Light of Day ’25 ends in Montclair with a memorable musical marathon (REVIEW, PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

by JAY LUSTIG

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com

Light of Day WinterFest performers at Outpost in the Burbs included, from left, Joe D’Urso, Glen Burtnik, Reagan Richards and Gordon Brown of Williams Honor, Willie Nile and Danielia Cotton.

As the second-to-last number of the Light of Day WinterFest concert that took place at The Outpost in the Burbs, Jan. 25 — raising money for the fight against Parkinson’s disease and related disorders — Glen Burtnik performed his song “All That’s Yet to Come,” a cappella. But before he did so, he took a moment to reflect on the beauty of the show’s venue, Montclair’s First Congregational Church. “I’m not necessarily a believer, but in a joint like this …,” he said.

MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com

Glen Burtnik at Outpost in the Burbs.

He then said he would like to read from the instantly famous homily that Bishop Mariann Budde gave at The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, with Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and other government officials in attendance. Making some slight changes in the text, Burtnik read:

The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in our poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shift in hospitals, they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches, mosques and synagogues … have mercy on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. Help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land. May God grant us all the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak in truth and love and walk humbly with one another and our God for the good of all people of this nation and the world.

I quote it at length (1) because I think it’s an important message and (2) because I think it was a vital part of the concert. Before it, there was lots of great music, but no one had addressed, so directly and powerfully, the thing that is uppermost on my mind, these days, and that I have to believe is uppermost in many people’s minds: The state of the country. Burtnik filled in that missing piece, and I’m glad that he did. I, honestly, wouldn’t mind if every cultural event I attended — in the near future, at least — included some of Budde’s words.

MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com

Willie Nile at Outpost in the Burbs.

That is not to say that the show was totally devoid of political content, up to that point. Willie Nile, for instance, had dedicated his “The Innocent Ones” (watch video below) to his friend Steuart Smith (the guitarist, who recently announced his retirement due to Parkinson’s disease) as well as the people of Gaza, and those affected by the wildfires in California. “We’re all brothers and sisters here, you know — on the planet,” Nile said. “Most people don’t get that, but we are … this goes out to all our brothers and sisters, victims of things they can’t control.”

Also, Amanda Cross, introducing her “Desert Rose” (watch video below), said that “Especially with everything that’s going on in the world right now, it’s nice to come together” in a show like this one.

An Outpost in the Burbs concert has been included in the Light of Day WinterFest annually, since 2015, and it has evolved to the point where many of the same acts appear from year to year. Six of this year’s 10 act appeared in last year’s show; seven performed in 2023.

This show was divided into two sets of five acts each, with Burtnik, Nile, Joe D’Urso (accompanied by pianist Seth Saltzman), Danielia Cotton (accompanied by guitarist David Kolker) and the Williams Honor duo (Reagan Richards and Gordon Brown) performing after a set featuring Cross (accompanied by guitarist Derek Cruz), Jake Thistle, Rick Winowski, Jon Caspi (accompanied by pianist Bob Bailey-Lemansky) and the Deni Bonet/Chris Flynn duo.

MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com

Chris Flynn and Deni Bonet at Outpost in the Burbs.

All 10 acts performed three songs apiece. All of the musicians, for each set, remained onstage the whole time, and sometimes casually added backing vocals or instrumentation to the others’ songs.

There were many special moments throughout the show. Winowski performed his “Pat’s Song” — an affecting ballad paying tribute to his friend, the late Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens — and Nile gave a preview of his upcoming album with “Irish Goodbye,” a rousing number that could easily wind up being a staple of his shows for years to come.

Nile’s “Love Is a Train” build up a locomotive force of its own with its flurry of metaphors (“Love is a nightmare, love is a dream/Go to sleep at night together, wake up alone and scream/Love is a journey, a highway through the heart/It can bring your world together, it can blow your world apart”). Bonet and Flynn closed the first set with “Cozy Cabin Fever,” an instrumental that showcased Bonet’s virtuosic violin playing.

MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com

Danielia Cotton at Outpost in the Burbs.

Cotton performed her intense “Bring Out the Country (In Me)” — an original song from her 2024 EP Charley’s Pride: A Tribute to Black Country Music — and her even more intense “Baby Love” (watch video below). Williams Honor playfully channeled a bit of the spirit of Johnny Cash while performing their own “I’ll Be Damned.” D’Urso, the president of Light of Day’s board of directors, closed the show by leading a sing-along on his uplifting “Hold On,” which has become a theme song for the festival in general.

This show ended the 2025 Light of Day WinterFest, which is the 25th annual one, in the series.

“The first Light of Day event raised about $2000,” Light of Day co-founder and director Tony Pallagrosi told the audience, at the start of the show. “You fast forward to 2025, and estimated on how we’re doing this year, which may be one of our best years ever, we’ll be around $7 to $7½ million.

“We’re a do-it-yourself organization, no big check writers. So it’s all about folks like you supporting us, and doing it for so many years.”

For more on Light of Day, visit lightofday.org.

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