Dawn Tyler Watson
With the Ben Racine Band
Petit Café Campus
April 11, 2019
Tonight was magical as Dawn Tyler Watson hit the stage backed up by Ben Racine and his band. She not only launched the new album but also did songs from every genre from Gospel to blues, ballads, R&B, Rock and everything in between. She just keeps on getting better and better every time I see her. The energy is incredible as she starts off in high gear and just keeps on building like the Energizer rabbit. She makes hard work look like fun.
I have been a fan of Dawn Tyler Watson from the first time I saw her perform at a music festival on the West Island sometime in the 1990’s. I have watched her perform on the main stage at the Montreal Jazz Festival in front of 100 000 fans. I have seen her in a small intimate bar on St. Denis accompanied only by a pianist and she constantly delivers. Tonight she owned the stage. Her vocals were superb and her stage presence, as always, commands attention. She did a 70 minute opening set and followed up, after an intermission, with a 60 minute set. She came back on stage after the break by herself and performed one Gospel number A capella before bringing the band back on and doing a duet with Ben on guitar and vocals.
As always the room was full of friends aka fans some of whom came from New York and Vermont. It reminded me of another era more than fifty years ago when another entertainer could sell out a 3000 seat concert hall using only word of mouth to promote the event. It was a party and you had to be there. His name was Leonard Cohen.
Dawn, this is your party. Enjoy the ride.
