I’m going to save you some money with this week’s pick for show of the week – let me just put that out there front and center for you to ponder for a moment.  Part of the proceeds from this week’s show also go to benefit a very good cause – more on all of this in a minute.

My good pal CB, who normally writes up these show posts has been tragically AWOL for the past couple of weeks.  I’d say that he is missing, but I actually saw him this past Sunday during my first-ever visit to the Beachland Brunch.  After uttering a few choice and very unprintable obscenities at him, I made my way inside the Beachland to enjoy some severe brunch action that was every bit as delicious as you might have heard that it is.

For this week’s show of the week, I’ll return to the scene of the crime  on Saturday night (11/7) for a 90s rewind featuring two of my favorite singer-songwriters – Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio and Freedy Johnston!

The pair will combine for a magnificent one-off pairing that you’ll only see in Cleveland at the Beachland Ballroom.  It’s been a while since we’ve seen either of these fine gents in Cleveland, and for myself personally, the show will offer two firsts:

This will be my first time seeing Freedy Johnston despite many years of being a fan, something that we’ve discussed here, and also at length with my wonderful friends Jose and Kelly at Sensory Overload.

Believe it or not, this will also be my first time seeing Pat DiNizio performing his one man show!  I’ve seen plenty of ‘Reens shows over the years, and even an awesome Pat DiNizio Trio performance at the Agora in 1998, but not a single DiNizio solo performance.  DiNizio promises an evening’s worth of solo renditions from his vast songbook, delivered “especially for you” both acoustically and electrically, with plenty of stories and humorous anecdotes to go along with what is sure to be a memorable night of music among friends.  There will certainly be plenty of opportunity for you to request a Smithereens favorite or three from DiNizio – similar to his shows with the Smithereens, a DiNizio solo performance tends to be fairly off the cuff.

Meanwhile, Freedy Johnston will release Rain on the City, a brand new album, in January of 2010.  Expect a preview of several tracks from that album, and also plenty of your favorites including of course, “Bad Reputation.”

I promised you that I would save you some money with this week’s post, and unlike CB, I’m not going to leave you hanging.  The fine folks at DAP Productions have authorized a special discount for ATV readers – Click here to buy your tickets online – enter “Smithereen” as the access code, and you’ll be able to buy one ticket and receive a second ticket at half-price!

The best news:  a portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the National Autism Association!

Save yourself 10 bones off of the total ticket price for both tickets, and use that leftover pocket money to grab a couple of extra beverages courtesy of DAP Productions and Addicted to Vinyl!

Come hang out with us at the Beachland on Saturday night, and we swear that you’ll have fun!

image courtesy of Pat DiNizio