Photo by Michael Campbell

I must admit when I first heard Pat Dinizio was playing a solo acoustic show at Drink Bar in Chicago, I was upset. "Why couldn't it be in Minneapolis?" I asked myself. The more I thought about it, the more I thought- "Hey, Chicago is only a seven hour drive from here. This may be my only opportunity to see that man behind the songs perform on his own." So I decided early on that, no matter what, I was going to make the pilgrimage to Chi town for one reason- to see Pat play. Then I was going to turn around and head home. And that's just what I did.

Everybody thought I was nuts. Most people asked me the same question: "You're driving seven hours to see one guy play songs with one guitar in one bar for 100 minutes?"

Yup. 900 miles round trip. And it was well worth it.

I picked up my good friend Tim in Madison, Wisconsin on the way and we were off to see Pat. We got to "Drink" about 7:15pm. With the show about two hours away, Tim and I sat down and had ourselves some dinner. That's when we heard Pat warming up in the adjacent bar. I walked in and said in a joking manner "You better be good- I just drove from the Twin Cities to see this!" He laughed, came down from the stage and shook my hand. He recognized me from when I met him at the Minneapolis show three weeks earlier. He told me he appreciated my road trip and that he would "do his best" to please me. I laughed, thanked him, and went back to the other bar to finish my meal so he could do his sound check.

After awhile, Pat came into the restaurant area of Drink to get some coffee before the show. Incredibly, there was virtually no one there. It was about 8:30 and the place was dead. Pat came over and sat and talked to us for a few minutes, graciously did some autographs, and then talked to a few more people. Again, if you've never met Pat- or any of the Smithereens for that matter- it's like meeting an old friend. Always a handshake. Always glad to see you and genuinely appreciative of your support.

The show started casually late- around 9:30pm. Surprisingly, there was only about 50 people in the bar when Pat came on. It was quite different than the hundreds of people I'm used to at a Smithereens performance. We kind of stood by the stage with a few people while Pat played his first four songs- all Smithereeens classics (see set list below). After a new song from his solo effort (due in stores on October 7), he then asked for requests. Immediately somebody shouted out "The Beatles!" Pat then broke into "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", which ended up turning into a huge sing-along. The crowd was starting to grow a little larger and a few more Smithereens requests followed. Most memorable was "Evening Dress"- which happened to be the "wedding party dance" song at my own wedding- so I was quite pleased that Pat was going to do this one. The request was written on a cocktail napkin by an attractive lady, so Pat must've felt obligated to play it! He laughed at the request stating that he wasn't sure he could hit the notes anymore. Well, he did a pretty good job, even though it was an abbreviated version. After the song ended, he was sweating up a storm trying to hit those notes. He took the napkin used for the request and wiped the sweat from his forehead with it and said jokingly to the young lady who made the request: "Here's what I think of THAT request!"

He continued with a few more Smithereens tunes- including my personal request for "Afternoon Tea" and a Clapton-like "Blues Before and After". He also played one from R.E.M., and a couple more from his solo album- which, incidentally, was played in it's entirety over the speakers in the restaurant before the show. All I can say is "buy it, folks!"

He concluded the show with a great rendition of the classic "Behind the Wall of Sleep". Interestingly enough, "A Girl Like You" was not played, but it didn't matter. It was a very enjoyable night and, again, well worth the journey. If anybody gets the chance to see Pat play one of these acoustic gigs, don't miss out. It's a unique experience and you will get a new perspective on songs you've heard a hundred times.

The Set List

Drown In My Own Tears
Only A Memory
Blood and Roses
Room Without a View
A World Apart (Solo Album)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (The Beatles)
Strangers When We Meet
Everything I Have Is Blue
Over and Over Again
Evening Dress
Talk About The Passion (R.E.M.)
Yesterday Girl
No Love Lost (Solo Album)
Especially For You
Maria Elena
Afternoon Tea
Blues Before and After
House That We Used To Live In
Top Of The Pops
Somewhere Down The Line (Solo Album)
Nobody But Me (Solo Album)
Elaine
If The Sun Doesn't Shine
Deep Black
Behind The Wall Of Sleep