HE WAS ROCKIN' IN CRANFORD

Better late than never -- and he was much better than last September.

Chuck Berry, who hit the stage past his scheduled start time, fared much better Saturday (Sept. 15) in Cranford than he did a year ago in Bridgewater, running through a bunch of his hits during this year's Union County MusicFest at Nomahegan Park.

The still-lean Berry, 80, benefited greatly from the support of his regular backing band, which included daughter Ingrid on backing vocals and son Charles on guitar.

While performing "Sweet Little Sixteen," in which Berry names a number of U.S. locations, Berry included Cranford, much to the crowd's delight. But he wasn't the only performer to give a shout-out to the Garden State on Saturday afternoon.



During his band's set on the main stage, Smithereens singer (and Scotch Plains resident) Pat DiNizio (left) mentioned a handful of locales that are important to him and the group, including New Brunswick's Court Tavern and Scotch Plains' Scotchwood Diner.

Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger (below right), who grew up in Montclair, admitted that finding a rhyme for Cranford wasn't easy. Schlesinger and company tipped their proverbial caps to another Jersey town with a rendition of "Hackensack."