Clearly, if you were in NYC last night, there was one place to be, and that place was the Mike Viola show. The 11th Street Bar is just a little tiny neighborhood bar. Wood floors, brick walls, nothing that really makes it stand out. In the back is a little room with an odd assortment of mismatched chairs and tables, along with a piano and mic set up. My husband went back there and sat down. Slowly other people started arriving, though I think that there were less than 20 people there in that room, and maybe a hand full of others on the other side of the invisible wall, more in the bar area, who were there for Mike. During the show, Mike kept referring to us as friends, and a show as small as that, everyone there certainly was friends! I love these small, intimate shows. Much like his Living Room shows, he would jump back and forth between Piano and Guitar, would start and stop covers, would just generally play around. Setlist (Mark, Scott, anyone else that was there, I'm superbad at knowing names for songs and in the case of covers, who played them originally, so please jump in and make corrections whenever necessary, I made up song titles when I didn't know the name of the song) with notes about the show interspursed: Warmed up with Jed Parrish (The Gravel Pit, etc) to some Simon and Garfunkel songs On the Piano: What to do with Michael Dear Boy - he forgot the words and an audience member had to help him out All My Love - cover, halfway into it, he commented that it is too "schmaltzy" On the Guitar: Lead Us Away I'm Not Over You - he stopped this one near the end because he was having trouble remembering the piano part and wanted to "spare us the bullshit" Something Electric - he realized mid-song that he forgot his harmonica! Back on piano: Love You - a cover, please jog my memory, what was the song and who sang it originally? Back on Guitar: America Tune Muscle Rain (request) At this point Jed Parrish joined him for the rest of the set. Carefree Highway - Gordon Lightfoot cover Nice to KNow You Hunker Down Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich cover Sounds of Silence Motel Mood Switched to Guitar, Jed took piano: Your Mother Should Know - did this singalong style Bedford Evermore - I think this was a cover Pandoras Box - not sure what this is, but it was ... odd. They finished the song with an imitation of backwards singing! The Things We Do For Love Come on Girl - I don't think anyone there had ever heard him do this live! Sparkle - we thought for a second that this would be karaoke style! Rocketman God Only Knows - he couldn't figure out the piano part and it didn't last all the way through Truck Stop Sweetheart - - song from blue thumb that I can't remember the name to. :( Well, that is a lot of stuff, and certainly enough to write Audities about, but it doesn't end there. The whole lot of us, or most of us at least, trucked down to The Living Room for Freedy Johnson's show there. It was pretty crowded, but a table eventually opened up in the back so I got to sit down. Though I have Freedy's CDs, I didn't really keep track of his set list until he asked Mike to come up on stage! As Scott put it, it was really interesting and fun seeing Mike be the side man. :) Mike stuck to the piano for the set, and they played 9 songs together!!! All covers. Here you go: Don't Worry Baby Rocket Man - again! Show Me the Way Come and Get It Day After Day Coming to America Go Your Own Way Suspecious Minds Bus Stop Afterwards, I spent waay too much time talking with friends there, and I drank waaay too much beer (one beer is too much for me when I work the next day!) but, oh, was it worth it. Watching Mike (the musical genius as Freedy called him) figure out the piano parts to cover songs, reminding him the words to his own songs... Sure, his shows could benefit from some additional structure, but then again, this is just so much fun, I'm not sure I'd want it to! I got to hear some absolutely great music covered by one of the best songwriters and singers in the world (imhumbleo of course), I got to hear his own music that he wrote, including Truck Stop Sweetheart which I like to imagine is "our" song since he sang it for Rey and I when we first saw him Arizona (he said it was the most deserty song he had!)... And between Mike and the rest of my friends there, I just had a great time talking with all these wonderful people, all brought together by Mike's music. Awwwwwww. :) Stacy -- Indie bands and labels: I'd like to feature your songs! stacypod@gmail.com for information on my new podcast!