Thursday night was Regina Spektor at the Gypsy Ballroom with a meet & greet beforehand at Dallas’ most respected music store, Good Records. The meet & greet was terribly fun, as is usual for any event that offers free pizza and beer. Regina was adorable and so friendly. It was obvious, while she alternated between signing autographs and taking photos with fans, that she was really enjoying it. Meeting her was definitely a pleasure.

Her show later that evening at the (once again) sold-out Ballroom was incredibly impressive. For the first half of her set, she played solo – mostly on the piano; occasionally on the guitar. From memory, the first half of her set was comprised primarily of songs from ‘Soviet Kitsch.’ “Poor Little Rich Boy,” “Your Honor,” and “Sailor’s Song” were exceptional. The strength and quirkiness of her music was even better live and the audience was enthralled. Later, the rest of her band joined for a more rock-esque set, which was fun. Highlights were “On the Radio,” “Fidelity,” and “Hotel Song.” I preferred the first half though, mostly because it was incredible to see someone command an audience’s attention with just a keyboard. Finally, in a moving moment, towards the end of the night, she dedicated “Samson” to a friend of hers from Dallas who had passed away.

Fashion-wise, there’s not much to speak of about this show. Regina wore an army green top w/black pants to Good Records and then changed into a black tank for the show. (She has amazing hair though.) The audience showed a little bit more flair w/lots of retro stripe sweaters, blazers, etc. On a side note, when I heard that the biker look (as in racing, not motorcycle) wasn’t big on the west coast, I was really surprised. It’s the rage in Dallas and here’s a little proof. This guy was rocking the racing cap at Good Records…

SRO: A sad sad day for fashion everywhere.