Rest of the Best

Friday night, I headed out for 2 shows. The early show was at the Dakota Tavern for 2 singer-songwriters: Ivy Mairi and Jenny Berkel. The former admitted that she doesn't play live shows much, and initially turned Berkel down, but changed her mind. Unlike her "pop" show at The Burdock a few months ago, Mairie stayed strictly to her folk roots tonight with songs like Thrush, Sad Man, and First Day of Winter. The show started late so I couldn't stay for Berkel.

The line-up for "Best of Dwayne Gretzky" was already more than a hundred at 8:30 pm. I got there just as it really grew. When doors opened at 9:00, it was around the block and down the street. Both sets tonight were "greatest hits" material, though the second set had more sing-along. The first set had recognizable hits (Crazy On You, You Can Call Me Al) but more "obscure" ones as well (Up On Cripple Creek) so the younger people didn't join in as often. The second set was full of popular angst (You Oughta Know), epic (Bohemian Rhapsody), dance (Sledgehammer), and plenty of cheese (Dream On, More Than Words). For the encore, Dwayne Gretzky returned to their opening night with a 3 song tribute to David Bowie (Space Oddity, Starman, Young Americans).