“Everybody’s dogs are amazing,” Rob Drabkin told the crowd at The Big Wonderful (a weekly festival with music, craft beer, and food trucks). The stage is set-up next to a dog park by the Bellview Light Rail Station in the Denver Tech Center. Not to feel left out, the singer told the audience about his Great Pyrenees puppy named Zuri. The night was filled with new originals written by the Drabkin during lockdown. He confessed that they played almost an entire album of new material during their two sets.

Before the pandemic, Drabkin’s song It’s A Beautiful Day was the number one song in Greece. During the pandemic that tune was the motivation for Ute Elementary to get through the dark times. Drabkin even appeared in the local school’s video featuring the students at home. It makes you feel better hearing, “Just reading the news/Trying to stay strong/I just need to get up/Take a deep breath/Keep it together/Because it’s a beautiful day.”

Drabkin told a story of his parents meeting at a jazz fusion concert. His father was blocking his future wife’s view with his massive curly locks. Sparks flew. That’s when the band played Almost Cut My Hair by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The singer told another related tale about portraying the big hair artist Bob Ross (the happy little trees instructional artist) in the music video for Let Out The Love. “Life’s Too Short/So Take Off The Gloves/Open Your Heart/And Let In The Love.”

Drabkin confessed there will be an upcoming collaboration with Big Head Todd and the Monsters. That’s when the band went into their version of BHT&M’s Bitterweet. It made me wonder what the future project will entail. The band played reworked versions of Paul Simon’s Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes, Peter Gabriel’s Red Rain and Solsbury Hill prompting the crowd to get on their feet.

Drabkin sang his new song Love Love Love to the dancing crowd. A woman brought her three legged dog center stage. They waltzed with each other while Drabkin sang, “It’s love love love going to light up this place.” As the song ended, the overjoyed singer confessed, “That was my favorite dance of all time.”

See you at the next show. I’ll be the one dancing with a three legged dog.