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The Smithereens played the Ludlow Garage Friday. I was there in person. It was a great show, though I really wished they'd insisted on proof of vaccine (I wouldn't want to kill any naive Gen Xers, just glad to be out on the town!)
It was great to see a live band. Marshall Crenshaw was the stand-in vocalist. I was disappointed that they did none of his stuff. He's great!! The Pat Dinizio lyrics are more maudlin than anything Morrissey ever concocted. They work because the remaining three guys always acted like a street gang out to beat the new boyfriend up and smash his windshield.
"Especially For You" is one of the great debuts. They never matched it. Though they definitely have enough good stray songs to fill an 80-minute set and an encore that included "Rambling Man"!!! God Save The Smithereens. I'll fill in if they'll have me.