For every March in the last 16 years, Nietzsche's has hosted an evening of acoustic guitar, endless denim and longhaired, bearded musicians - all in the name of one man.
The gathering, which was held again Wednesday night, was for the bar's annual Bob Dylan Imitator's Contest. The event featured 30 Dylan aficionados performing 30 Dylan covers.
The evening began with a group's rendition of "Positively 4th Street." The tone was set with three children of the '60s and a matching crowd to pay homage to their idol.
Walking around the bar, it became increasingly intriguing to count in the crowd a representation of different age groups. Many of the attendees looked like they had been listening to Dylan for decades.
Mark Carrig, a member of the group The Acoustic Casters, commented on the approach to Dylan's music that he and his friends take.
"We play for fun, we're all professionals during the day. Performing like this is our hobby," he said.
About an hour in, the event seemed to be taking a tone of celebration much more than of competition. Even though there were prizes involved including money and bottles of wine, there seemed to be no aggressive edge in the performers attitudes.
As can be expected from Dylan's supporters, there was a political bent in some performances.
Joanie Russ, who would also be well suited to imitate Janis Joplin or Gracie Slick, performed a heartfelt version of "Masters of War" after stating that she had just returned from a recent anti-Iraq war protest in New York City.
With Dylan's lyrics exclaiming, "You that never done nothin'/ But build to destroy/ You play with my world/ Like it's your little toy," Russ moved the supportive audience.
In an entirely different form of performance, one act featured the dressing of a cardboard President George W. Bush in pink lingerie to the tune of "Lay Lady Lay."
While it was creative and met with laughter from the crowd, this display was out of place in that the song was not performed live, rather played over the PA.
Two of the best performances were the covers of "Tryin' to Get to Heaven" and "I Shall Be Released." These songs captured the overall feeling of this year's Bob Dylan Imitator's contest.
"It's a fun event, there's no real competition here. People come to meet old friends and have a good time," Carrig said.
This statement was verified by thunderous applause after each act and the sentiments of the night's ringleader, Michael Meldrum.
"I've been the producer of this event for all 16 years and it has always been about having a good time." Meldrum said proudly.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
