Singer featured in 'Song Sung Blue' played his last concert in Madison
STATE JOURNAL
Updated
Moviegoers attend a screening of “Song Sung Blue” at the Marcus Hillside Cinema in Delafield on Thursday.. The film, which stars actors Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, tells the story of Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond tribute band Thunder & Lightning, a group that enjoyed regional success in the 1990s and early 2000s. A 2006 show at a Madison Mallards game was the duo’s final performance
Wisconsin movie theaters have been showing "Song Sung Blue" to packed audiences this Christmas season.
The movie features the story of Mike and Claire Sardina, whose Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning & Thunder, started in Milwaukee and played venues around Wisconsin including Summerfest and area taverns. The couple was even married at Wisconsin State Fair in 1994.
Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson portray the couple in the movie, and Jackman visited Milwaukee before its release.
The real-life couple dealt with its share of tragedy, including an incident in which Claire Sardina was struck by a car and had to have part of her leg amputated. Mike Sardina had a serious heart condition.
In 2006, Mike Sardina fell and struck his head, but he didn't want to see a doctor.
A few days later, Lightning & Thunder performed at a Madison Mallards game in what would turn out to be their last concert.
"We didn't quite know what we were getting our hands on when we brought them in," Mallards general manager Vern Stenman told the Wisconsin State Journal in 2006. "I didn't understand the depths of their cult fandom. It was a great show, the crowd loved them. It was one of the best received concerts we've had."
On the way back to Milwaukee after the concert, Sardina fell ill. An article in 2006 said he was taken to the hospital, where doctors discovered a brain bleed. Sardina died July 27, 2006, at the age of 55.
Moviegoers attend a screening of “Song Sung Blue” at the Marcus Hillside Cinema in Delafield on Thursday.. The film, which stars actors Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, tells the story of Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond tribute band Thunder & Lightning, a group that enjoyed regional success in the 1990s and early 2000s. A 2006 show at a Madison Mallards game was the duo’s final performance
