On Friday I was walking on sunshine all day, in anticipation of seeing Extra Classic at the Taproom. It was about this time last year that I saw Dri perform there, and now the Queen of the Lawrence music scene returned with a new band and plenty of ear candy.

The taproom was packed with music lovers of all ages smiling ear to ear. There was this excitable electricity in the air, and you could tell who had been waiting for this band to come through Lawrence.

Extra Classic happily obliged the crowd who welcomed them with open arms and kicked the show off with a high-energy performance of Congo Rebel (at a faster pace than what’s on their myspace page).

At the beginning of the night, Dri emerged in a gray sweatshirt. But after one song she took that off to reveal a shiny gold leotard/hot pants getup (take THAT Lady Gaga!). I’ve always loved the power in her voice, but this time it blew me away. She belted out every song and had us all wrapped around her little finger.

Even though the set was relatively short (about 45 minutes maybe?), they kept the party rolling all night long. They conjured up the boogie in everyone and you couldn’t help but cut a rug. At one point, she even abandoned the mic and jumped into the crowd to dance right alongside everyone.

The Turnpike was there, so stay tuned for what’s sure to be an amazing episode from them.

And if you missed this show, you have one more chance. Love Garden will be hosting them tonight at 7:30. GO GO GO!! This is a band not to be missed! We are so lucky to have the opportunity here in Lawrence to see incredible bands at unbelievably affordable shows. Take advantage of it while you can.