Not feeling so well, Southside Johnny leaves Stone Pony stage and goes to hospital

An ailing Southside Johnny Lyon left the stage of the Stone Pony in Asbury Park during a 50th anniversary show for the club and was taken to the hospital.

Lyon, 75, turned to his right and walked off, knocking a microphone to the ground after he and the Asbury Jukes performed “You Mean So Much to Me” about an hour into the show, the second of back-to-back concerts at the club.

“I'm not feeling so good,” said the Jersey music legend after the powerful song rendition. “I'm doing the best I can, but …”

Lyon is home and doing fine, said band spokesman James Sliman on Sunday, Feb. 18. The beloved Jersey Shore singer was suffering from dehydration and treated at the hospital. He was released a few hours later.

More: Southside Johnny is home and doing 'fine' after Stone Pony health scare Saturday night

At the close of the show, band members said Lyon was OK. "He's feeling under the weather,” said Jukes keyboardist Jeff Kazee from the stage. “He didn't want to leave.”

“We don't know what's wrong and we hope, like they say, he's just feeling under the weather,” said fan Karen Giameo, 44 of Middletown, moments after the show. “I'm sure the fans here hope he gets better and everything is OK and we'll see him back on the stage.”

Giameo, watching the sold-out show from near the entrance, could see emergency lights outside the Pony about 10 minutes after Lyon left the stage. His absence was not referred to by the musicians on stage until the end of the show.

Guest guitarist Bobby Bandiera, a former Jukes member, and keyboardist Kazee, a current Jukes members, handled most of the vocal duties after Lyon left.

Bandiera had come on stage unannounced while Lyon was still on stage.

“Johnny's going to be all right, don't worry,” said Bandiera during a break in “Talk to Me.” “He better be all right —he owes me money.”

More: Here's the untold story of the Stone Pony, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024

More: Stone Pony called 'whole 'nother world' at Springsteen Archives symposium in Asbury Park

The show was part of the Stone Pony's 50th anniversary celebration. The landmark venue opened on Feb. 8, 1974, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes were the Stone Pony's first house band. Their hits include “All I Want Is Everything,” “Hearts of Stone,” “Trapped Again,” “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” “It’s Been a Long Time” and “Having a Party.”

Lyon and the band, which included early members Richie “Labamba” Rosenberg and Mark Pender among a six-piece horn section, played a spirited two-hour show at the club on Friday, Feb. 16.

“When we first started playing here it was just another bar — it was so small,” said Lyon from the stage on Friday. “I want to thank the Stone Pony and Butch (Pielka), Jack (Roig) and Caroline (O'Toole, club owners and managers), and all the people who kept it going because it's a pretty good goddamn place to play ... So thank you Stone Pony for being here 50 years.”

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey celebs.

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: Southside Johnny leaves Stone Pony, goes to hospital