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The famous Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village has had some breakthrough acts since it opened in 1959, and tonight was about to be another momentous performance that hit audience members unexpectedly.
Alison Blaire has earned herself a night on stage after playing a demo to owner Manny Roth, while she didn't get paid she was offered a free meal and whatever she can get from tips.
The poster for tonight's show was short and to the point: "prepare to be dazzled, one night only." No picture of the artist, only colorful art around the slogan.
Her first show in a well regarded venue for a change was something that could make or break her young music career. She's been busking and performing in the street and unknown venues for the last couple of years, but tonight she had to win the crowd and make a name for herself.
Dazzler takes the stage in an intricate white dresses beaded, sparkly, and weaved with mirror parts. While the look got a few raised eyebrow, it soon became apparent why she needed such an elaborate dress.
From the first strumming of her guitar, it was apparent this was not another young rocker trying to emulate Elvis, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. The sound produced by Dazzler were not groovy tunes meant for dancing, they were deeper, multi-layered and somewhat provocative. It may have been hard to dance to her sounds, some may have found it far too weird to really get into it, but her act soon became an otherworldly experience.
Her mirror beaded dress began sparkling and like a prism, it seemed to cast all colors of the rainbow, filling the venue with bright lights. But the lights were swirling and moving, almost as if the light themselves were dancing to her evocative music.
True to the poster advertising her show, by the end of Dazzler's act, everybody in the house were dazzled. When she was called for an encore, Dazzler knew at least tonight, she was successful, maybe things were turning for the better.