Pat Guadagno, joined by several other musicians, brings his annual tribute to Bob Dylan to the intimate Basie venue
By Mary Ann Bourbeau
RED BANK – For more than 25 years, Pat Guadagno has hosted BobFest, a show paying tribute to his songwriting hero, Bob Dylan. He reinvents the show each year to keep it fresh, from singing 60 Dylan songs over two nights for the icon’s 60th birthday, performing rare bootlegs or playing the entire “Blood on the Tracks” album when it turned 50.
This year’s celebration, “BobFest, the Music of Bob Dylan,” will be an intimate evening of songwriters seated in the round, Nashville style, on May 28 at the Vogel Theater on the Count Basie Center for the Arts campus.
“This is the first time we’ve done it in the round,” Guadagno said. “I’ve put together a bunch of fun, talented people.”
The lineup includes Rob Paparozzi, who tours with the Original Blues Brothers Band and Blood, Sweat & Tears. He has performed at BobFest for the past 10 years. Known as “The Honeydripper,” he served as harmonica coach for actor Timothée Chalamet in the Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown.” Dove Award winner Steve Delopoulos is the frontman for the contemporary Christian band Burlap to Cashmere. He was called “the first truly great writer of this century” by American Songwriter magazine. Grammy Award winner John Cruz has collaborated with artists such as Jackson Browne and Jack Johnson. His composition “Island Style” has become the official Hawaiian anthem. Songwriter Ann Hills, a first-timer at BobFest, is one of folk music’s premiere vocalists, having worked with artists such as Tom Paxton and Bob Gibson. Renee Maskin, a regular on the Asbury Park music scene, was named Songwriter of the Year by New Jersey Stage Magazine.
BobFest’s roots go back a quarter century to a night when Guadagno was performing at the Downtown Café in Red Bank. The bartender casually told him it was Bob Dylan’s birthday, so Guadagno played Dylan songs all night.
“He said I should do a birthday celebration every year,” Guadagno said. “It was really all accidental.”
The event grew large enough for Guadagno to move it to the Two River Theater and later the Count Basie Theater. Special guests over the years have included Keb’ Mo’, Glen Burtnik and other world-class musicians. Guadagno, who visits Nashville several times a year, has attended many songwriters in the round performances there and thought it would be an interesting way to honor the Nobel Prize-winning songwriter.
“We’ve been at the Vogel the past few years,” Guadagno said. “I love it there. It’s much more intimate, like a nightclub but without the TVs and all the other distractions. You get to really connect with the crowd.”
Last year’s show consisted of 30 rare and unreleased Dylan songs.
“We really tested the water with that one, but it went over so good,” Guadagno, a Sea Bright resident, said. “People were kind of awed by it.”
He said Dylan’s lyrics have resonated with him since his school days.
“I remember being in high school and this gal and I used to pass Dylan lines back and forth,” he said. “So many of his lines just capture you. It takes me back to the ’60s when he was an activist. We all felt the same way about the world and the war. That’s why we all latched onto him.”
Guadagno said audience members come back each year knowing they will have a new experience with Bob Dylan’s songs.
“We have a high rate of repeat offenders,” he said. “They want to see what we have up our sleeve. A lot of people are now bringing their kids and grandkids too.”
Most years, Guadagno prepares the set list months in advance. But a songwriters-in-the-round is a different type of show. Some artists will perform solo, other times in pairs or with the full ensemble, and it’s generally on the fly. It will also include a conversation about each song.
“That’s the beauty of being in the round – the show isn’t scripted,” he said. “It’s spontaneous. It’s whatever we feel at the moment.”
Guadagno is grateful for the following he has amassed for his Dylan shows, which he takes all over the country. He also performs musical celebrations to songwriters Warren Zevon, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, John Prine, Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams and Gram Parsons.
“The hardest part for me is letting it all go when the lights come on,” he said. “I often wish I could just buy a ticket and watch the show.”
“BobFest, the Music of Bob Dylan,” will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28, at The Vogel. Tickets are $40 to $84 and are available at 732-842-9000 or thebasie.org.
The article originally appeared in the May 14 – 20, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
