Brian Kirk, playing Stone Pony Friday, to be honored at Fulfill foodbank benefit at Basie

You can't help but have a good time when you see a Brian Kirk and the Jirks show.

That's no accident.

“I think joy over everything else is very important,” Kirk said. “Over anything, even musical integrity. Joy is even more important than that. You can miss a note here and there if your selling the joy of it, that's great. It's not so much selling but experiencing it.”

On Thursday, May 11, Kirk, Jeff Kazee of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, and Tom Cunningham, the host of “Springsteen on Sunday” on 107.1-FM The Boss, will be honored by Fulfill, aka the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean counties, for their commitment to alleviating hunger at the Jersey Shore. The first Shore To Rock Hunger benefit concert will take place at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank following a reception for the three honorees.

Performers at the show include Early Elton (featuring Kazee, Rich Pagano and John Conte); Kirk; Jill Hennessy; Jesse Malin; Southside Johnny; and Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie. The house band will include G.E. Smith, Shawn Pelton and Conte, with Billy Norris, Chris Anderson and Neal Pawle on horns.

Kirk and the Jirks have played at Fulfill’s Culinary Classic for years, and he chose Fulfill as the beneficiary for his 70th birthday tribute to Bruce Springsteen at the Basie Center. The show raised more than $23,000.

“To be totally honest, I think more people are deserving of it, but I'm very grateful to be recognized,” Kirk said. “It feels weird to be recognized for something I just should be doing.”

While he's not a national name, seeing a Kirk show at the Jersey Shore has been a rite of passage for more than 30 years.

Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi are fans. The Middletown native has raised a family from his playing, but his career almost didn't launch.

“I stopped playing in my 20s...,” said Kirk, who plays classic rock and contemporary hits. “I didn't see it as a business and I wanted to raise a family, but then I just started playing solo with the rugby club from Monmouth County and they would follow me everywhere and it just ballooned from there. Sundays at Donovan's Reef and Tuesday nights at Bar Anticipation."

Kirk has since moved on from those venues. He headlines the Stone Pony in Asbury Park on Friday, May 12, for his annual beginning of summer season show there.

But first, it's a night of music with a mission. Fulfill’s drive is to alleviate hunger and build food security in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

“We are excited and incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to showcase these three pillars of the music community and to thank them for their support of our mission to help provide food, services and hope to the people of Monmouth and Ocean counties,” said Triada Stampas, president and CEO of Fulfill, in a statement. “We hope the community will turn out in large numbers to take part in what we know will be an incredible night filled with music and entertainment.”

Go: Shore To Rock Hunger Fulfill benefit concert, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11, Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank. $49 to $99; thebasie.org.

Go: Brian Kirk and the Jirks, 8 p.m. Friday, May 12, Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park, $30 in advance, $32 at the door; stoneponyonline.com.

More: Here's why Bamboozle 2023 canceled, and what you need to know about getting a refund

DJ Cassidy Pass the Mic 2023 in Newark

You've seen it online and on BET, now see it in person.

DJ Cassidy's “Pass the Mic” is going live with Friday, May 12, at the Prudential Center in Newark, with performances by Ashanti, Fabolous, Ja Rule, Lil Kim, Ma$e, Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke, 112 and more. The show was born during the dire days of the pandemic, and featured more than 200 of hip-hop and R&B's biggest stars.

Now it's time to go live.

“I am overwhelmed with excitement and emotion as I announce the first in a series of one-night-only “Pass The Mic Live!' events,” said DJ Cassidy in a statement. “Transforming a show that began in my living room into a live arena concert is simply surreal. I am so honored to be uniting yet another iconic list of my musical heroes, this time live on stage, and I am so grateful for the Black Promoters Collective, whose grand vision, foresight and experience is my guiding light.”

Demi Lovato, B-52s, Incubus and more: Who's playing the Stone Pony Summer Stage?

The Black Promoters Collective is a Black-owned entertainment business.

A second show, July 21 at Radio City Music Hall, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with performances by Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, Rakim, Slick Rick, Black Sheep, the Sugarhill Gang and more.

Go: DJ Cassidy's Pass the Mic Live, 8 p.m. Friday, May 12, Prudential Center, 25 Lafayette St., Newark, starting at $69.50; prucenter.com.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Brian Kirk honored at Fulfill benefit, playing Shore to Rock Hunger