On an unusually cool and comfortable night in the suburban Washington, DC area, an eager crowd was ready for a night of great music, laughs and the Dave Koz grin. We all know about the grin…the one that stays with you for a minimum of three days post-concert. Well, we were not to be disappointed.

Opening the evening was the Average White Band. We all grew up hearing their funky music and tremendous harmonies and their 45 minute set was a terrific blend of old and fairly current hits. What surprised me was noting that this group, with more or less the same band members, has been together for 40 years! Forty! In a business such as this, that is an unbelievable feat. The crowd was really pleased to hear their music and was up on their feet dancing for most of the set.

Now for the main attraction…Dave Koz with BeBe Winans. What a show! Dave had a terrific band with him that included Brian Simpson on keys, Randy Jacobs on guitar, Nathaniel Kearney, Jr. on bass, and Jay Williams on drums. Dave came out and killed the audience with "Life in the Fast Lane" and "Together Again." And the DK grin began. You could see it on everyone's face. Dave just knows how to take over a crowd. "Anything's Possible" from Hello Tomorrow followed. Then Dave went waaay back into his catalogue and treated us to "Emily" from his very first album, written for his now 26 year-old goddaughter. The crowd had a good laugh as Dave reminisced about his hairstyle on the cover of that album!

Joining Dave on stage was Margaret Bell, a wonderful singer who added the vocals to "Don't Look Any Further" from Lucky Man. What a throwback that was! Bringing the timeline a bit more recent, Dave treated us to Saxophonic's "All I See Is You" and then BeBe Winans hit the stage. The banter between him and Dave was priceless. You can just feel the friendship between these two. BeBe joined Dave on the truly beautiful ballad, "The Dance." I had only heard this song live once before and was thrilled to hear the touching, soulful voice of BeBe Winans. BeBe then gave us a few patriotic songs to praise all who have and still do serve our country.

The evening was rounded out with "Silverlining" and the classic, signature DK tune, "You Make Me Smile." And we did. And we will continue to do so for a minimum of three days, as we always do after a Dave Koz concert. Thank you, once again, Dave, for a night of fun, laughter, tremendous music old and new, and the smile.