This Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is doing something about hunger.
Little Steven Van Zandt has joined the lineup of the big Hungerthon Benefit Concert Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. It’s celebrating the 50th anniversary of WhyHunger, which connects communities to food-related resources and promotes sustainable food systems.
WhyHunger, which oversees Hungerthon, was founded in 1975 by the late folk singer Harry Chapin and radio host Bill Ayres.
Steve Chapin, Harry’s brother, and the Original Harry Chapin Band featuring Tom Chapin, Harry’s brother, and Jen Chapin, Harry’s daughter, will perform, as will Marc Ribler, serving as music director with members of Little Steven’s Disciples of Soul and the E Street Band. E Streeter Garry Tallent; Sameer Gadhia and Eric Cannata from Young The Giant; Yola; Amy Helm; Jim Babjak and Dennis Diken of The Smithereens; the Dixie Dregs; Jimmy Vivino with Mark Barden; Danny Clinch and many more will take the stage, according to Hungerthon.
Steven Van Zandt and Maureen Van Zandt attend the “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band” New York premiere Oct. 15, 2024, at Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The night will include a special performance of the Harry Chapin classic “Cat’s in the Cradle” and footage between sets from the film “Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something” and new documentary “Harry Chapin — Cat’s In the Cradle: The Song that Changed Our Lives.”
The format of the evening is looking similar to the recent Little Steven TeachRock benefit at the Pony, where Ribler led a crack band of Disciples of Soul and touring E Street Band members in a historic night of music at the Jersey Shore with appearances by Bruce Springsteen, who was unannounced; Jesse Malin; Darlene Love; Gary U.S. Bonds; and more.
Tickets for the Hungerthon concert are $125. Visit www.stoneponyonline.com for more information. Visit whyhunger.org for more information on WhyHunger.
In related news, Social Distortion, Rival Sons, Jesse Malin, the Buzzcocks, the Raveonettes, the Sonics, Redd Kross, the Big Star Quintet, Marky Ramone, Black Lips, Mooney Suzuki, Low Cut Connie, Supersuckers, MC Michael Des Barres and more will play the second Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise, which sails April 3-7, 2026, from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico on the Norwegian Pearl.
Prices begin at $1,525. Visit www.undergroundgaragecruise.com for more info or to book a spot.
The first Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise sailed from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas in May of 2025 with Social Distortion, Lenny Kaye, Mark Lindsey, X, Rocket from the Crypt, Old 97’s, the Grip Weeds, the Dictators, Rev. Horton Heat and more rocking the boat. Van Zandt did not make the cruise — he was rocking with Springsteen and the E Street Band in Europe at the time.
Also, the aforementioned Smithereens have added a second New Jersey Homecoming Christmas show, Thursday, Dec. 18, at the Vogel at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank.
The band’s Friday, Dec. 19, show at the Vogel has sold out.
The shows will feature John Cowsill on lead vocals and Arne Wendt on keyboards. Members Babjak, Diken and Mike Mesaros are natives of Carteret and late lead singer Pat DiNizio was from Scotch Plains. The group has continued to rock on after the passing of DiNizio in 2017 with a rotating group of singers.
Ticket prices start at $42. Visit thebasie.org/venue/the-vogel for more info.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Little Steven added to big WhyHunger benefit concert at Stone Pony
