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Review: Boogie Nights At Warwick Workman’s [Written by Dale Butler] Promoter Mickey Robinson and his committee exceeded the expectations of a mature and seasoned packed house on Saturday, October 18th at the Warwick Workman’s Club with a night of costumes and wigs highlighting “Boogie Nights.” I recall the song but had no idea that “Boogie Nights” also referred to a 1997 film by Paul Thomas Anderson, which was sung by Heatwave. The patrons were definitely more knowledgeable and made no mistake, demonstrating its meaning with a variety of dance songs, line dancing, Soul Train, and non-stop dancing after Mickey set the tone as the opening act. His questions about past nightclubs and shops of the era brought back memories and brouhaha. When I saw his time schedule for each act, I knew time had flown by because they loved it so much and had been forced to add 10 more minutes. Smart move. The audience wanted more of his questions and applied the same demand to each succeeding act that rose to the occasion. With 47 shows already under his belt, Mickey will go down in history as Mr. Dynamite because he had a magic formula that DJ Ninja Cutty used with enthusiasm to get the patrons on their feet in the front and in the few remaining areas with open space. Here is a look at some of the entertainers: Cal Simons: alto sax and flute warmed up the house with a variety of songs from his extensive repertoire which he has been sharing at numerous events this year. Great job Samantha Smith: Singer, loved by the audience Gravity written by John Mayer People Make the World Go Round written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed released in 1971 Bag Lady – Erykah Badu [Irresistible written by Erykay and Isaac Hayes] On and On, also by Erykah. And many others until she was joined on stage by Allister Darrell who made an impressionable start at this level singing Back at One by Brian McNight, among others. The audience loved their presentations backed by a new band Set and Soul led by Ashton Thomas Jr. [bass]; Wency Woolridge [guitar]; Denton Leader [drums] and Destini Campbell [piano], who also played Smooth Operator Careless Whisper Far Away: Kindred the Family Soul, among others. They were also well received. The very popular Olivia Hamilton was definitely in the mood with her rendition of Sade’s popular Sweetest Taboo and Sweet Thing by Rufus and Chaka Khan, to name but a few. Rickeesha Binns brought her birthday energy. Dressed in yellow, blue, and pink, with an aqua wig, the audience loved her enthusiasm, so she had to sing that Stevie wonder hit Overjoyed along with: Sailing: Christopher Cross Foolish Hearts: Steve Perry and Randy Goodrum I Keep Forgetting Every Time You Are Near: Michael Mc Donald and Ed Sanford The night was definitely not over. You might have thought so, after the wonderful meal from Four Star Catering, but everyone wanted to Boogie and DJ Ninja Cutty brought on a group of line dancers who excited many in the crowd to get up and do Soul Train at the back of the hall. This was serious business! Such dancing events usually last 10 minutes, but after 47 shows from Mickey, this crowd was energized and showed no signs of arthritis as they performed as though they were in a contest or back at Flavours, 35 minutes for one set alone! The smiles on their faces indicated that they were so happy and this stimulated the DJ to spin hit after hit. When the calls came for “more, more,” he found so many songs in his box that it felt as though we had been transported to Flavors, The Club, Disco 40, or Four Aces. The icing was on the cake. A large thank you card, signed at the start of the night by the patrons, was presented by yours truly to Mickey, who, while hoping to stop at 50 shows, hinted that there might be one or two extras next year. After all, he is a top business man busy running the popular Medical House, which has to remain a priority. As always, within 48 hours he sent out a detailed summary of the night using his email list of patrons. Without blinking an eye, we have already been informed that the next one is scheduled for the Police Club at 6.00pm on November 22nd and will feature Lollita Adderly, Gita Blakeney, and the Tino Martinez Quartet. The dress code will be dress up or dress down, all white or black and white. I strongly recommend that you get your tickets fast given the impressive line-up above and catering by Roy’s. Let me commend Mickey for the table decorations and seat covers and the seamless might. Also deserving praise is the Warwick Workman’s Club which graciously accepted the event, fulfilling Mickey’s goal of bringing more business to our historic clubs. - Dale Butler is the Professor of Bermuda Music who writes music, books, and culinary reviews. His current research topics are the Calypso Queen of Bermuda, Celeste Robinson and Ernie Leader. He is a former Minister of Culture who will be attending Chewstick on Sunday, Oct. 26th when he will release his conclusion where the Government should establish a museum for the Gombeys, the two national sports – cricket & football, boxing and other sports. Stay tuned for his article in Bernews.
