Dan Bern...and Me

If you've not heard of Dan Bern, then you really should. He's an amazing folk singer full of insight and humor. Sometimes his songs break your heart. Other times they'll have you keeled over from laughter. He can write a song about anything (last night he sang a song about fried chicken on a dare) and he can write them well. He's a fantastic performer. Needless to say, I'm a fan.

Through a series of correspondences, I managed to get in contact with Mr. Bern. He offered me a challenge: Learn a song written before 1960 and I could perform it on stage when he played in Minneapolis. So I did. And he honored his end of the bargain.

So last night, during his second encore, he unplugged himself and stood at the front of the stage and asked the crowd to come in close. He then played a couple more of his songs completely acoustic (including a newer one "Osama in Obamaland" that is so very good) and then he told the story of the challenge he gave me and then he introduced me.

My nerves were through the roof. I wasn't worried about the performing, but he had just put on quite a show and the crowd was loving him. Then here I am, some girl no one's heard of, coming up on stage to sing some song they possibly didn't know. But, the crowd was awesome. They cheered. They made me feel very welcome. And I sang the song I chose for the challenge: A slowed down - folked up version of "Johnny B. Goode" (written in 1958). I asked everyone to sing along if they knew the words, and they did. I know I didn't write the song, but having everyone sing along was one of the most beautiful things I've ever experienced.

When I finished, I began to walk off the stage, but Dan told me to stay there and asked me to join him on a song. He started to play "I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry". I couldn't hear him very well at first and my mind was racing with excitement, so it took me a minute to figure out what we were singing - and then I couldn't remember the words. But, once again, the crowd was amazing and cheered along the experiment.

I honestly don't know how to express the amount of enjoyment I felt last night. I also cannot thank Dan Bern enough for allowing me, some random girl, to get up on his stage and sing a song of my own choosing. He didn't even know what I was going to play. I could have been a complete disaster. I like to think I wasn't.

I've been a huge Dan Bern fan for years now and last night just solidified his spot in my top ten list of musicians I admire.

So, thank you, Dan Bern, for giving me a moment I will never forget.