Where it began, I can’t begin to know. Wait a minute. I think it may have all started at a dueling piano bar in Times Square by the name of Sweet Caroline’s.

I had never been to a piano bar before. But, I do have a certain fondness for pianos and I do enjoy bars a good deal, so it seemed like a great idea from the get-go.

Sweet Caroline’s charges a stiff $10 cover for it’s Saturday night performances and requires a two-drink minimum (not that you have to worry too much about fulfilling that part of the bargain), but pianists Brad Alexander and Joe Valeri quickly show their value, manically dancing their fingers on their ivory stages and giving out free shots to the most active (or as I like to call them, socially uninhibited) participants.

I was content to sit back and watch the boys from Sweden and the bachelorette party dance on their chairs and slowly usurp the stage itself. It’s now apparent to me that one need not know the lyrics or be sober to truly enjoy the magic that is a dueling piano show.

Some other highlights:

• They played both songs we requested, including Build Me Up Buttercup and Old Time Rock and Roll
• Anna danced with a Swedish guy (she politely asked me for permission)
• Delicious mozzarella sticks
• Plenty of Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel

I had a really great time, in part because I really like watching great musicians (who had no need for sheet music). Both of these guys improvised their way through a few audience requests, including Material Girl by Madonna. There were a few gimmicky skits, but all in all it was the best Saturday night hootenanny I’ve been to in quite some time.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 7:21 pm and is filed under Music, NYC Places, Times Square. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.