Golden Slumber

With Omicron restrictions and also being in Ottawa, I didn't have any New Year Eve plans. To be fair, with the rare exception, this has always been true. But I decided that I should at least get something instead of looking inside my fridge. So I ordered a large Habanera ($23.95) with extra green olives ($2.50) from Golden Crust Pizza for lunch. This business was on my To-Try list when I saw it next to Mia's Indian and Idriss. But the owner had just moved from St. Laurent to Montreal Road into the old location of Kukulkan (and short-lived Quick Break).

Their pie was better than both Milano's and Gabriel Pizza. I've almost despaired of finding good pizza here. This won't win any prizes outside of Ottawa but the crust had a nice blistered edge. Interestingly, the shop's name wasn't just some random moniker because the crust was actually an egg-coloured yellow. The rest of the ingredients was typical but you do get plenty of gooey cheese, chicken, hot peppers, and mushrooms. It was a filling lunch and I took a short nap afterwards (for staying up past my usual bedtime later that night).

In the evening, I watched a livestream from cover band supergroup Dwayne Gretzky. They were supposed to have their 10th annual NYE show at new venue History (owned by Drake) in Toronto's East End. But with rising infection, concert venues have shuttered again. So they decided to do a live broadcast on Youtube from their rehearsal studio in The Junction area for a second time.

Unlike last year, I didn't stay up until past 3 a.m. as the band played for all 5 time zones in Canada. I caught their show for 2 sets (2.5 time zones) with around 4500 other watchers. The viewership was smaller and less international than their previous go-round. But some who randomly stumbled upon their stream last year, such as Sergio from Brazil, re-appeared. I guess Dwayne has made some non-Canadian fans.

Similar to their Ottawa show, they book-ended their first set with Fleetwood Mac (Don't Stop, The Chain). Dwayne has settled into a dad-rock vibe (Solsbury Hill, Mr. Blue Sky, Once In A Lifetime) but their fans have also aged. At the start of the second set, they were "simulcast" on the official City of Toronto livestream for 2 songs. It was also 80s heavy and more danceable (Like A Prayer, Dance With Somebody, Dancing Queen). Dwayne played a perfect song (Final Countdown) as the clock came up on 12 am for EST time zone.

There was some last-minute hiccups for tonight. A handful of band-members/production crew couldn't make it including Gord Hyland (sax) and Lydia Persaud (vocals). Dwayne was vague  about their absences during the show but from social media posts I knew that, unfortunately, several people had just tested positive for Covid. They were missed by the audience especially with Persaud.

Carleigh Aikins was an excellent substitute for harmony and lead vocals on songs that played to her strength (Joplin's Piece of My Heart). But I have noticed recently that Lydia Persaud has taken a star-turn with this group. Her versatility and emotive delivery make her a magnetic presence. So whenever the production spliced in her performances (Patsy Cline's Crazy, Queen's Somebody To Love) from previous shows, the chat went crazy for her singing. But we were lucky with the return of Michael Brushey, the other drummer/percussionist for Dwayne. He has spent the last two pandemic years back in his native Newfoundland. Brushey was more "technically proficient" so we got some drum-crazy numbers that have been missing from Dwayne's sets lately including Tom Sawyer.

It was a great night but I sensed a slight dip in the energy level compared to past shows. Probably the letdown of not playing at History as well as the last-minute positive tests weighed on their minds. Hopefully in 2022 things will look up for Dwayne Gretzky and everyone else, too. I already have tickets for their October show at the iconic Massey Hall.