2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the legendary Stone Pony, the Asbury Park, New Jersey icon that has been the lifeblood of a region and of numerous music scenes since well before any of our regular readers were born (except probably my parents!…hi guys!). The venue closed out its 50to year anniversary celebration with the return of another local institution that helped revitalize both the venue and the Asbury Park area itself: the Bouncing Souls Home For The Holidays celebration. I will admit rather candidly that I love Asbury Park. I’m not “from there.” But I was raised in a house where music was ever-present and the music of Bruce Springsteen was probably the closest thing we realistically had to Gospel, so the myth and the lore of both the city as a whole and the Pony as a sing...