Ivana Santilli @ Dean Martini's, Windsor, ON

This show was to be the third time that I'd see Ivana live (see July 9, 1999 and July 10, 1999), so I kinda knew what to expect -- a lively show with lots of great music -- and she certainly didn't disappoint.

Ivana was nominated for 2 Junos this year, and although she didn't win, it's not difficult to see why she was nominated. She played the majority of the songs from her debut album, Brown, including Too Deep and Sun + Moon = Tomorrow which she saved for the encore.

Contributing to this show was Ivana's backing band, who kept the audience going with their awesome solos and "choreography". Ivana herself also did what she could to keep us as involved in the show as she was, often prompting us to sing along since it was quite an intimate venue.

Throughout the performance, Ivana made her way from the mic, to her trumpet, then over to the keyboards, then back to the mic, all the while dancing and grooving to the fantastic music eminating from the stage.

All in all, this was a really cool show. We grabbed Ivana's attention as she was coming off the stage and thanked her for the performance, and she was very gracious. I won't be surprised if the next time Ivana comes by, she's playing in a bigger venue to a very appreciative audience.