ON A COLD and cloudy Sunday afternoon in January, a small group of musicians and fans made their way up the narrow staircase that leads to the third floor of 702 Cookman Avenue to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime event.

 
Sunday, January 29, was The Last Jam at one of the most important clubs in the musical history of Asbury Park - the Upstage.
When local musician Margaret Potter and her husband,Tom, opened a second story coffeehouse called The Upstage Club in 1968, they could not have known that they were helping to plant the seeds of a music movement that would influence the history of rock 'n' roll, but that is exactly what they did.

While The Stone Pony would grab all the glory, The Upstage was the true birthplace of what would become known as the Asbury sound, and the beginning of an incredible journey for a skinny little kid from Freehold named Bruce Springsteen.
Tom and Margaret envisioned The Upstage as a sort of musicians' club, a place where local talent could gather and share their music, thoughts and experiences.
 

The club soon became so popular that they had to expand to the third floor just to accommodate the musicians and all their fans. The Upstage not only became a safe haven for local musicians to ply their craft and hone their skills, but the third floor would become the home of  the jam, where musicians like Springsteen, Vini Maddog Lopez, Miami Steven Van Zandt, Southside Johnny Lyons, Danny Federici, Bill Chinnock, Sonny Kenn, Billy Ryan, Joe Petillo and Gerry Carboy, just to name a few, would be exposed to all types of music and influences.
 

From 1968 through early 1971, if you were a musician down the Jersey Shore, The Upstage was the place to be. Though short lived, The Upstage was a seminal club in the growth and development of rock 'n' roll music as we know it today.

The Last Jam at the Upstage was organized by Carrie Potter, (granddaughter of The Upstage owner Tom Potter), Joe Petillo  (Asbury native, local musician and former Distraction),Tom Jones (California filmmaker from Rumson ) and Mark Olsen (building manager), the impromptu, unrehearsed last jam featuring Upstage alums, Joe Petillo  and Sonny Kenn (lead vocals/electric guitars), Billy Ryan and Ray Satch Sorrentino (electric guitars), Cliff Bloodgood (acoustic guitar), John Luraschi (bass/vocals), Gerry Carboy (bass), Vini Maddog Lopez (lead vocals/drums) and Kevin Kavanaugh (keys/vocals) was something that all those present won't soon forget. With a picture of Margaret and Tom Potter taking center stage and the ghosts of musicians past swirling in the air, the old club was restored to its former glory with an eclectic mix of tunes representative of the true spirit of The Upstage.

Featuring vintage renditions of Robert Johnson/Cream's Crossroads (Luraschi nails lead vocal), Chuck Berry's  You Can't Catch Me (Sonny gets down), the Stones' The Spider And The Fly (Vini, Sonny and Gerry rock), the wicked Pickett's Mustang Sally (Joe P. steps up to the mic), Cream's Strange Brew (Vini shines on vocals/Sonny rules on guitar/John and Gerry rip it up on bass duet), the classic Stormy Weather (whole band swings) and an all-out band jam closer, the boys not only shook the paint off the walls and put big smiles on the faces of all those in attendance, they gave The Upstage a most richly deserved and heartfelt send-off. And as if all that wasn't enough, the boys moved across the street to Red Fusion (formerly Harry's Roadhouse) bridging the gap between the old and the new Asbury by performing two very well received sets featuring such favorites as Key To the Highway,   Hey Joe, Little Queenie, Great Balls Of Fire, Blue Moon Of Kentucky, Act Naturally, In The Midnight Hour, and a repeat performance of Strange Brew.  
 

Thanks to a handful of very caring, giving and talented musicians, Margaret and Tom Potter's Upstage was given a most proper farewell.

The best of The Upstage is alive and well in the hearts, minds and talents of all the musicians who graced her stage for one last jam. As Joe put it, What better way to send the old girl off?

Rest well Margaret and Tom -- your efforts have not been forgotten