The Smithereens to Rock TOMMY at Poway OnStage This Month

Poway OnStage presents The Smithereens performing their acclaimed cover of The Who's hit Rock Opera: Tommy on January 23rd 2016 at 8pm at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets are available now at powayonstage.org or by calling the box office at 858-748-0505.

In 2009 The Smithereens decided to pay tribute to one of the albums that deeply inspired the band growing up. The album was The Who's Tommy, the 1969 Rock Opera sensation that tells the story of a 'deaf, dumb and blind boy,' his complex relationship with his family, and his miraculous recovery and sensational career as a Pinball Wizard. The piece inspired the 1975 film and a Rock Musical that debuted at La Jolla Playhouse in 1992.

With the original, ground-breaking album celebrating its 40th anniversary, The Smithereens saw an opportunity to bring new life to Tommy. The result is an impassioned tribute that remains true to The Who's original, while capturing the quirks and energy that make The Smithereens a tour de force in their own right. The group has distilled the essence of Tommy down to its bare essentials: its enthralling originality, transcendental themes and the unforgettable melodies that inspired thousands of rock bands world-wide.

Poway OnStage is elated to bring The Smithereens' tribute concert to the Poway Center for the Performing Arts so local audiences can experience the music of two exceptional bands in one night.

Dressed in leather, brandishing heavy guitars, and exhibiting an unabashed fetish for British Invasion pop, The Smithereens were an anomaly in the American college rock scene of the late '80s. The group gained some notoriety when a single from its first album, Blood and Roses, was included on the soundtrack for and as the theme song of the 1986 Albert Pyun movie Dangerously Close.

The Smithereens sound is unrepentantly informed by the music of the '50s and '60s - Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, the Beatles and the Who -- as well as artists like The Clash, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.

Band list:

Pat DiNizio - Vocals, rhythm guitar

Jim Babjak - Lead guitar, vocals

Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion - Bass guitar, vocals

Dennis Diken - Drums, percussion

Formed in 1990, the Poway Center for the Performing Arts Foundation has gone by many names: Arts Alive! The PCPA Foundation. The POW! Foundation. Now, with the arrival of our Silver Anniversary, we are proud to be recognized as Poway OnStage.

Poway OnStage is the non-profit organization responsible for booking professional artists into the city-owned Poway Center for the Performing Arts. Each year, Poway OnStage assembles a line-up of marquee talent from the worlds of drama, dance, music, comedy and more.

Poway OnStage Mission Statement: Entertaining, Educating and Enriching through Powerful Live Performances.

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