The Loser's Lounge does Fleetwood Mac at Joe's Pub

If you don't know about The Loser's Lounge—and I didn't until pretty recently—here's the story: every few months or so a fairly loose collective of singers and musicians perform a set of note-for-note covers, focusing on a single, usually nostalgic, always crowd-pleasing band. I saw them do Queen a couple of years back at the now-gone Fez, and that was a lot of fun, but because of scheduling I've missed many other tributes that sounded promising, including the Talking Heads, Roxy Music, The Smiths vs. The Cure, Elton John, and Prince. The talent on stage varies pretty wildly—each song gets a different singer, and sometimes it feels a bit like Live Karaoke night, except you're not invited to participate—but the enthusiasm is always there. If you check your cynicism at the door and give in to the proceedings, you're much more likely to enjoy yourself.

Anyway, this past Saturday it was Fleetwood Mac's turn to get the full Loser's treatment, and they did it up right with 21 tunes from all stages of that band's long, often cocaine-fueled career. Most of the 80-minute set was, at worst, entertaining and, at best, genuinely rousing. Highlights of the night would have to include Katia's sweet rendition of Gypsy, The HoHos' over-the-top Stevie Nicks Medley, the percussion jam on Black Magic Woman (yes, originally by Fleetwood Mac), an unbilled but extremely lively Big Love, Wendy Ip doing my favorite song Landslide, and, best of all, Tricia Scotti's lengthy and exhilarating Rhiannon. Next up for the Loser's Lounge: a July 14 Bastille Day tribute to Serge Gainsbourg.

Here's the full Fleetwood Mac set list from Saturday night:
Monday Morning • Say You Love Me • Dreams • Sentimental Lady • Walk a Thin Line • Landslide • Think About Me • Crying In the Night • Little Lies • Black Magic Woman • Songbird • That's Enough About Me • Gypsy • Not That Funny • Stevie Nicks Medley • Candlewick Meltdown Blues • You Make Lovin' Fun • Rhiannon • Albatross/Shake Well Oh Rattlesnake • Go Your Own Way • The Chain • Holiday Road

The Loser's Lounge usually performs at Joe's Pub. All seats are general admission, but if you make a dinner reservation you're guaranteed a table. I went by myself and, arriving about 30 minutes early to the 7:00 show, got an excellent, unobstructed seat at the bar. To find out more about the Losers, and to sign up for their email alerts about their upcoming shows, go to LosersLounge.com.