THANKS FOR BEING OUR BETHANY

Bethany DeLine and her amazing 5-piece backing band seemed to have the packed crowd at Friday's Driftless Music Showcase at Acadia Cafe in the palm of their collective hands. As Eli Hamann (whose photos from the show appear in this post) wrote on his Qwerkshop Photo Blog: "There was great energy being generated on and off the stage during the show, which created a very palpable connection between the audience and the band."

I would agree. Not only does Bethany write fun and interesting music, she is a performer--no, an entertainer. She sings! She smiles! She tap dances for Pete's sake! The crowded room understood that ans was totally silent and focused on the stage for the majority of her set. Now, the Acadia is one of my favorite venues in town, but it is not known as a listening room. Seldom do acts captivate there like she did with her band on Friday and I can image that is quite a satisfying feeling. But what makes me want to thank Bethany for being her quirky, Canadian self is that, (unlike the crowd at DEMO's Dan Wilson show at Acadia, where everyone was also quiet) nearly everyone got up at the end to give the entertainer a rousing standing ovation.

So here for you, I have the video below that I filmed of the Bethany DeLine band performing Thanks for Being My Benjamin from Friday's show. You're Welcome.