breakout top-10 charting 'Tempted' — many persons in the crowd gave in to the temptation to "stack the chairs" and they stood up and started passing and stacking the chairs as Glenn had earlier suggested while letting out shouts of "stack the chairs!" No sooner did this movement take root when venue and hotel security stepped in to put a stop to the revolt. But, Tilbrook wasn't done yet in his attempts to draw his loyal and loving fans closer to himself. Tilbrook was hilarious and engaging during his two hour set which featured music from the vast Squeeze catalogue and songs from his two solo records including his most recent, Transatlantic Ping Pong. Also on display were his famous genial nature, charm, playfulness and English wit and humor. Often, and at various times throughout the night, Glenn would raise his pint of amber ale high toasting the audience with the cry of "Cheers Then" before quenching his thirst. Throughout the evening Tilbrook thrilled the oft-singing audience with favorites and rarities including the title track from Some Fantastic Place, 'Walk Away', 'Messed Around', 'Up the Junction', 'Goodbye Girl', 'Hourglass', and a rousing cover version of The Beatles 'Ob La Di Ob La Da'. The recent tour has found Tilbrook at the top of his game and sounding as good as ever with a new band — The Fluffers — whose energy level and musical competency has fans comparing Glenn's new outfit to early incarnations of the legendary English post-punk power-pop outfit, Squeeze. This show, however, was a solo act with accompaniment on piano and mouth organ provided by the slight but multi-talented Stephen Large. The two performers had a good chemistry between them and Large added the keyboard chords, leads and rhythmic backing that were so important to the overall Squeeze sound. In this setting, Glenn had an opportunity to display his dynamic acoustic playing style that included many lead runs reminding the audience that he is also a very accomplished, if not under-rated, lead guitar player. The guitar-keyboard combo allowed listeners to focus on the talents of each performer because their playing was not getting lost in a bigger band sound.
 Glenn Tilbrook and Stephen Large made a big impression! Late in the evening Glenn suggested that everyone stand up and move their seats closer to the stage to fill in the gap between the performance area and the front row. This request resulted in confusion but less chaos than the "stack the chairs" plan and served to bring the performer and legendary rocker closer to the people for the closing songs and encores which included 'Slap and Tickle' and 'Take Me I'm Yours' — two classics from the earliest Squeeze releases. Opening the evening's festivities was Rock 2 The People co-creator, Pat DiNizio, who had the honor of being the inaugural performer for the series. Pat, clad in all black, played electric guitar and was accompanied by Severo Jornacion on bass. DiNizio opened with the classic 'Only A Memory' and a song from a solo release entitled 'Somewhere Down the Line'. Pat was in a chatty mood sharing stories about The Smithereens and the origins of their music. He told the receptive audience that 'Blue Period' was originally written for the Go Go's, a pop sensation of the 1980's. The all girl band turned the tune down but Belinda Carlisle agreed to sing harmonies on The Smithereens' version. She was somewhat nervous and asked a happy Pat to sit close by. The moment didn't last long as she did her guest spot in just one take. Pat also explained that the song has a Roy Orbison vibe. Next, Pat played 'She's Got A Way' which was written for his daughter when she was seven years old. Before playing the popular 'Behind the Wall of Sleep' he told the crowd that the lyrics were written on a paper napkin on a plane in a few inspired moments. The greater challenge was keeping the melody in his mind while stuck in traffic on New York's FDR drive. DiNizio played 'Room Without A View and 'Yesterday's Girl' from Eleven. He joked about the title of this ten-track record. Before playing The Smithereens first hit 'Blood and Roses' he shared an amusing antidote about how the song gained national attention. At the time that Especially For You was recorded, albums were still the popular medium. On LPs the first song on each side was considered the possible single and attention grabber. 'Blood and Roses' was the third song on side two. During the same period, the song had been submitted to Cannon films for the possibility of being used in a Charles Bronson movie. The tape of the song ended up in the back seat of a Cannon lawyer's car destined to be misplaced. Yet, by chance the lawyer's wife found and played the tape stating that this is the song that should be used in the movie. Pat and Severo played most of the songs true to form with a few variations. Towards the end of the set they meandered into The Who's 'Behind Blue Eyes' 'A Girl Like You' and a Beatles cover. The audience sang along to these and other songs enthusiastically. Pat declined his encore telling the appreciative audience that he wanted to leave plenty of time for Glenn's set. Following the show fans had the opportunity to interact with the evening's performers in the hotel lobby. Pat was mingling. Stephen Large, having won new fans was chatting with admirers, and a still-jovial Glenn was signing autographs and posing for pictures. It was a festive end to a magical night of music that really had brought rock to the people — mission accomplished! On July 10, 2004 Colin Hay of '80s hitmakers Men At Work is scheduled to headline the next show with the band The Rosenbergs opening. DiNizio and Tannenbaum are considering artists like Ian Hunter, Lisa Loeb and Joan Osborne for future concerts. Their goal is to present two shows per month once the series is up and running. Light refreshments and beverages were available and the room had an intimate capacity of 225 in a smoke free environment. Fans hoping to catch a future pairing of Pat DiNizio with The Smithereens and Glenn Tilbrook should keep their eyes out for an 80's music and indie film festival scheduled to take place in New York City on Halloween weekend, 2004, which is expected to be announced shortly.
 Pat DiNizio, co-creator and first ever Rock 2 The People performer!
Related Links: For more information on Glenn Tilbrook and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- Glenn Tilbrook | Pat DiNizio
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