A Night at El Cid with Dreamer Boy

When I listened to Dreamer Boy’s (Zach Taylor’s) second album All The Ways We Are Together back in April of this year, I instantaneously fell in love. The album was soft and hazy like the perfect dream. It was smooth and gentle like a raft flowing down a forest stream. The warmth of Dreamer Boy’s vocals and the lush sounds of his chorus guitar conjured images of comfort, romance and sweet simplicity.

So, to say the very least, I was utterly shocked by the unbridled spirit brought to the stage of the Los Angeles club El Cid by Dreamer Boy this past Monday night.

Dreamer Boy opened his set with the transcendental title track from his newest album, “All The Ways We Are Together.” The audience was immediately awash by a wave of lush guitars and silvery auto-tune vocal harmonies letting them know that they had left the dreary, isolated reality we had all come to know during the pandemic. As the song drew to a close, Dreamer Boy shifted his wide-eyed gaze towards the audience and shouted with an air of awe and excitement “We are here tonight!” Little did we know that Dreamer Boy had, with these few words, taken us by the hand and led us into his new post-pandemic world of joy, friendship, and togetherness.

Then the beat dropped. The entire audience was immediately on their feet, jumping and screaming in a total frenzy; moved by the powerful four-to-the-floor beat provided by drummer Ricky, the funkadelic guitar grooves courtesy of guitarist Bobby Knepper, and, of course, the infectious energy and excitement flowing out of Dreamer Boy’s own movements and words.

I swear the lightning that streaked across the Los Angeles skies that night came not from the clouds but from the pure electricity generated by Dreamer Boy’s performance. He and his band had created a storm of their own.

Dreamer Boy had all the vivacious energy of a sold-out arena without once losing the intimacy and vulnerability of a coffee shop open-mic. In the more relaxed moments throughout the set, Dreamer Boy was not afraid to get up-close and personal with the audience. For his song “Sweatshirt,” he sat on the edge of the stage, leaned into the audience, and sang to each of us as if the song was written for us and only us. This feeling of warmth and connectedness stayed with us, audience and performer, for the rest of the night.

The power of this invigorating closeness transformed the second half of the show. Both Dreamer Boy and his fans were moving and singing with even more passion and fervor. I couldn’t help but get caught up in this emotional swell as well. I even found myself singing and dancing along to his new song “Keep The Pace.” Even Dreamer Boy himself couldn’t help but join the fray as he jumped right into the center of the mosh pit … the fourth of six created that night in total.

As if the energy level wasn’t high enough already, Dreamer Boy brought out none other than BENEE, all the way from New Zealand to perform their song. The second she stepped on stage, the audience went feral. BENEE and Dreamer Boy’s chemistry was absolutely intoxicating. Not only did their voices and presences blend together in perfect harmony, but we could see the friendly bond in their faces. You could see the delight in their eyes to be doing what they love together, if even just for this moment.

Friendship was truly the theme of the night. You could see it in the crowds, as groups of friends would hold each other close, dancing to the music hand-in-hand. You could see it in the faces of the band, in the brief glances of happy disbelief and amazement they would shoot each other throughout the night. You could see it in Dreamer Boy’s ever-present smile. It was clear that he saw each and every one of us as a close friend. Through our shared love of music, Dreamer Boy let us know that we made it through the hardest eighteen months any of us will likely ever experience.

“Your best friends will get you through!” he shouted. “Y’all, say it with me, Your best friends will get you through!”

“Your best friends will get you through!” we all shouted back, knowing now that we’re finally all back together, and everything just might be okay.