Popcorn and Thrill

Instead of leaving town on Friday, I pushed back my departure to Saturday morning because Dwayne Gretzky announced their theme this week would be Movies Night. I suspected it would be a good show and it was. My month pass finally paid off, too. The pleasant weather brought out the party-goers and the line-up was still over 100 deep (and waiting) long after doors. So that's the VIP experience, being able to breeze past the hoi polloi.

Danielle Duval was a great opener for tonight, too. She was also part of the Dwayne experience, way back in 2012. Her music was still fast and high-energy, perfect for getting the crowd hyped. Her new songs have also evolved into more dance-rock than 80s new wave.

There were more women front and centre than last week. I think the lower chance of extended solo wankery was the difference. The themed set was hugely popular, with wild and enthusiastic crowd participation. It was better received than even their 90s-theme shows. Dwayne opened with the 20th century theme and came dressed as mostly 80s characters such as Marty McFly. There were instrumentals (007 theme, Gonna Fly Now, Miserlou), classics (Mrs Robinson, Don't You Forget About Me), and schmaltz (Everything I Do, My Heart Will Go On). I think it was also the first time they played anything from this century (Lose Yourself, Independent Women). But there were two missed opportunities in my opinion. First, 80s songs like Power of Love and Take My Breath Away were great, but where were the truly iconic themes like Footloose and Flashdance? Second, with Jill Harris in full leather as bad-girl Sandy, how could they not do Summer Nights or You're The One That I Want from Grease?

The second set continued the Greatest Hits feel of the evening as well as Dwayne Gretzky reprising a few songs from their Motown and 70s night. It wasn't officially Movie Night anymore, though they did sneak in Higher and Higher (Ghostbusters II), The Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing), and I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing (Armageddon). The final song of the night (The Weight), after a 3-number encore, gave everyone a turn at the mic, even the bassist in the back.

I won't be in town for their last residency show next Friday. But I don't think they'll be able to top tonight.