Garland Jeffreys should have been a much bigger star than he is, and there were a few brief moments (“Wild in the Streets” in 1973 and “96 Tears” in 1981) where it seemed he might be on his way.
The last time was in 1992, when “Hail Hail Rock ‘n’ Roll” (the lead single off his Don’t Call Me Buckwheat album) cracked the Top 40 across Europe and even the Top 10 on the Dutch and Swiss charts.
But “Hail Hail Rock ‘n’ Roll” never registered at all in Garland’s native U.S., and that’s too bad–it’s a great song that celebrates the melting pot of rock music.
Garland resurfaced once more in the 21st century after Bruce Springsteen invited him to join his 2001 Asbury Park holiday concerts. That led to a creative rebirth for Jeffreys, although it never quite developed into a commercial one.
Still, that didn’t stop Garland from becoming a favorite on the Asbury Park music scene; he’d go on to make many appearances in the area and became a regular at the annual Light of Day festival.
On November 1, 2003, Garland Jeffreys played his own set at Light of Day after making a brief guest appearance the year before. Bruce had been in the house for a while, unobtrusively and respectfully watching Willie Nile and then Soozie Tyrell’s set.
But when Garland did his artist salutes during the song’s coda, he couldn’t help but out his friend, entreating Bruce to take to the stage… which of course, he did.
In the recording above, you can hear the moment when the crowd realizes that Bruce is actually on stage, and although his contributions are limited to a lead guitar lead-out, it’s one of the many great Light of Day moments Bruce has given us over the years.
Hail Hail Rock ‘n’ Roll
First performed: November 1, 2003 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Last performed: November 1, 2003 (Asbury Park, NJ)
This is the only Light of Day concert I’ve been to. Early in the day, Garland Jeffreys walked right into me. He didn’t see me because he was carrying a large stack of hats.