Light of Day 2024 in Asbury Park and Red Bank fights Parkinson's with music and love

The mission — and the music — goes on.

More than a hundred musicians, and fans from all over the world, will converge on Red Bank and Asbury Park this weekend for the Light of Day Winterfest, which raises funds and awareness in the fight against Parkinson's and related diseases.

“The strength of the Light of Day, the commitment of the people around it and the crowds that they get to listen to this great music, it’s really impressive, and Bob is right at the heart of all that,” said John Lehr, president and CEO of the Parkinson's Foundation, which seeks to find a cure and improve life for those with Parkinson's.

Bob is Bob Benjamin, for whom the annual Light of Day Bob's Birthday Bash is named. The roots of the fest go back to a 1998 birthday show for Benjamin at the Downtown Cafe in Red Bank, soon after the music manager was diagnosed with Parkinson's. This year, Max Weinberg’s Jukebox, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, Dramarama, Willie Nile, Low Cut Connie and more will play the Bash on Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank.

Bruce Springsteen is a supporter. The Boss has performed at 12 of the previous 23 Light of Days, all unannounced.

“He’s had a rough go of it for sure but he’s hanging in there,” said Lehr of Benjamin. “I’ve been around Parkinson’s a long time and I've seen it take people down and Bob still going strong. I have to think that’s in part related to the wonderful support network he has. He has such incredible friends who care so deeply about him.”

The Birthday Bash ends each year with a rendition of Happy Birthday to Benjamin, whose birthday is in November, sung by performers and fans.

"I am doing well," said Benjamin via email. "I have been dancing with Parkinson's for 28 years and I'm back for another year."

There is no cure for Parkinson's, but there are advances in the research to finding treatments and a potential cure, Lehr said.

“We think about Parkinson's Disease differently today,” Lehr said. “It was you got your diagnoses from your neurologist and you were given your medication and you were kind of sent on your merry way, and that wasn’t sufficient, frankly. Now, there's a lot more awareness about not only the different types of symptoms, but it's not just simply a motor disorder. There’s cognitive elements, emotional elements. There’s sleep issues, there’s (gastrointestinal issues) issues. It’s really ... a whole body disease.”

Exercise helps. It may slow the progression, Leher said. The Light of Day Foundation supports Boxing for Bob classes in the area for patients. The application of non-contact boxing exercises and drills are beneficial, experts say.

The primary treatment for those with Parkinson's, as it's been for decades, is using levodopa as a dopamine replacement agent to counter the patient's bradykinesia symptoms. But research into detecting the biomarker of Parkinson's is opening up avenues of potential options, Lehr said.

“I think we understand Parkinson's at its basic a biological level a lot better than we once did,” Lehr said.

More: Here's the complete Light of Day 2024 schedule in Asbury Park, Red Bank, New York

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Parkinson's is a progressive neurological disorder that affects nearly 1 million people in the United States and over 10 million worldwide, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. Recent notables afflicted with Parkinson's include Neil Diamond and Ozzy Osbourne.

The disease is most closely associated with Michael J. Fox, who, like Benjamin, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's relatively early in life. He was 29.

Fox appeared at the Light of Day in 2003. He joined Grushecky, Benjamin and Springsteen on stage at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. The Light of Day performers over the years have ranged from the greats of music and show business to fresh-faced newcomers looking to make a name for themselves and help the cause.

The Max Weinberg Jukebox is making its LOD debut at the Birthday Bash. The lineup includes Weinberg of the E Street Band, and Glen Burtnik, Bob Burger and John Merjave, three-fourths of the Weeklings of Asbury Park.

“Max assembled a list of songs that people often want to hear live,” Burtnik said. “There's a rolling video that people see the whole show and they can select any of those 300 songs and either shout them or write then down on piece of paper and send them up to the stage and we do them. We’re always ready to play any one of those 300 songs.”

The Weeklings will also play a Light of Day record release show Friday, Jan. 19, at the Stone Pony for their latest album, “Raspberry Park. It's fab and gear Beatles-inspired music, with a few groovy surprises that's sure to rock your world.

Shows in Asbury Park go through Sunday, Jan. 21. The Light of Day also produces shows in Canada and Europe. The Light of Day Foundation, which allocates funds to research groups and operates programs like Boxing for Bob, has raised more than $6.5 million so far. Funds raised also aid the battle against the Parkinson's related ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy).

“The testimony is to Bob and Bruce and all the folks around Light of Day,” Lehr said. “There's a lot of love here.”

Visit lightofday.org for more information.

Go: Light of Day Bob's Birthday Bash with Max Weinberg's Jukebox, Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers, Willie Nile, Low Cut Connie, Dramarama, Remember Jones, Fantastic Cat, Joe D'Urso & Stone Caravan, Williams Honor, Ben Arnold, Joe P, James Maddock, Lisa Bouchelle, Adam Ezra, Miss Emily, Amanda Cross with Derek Cruz, and Jake Thistle, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, $59.50 to $425.50; thebasie.org.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Light of Day 2024 in Asbury Park, Red Bank fight Parkinson's