The Thursday morning text from KP called for a trip with Bake to Norwich that night to catch a free show by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.

My morning break at the library allowed me a quick query to my dear wife Karen to ask her what she thought about me going out on a “school night.”

I’m in.

Happy us.

We were happy to find a comfortable square in the Chenango County village some 60 miles or so southeast of Syracuse. I figured that I had been paying attention to this Jersey-shore band for 43 years, I told my great friends – guys I’ve known for 35 years.

Ready for some soul.

The chair-toting crowd was set, too.

He’s still got it.

Our view from bag chairs was great, but of course I ran around with my iPhone 8 to get some better photographs.

He’s in total control.

The front man has got plenty of swagger.

Big lineup.

I hoped to KP and Bake that the band scores plenty of gigs, because Johnny has a lot of mouths to feed.

The horn section makes it worth it.

They proved it time again during the 90-minute set.

How about checking out some of the starting tribute to Aretha Franklin on the day our Queen of Soul left this earth?

And a vintage Southside hit, one of the very first I remember, “Love on the Wrong Side of Town.”

All three of us bought souvenir T-shirts.

I went with the one on the right.

The cost was a mere $20, a great bargain in the live music merch world.

My voice was a big froggie in work the next day from singing along so much.

Well worth it.