David Ryan Harris and BOOYAHWHATCHA-CHING (see below) hit the stage last night at Temple Bar in Santa Monica, CA -
For You*
All I Need (Everything's Not Lost)
Turn Around
Sweetest Berry**
Pretty Girl (The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, You Send Me, Natural Woman, Let's Get it One)
Used to This
Hold My Fire
Yesterday Shutting Down**
can he get an encore, do you want more?
If I Had A Dime
all songs performed by BOOYAHWHATCHA-CHING (DRH, Michael Chaves, Sean Hurley, JJ Johnson, and the new addition of Chris Lovejoy on percussion) except:
*DRH solo electric
**BOOYAHWHATDENCHA-CHING (add a dash of Bob Reynolds to make it extra tasty)
So, it's a Temple Bar sandwich on Hotel Cafe bread this month - our boys posted it up 11 blocks from the beach and pretty much tore the place down. With JJ and Bob still hanging out in LA, it was another crowded stage of all-stars. Chris Lovejoy jumped in the mix tonight, adding all kinds of things from his neverending bag of tricks (he's like Gallagher over there...except good). I'm not gonna lie, I feel like my toes were a little stepped on when he broke out the triangle in YESTERDAY SHUTTING DOWN, but I'll make it. Let's hear it for a sweet Summer 2001 reference!
Bob killed it on SWEETEST BERRY - best I've ever heard the tune. DRH did his thing in HOLD MY FIRE and YESTERDAY before the crowd brought the dudes back for the first IF I HAD A DIME of the month. Of the season, even.
David Ryan Harris and BOOYAH (and more!) returned for Round 2 at Hotel Cafe last night:
All I Need (Al Green interlude, Everything's Not Lost)*
Hold My Fire*
Sweetest Berry**
Yesterday Shutting Down***
Sittin' On Top Of The World***
Pretty Girl (Shining Star, No One, The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, Sexual Healing)*
For You
*band comprised of BOOYAH (Michael Chaves and Sean Hurley) and JJ Johnson, creating BOOYAHWHAT
**band comprised of BOOYAHWHAT and Bob Reynolds, creating BOOYAHWHATDEN
***band comprised of BOOYAHWHATDEN and John Mayer, creating BOOYAHWHATDENAWWWCHYEAH(snap)
all other songs performed solo (yes, for those of you keeping score at home, that's only one of 'em)
What a day. After spending the day prepping for and playing a little private set with BOOYAHWHATDENAWWWCHYEAH(snap)'s other configuration, we rolled to Hollywood for the big Hotel Sauna (or Sauna Cafe or Sauna Sauna, point being it was WARM in that mofo) show. The kids came out like no shoes and were not disappointed.
We got HOLD MY FIRE early in the night, which set up one of the most rockin', deepest groovin' SWEETEST BERRYs I've ever heard. Bob added some sweet sweet saxiness. John jumped up for YESTERDAY SHUTTING DOWN and SITTIN' ON TOP OF THE WORLD (a Howlin' Wolf cover), all the guys trading solos in the latter and all the people soul-clapping in the former. DRH brought back the love to close the set (got to understand he loves the kids). A special night indeed for everyone in the room.
A few visuals to go with that essay, all via my man Gari Lamar Askew (with his Ron Gant-esque swagger)...see you next week...
Pretty Girl (The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, No One, Sexual Healing, Let's Get It On, I Want You To Want Me, Your Body is a Wonderland)
--
Don't Look Down*
*solo
all other songs with Michael Chaves and Sean Hurley (not this one), creating the collective group I will henceforth call "BOOYAH"
Ok y'alls. I've seen a lot of shows and talked a bunch of hyperbole, but tonight was something special. I can only assume it's a harbinger of the Mondays to come, but these guys together make magic. These songs, old favorites, had a completely new and different vibe thanks to BOOYAH. "Can We Get Down" ended with a singalong and a "that's the man workin' on your bed...springs." "All I Need" and "Used to This" were great all Chaves-ized. "Pretty Girl" was fun as always and included a little of the new Alicia Keys single. BOOYAH reverted to DRH for an encore of "Don't Look Down."
It was a special night, and there are 3 more coming up this month (if you were at home tonight, your November was only 25% ruined). Monday nights. Hotel Cafe.
Tell them that elevators arrive based on how rapidly you tap the Call Button. Same thing with crosswalk signals - the faster you tap, the sooner the signal changes.
While they'll be silently mocked for decades to come by people-already-annoyed-because-they're-being-forced-to-wait, think of the sense of self-worth and accomplishment they'll feel when the elevator doors open or that orange hand turns into a white robot in mid-stride.