Not even DiNizio, frontman for The Smithereens, could have seen this coming. In a city rife with sure-thing, big-name residencies, the Riv went for a storytelling rocker with a dedicated but hardly massive-mainstream following. And more than half a year later, Confessions of a Rock Star is still rocking. Kudos. Riviera, 794-9433. Wed-Mon, 11 p.m., $31-$42; rivierahotel.com.

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