This Is It!
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| photo by paul dunkley |
Three large tables sat in front of the stage, chairs lined
the dance floor labeled with patron’s names, and the bar was roped off for
standing room only. This is what SOhO’s 20th Anniversary &
“Friendraiser” performance featuring Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald look
like upon arrival at 6 o’clock.
The artists involved in the “Friendraiser” Series donate their time and talent, with all proceeds going to fund venue upgrades so that SOhO can continue to bring live music to Santa Barbara. Patrons paid anywhere from $70 (standing room) to $300 (tables) tonight to enjoy an evening of music with Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. The standing room area, aka the bar, was packed with people holding their ground. “I’ve been here since 6!” stated one female patron, solidly holding her ground next to the restroom doors. I pitied the fool who would try to stand in front of her.
I elected to take an abandoned dinner table on the rise located in the back of the bar, one with a chair and a good view of the television that transmitted the show for those of us not so bold to brave the crowd.
The artists involved in the “Friendraiser” Series donate their time and talent, with all proceeds going to fund venue upgrades so that SOhO can continue to bring live music to Santa Barbara. Patrons paid anywhere from $70 (standing room) to $300 (tables) tonight to enjoy an evening of music with Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. The standing room area, aka the bar, was packed with people holding their ground. “I’ve been here since 6!” stated one female patron, solidly holding her ground next to the restroom doors. I pitied the fool who would try to stand in front of her.
I elected to take an abandoned dinner table on the rise located in the back of the bar, one with a chair and a good view of the television that transmitted the show for those of us not so bold to brave the crowd.
The anticipation was tangible as we waited for the duo to take the stage. Loggins and McDonald did not disappoint, starting off with McDonald’s hit “Minute by Minute” then moving smoothly into “Heart to Heart.” Michael McDonald has one of those remarkably soulful voices that makes you stop and remember, “oh yeah, this is really good.” Loggins is no slouch in this area either, following up with “This Is It” and a solo acoustic sing-a-long version of “Danny’s Song (Ain’t Got Money).”
And apparently Kenny Loggins wrote every hit song for every hit movie in the 80s, with the duo choosing to perform “Dangerzone” and of course… “Footloose.” Playing 14 songs of their own, with two short breaks, the duo ended the night by getting funky with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City,” sending the already rambunctious crowd into a fervor.
Make no mistake, this was it!