When I saw the poster and got the invitation to check out singer Julie McKnight at Dragon-i last week, I made a mental note to reserve the date. What I didn’t realize is that I was already familiar with her biggest song – “Finally”. Dragon-i’s owner Gilbert always plays the song when he spins and it’s a true classic.
Saturday night I arrived just in time to catch Julie singing “Finally” live! Gilbert was spinning the instrumental and she was freestyle singing over the top. It was less formal than a concert, where everything is worked out in advance, and her performance had an air of unpredictability that made it more exciting. After singing her own songs, Julie began singing over records that Gilbert dug up – including a crowd pleasing rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s classic “I Will Survive”.
Performing from the d.j. booth, without a stage, Ms. McKnight still had a strong presence, and interacted well with the crowd. During her song she encouraged the audience to sing along, and taunted them when they weren’t loud enough. Those in attendance were treated to an excellent, intimate performance.
