Have I really made you wait a year since I shared a playlist? No, I haven’t– it’s been only 364 days. Yes, it was a year ago tomorrow that I last shared one, so please accept my apologies for being remiss in sharing the tracks I’ve played at past events.
Yesterday, I performed at a wedding in Occidental, with both ceremony and reception at St. Philip’s Church. That was a special treat for me, as in my childhood, on special occasions, my family would sometimes drive to Occidental to eat dinner at either Negri’s or the Union Hotel, both of which survive to this day. In this era of the great, old establishments being replaced by fast food and digital replicas, it was nice to see them both in full swing. I even had time to duck into Negri’s, conveniently located directly next door to St. Philips, for a quick plate of ravioli after finishing my setup.
The wedding itself was a grand time. The guests were a great mix of all ages, which gave me a chance to play a wide variety of music. One funny note– when it came time to move into dancing after dinner I did not have a first dance to lead the guests onto the floor, as that was done before dinner. Instead, when the time came to transition into dancing, and older woman came up with a surprising request. She and her three friends, all of whom I’d place in their late 50s or 60s, wanted to kick things off to Slayer’s “Angel of Death.” Who am I to say no to my elders?
- The Love Cats – The Cure
- I Turn My Camera On – Spoon
- Lust For Life – Iggy Pop
- Goin’ Back to Cali – Notorious B.I.G.
- Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runner
- Love Me Do – The Beatles
- Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
- Genesis – Grimes
- I Love It [feat. Charli XCX] – Icona Pop
- We No Speak Americano [Original Mix] – Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP
- Bulletproof – La Roux
- Bad Liar – Selena Gomez
- Long Tall Sally – Little Richard
- Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley
- I Want You Back – The Jackson Five
- Respect – Aretha Franklin
I should point out that during the consultation process, the bride was of the opinion that it is not a truly successful night of dancing unless a conga line breaks out at some point, so I decided now was the point for such a thing to happen.
Success! One man declared himself the conga king, so I quickly appointed him the leader of the line.
- Tequila – The Champs
I saw some moves that would make Pee Wee Herman proud.
- Conga – Miami Sound Machine (for any conga stragglers, of which there were admittedly few)
- Livin’ On a Prayer – Bon Jovi
- Y.M.C.A. – The Village People
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You – Boys Town Gang
They want overtime! Let’s do this!
- Dancing Queen – ABBA
- Beat It – Michael Jackson
- Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
- December 1963 (Oh What a Night) – The 4 Seasons
- We Are Family – Sister Sledge
