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Related links at Entertainment Ave!
None yet.
Other Links:
Official Site:
www.davekoz.com |
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Dave Koz
A Concert Review |
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It was a night when the best laid plans went to crap.
My time schedule was tight, and if all went well I would be just on
time to catch Dave Koz. Well, my meeting ran late, was pretty
stressful, and I cruised down Lake Shore Drive to Navy Pier.
Alright, I'm not too late, we'll head to the parking garage and
things will be swell. Yea, right. The parking garage was full, so I
had to head to a remote lot, and now it was time to get some walking
exercise. Now more late, in a really pissed off mood, I was ready to
relax to some Dave Koz (you Dave Koz fans are now saying something
like "Relax, at a Dave Koz show? What, are you crazy?). My
concert prep for this show went like this: Dave Koz, he plays on
WNUA, the smooth jazz station here in Chicago, alright, I'll cover
him. Then, I get a chance to rap with The Music Dude earlier in the
day and say, "Hey, dude, what does Dave Koz play?" He
looks at me like I'm an idiot, then says "Saxophone." That
was all I knew. Now I now more, a lot more.
Yea, I'm late, so I didn't get to take any photos, which is too
bad because as I pissed off some people climbing to my seat I began
to realize that this is no smooth jazz saxophone. Dave Koz was all
over the place, with an energy level that many rock bands lack, and
knew how to work a crowd armed with only a saxophone and a big
bundle of excitement.
He's playing, I'm listening, and the women are screaming. Yep,
chicks dig Dave Koz, and he's sportin' a really cool gig. Not
knowing anything he was playing up to this point, he mentions that
the daytime TV people might know this one, "Faces of the
Heart," from General Hospital. The daytime serial connoisseur
that I am, I finally knew a song, and just as things were starting
to calm down, it was time for some scales. Now, you might be saying
"What kind of excitement can scales bring at a show?"
Well, with each note Dave took a step across the stage, then with
each note he took steps down the stairs and into the crowd. The
women are screaming, Dave takes a seat next to a lady named Donna,
and I'm thinking I have to start taking sax lessons because this is
one great way to pick up chicks. Donna is just starstruck, Dave's
blasting away, and then he gets up and starts running up and down
the isles high-fivin' people along the edges, and makes his way back
to Donna. Then this other lady gets up and yells, "She might
not know what to do, but I do!" Dave looks stunned, but eager
nonetheless, and hauls his butt to Kate. A little interlude and Kate
explains that her husband was at home because they couldn't get a
babysitter. So, Dave starts playing to Kate, Kate gets down on her
knees, and from the sudden bursts of notes from his sax it almost
sounded like Dave was getting a little more pleasure than just
playing his saxophone.
Well, Dave Koz had a band with him too, and after getting himself
back on stage after working the crowd, it was some spotlight time
for Dave again, but also his way talented band. Trading licks back
and forth with some guitar boxing, as much as I was looking forward
to some smooth jazz saxophone, this was so much cooler. Upbeat,
exciting, and just full of energy, the show was starting to come to
a close, but not without a request. One dude comes up to the stage
and asks for "Lullaby for a Rainy Night," a Dave Koz and
the boys obliged, albeit with an abridged version (seems Dave hasn't
played this one in years - but you really couldn't tell), and then
Dave had a different treat.
It seems that this sax dude has an album out called "Off the
Beaten Path," with a song called "That's the Way I Feel
About You," where he couldn't really find anyone to handle the
vocals and have it sound right. So, he took over the vocals himself,
and although his vocal talents don't hit the talents of his sax
playing, he isn't that bad at all. The crowd was on their feet, Dave
seemed actually kind of mad that he had a curfew to stop playing by
a certain time, but all in all I was duly impressed.
I guess my initial stereotype of Dave Koz was just way off.
Expecting some dude just kind of hanging out on stage playing
saxophone, I was treated to a full blown show where you couldn't
just sit back an relax - Dave wouldn't let you. It's TWO THUMBS UP
for Dave Koz, and he's got a new fan.
That's it for this one, I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R! |
