Ben Lee's Bartop Sing-Along

Before I went to my Friday screening, I decided to stop at the Tribeca/ASCAP Music Lounge. Wendy wrote about the vibe there earlier in the week, and Friday's final edition was no different. It was relaxed, social, and -- unlike most club shows I've been to in the last few years -- brightly lit and easy to get around (must be my middle age creeping in).

Anyway, I wanted to post about it to show you these grainy pictures I took with my cell phone. They're of singer-songwriter Ben Lee, who opened Friday's show, standing on top of the Canal Room's bar, leading the already large crowd in a sing-along. Lee has collaborated with fellow troubadours (and Bens) Ben Folds and Ben Kweller, and his songs have been heard on shows like Grey's Anatomy and Weeds. He had a few goofy songs in his set, like "What Would Jay-Z Do?" and a few others, and the crowd was receptive. But for his finale, he unplugged his acoustic (causing a loud pop that probably meant his amp blew a fuse), hopped on the bar, and asked the crowd to join him.

"It's 4:00 in the afternoon and you're drinking, so there's no shame in your singing along," he said.

Sure enough, when he got to the refrain of his song, "we're all in this together," just about everyone joined him. It was a rousing end to a fun set. I wanted to see more, but I had to hotfoot it downtown to see The Killing of John Lennon at Pace University. But I'm sure none of the other acts used the bar as an alternate stage. Here's another pic: