May 31, 1998 Northampton, MA Show Review

As Fritz and I stood in line to get into the small Iron Horse venue, we had a great time talking with The FranK, Andrea, et al. I had promised Dave a tee shirt with the RDF Kollective design Fritz and I did, the night before. When the tour bus pulled up in front of the Iron Horse Dave recognized Fritz and I and spent some time talking to us as his management tried to hustle him inside. I gave him the shirt and he called me a sweetheart again, (that's 3 "sweethearts" and 1 "liar," not too bad !!) and went inside for the sound check.

The Iron Horse was quite small and a sit down venue. Joanne and I were just off to Dave's right and he spent most of the night flirting with me, Joanne and Andrea. The show was cut short (an hour and 15 minutes) by request of the Iron Horse. I can't gripe, Dave was in great form, joking with the audience and when someone called out for "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" (which he did the night before) he claimed to not know the song. I said, I thought quietly, that I could sing it, Dave heard me and jokingly gestured for me to come on stage and sing it. (NO WAY !!!)

After the show the crowd outside grew very restless waiting for Dave to come out and mobbed him when he did. People were shoving album covers, posters, copies of Kink and what have you right in his face. He handled it a lot more graciously than I would have !! I, being only 5'3" was shoved into the middle of the mob, and consequently, wound up right in Dave's path ! When he was right in front of me, someone knocked his arm causing him to drop what he was carrying. I helped him pick up the tee shirt I had given him earlier and the other stuff and he was finally able to get onto the bus.

Dave puts on such an energetic, electrifying performance and he amazes me with how much fun he appears to be having. I love his music and have grown to not only admire him as a musician, but also he seems to be a genuinely nice person as well. This whole experience was so great, I got to see Dave play twice and hang around with the most wonderful people !

Now if only Dave would come to somewhere near Michigan !! Perhaps when the long awaited anthology comes out in September (as Dave said the 30th) or August (as Dave said the 31st of May !) Joanne, Jimmy and all of us can see him in the Great Lakes or nearby area.

-Leslie M. Ohanian