Comfort food is something we all have.  They’re the foods we go back to when we need to feel good or when we feel like we need a hug of some sort.  That was the feeling of the Dave Koz show at the Birchmere.  It was comfort food for the soul.

This was Dave’s debut appearance at the Birchmere…a venue that regularly sees artists like Peter White, Mindi Abair, Rick Braun, Acoustic Alchemy, Brian Culbertson, and all the rest of the contemporary jazz favorites.  Why Dave had never played here before, we don’t know, but the crowd that night was going to make him want to come back!

Not only was this a venue debut, but a solo show to boot!  In the land of package tours, including a lot of his own, seeing just Dave and his band was such a thrill.  And oh, what a band he has – Brian Simpson on keys, Randy Jacobs on guitar, Stevo Theard on drums, and Bill “Rubberhand Man” Sharpe on bass.  This band is so cohesive and delivers not only unbelievable music, but you can feel the camaraderie among them.  It’s contagious.

Dave handed the crowd a great sampling of his music, offering newer hits like “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Badabing,” to far reaching vintage songs like “Silverlining” and “You Make Me Smile.”  The audience loved every minute of it and began to shout out requests, which took Dave a little by surprise until another audience member yelled, “This is how we roll at the Birchmere!”  (SmoothViews staffers are often vocal about their music!)

The music continued with “Honey Dipped,” “Let It Free,” and a very sexy, turn the lights down version of “Surrender,” with Dave on the tenor sax.  Not only was Dave’s sax playing tremendous, but watching Rubberhand Man was dizzying!  That man has some crazy hands.  And the dance moves on Randy Jacobs made me wonder if this was a family show or something more!  But it was all good…in fact, that was the song that keyboardist and music director, Brian Simpson came out to play.  His hit, “It’s All Good,” was loved by the crowd.  Dave then pulled up a stool and played a perfect rendition of “Over the Rainbow” and then into another oldie but goodie, “Together Again.”

A Dave Koz show would not be a Dave Koz show without the audience participation song, “Can’t Let Go (Sha La La song).”  It was a lot of fun and Dave totally had the crowd in his hands.  Finally, a very moving encore of “I’ll Be There,” dedicated to Wayman Tisdale, rounded out the show. 

It was a fun, happy, comfort food kind of evening, filled with terrific music, funny moments, and ending the way a Dave Koz show always ends…the DK-induced smile on the face of every person in the audience; the smile that lasts for 3-5 days.  What a comforting feeling.