In chatting with Pat DiNizio after the concert, he asked me the question he asks all Smithereens fans: “How was the show?”

But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

You see, the Smithereens are out on a summer tour, hitting the sheds and the rib-fests. As a result, they play on bills with the likes of other “80s bands” such as the Fixx, or the Outfield. A year ago, the Smithereens played this same venue with the Knack and Tommy Tutone. This time, the Reens filled the second slot in the lineup, sandwiched by openers Missing Persons, and headliners, the Knack. While it may seem odd to those of us who know and love the band, it certainly draws a great crowd.

The modern incarnation of Missing Persons consists of front woman Dale Bozzio, and well, a bunch of missing persons. The twenty-somethings joining her onstage were barely alive when her group had hits with “Words,” Destination Unknown,” and “Walking in L.A.”

Though I always liked the Knack’s first album, this night’s live performance hardly lived up to those once-fond memories. The crowd loved them, however, and to be fair, it wasn’t the Knack that I came to see.

The Smithereens were playing in my old stomping grounds. The area is as much “home” for me as it is the home of rock and roll. I was excited to finally see them play here, and was curious how a “real” rock ‘n roll audience would greet them.

It is said that you can never go home, but here, on this night, I was home, and I was not disappointed. When the boys took the stage, a sizeable crowd of faithful fans slowly squeezed their way up front. It was clear that many, if not most of this crowd had come to see the one and only Smithereens.

Jim strummed his guitar, and shook his head. “Turn it up!” he yelled. And off they went. The usual concert-opener, “Only A Memory,” was just as good as it ever was, except that Jim’s lead guitar was too far back in the mix. Unfortunately, this was to remain throughout their performance, even though it did improve slightly, later on.

Watching the Smithereens in this massive outdoor music theatre took some getting-used-to. But there was Mike bopping, swaying, and pogo-ing as usual. Dennis bashed away on the drums, keeping the band together as always, and Jim wailed on his guitar. For those of you keeping track of Pat’s head gear, he apparently has a new piece in the wardrobe. Later on I asked him just what was it that he was wearing on his head, and he said, "It's a Davy Crockett hat!" Sure enough, it was a coonskin cap with the tail removed!

I had never seen the reens play quite this short of a set, but I'm glad I did. It was a strong, tight set, if somewhat abridged. All the hits were here, and the band went almost non-stop from one to the next, like a one-two combination, and then again and again, for good measure. The crowd ate it up, and as Jim Babjak later shouted, “Rock and roll lives in Detroit!” Indeed, it does.

Every number received a great ovation. The crowd really got moving once the band played “Behind The Wall Of Sleep.” After all these years, it’s good to know that Pat and Dennis have not lost the stage banter they sometimes engage in. In “Yesterday Girl,” Pat sang “I’m not the same guy that you used to know,” and shouted out “No, I’m not!” Literally without missing a beat, Dennis retorted with his own “Yes, you are!”

After the song ended, Jim noted the Detroit Red Wings’ Stanley Cup win by remarking “By the way, I’m a big hockey fan, and congratulations to you guys. Cheers!” This was met with the expected applause. Jim added, “I’m glad it was one of the original six!” Off mic, Mike said something to Pat, and Pat said “Tell ‘em,” nodding at the microphone stand. The sometimes shy bass-player and big-time hockey fan stepped up and asked the audience “How about Scotty Bowman, huh? I wish we could have a coach like that!”

Surprisingly, the wonderful and under-rated Babjak-DiNizio co-composition “Cut Flowers” found its way into the short set list. The Reens played just as passionately on the old crowd-pleaser “Time And Time Again,” and the audience roared with approval when the three guitarists swayed to-and-fro in unison.

As the song ended, Pat warned us all, “We’re in trouble now, our drummer’s drinking.” No one seemed to mind, though. Pat went on to introduce Dennis to the audience, as well as himself, and then said “Jimmy Babjak does lead. Pretty good …for an old bastard!” That of course was met with the usual thump on the drums from Dennis. Then, with a perfect cue for “Blood And Roses,” Pat introduced “Mike Mesaros on the bass guitar…”

The Smithereens closed with “A Girl Like You,” of course. There was no encore, and they left the stage as any good entertainer does, with the crowd wanting more.

I spoke with Jim after the show, who, ever the cordial one, signed several autographs for fans, and even brought out a couple beers to share. I noted the great Detroit turnout, and he replied : "I was surprised actually." He needn’t have been. Just like I always remembered it, rock and roll really does live in Detroit.

Oh yeah, back to Pat’s inquiry: I gave him a thumbs-up. And in some kind of nod to Siskel and Ebert, he put his thumb up with mine. There you have it, the blockbuster entertainment hit of the summer, the Smithereens -- at a music theatre near you.

The soundcheck:
Only A Memory
Behind The Wall Of Sleep

The set:
Only A Memory
House We Used To Live In
Behind The Wall Of Sleep
She's Got A Way
Yesterday Girl
Cut Flowers
Miles From Nowhere
Time And Time Again
Blood And Roses
A Girl Like You