By Rania Uppal
Event Info: The Dave Menzo Band, October 13, 2022, Mash Ann Arbor
The Dave Menzo Band performance at Mash was a great relief from a very stressful, exam-filled week, and I was thankful to end the night there. I have to admit, I was debating staying at home and getting some extra rest before my friend convinced me to get out of my apartment and head to Mash.
Mash’s interior was unique, decorated with scratches on the wooden walls from all the previous guests. This was my first time visiting the bar, and I was confused because the first room was empty and silent. We walked into the side room and found the band setting up with a couple of people sitting in the far-back booths. My friends and I grabbed a booth and settled in, waiting for the band to start.
Dave Menzo started the performance with an unfamiliar song with a great beat and lively electric guitar. A couple of overhead color lights lit himself and the rest of his band while we watched. There were four band members: one lead singer and guitarist, one keyboardist, one drummer, and one backup guitar player. Menzo matched the lowkey energy of the setting while also livening up the place a bit.
The second song he played was Let’s Groove by Earth, Wind, and Fire, which was exciting because I did not expect to hear a song I knew. He enthusiastically performed it, adding a couple of his own twists to the classic song. The music was a little too loud to hold a conversation, so the audience was simply sitting and enjoying the music.
Since the room was filled with about 15-20 people, Menzo directly interacted with the audience and took song suggestions. At some point, Menzo discovered that a large group of people in the bar were from the UK, so he started playing some classic 80’s British music. This song selection was met with cheers from the audience, and the bar increasingly became more energetic as the night went on.
At the end of each song, the audience applauded and got some time to converse before the next song started. I appreciated the moments I could talk to my friends in between songs, unlike in a loud concert setting where I have to scream to say anything and lose my voice the next day.
People kept filtering in and out while also paying attention to the band, which felt like a nice balance between a performance and a casual bar setting. Various people in the band took the lead singer position at different times of the night, and I especially enjoyed a rendition of a Bruno Mars song by the keyboardist. By the time we left, I felt like the whole room was simply a group of friends that decided to meet up and enjoy good music together, Menzo included. I will definitely be back to Mash in the future to enjoy other local performers alongside a good crowd.
