Be Mine

On Friday, the Horseshoe Tavern was packed for Valentine's Day. There were lots of couples but also many groups of unattached singles. The ages ranged from early 20s to late 50s because cover band Dwayne Gretzky has broad appeal. They promised to play a "love set" entitled Covers Are For Lovers.

Country singer Whitney Rose was the opening act. She was excited to play her first full set here, though she could usually be found just down the block at the Cameron House. It was already a large crowd, though not yet at capacity, and receptive to her mix of country music and 50s pop. The men were also taken with her slender form and gorgeous features. Perhaps as a nod to the evening, her band did a number of covers tonight including Be My Baby, Stupid Cupid, and It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels. Her songs were also well received including First Rodeo, Old School Soul and the saucy The Devil Wore My Boots Last Night.

Before Dwayne Gretzky played, two DJs from radio station Indie88 made introductions. Ironic that they were tonight's sponsor and had set up a "selfie" booth because, well, they wouldn't be caught dead playing any of these songs. Not classics like Somebody To Love and You Can't Hurry Love and certainly not cheese such as Crying (Aerosmith), Bed of Roses, and The Power of Love. It was all love songs in the 1st set, and plenty of the same in the 2nd though there were also other standards like Under Pressure and Sledgehammer. Songs stayed on the romantic side but there were a few "bone songs": Make It With Chu (Queen of the Stone Age) and Superfreak and 1 break-up tune; Robin Hatch's blistering cover of You Oughta Know got the crowd, especially the ladies, amped up. Guest singers such as Sam Cash singing Alison or Whitney Rose on Islands In The Stream were greeted with loud cheers.

It was loud, packed, and fun. But finally, Dwayne Gretzky ended at last call and people headed home. There weren't too many drunks tonight, though oddly most of them were women who had to be supported out by their wing-woman.