The Music of my Youth
Last evening, I attended a concert at The Dakota in downtown Minneapolis. Who was the featured performer? None other than the glorious Gloria Gaynor! Gloria may be 73 years old now, but you couldn’t tell it from her voice! As a college student and twenty-something, I disco-danced the night away to tunes such as “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “I Will Survive”, Gloria’s primary hits. Last evening I was transported back to those times! I’ve spent a lifetime loving to dance. It was disco in the 70’s and then a big turn to country music in the 1980’s. I’m still dancing!
Gloria opened with “I Am What I Am” then segued right into “Never Can Say Goodbye” and the crowd was pumped. She offered tunes from her new gospel album, but even those numbers had a similar orchestration to her more familiar hits.
For me, the highlight was a cover of a medley of Donna Summer hits. The medley began and ended with my favorite “Last Dance” and included “McArthur Park” and “Enough is Enough”! Many folks in the audience were on their feet dancing, singing along. A conga line, led by the enthusiastic trio of women sitting next to us, wound through the tables. Being part of that boisterous crowd was delightful!
Gloria closed with her greatest hit, “I Will Survive”, the song I’m sure most of us came to hear! Throughout her hour-long set, she was ably backed by her band and two very talented backup singers who she featured all evening! Gloria made us work hard for our money; the cheering was sustained until she came back out for an encore! What a fun evening! Thanks to thespian15 for the opportunity to revisit the music of my youth.
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