The Elbow Room posted, to Facebook, this photo of Southside Johnny and Bobby Bandiera performing there, May 6.
Southside Johnny, who has not sung in public since retiring from touring in 2024, joined Bobby Bandiera for the ballad “(We’ll Make This) World Stand Still” at the Elbow Room Bar + Kitchen in Bradley Beach, May 6. You can watch a video of the performance, posted to Facebook by Ron Valvano, below.
Bandiera starts the song — co-written by him and Southside, and recorded for his 1993 album Bandiera — on his own. But Southside soon joins him and they sing most of it together, sharing the same mic, and hug after it’s over.
Bandiera was Southside’s guitarist, backing vocalist and right-hand man in his Asbury Jukes band from 1986 to 2000, and the two also frequently did shows together as a duo.
In 2024, Southside retired from touring in mid-December, and his planned New Year’s Eve concert at The Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank had to be cancelled.
According to a statement issued then, Southside, who is now 77, “made the decision to retire from touring in order to manage ongoing health issues.”
Bandiera plays often, solo, at the Elbow Room; visit elbowroomnj.com.
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