I emailed the booking agent at the world-renowned Stone Pony and asked him about landing a gig there and perhaps filming the show for the pilot episode of Popp Over America. We didn’t nail down a date, but he assures me he can get me a slot in mid-July. I was stunned. This place is the haven of Rock and Roll royalty.

This storied club has hosted not only the likes of New Jersey’s favorite sons such as  Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi  and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, but also Stevie Ray Vaughn, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, Cheap Trick, Blondie, and The Stray Cats.

The club was shuttered for a few years in 1998, but reopened two years later. Christie Todd Whitman, a former federal cabinet member and governor of New Jersey, rededicated the Pony when it reopened in May 2000. “A visit to The Stone Pony has been considered a pilgrimage to rock ‘n’ roll fans around the world,” Whitman said as she officially reopened the club. “It is a place that is important — not just to us, but to the world.”

I was born in New Jersey, and even though I moved when I was very young, the state is my homeland. I feel a sense of belonging the minute I am anywhere within her borders. My words fall short when I say playing this venue will be a privilege, because after my show I will join the list of my heroes that have graced the stage at the famous Stone Pony.