The Smithereens – The Parkway Theater – Minneapolis, MN – March 4, 2026

Smithereens – March 4, 2026 at the Parkway Theater, Minneapolis, MN

Review and phtos by Jim Zons

I have been a huge fan of the Smithereens ever since I first heard the song “Blood and Roses” on the radio back in 1986, and have always regretted not seeing them perform live, especially after lead singer Pat DiNizio unexpectedly passed away in 2017.  When I saw that the surviving members of the band were going to be performing at the Parkway with guest vocalist John Cowsill (yeah, John Cowsill of the Cowsills), I couldn’t wait to go!

Some background:  guitarist Jim Babjak and drummer Dennis Diken met in high school in 1971 when Dennis noticed a Who sticker on Jim’s notebook and asked him if he played music. They formed a band along with fellow Carteret High School alum Mike Mesaros on bass, and eventually lead singer and fellow New Jersey native Pat DiNizio.  The name Smithereens comes from Yosemite Sam’s cartoon character who used to yell “I’m a gonna blow ya to smithereens!”  The band had a string of rock radio hits in the late 1980s and 90s, and I couldn’t wait to hear a lot of them live at the Parkway!

The current lineup consists of original founding members and high school classmates Jim Babjak on guitar and Dennis Diken on drums.  Original bassist Mike Mesaros has stepped away from performing to spend more time with his kids, so Severo Jornacion (The Thrilla from Manila) who has been playing with the band off and on since 2005 was on stage in Minneapolis. As mentioned, original lead singer Pat DiNizo passed away in 2017, so the surviving members of the band decided to continue touring with a rotating mix of guest lead singers, and so fronting the band Wednesday night in Minneapolis was John Cowsill, formerly with the Beach Boys touring band, and of course his family’s namesake band, the Cowsills.  My first thought when hearing that John Cowsill would be fronting the band for this performance was, how random is that???  But it turns out that the Smithereens and the Cowsills have some history and shared mutual appreciation for one another, including the fact that the Cowsills sang backing vocals on the Smithereens single “Now and Then” back in 1991.  Now it made sense!

During Wednesday’s show, the band took the stage with one of my favorite Smithereens songs, “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” and then kept the pace and energy going for the next 90 plus minutes featuring their signature, catchy lyrics and guitar riffs.  Guitarist Jim Babjak told a lot of stories in between songs (many of which I am sharing here) which made the evening even more entertaining, at least for me.  Nobody can replace Pat DiNizo, but John Cowsill did a great job as lead singer, bringing hits like “Top of the Pops,” “Only a Memory,” “Drown in My Own Tears,” and personal favorite “House We Used To Live In” (about an actual house they used to live in in New Jersey) to life.  They played tribute to some of their favorite bands from the 1960s, including covers of the Who’s “Can’t Explain,” and “Sparks,” as well as Badfinger’s “No Matter What” and the Beatles “Please Please Me.” But it was their original catalog of songs like “Blood and Roses” and “A Girl Like You” that consistently had the full house at the Parkway on their feet, dancing and singing along. My only disappointments?  They left “Blues Before and After” off the setlist (their catalog is so extensive something was bound to be left off the list!)  And the way bigger disappointment was some loud asshole who kept yelling “FREEBIRD!” and constantly interrupting guitarist Jim Babjak’s stories, so much so that it noticeably threw him off his game a couple of times. To that jerk:  if you can’t just enjoy the performance next time, LEAVE.  I wish someone had punched him; if he had been next to me, I would have at least told him to shut up!

Other than that, it was an evening I’ll long remember. I love it when you can tell a band genuinely enjoys each other’s company, and playing together, and that was quite evident with the guys on stage Wednesday night as the Smithereens.  I hope the current lineup of the Smithereens tours for a long time, and when they come back to the Twin Cities, you know I’ll be right there in the crowd!