JOHN CAVANAUGH
The James Maddock Band performs at the Light of Day Kickoff concert at Asbury Lanes, Jan. 15.
The New York-based singer-songwriter Matt Kelley made his Light of Day debut at this year’s WinterFest Kickoff concert, which took place Jan. 15 at Asbury Lanes. Performing with his band The Big Reveal, he marked the occasion (which was also his Asbury Park debut) by including a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Sherry Darling” among his own high-energy original songs — he called The Boss his favorite artist — and showing off the “No Surrender” tattoo on his arm.
Representing the other end of the Light of Day spectrum, Joe D’Urso, who performed with his band Stone Caravan — and capped his set with a rousing cover of Willie Nile’s “One Guitar” — has been with fundraising festival since its start, more than a quarter of a century ago, and is one of its main organizers.
James Maddock, who headlined this show, wasn’t involved with Light of Day from Day One, but has been a regular for many years. Jake Thistle, who performed second-to-last on the show’s main stage, has also become a Light of Day mainstay, but is new enough to the fest that he was able to share the exact number of years he has been participating: six. (The day after the Kickoff show, Thistle announced that he will be appearing on the upcoming season of television’s “American Idol.)
JOHN CAVANAUGH
From left, John Hummel, Matt O’Ree and Layonne Holmes of The Matt O’Ree Band.
Eleven acts performed during the approximately four-hour show: Six on the main Asbury Lanes stage, alternating with five on a smaller acoustic stage, in front of it. This made for a night with basically no downtime, as artists performed short sets on the smaller stage as the larger stage was being set up for the next band.
For me, the show peaked with “Worth the Live,” an epic slow blues number by Matt O’Ree, who was introduced by syndicated “Anything Anything” DJ Rich Russo as “probably the best guitar player on the Jersey Shore,” and really lived up to that assessment. (O’Ree performed with his own well-honed Matt O’Ree Band, which usually includes his wife Eryn on lead vocals, but she had to miss the show due to illness.)
But there were lots of other great moments in the show, too, including an intense cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” performed by Williams Honor as a duo; Maddock’s propulsive, catchy “Rag Doll”; and D’Urso’s joyful, sentimental ode to Asbury Park itself, “Come Down Tonight.” Thistle show a propensity for emotionally intense rock in the confessional singer-songwriter tradition; Kelley had a dynamic, almost theatrical stage presence; and Milly the Band brought a touch of tightly wound, almost Ramones-like pop-punk to the show’s mix.
Maddock — backed by a band that includes impressively résuméd musicians such as keyboardist Ben Stivers (Lyle Lovett, Ricky Martin) and drummer Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors, Joan Osborne), with Williams Honors members Reagan Richards (backing vocals) and Gordon Brown (vocals, guitar) adding to their rich, full sound — got the most time to stretch out, with a set that lasted close to an hour. He had no problem keeping the audience engaged throughout that time, with his scruffy but warm vocals and distinctive songs in a variety of styles, from the breezy folk-rocker “Runaway” to the jaunty, gentle, heart-to-heart ballad “Keep Your Dream.”
JOHN CAVANAUGH
Williams Honor (Gordon Brown and Reagan Richards).
When Maddock performs his “Beautiful Now” solo, it is a dreamy meditation. But here, with a full band (see video below), it had a strong rock edge.
Five of the performers from the Kickoff concert — Maddock, O’Ree, Williams Honor, D’Urso and Emily Grove — are also in the lineup of the main Light of Day concert, taking place Jan. 17 at The Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank. And in many cases, they and the Kickoff show’s other acts will be performing at other Light of Day shows in Asbury Park, Jan. 17 and 18.
Maddock, D’Urso and O’Ree are also among the 10 acts who will be at the last Light of Day WinterFest 2026 show, Jan. 24 at The Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair.
Click HERE to see a listing of all 2026 WinterFest shows.
Founded in 1998, Light of Day raises money and awareness for the continuing quest to end Parkinson’s disease and its related illnesses ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and PSP (progressive supranuclear palsy) within our lifetime. More than $7 million has been raised, over the years.
Here are some videos from the Kickoff show and, below them, a gallery of photos taken by John Cavanaugh:
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