Hip To Be Square

It has been a crazy, hectic work day so although there were a couple of interesting bands scheduled for Pride, I wanted some guaranteed feel-good music. What could be better than classic hits played by Dwayne Gretzky. They took to the Yonge-Dundas Square stage Friday night around 8 pm and played two energetic sets until 10:30 for Indie Friday. Usually reserved for up-and-coming bands, Gretzky might be the first cover band to play here.

For both sets, the audience started out with a smattering of bearded hipsters with their lady friends. These were probably Gretzky's regulars from The Dakota. There were also some teenage girls, who were almost certainly there because of Tyler Kyte and Nick Rose's pop band Sweet Thing. Then it would swell to about 150-200 with curious passerbys and tourists enjoying Gretzky's energetic performance of well-known songs. This was especially true of the 2nd set, where they back-loaded all the really big hits like Eight Days A Week, Psycho Killer, Under Pressure, Barracuda, and Blinded By The Light.

Kyte thanked the crowd for being their "biggest ever" but that was exaggerated. They have played for bigger crowds including their 600+ sold-out show covering Fleetwood Mac's Rumours a few weeks back. But it was true that they did receive a bit of the "famous rock band" treatment tonight: the Times Square-ish vibe, roadies to set up and tear down the set, concert lighting, and people waiting after the show for meet-and-greets and photo ops.