Big Shiny Tunes

On Friday, I went to The Phoenix for a sold-out show by Dwayne Gretzky. This cover band has become big enough to fill a 1200-person venue. Tonight, it was a special themed evening of all 90s music. I've been waiting for this awhile, and had miss the first time they did this. I love their regular sets but the "old" music (The Band, Bruce Springsteen) was sometimes incongruous with their age.

Starting with In The Meantime, they went through 2 sets, an extended encore, and a final number (Steal My Sunshine) to leave the excited crowd soaked with sweat. Now their songs might read like a "Greatest Hits" radio station (Two Princes, Livin' La Vida Loca) but it doesn't convey their energy and consummate playing. Tonight, there were also several costume changes as members went through various 90s fashion. The two most dramatic were the guys donning all white for a boys' band look (and sang I Want It That Way) and Robin Hatch's outfits which got progressively less. She started with a black skirt and a backless top and ended with low-rise jeans and an Everlast sports top.

Hatch was also the break-out star. The majority in the audience seemed to be women. Or at least they were the loudest for the refrains. So although songs like Paranoid Android and Jeremy got everyone revved up, Hatch's "90s women" numbers such as Spiderwebs, Bitch, What's Going On, Hand In My Pocket, and Hit Me Baby (One More Time) really got the biggest sing-a-longs. She has also become more confident taking centre stage on the mic.

The evening was a big hit, with a little bit of something from every genre (Return Of The Mack, Lithium, Buddy Holly, Virtual Insanity).  Dwayne Gretzky has a huge catalogue of songs, but I've seen enough shows to have heard all of them. So the great thing for me was that all the songs were "new" tonight.