As the precious days remaining for the Gold Dollar dwindle down to a few, I have started making all sorts of excuses to go down there as much as possible, even on a Wednesday. Spending Thursday morning walking around like a zombie at work is a small price to pay for seeing yet another killer show on these hallowed grounds on Cass Avenue.
I came in a little late and caught the second half of the "Sights" show. They played a revved-up power-punk style and I made a mental note to check them out and actually show up ON TIME for once. I have to admit that I was late because I was watching yet another brilliant episode of "GET SMART" and could not leave before seeing Max save the world from KAOS again. Sorry about that !
Next up where the awesome women of Broadzilla. I was a little afraid that the massive attack of great rock & roll would overwhelm the tiny space in the Gold Dollar, but this was not the case. This band just plain rocks and no review could possibly compete with their live shows. They have a new CD coming out real soon and hopefully will be playing around town in the near future. (Unfortunately, not at the Gold Dollar, though).
The final entertainment of the evening was provided by our esteemed guests from California – Betty Blowtorch. Luckily, I had the opportunity to pick up their debut CD (Are You Man Enough?) a couple of weeks ago and was eagerly awaiting their show. These girls immediately made an awesome impression on me by starting their set with the some of the greatest words ever spoken in the English language: "Hey, Ho – Let's Go !!!" We all appreciated this heartfelt tribute to the Ramones, which was followed by an fantastic set the Joey, Dee Dee, Marky and Tommy would have been very proud of. As the crowd shoved closer and closer, the band ripped through a complete set of songs from their first CD. Some of the highlights included: "Hell on Wheels", "Love/Hate" and a whole bunch of other great songs.
As if this great music wasn't enough the set concluded with the first indoor fireworks display at the Gold Dollar. Luckily, there were no flammable materials in the ceiling above the stage, and as soon as I got most of the smoke out of my lungs, it was time to scream for an encore. Luckily, the lovely Betty Blowtorches approved of our Detroit crowd and came out for about a four-song encore. As the music died down and I headed off to my car (after, of course, swiping a Betty Blowtorch poster off the wall) all those great feelings were tempered by the fact that the Gold Dollar only has 17 days to live.