July 7, 2009

            The list of my all time favorite concerts continues…

#9)       Pink Floyd at 3 Rivers

            This was back in the mid 90s, when they were touring in support of Pulse.  It was one of those times where I thought, “I’d better see this band while I still have the chance.”  Man, am I glad I did. 

            As on Pulse, they played Dark Side of the Moon from start to finish, and played it perfectly.  Then they rounded out the set with just about all the other Floyd songs you’d like to hear 

            For that show, I was about as far from the stage as you could be without exiting the stadium, but despite the distance, the sound was pristine and the effects dazzling.  Lasers, inflatable pigs and a huge concert screen to watch either the band or a trippy display of visuals—it was all there, and I was thrilled to be taking it in.  And when the opening notes of Time thundered not only in my ears but through my chest, I was ecstatic.  Also a little light-headed, but I think that’s because I skipped lunch that day.  Yeah, that must have been the reason.

#8)       Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band at Crowbar

            I’ve been a fan of Kenny Wayne Shepherd since I first heard his stuff.  I saw him open for Aerosmith at the Jordan Center and he was so good that I would have been happy to have had the bill reversed.  That is, have Aerosmith come on first, play a half-hour set, then have Kenny close the show with 2 blistering hours.  And that’s not a slam against Aerosmith; KWS was just that good.

            I had never seen Crowbar so packed. I’m not much for densely crowded spaces, and it bothers me when I need a Sherpa and GPS unit to navigate my way back to the bar for another round, or when I end up spilling my drink trying to make my way through masses.  Still, I was willing to set aside my misanthropic tendencies to see the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band in such an intimate setting.  And once he started to play, in my mind the crowd disappeared.  All that was left was the music.  His take on Voodoo Child (Slight Return) gave me goose bumps.

            Prior to the show, I had the privilege of driving Kenny Wayne and singer Noah Hunt back and forth from the club to the station for an interview and on-air performance.  They were both super nice guys, and very gracious.  It always makes it easier for me to enjoy the music when I get the sense that they are genuinely decent people, and these guys definitely are.  KWS was kind enough to autograph my Ledbetter Heights gold record award. 

July 6, 2009

            Hope you had a nice 4th, and that you returned from the weekend with the same number of fingers and toes you had on Friday.

            In an earlier post, I was talking about Iron Maiden and the Flight 666 documentary.  I said that I got to see Maiden last summer, and it was probably one of the five best shows I ever saw.  That statement prompted the inevitable question, “What were the best concerts you’ve ever been to?”  So I started thinking about that, and realized that

1) It would make for a pretty good blog entry

2) I’ve seen too many good shows to name just 5.

So, over the next couple of weeks, I’ll tell you about some of my favorite concert experiences.  Also, if you’ve got a good concert story to tell, I’d love to share it.  Just email it to me.

#10)     Kiss at the Bryce Jordan Center

            I got to see Kiss at the Jordan Center 3 different times.  I even got to go back stage to meet them once.  That's me between Gene and Paul.

            They played State College on their “Farewell” tour, and while they were supporting Psycho Circus” but it was the initial reunion tour, and the first time I ever got to see them, that puts them on my 10 best concerts list. 

Members of Kiss have always been experts at putting on a show; just ask Gene Simmons, he’ll tell you.  But to have the all original members back for the first time in years, with full make-up, and a stage and set list from the band’s heyday was extra special.  Even Paul’s stage patter was right off Kiss Alive II, which was the first album I ever bought.   The fire breathing, blood spitting, and smoking guitar solo all took me right back to when I was in 3rd grade, listening to Kiss for the first time.   I hadn’t heard some of those songs in years, but when they played them, I was amazed at how I remembered every lick and lyric.  Master showmanship and a walk down memory lane puts Kiss at #10. 

June 26, 2009

            A seventeen year old girl in Romania is dead because of her need to tweet.  Desperate to have her Twitter followers know minute-by-minute details of her life, she took her laptop with her while she was taking a bath.  Unfortunately for her, the battery was low on power, so she plugged the device into a wall outlet.  Well, water and electricity don’t exactly mix, and now she’s dead, and we’ll get no 140 character updates from the great beyond. 

            Then there’s Dina Lohan.  Now why anyone other than her friends and family would follow her, I can’t understand, but apparently people do.  Anyway, she checked into a hotel earlier this week, and horror among horrors, they ONLY PROVIDED HER WITH TWO TOWELS!!!!!   So what does she do?  Call the front desk?  Notify housekeeping?  Talk to the manager?  Suck it up and cope, realizing that two towels in adequate? 

            No.  She sent a tweet, asking her followers to call the hotel on her behalf.  And I guess that turned into a thing between her and the staff, but by this point in the story, I lost what miniscule interest I had.

            Perez Hilton (His real name is Mario Lavandeira, BTW, and I resent the fact that I know that—It’s not a factoid I sought or wish to retain, but there it is) made what passes for news these days because of a beatdown from a manager of the Black-Eyed Peas.  The openly gay celebrity blogger hurled the “Other F-Word” and Hilton ended up getting his face punched in. 

Using that slur and throwing the punch were both wrong, but to me the wrongest thing about were the tweets Hilton sent following the altercation.

            Wouldn’t it be more important to talk to the police and take care of yourself before updating the sad, sad people who follow you?  I don’t know about you, but I could have waited for that information.  Indefinitely, in fact

 I guess I just don’t understand the celebrity culture.  Without my consent, Perez Hilton became famous by blogging about other famous people.  And I can’t blame him; it’s our fault for allowing it to happen. 

Why do we create these icons, famous simply for being famous, only to put them under a microscope as we hope that we get to watch them crash and burn?  Are we modern day Romans, hoping to see blood and gore as we sit in front of our computers rather than at the Coliseum, substituting the Paparazzi for the lions?  And when do we wake up to the fact that as long as we continue to follow the doings of a Hilton, be it Paris or Perez, they’ll jAust keep giving us more?  But like monsters under the bed, if we simply close our eyes, they’ll just go away.  And wouldn’t we be better off if they did?

 Meanwhile, there’s chaos in Iran, (and we’re getting a lot of that information through Twitter, so you can’t blame the device for the people who misuse it), gas prices are on the rise, the debate on health care rages, the economy isn’t exactly healthy, and, oh yeah,  North Korea is threatening to launch a missile towards Hawaii on July 4th.  But let’s not focus on that.  The marriage of Jon and Kate is ending, Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson are dead and these are things that apparently deserve non-stop coverage and breathless discussion. 

June 19, 2009

     Earlier this week, supporters of Sarah Palin gathered across the street from the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City.  They marched to protest jokes made by David Letterman about Alaska’s Governor and members of her family.  

     Last week, as part of a Top 10 list, Dave made a joke about Governor Palin's appearance, likening it to that of a "slutty flight attendant." Later, during a monologue, he made jokes about one of the Palin's daughters being knocked up.

     Letterman apologized for those jokes. If fact, he did so twice, and Mrs. Palin said she accepted his apology. Nonetheless, people still marched, demanding that CBS show Letterman the door.

     Some reports put the number of Pro-Palin protesters at 50, other say only 15. I also read that there were nearly 35 members of the media on hand to cover the (non) event. There's video  of one of Mrs. Palin's supporters looking into the camera and called Dave's 5 year old son Harry a "bastard" and his wife a "slut." Way to take the high road.

     In addition to the protesters and reporters, a small but vocal group of counter-protesters gathered in support of the Late Show host. One carried a sign that read "I can see stupidity from my porch."

June 17, 2009

I Freakin' Love this Pic!!

June 12, 2009

I see we hit 100 Twitter followers this week.  I’ll expect my large Twitter bonus next payday.  And I’ll be disappointed.

            The puck drops tonight on Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  Never mind that the Pens started the series 2 games in the hole.  Forget that blowout in game 5.  It all comes down to what happens on the ice tonight.  One game, winner takes all, and I couldn’t be more excited.  If the Pens win, Lord Stanley’s cup joins the Lombardi Trophy in the ‘Burgh.  If it goes the other way, the Red Wings repeat.  Go Pens!

            Game 6 this past Tuesday was simply amazing.  At time during the third period, especially when Detroit was on the power play, it felt like I had to remind myself to breath.  And yet, ratings were down 7% from last year’s game 6.  Too bad.  People are missing out on some genuine excitement and drama.

            I know I’ve mentioned the show Z-Rock on IFC before, but I’ll bring it up again.  Season 2 premiered last weekend, and it was hilarious in a very wrong kinda way.  The guests shots by both Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and Melisa and Joan Rivers were outrageously funny.  Go ahead, check out the show and see what you think.  And don’t worry if you haven’t seen any of last season’s shows.  It won’t be too difficult to get a sense of the story line and characters.  New episodes bow on Sunday nights, and IFC seems pretty good about re-running them.

            In an earlier post I was talking about the new Iron Maiden documentary, Flight 666, which VH1 aired last weekend.  Well, it’s out on DVD.  Disc 1 is the doc, with a behind the scenes look at the band as they performed 23 shows in 45 days across 50,000 miles as Bruce Dickenson piloted their own 747, Ed Force One.   If the film is an accurate representation of them on the road, they look like they’d be a fun hang.  Disc 2 is 16 songs performed live in 16 different cities.  In three words:  It is cool.

Here.  Another funny pic to fill some space.  Have a great weekend.

A few pictures that struck me as funny hit my inbox over the weekend. I thought I'd share them with you here, you know, instead of creating actual content.

 June 5, 2009   

            Conan O’Brien took over as host of The Tonight Show earlier this week, but I didn’t see it.  As always, the TiVo was recording Letterman.  I see where they finally announced a launch-date for Jay Leno’s 10PM show:  September 14th.  Can’t wait to miss that!

            Last week, I wrote about taking my cat Damien to the vet.  For those of you who asked, he’s doing much better.  He really hates that collar they put on him, but so far, he only managed to Houdini his way out of it once.  But you should have heard him howling when I put it on him again.  And all the while the dog and the other cat were just laughing at him.  He’s not real big on the pill shooter, either. 

            Check out two of my new favorite websites here and here.  These are a few samples of what you’ll find.  You’re welcome.

Awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Thisisphotobomb.com

            The Penguins, who were down 2 games to none, managed to tie the Red Wings 2-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals coming into game 5 tomorrow (Saturday)night.  Regardless of how it all plays out, I hope more people are beginning to see how exciting playoff hockey can be.  This year’s been full of fantastic games and dramatic series, and I can’t help but think more people would be enjoying the drama and competition were they games available on a network with a higher profile than Versus.  Give me playoff hockey over NASCAR or MLB any time. 

           If you’re an Iron Maiden fan, check out VH1  this weekend.  They’re showing the Flight 666 documentary of the Somewhere Back in Time Tour.  I had a chance to see Maiden last summer at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, and it was easily in the top 5 best concert’s I’ve ever seen in my life.  I love how they christened the plane the used for this tour, which Bruce Dickenson piloted BTW, Ed Force One.

           My one year anniversary here at the Bus is coming up soon.  Soon, I’ll be at the point where I can make demands, and the first thing I’ll ask for will be a longer lunch.  Just about every day this week, I’ve had more lunchtime requests and e-quests than time allows in the Fresh Harvest Classic Rock Café.  So I either have to save them till the next day, or blow them off entirely.  If I didn’t get to your suggestion this week, take heart in knowing that I at least made the effort. 

            Pay no attention to the following:  ENLARGE PACKAGE FREE TERM PAPERS HOT TEEN COEDS SWINGERS CHEAP MEDS FREE AMATEUR FARM ANIMALS PARIS HILTON CROTCH. I just put that in here to see if I can fool any search engines to redirect to our site and my blog.  Now back to our regularly scheduled missive.

            Finally, Happy Birthday to my friend and colleague, and your genial morning host, Jeff Brown.  He hit’s the big 5-0 on Sunday.  Don’t worry, we’re looking into homes. 

May 29, 2009

            Some friends of mine are getting married this weekend.  Jamie and Tania, here’s wishing you all the best.  Does a mention on a blog count as a wedding present?

            Who had the bright idea to put a spelling bee on TV?  If it came down to a choice between watching that and a test pattern, I'd have to stop and think it over.

           It’s Pittsburgh against Detroit when the Stanley Cup finals begin tomorrow.  Despite the fact that the Penguins swept Carolina and have a lot of momentum coming into the series, I don’t have a good feeling.  While I’d love to see them drink from Lord Stanley’s cup again, if they come up short, I’ll continue to take comfort in the fact that they beat the Flyers.

            I see where the ratings for John and Kate + 8 were way up.  All the attention from and conjecture by the tabloids must have paid off, but I don’t give one tenth of one crap about them or the show.  Didn’t watch it before all the controversy, and I don’t plan to watch it now.  In fact, it would be OK with me if they just went away.  And take the OctoMom with you.

            I’ve always been a big fan on the Sunday night cartoons they show on Fox, like The Simpsons and Family Guy, and  I was disappointed to know that King of the Hill was ending its run this season.  But there is good news.  Mike Judge, the genius behind Office Space and Beavis and Butthead has a new animated series that debuted on ABC this week.  It’s called The Goodes, and as KOTH is to Texans, this one is to the ultra-PC types.  If the first episode is any indication, the series shows promise.  And who knows?  Maybe there will be another role for Tom Petty, who provided the voice of Lucky.

 Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt

            Tony is on a quest to have get us up to 100 followers on Twitter.  Chances are good he’ll award some sort of prize to the hundredth person who can’t live without knowing what we’re up to every second of the day.  And if you sign on, then all day long you can be bothered, er, I mean Tweeted with jokes like this:

Jay Leno says he still remembers the first laugh he got as host of "The Tonight Show". It happened just yesterday.

OJ is appealing his robbery conviction because his jury wasn't racially diverse. The case of "OJ Simpson v. Karma" will be heard next month

George W. Bush says he's enjoying the fact he's no longer president. So are we.

The NBA gave the LA Clippers the #1 draft pick. It's part of a plan they have to get college players to stay in school

Legs and butt topped a poll asking men for their favorite female body parts. Least-favorite body part guys like on a woman? A penis.

Comedy Gold.

            I had to take my cat, Damien to the vets yesterday.  Poor little guy has an infected rash under his chin.  So now he’s got about 10 days of looking down the business end of a pill-shooter ahead of him, and neither one of us is particularly thrilled about it.  Even worse, he has to wear one of those victorian collars until he gets better.  He’s not a very happy kittie right now.