The View

This is going to be short. I have many times criticized The View to my poor wife. I constantly argue with her that I believe men and women are really not that different. The only real differences are physical, obviously, and maybe the way each sex goes about the way they communicate, handle a situation, or get from point A to B. But I do believe that there are many things women do that make more sense than the way a man goes about it and vice versa. It's like religion and acting styles. If it gets you there,good. One way is not better than another.
The View is a perfect example of this. There is no way that anyone can ever say that a woman discusses topics in a more intelligent, civil manner than a man. I saw 10 minutes this morning and could not believe what they will argue over. The brilliant Joy Behar had to insult Elizabeth Hasselback over the fact that she brined a turkey. Thank God she only argues important issues. I haven't heard such a riveting discussion since the First grade. I know they don't agree politically, hell, I don't agree politically with Elizabeth Hasselback, but is it necessary to try to start an argument over brining a turkey? I guess Joy was just being edgy. She's so daring.
Poor Barbara Walters sits there with that look of "you know I am a legitimate reporter who can have an actual intelligent discussion. Why am I here?" on her face. Well, someone has to lend credibility to the show.
You know, I've discovered it's possible to disagree with people politically and still get a long with them. Every Saturday I see Pro-War and Anti-War protesters near where I live. It's helped me to discover something. There's idiots on both side of the road. I doubt the protest is really of any importance to either group. They are there to insult each other and the people driving by who they don't agree with. If your lucky, you can even hear them cursing very loudly across the street and to people passing by. Good thing "we're" fighting for freedom in other countries. Who wouldn't want other countries to be like ours. We have this great freedom of speech and all they can come up with is profane insults. It's embarrassing and probably a good example why some countries don't want our help. But I will talk more about that on another post.
Bottom line is, watch The View. It proves that we are all pretty much the same: Willing to argue for the sake of arguing.

Hope Concert IV - Count Basie Theatre 12/22/2008

Once again the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank New Jersey hosted another great benefit concert. For the last 3 years, Bobby Bandiera has assembled a holiday benefit concert which goes by the name of The Hope Concert. The original Hope Concert was a benefit for Bobby's son and was held in April of 2003. In 2006 Bobby put on the Bobby Bandiera All Star Holiday Concert which included Gary U.S. Bonds, Southside Johnny, Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. None of these performers were announced. In 2007 the same musicians minus Springsteen assembled again under the name of the Hope Concert III. My wife and I purchased tickets for the show this year after passing last year.
For the fourth edition the lineup included Tim McCloone & the Shirleys, Brian Fallon, Nicole Atkins, Bobby Bandiera's Jersey Shore Rock N Soul Revue, Gary U.S. Bonds, Southside Johnny and Jon Bon Jovi.
The show followed a virtually identical format to the 2006 show. Each performer did a mini set, but this time the headliners were joined for a song by the next artist to follow. The show flowed very well. It was a typical New Jersey benefit that included up and coming artists, local legends and a couple huge stars. This year Bruce Springsteen joined in again closing the show with a couple Christmas songs, a couple covers and a duet with Jon Bon Jovi.
The show opened with Tim McCloone and the Shirley's, which is basically a condensed version on the Holiday Express. Holiday Express is a local group of musicians that perform several charity concerts throughout the holiday season. They performed a few Christmas favorites and even did two version of White Christmas.
Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem followed with 2 acoustic songs. Very Springsteenesque, with a very dark dreamlike feel.
Bobby Bandiera's Rock N Soul Revue followed. They were the backing band for the remaining performers, for the most part. Gary U.S. Bonds & Southside brought out members of their bands for their sets, but also used members of the RNS Revue. The band consists of many local favorites:Ray Anderson & Bob Burger on guitars, Kevin Kavanaugh on organ, Mike Mancini on keyboards, Tony Tino on bass, Mike Mahoney & Joe Bellia on drums. I grew up seeing most of these guys at the Stone Pony back in the 80's. Ray Andersen was in Cats on a Smooth Surface & Ray Andersen & the Fire. He now performs as Mr. Ray. Joe Bellia is in the Asbury Jukes and was in a band called Joey & The Works, and has played with Bobby for quite some time, as has Kevin Kavanaugh. Bob Burger is another person who has played with Bobby many a time and also fronts The Bob Burger Band.
The Revue was first joined by Nicole Atkins who did 2 covers, and then different members of the Revue took turns in the spotlight.
Gary U.S. Bonds followed with his band and then did a duet with Southside Johnny which led into Southside's set. Southside brought along members of the Jukes including keyboardist Jeff Kazee. His set ended with a duet of This Time it's For Real with Jon Bon Jovi.
At the end of Jon's set, he had a surprise for the audience. He announced his surprise wasn't Santa Claus. He said "this is better. Come on Out". Bruce Springsteen walked out and performed the lead guitar work for Run Rudolph Run ,which was performed by Jon Bon Jovi & Bobby Bandiera trading off on the verses.
Bruce then closed his mini set with Jon performing Tenth Avenue Freezeout.
The performers left after that, to return a couple minutes later to perform Havin' a Party. The only performers absent for this were Jon Bon Jovi and Nicole Atkins.
Overall a pretty great show. A great way to start Christmas week and one of the few reasons at this point to still be proud to live in New Jersey. Where else can you see the 2 top grossing concert draws of 2008 performing in a 1400 seat theatre.
The set list follows. A few titles may be incorrect.

Tim McLoone & the Shirleys
Happy Holiday-Maureen McCrink Lead Vocal
All Alone At Christmas
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year-Tim McCloone Lead Vocal
You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch-Tim McCloone Lead Vocal
Holly Jolly Christmas-Amy Brozza Lead Vocal
White Christmas-Delores Holmes Lead Vocal
White Christmas-Layonne Holmes Lead Vocal
Higher & Higher-Tim McCloone Lead Vocal

Brian Fallon
Great Expectations
The 59 Sound

The Jersey Shore Rock N Soul Revue
Be My Baby-Nicole Atkins Lead Vocal
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree-Nicole Atkins Lead Vocal
Listen To The Music-Maureen McCrink Lead Vocal
Monday Monday-Bob Burger Lead Vocal
Touch Me-Ray Andersen Lead Vocal
White Rabbit-Lisa Bouchelle Lead Vocal
Somebody To Love-Layonne Holmes Lead Vocal
C'mon Caroline-Bobby Bandiera Lead Vocal/Southside Johnny Backing Vocals


Gary U.S. Bonds
Action in the Streets
Your Love is Gonna Let You Down
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
This Little Girl

Southside Johnny
You Dont' Know w/Gary U.S. Bonds
Down,Down,Down
Santa Claus is Back in Town
I Don't Want To Go Home
This Time It's For Real w/Jon Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi
Lost Highway w/Lorenza Ponce on Violin
Blue Christmas
Who Say's You Can't Go Home w/Lorenza Ponce on Violin
Run Rudolph Run w/Bobby Bandiera & Bruce Springsteen on Lead Guitar

Bruce Springsteen
Merry Christmas Baby w/Nicole Atkins Backing Vocals
Santa Claus is Coming to Town w/Southside Johnny & Nicole Atkins Backing Vocals
634-5789 w/Nicole Atkins Backing Vocals
Tenth Avenue Freezeout w/Jon Bon Jovi, Nicole Atkins Backing Vocals

Finale
Havin' a Party-Minus Jon Bon Jovi & Nicole Atkins

Bon Jovi - Count Basie Theatre 12/20/1993

Christmas is the best time of the year. There is still something magical about the season and how it makes people feel. As my Father use to say, "It's the one time of the year that you believe miracles can happen".
There are so many things that are representative of the season:the food, the movies, the T.V. Specials, seeing old friends and family, and probably more than anything else, the music. I've been very lucky to see some great Christmas concerts: Bruce Springsteen in Asbury Park, The Holiday Express in Red Bank, Glen Burtnik's Christmas concerts, and Bon Jovi.
Bon Jovi started doing Christmas benefit concerts at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank in 1990. The first couple years they mixed their standard fare with Christmas songs and rare tracks and covers. The first year I went was 1992. Keep the Faith had just been released and they were gearing up for a tour. In an Asbury Park Press article Jon did say that the Christmas show would not be a tour warm up. I was excited about what would be my second time seeing them, after seeing them play the Fastlane in Asbury Park the previous October.
Well, the show wound up being a slightly shorter version of their Keep the Faith shows. I was pretty disappointed. Aside from throwing in I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas and Please Come Home For Christmas, it was pretty standard setlist. So the next year when my future Wife and her Mother and I got tickets for the now Annual Christmas benefit, I was looking forward too it, but not expecting too much.
I am happy to say that I was more than pleasantly surprised. The show was excellent. It was everything you could hope for from a show by a huge band in an intimate setting. After the opening one two punch of Help and With A Little Help From My Friends, they did Bad Medicine, a song usually relegated to the encores. From there on the show got better and the band played with their usual energy and showed they are best in a concert setting. Both Jon and Richie Sambora performed some of their solo songs, and both keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres got to come center stage. The band was augmented by a horn section for a few of the songs. Lasting 3 hours, it is still one of my favorite Bon Jovi concerts and one that my Wife and I still talk about from time to time.
The setlist follows.


Help- Jon & Richie Sambora Lead Vocals
With A Little Help From My Friends- w/Horns
Bad Medicine
Let It Bleed- w/Horns & David Bryan Lead Vocals
Keep the Faith
Tom Trauberts Blues(Waltzing Matilda) - Tico Torres Lead Vocals
Love For Sale- w/Horns
Stranger in This Town- w/Horns & Richie Sambora Lead Vocals
Blood Money- Jon solo
Blaze of Glory
Dry County
Lay Your Hands on Me
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Jumpin' Jack Flash
Livin' on a Prayer

-ENCORE-

The Answer- Richie Sambora Lead Vocals w/David Bryan & Alec John Such
Wanted Dead or Alive
Blood on Blood

You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby

Just Like a Woman- Jon solo
Bed of Roses
I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas

It's Only Rock n' Roll(But I Like It) - w/Horns Jon & Richie Sambora Lead Vocals
Never Say Goodbye

The Real (Fake) Housewives Of Atlanta

Well if the title of this show is accurate, this means almost all housewives in Atlanta are fake. This show is why reality TV was created. You can watch and no matter how bad things may be in your life, you can think to yourself "at least I'm not that shallow or deluded" or that there really are people that have less to offer than yourself.
I can honestly say the only reason I have seen any of this show is because my Wife will watch it when there is absolutely nothing on. She also finds that she feels better about her life after watching these "real Housewives". There must be something on QVC that is more interesting.
I may be wrong, but I think real housewives actually do things. Granted it takes a lot to try on clothes, compliment yourself, tell your chef to make you something, compliment yourself, tell everyone how great a singer you are, compliment yourself, go out to lunch, compliment yourself, compliment yourself for picking such a good restaurant, volunteer at a homeless shelter and then compliment yourself. Well none of them actually have volunteered at a homeless shelter. I just wanted to make them seem like they actually do something productive.
Truly the only person I have to blame for my frustration is myself. Walk away I say. But then a moment will come on that does put a smile on my face.
My favorite moment had to on last nights episode when Kim goes head on into her "singing" career. First off, I give her credit for even attempting to sing at her age. Madonna's 50 , but she has been performing for over 25 years. My guess is that Kim is in her mid to late 40's, but is hoping to burst on the scene as a new singing sensation. They'll love her on MTV. Maybe she can tour with Hannah Montana or Rhianna.
The few episode highlights I've seen, show Kim letting us and everyone that will listen know how talented she is and what a great voice she has. Some of her friends even tell her she has a great voice. I question how good a friend they can be to blatantly lie to her, but hey, who wants to be the one to hurt a friend. Kim quickly realises she doesn't need the help of a vocal coach to be a good singer. All she needs is to sing along in a whisper to the CD in her car and light up another cigarette and drink more wine. In her favor, she did sport a really cool white top hat for her recording session. And she would not start singing until her hair looked good. I think this alone shows us how good of a singer she is.
Well, when Kim is finally recorded and hears what we hear, she of course thinks that something must be wrong with the equipment. I'm not sure if she actually said that, but she obviously thought it. I actually think while listening to the playback she was thinking "God I sound good".
Listen , I sound great in the car by myself. And who knows, if I had nothing to do with my time and lots of money, I might try to live out a fantasy of being a rock star.
Well, here's to Kim finding people to work with her that will tell her what she wants to hear. That is is super talented, she's got a great voice and she should cut a CD.
Until then, I hope those Real Housewives take some time to do something for themselves. God knows they've earned it.

Election Day 2008

This Election Day, more than any other in my lifetime, has the feeling of being a day which will be a turning point in our history. Whichever side wins, history is guaranteed. Whether it's the first African American President or the first female Vice President, history will be made. But aside from that, it truly is an important election. I believe there is something more important than the sex or race of our new elected leaders. And although that is something which is monumental, make no mistake, I think and hope that people in this country are ready for a change. That maybe we should think outside of what is only good for Americans. Of course we should care and should be concerned over how our fellow citizens are treated and how they are getting along. But we should never forget that there is a whole world out there and we are part of a global community.
I love this country and a day like today makes me so proud, that it's easy to get choked up when you arrive at the voting station and know that you at least can cast your ballot for who you think will best help reach your idea of what America is and what it can be. I hope to never take this for granted.
After several years of seeing a country truly divided as to what America means and what it means to be an American, lets hope that after tomorrow we all can accept whatever the outcome is and show what is best about this country and being an American.
Lets remember that no matter what, it will take a lot for it to be worse than the last 8 years. I truly hope America is ready to try something new and show why we are still a country filled with hope for everyone.

VOTE

Madonna - Izod Center 10/04/2008

I have a short list of performers I am yet to see, that I would love to see given the chance. Allison Krauss & Union Station, Mark Knopfler,Loretta Lynn, and Prince are a few of the musicians on that list. Madonna is another. I have wanted to see her for some time, but never had the chance. I finally had the opportunity this past weekend, and it was worth the wait.
I've never thought that Madonna had the best voice, or a really good one for that matter. I do like a lot of her music and think she is a great performer. Her performances from Live 8 and Live Earth cemented my desire to see her. I thought for only having a couple songs to perform at those benefit concerts, she gave memorable performances.
I know that she is a performer whose concerts tend to lean heavy on new material. That's fine by me. I'd rather see someone doing something new, and not living off of what they once were. Well, she actually did perform a healthy amount of past hits, but many were reworked to blend with her newer material.
The choreography, the staging, the sets were all pretty impressive. It was a rare concert where I found certain moments truly exciting. I don't mean great, or fun, but exciting.
I'm not actually into dance music, but I find her songs pretty catchy and usually very atmospheric. The choreography never substituted for actual performance. The bulk of the songs were choreographed, but some like Borderline,Human Nature and Ray of Light had Madonna fronting her band and "playing" guitar.
The show was broken into 4 parts with an interlude in between the sections to make way for costume and set changes.
The final interlude continued the "tick tock" theme which was present throughout the show, from beginning to end. Sadly the video image for this included a pretty sophomoric political stab at John McCain.
Understand, I have no problem with musicians who make political statements. I'll either agree or disagree, but I can handle it. I'm an adult and I do believe everyone has a right to their political views. Maybe if a performer spent a whole show politicizing instead of singing, I might feel differently. But to make a couple statements ,whether I agree or not, will not wound me. Having said that, I pretty much agreed with the environmental and humanitarian issues Madonna addressed in the video montage, but to associate John McCain with Hitler and Robert Mugabe, is pretty simplistic. No, I do not agree with Mr. McCain, but to associate him with two of the most horrendous public figures ever is a little simplistic. I'm not sure if the message was McCain is as evil as they were/are, or if Hitler and Mugabe were really terrible environmentalists. But it's her concert and it's her opinion.
When Madonna tours again I hope to see her and hope she can top what I saw the other night, it will not be easy.
Below is the setlist from the show with some notes specific to each song.


Candy Shop -Great entrance seated on a throne.
Beat Goes On-Kanye West on video
Human Nature-Playing guitar, Britney Spears in video montage.
Vogue

*Interlude* Die Another Day remix

Get Into the Groove-Keith Haring artwork on video.
Heartbeat
Borderline-Rock version fronting band, playing guitar.
She's Not Me-4 old school Madonna's on small stage center arena.
Music

*Interlude* Here Comes the Rain Again remix

Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
Spanish Lesson
La Isla Bonita-with Kolpakov Trio
Kolpakov Trio song
You Must Love Me-with Kolpakov Trio

*Interlude* Get Stupid

4 Minutes- Justin Timberlake on video.
Like a Prayer
Ray of Light-Fronting band, playing guitar.
Open Your Heart-One verse with audience
Hung Up
Give it to Me

Glen Burtnick-Stone Pony 09/03/1988

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I wound up seeing Jersey musician Glen Burtnick (later Burtnik) many times in the late 80's through early 90's. The place I saw him the most was the Stone Pony in Asbury Park N.J. I did get to see him in a few other venues, but the Pony was always my favorite. The setlist for this show was a pretty standard one for him. Heavy on Heroes and Zeros material, with some covers and some earlier material and newly written songs.
It did include an early performance of World Tonite, which he would later record with Styx. It was featured on their reunion album, Edge of the Century.
Here's the setlist.


Scattered
Walls Came Down
Heard It On the Radio
We're Alright
For Your Love/Spinning My Wheels
Love Goes On
World Tonite
Everyday I Fall In Love
Hole In My Pocket
Abalene
Stupid Boys
Talking In Code/Perfect World
Replace My Face
Little Red House
Follow You/Not Fade Away

This Boy(Beatles Cover)
Talk That Talk
Here Comes Sally
Day That Your Ship Gets Thru

Mariza - Carnegie Hall 10/07/2005

Sometimes you find magic in the places you least expect it.
A few years back a friend at work lent me one of her Mariza CD's. We were talking about Fado singers and Mariza was the one that was bringing Fado to a new generation in Portugal. Fado is a music form that is uniquely Portuguese. Fado means fate, it is the Portuguese blues. The most famous Fado singer was Amália Rodrigues. She is the one that all others are compared to. She is Sinatra, Edith Piaf, Caruso, Bob Dylan, The Beatles. She is the one all others aspire to be, and are inevitably compared to.

Mariza is taking Fado to a new place. Unlike many Fado singers that sing from the past catalog of Fado songs, Mariza also performs songs that contain elements of not only Fado but also of African and Brazilian music. Mariza also knows that to perform this classic, beautiful music in larger concert halls, a bit of theatricality is needed. Her dresses, her hair, her movements, are not traditional Fado. But you need those sort of artists to shake the foundation every once in a while. Think what Savion Glover has done for tap, or what Michael Flatley has done for Irish step dancing.
Back on October of 2007, I had tickets to go see Mariza at Carnegie Hall. My wife and I had great seats, and I was looking very forward to it. Unfortunately my wife was not . Two things she hates. Rainy weather and New York. Well, we got them both. She was a sport and did not complain. We got into New York and got to Carnegie Hall pretty quickly. As soon as they opened the Hall, we got in.
I felt bad, but figured she might like the show. She's Portuguese, and liked Fado, so there was a chance. About 2 songs into the show, she leaned over and said "she's really good". It was one of the happiest moments in my concert going life. For once I dragged my Wife to a show she was actually enjoying. It didn't make up the the times I took her to see the Grateful Dead, but it was a step in the right direction
But beyond that, Mariza WAS great. Her voice, her connection with the audience. I may not have understood everything she sang, but she sang with real emotion. It never felt forced or manufactured. She has a beautiful voice and the musicians were amazing. I almost screamed out "yes" when started to perform Barco Negro, my favorite Fado song. I knew the Amália Rodrigues version, but did not know Mariza performed it also.
During the encores she spoke of how she was honored to be playing Carnegie Hall and how she looked at the photos on the walls of past performers, and felt small in their shadow. I'm sure one day, the same will be said about her. She offered a condensed version of New York State of Mind saying how New York is her favorite city in the world.
We were lucky to see Mariza a year and half later when she came to our neighboring town. But that first time seeing her, with the person most important to me, will always hold a special place in my heart.

I will include the main set list and musicians below.

Luis Guerreiro-Portuguese Guitar
Antonio Neto-Classical Guitar
Vasco Sousa-Bass Guitar
Antonio Barbosa-Violin
Ricardo Mateus-Viola
Paulo Moreira-Cello
Joao Pedro Ruela-Percussion


Loucoura
Quando Me Sinto So
Maria Lisboa
Montras
Ha Uma Musica Do Povo
Barco Negro
Meu Fado Meu
Instrumental
Duas Lagrimas
Cavaleiro Monge
Recusa
Transparente
Feira de Castro
Oiça Lá Ó Senhor Vinho
Primavera

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers-Mann Music Center 8/15/89

Some concerts leave an imprint immediately, some don't. The first time I saw Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers was back in 1989 at the Mann Music Center in Pennsylvania. The tour was in support of his great Full Moon Fever album/CD. I wound up going with a couple friends of mine from college. We went up the day of the show and bought lawn seats, but actually wound up sitting in the general admission bleachers. The concert was just one of several I went to once I started to go to concerts regularly. I probably wouldn't have gone, had it not been suggested. I was very glad I did. The venue was pretty nice, and Tom and the band were great. The Replacements were the opening act, and to be honest they did not win me over. If I saw them now it might be a different story.

I thought overall the concert was very good, but it didn't stand out as one of my favorites. Many years would go by before I would see Petty again, and I was impressed album after album at how good the songs were and how good the band was. When I did see Petty again,many many years later at the PNC Bank Arts Center, I don't think that for any reason the show was better, I think I just appreciated how many great songs he had. They piled up one after another: American Girl, You Wreck Me, Learning To Fly, the list goes on.

Sadly, drummer Stan Lynch was no longer in the band and bassist Howie Epstein had passed away. But new drummer Steve Ferrone and original Heartbreakers bassist Ron Blair were great.

I found the old program for the Mann Music Center and the setlist I copied down during the show. Looking at the songs performed, I do think if I saw that show now I would remember it vividly.

***Setlist***

American Girl

Feel a Whole Lot Better

Free Fallin"

The Waiting

Breakdown

I Won't Back Down

Benmont Tench Piano Solo

Mike Campbell Guitar Solo

Don't Come Around Here No More

Even the Losers

Milk Cow Blues(Elvis Presley Cover)

Face in the Crowd

Yer So Bad

You Got Lucky

The Rebel

I Need To Know

Should I Stay or Should I Go(Clash cover)

Refugee

Runnin' Down a Dream

Crazy For You

Jammin' Me

2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies

Living art. That is what I witnessed tonight during the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Putting any political or humanitarian issues aside, the opening ceremonies for these Olympics will probably go down as one of the greatest. There are usually moments one can remember from an Olympic opening ceremony. But the performance part of this years ceremony prior to the parade of nations were a work of art. The precision, the sets , the costumes, the video images were all of the highest quality. Even the traditional cheesy song was actually well performed(lip synced of course) and beautifully realized.
What was most impressive, was that after the initial drum intro, my thought was, "well they can't top that". But they did. Each segment was as strong as the previous one, and was performed with such beauty and precision that I literally can not think of any other opening ceremony that was as powerful.
Good luck to Great Britain 4 years from now. Start planning soon. Very soon.

p.s. Thanks to National Geographic & Yahoo for the images.

Asbury Park Images

I had a few more images I wanted to add from my visit to the boardwalk the other day.

Asbury Park

Had a couple days off this week from work, and decided one morning to check out what the boardwalk in Asbury Park was looking like. I went early in the morning and was pleasantly surprised at how it looked. The boardwalk had a few new shops and the arcade within the Convention Hall was now occupied by an Irish pub, a beach bar, and several stores. Sadly none were opened, due to the time and probably because it was Monday.
The old Howard Johnsons was now a cafe' with a nightclub upstairs.
It was a promising sight. When I first moved to New Jersey we would go to Asbury on occasion. The Palace was open and I went into the fun house several times. The boardwalk still had a roller coaster and several other rides. I probably never even noticed a club called the Stone Pony across the street, or Mrs. Jay's, which was right next to the Pony.
It took some time, but eventually everything along the board walk pretty much closed, except the Howard Johnson's, which was open erratically. You could always buy a beer whenever there was a concert at Convention Hall or the Paramount Theatre. If you were unlucky you might get a hefty fine for taking a few steps onto the boardwalk with a beer in hand. The police were no idiots. They knew they could make a few extra dollars for the town. Always good to know the streets are safe.
The Pony has remained open, despite closing briefly and having numerous "Last New Years Eve" concerts.
It was nice to see some life come back to the town. Who knows how long it will take or how much will actually get done. It won't happen overnight, but it can happen. It's a seaside town with a rich history.
I just hope it keeps the feel it had. The old buildings, the unique architecture. If you want pretty, but cookie cutter seaside towns,go to Long Branch. The boardwalk is great, but has no character. But I guess character doesn't bring in tourists.
Let's hope Asbury Park doesn't wind up like Atlantic City, or Long Branch for that matter.
To quote the song Atlantic City: Everything dies baby, that's a fact. But maybe everything that dies, someday comes back.

Bruce Springsteen-Giants Stadium 07/27/08

Going to a Bruce Springsteen concert is a big event for any Bruce Head. We tend to discuss, ad naseum, the most insignificant minutia of of his songs, his performances, his music. I am no different and can be pretty annoying in the process.

Bruce and the E Street Band played their first of 3 shows at Giants Stadium last night, and it was a great concert. I originally was not going to go to any of the shows, but managed to get a really great floor seat a couple days before the show. It had been a while since I was on the floor at a stadium show, so I was really looking forward to it.

Bruce is my favorite artist and I have been fortunate to see him in almost every setting a fan could hope for: Arenas, Theatres, Stadiums, Clubs, Concert Halls. If I could just get him to play my living room I'd be set. Any time he tours we tend to get very excited and discuss what we think the tour will be like, and what songs he will do. I was lucky to see one of the rehearsal shows for the Magic Tour in Asbury Park and the one at the arena formerly known as Continental Airlines Arena. The Asbury Park show was fun, but still very rough around the edges. The show at the Continental Airlines Arena later that week was pretty great. It was not to far from being tour quality. It also included his new arrangement of Reason to Believe which borrowed heavily from Spirit in the Sky & La Grange. It was one of the best things I've ever seen him do.

For the "homecoming" shows at Giants Stadium, I expected a pretty standard setlist, as much as there is that sort of thing at this point on the tour. As with his previous tours, the initial shows have a pretty set structure and little variation. As the tours progress, he mixes songs up and constantly includes many songs from his extensive catalog. Chances are you will see as many as 8 or 10 different songs at back to back shows. This tour has seen a new twist. Fans are now writing song requests on signs, and Bruce usually performs a couple of these songs during the course of the performance. Usually they are songs they are pretty familiar with, but occasionally you'll get a real rarity( Held Up Without a Gun, Summertime Blues).
Well, the setlist was pretty standard, relatively speaking, but it was a good setlist. Tenth Avenue Freezeout opened the show. At first I was a little disappointed. I've seen the song live many times and was a little burnt out on it. But it turned out to be a great opener and really set the tone of the concert. Bruce got right into the crowd and looked like he was having more fun that I can recall.
Many factors play a part into what makes a concert memorable for the person attending. Frame of mind, the mood your in, your expectations. For me, the location I was in, the great crowd around me, the fact I hadn't seen the band in about 9 months, all made for a show. But the topper was that Bruce and the band were great. They play better than practically every other band that tours nowadays. Bruce could easily do a 2+ hour show and most people would be satisfied, ever the die hards. The average length of the shows in the early leg of the tour was about 2 hours. No one complained. The shows were suppose to be great, and who can blame a group of musicians in their 50's(the youngest members) for only playing for 2 hours.
Last night Bruce and the band played for 3 hours and 15 minutes, with no break, and rarely let up. There weren't really any ballads in the setlist. Bruce and the E Streeters time and time again deliver and never rest on their laurels.
People who have never seen him might see a show that could be considered subpar by his usual standards, and say how it was one of the best concerts they have ever seen. I've heard people say this, which says a lot about the quality of the E Street Band, and also other bands.
Bruce shows can run the gamut from intense to inspirational to plain fun. Last nights show ranks among the most fun I have ever seen, if not the most fun. As usual , I walked out remembering every reason I love Bruce and his music and the fact he has stayed a credible and topical artist.
Bruce gave me some of my older favorites(Growin Up', Jungleland, Tunnel of Love, Brilliant Disguise) and a few of my new favorites(Girls in Their Summer Clothes, I'll Work for Your Love). Nothing that made my jaw drop, but something I'll remember for a while.
I don't know when I'll see Bruce and the band again. Organist Danny Federici passed away this year, and it made all Bruce fans really be grateful for what this band has given and continues to give night after night and tour after tour. In an industry and a culture where bands come and go and what is popular changes day to day, it's nice to know that there are still artists out there like Bruce. He does what he wants to do, writes about topics which may not be the "safe' thing to write about and believes that music can still bring people together and also enlighten us or make you think. And he can do this in front of 50,000 people.
It's nice to know there's still a little magic in the night.

Here's the setlist.



Tenth Avenue Freeeze-out
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
No Surrender
Adam Raised a Cain
Spirit in the Night
Summertime Blues
Brilliant Disguise
Atlantic City
Growin' Up
Janey, Don't You Lose Heart
I'll Work for Your Love
Youngstown
Murder Incorporated
The Promised Land
Livin' in the Future
Mary's Place
Working on the Highway
Tunnel of Love
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Jungleland
Born to Run
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
American Land
Rosalita

Expedition Everest

My poor wife. On more than one occasion we have gone to Disney World and she has had to suffer through me not being able to get the nerve to go on a thrill ride. I am not a big fan of roller coasters and was never on one growing up. O.K. I 'm scared of them. The first time we went to Disney World I would not go on Space Mountain. Too scared. The next time we went, I managed to go on it, but only after 5 days of preparation. The sad part is, I loved it so much, we went on it again right after we got off it. The look on my wife's face was priceless as was her middle finger.
The next time we went, Expedition Everest was still in the building stages. I couldn't get a feel for what it was going to look like yet. We went a year later and it was all finished. I promised my wife that I would go on it the first day we were in the Animal Kingdom. We rode it and fell in love with the ride. Everything was amazing. The details in the line (the "pre show") itself were worth whatever wait we would have. Luckily, since we went during one of the slower times, our wait was only 15 minutes.
I am sure that as roller coasters go, this one is pretty tame. But it really is a great ride. It has a few good drops and the typical amazing details and storyline you find on rides at Disney World.
Later that week we went back to the Animal Kingdom and rode it 4 times in a row. Altogether it took only about 45 minutes to wait in line and take the ride the 4 times. Each time I loved looking at all the details and the atmosphere created.
Next time we go I might try the Rock N Roller Coaster, if I feel brave enough.

N.J. Red Bulls & L.A. Galaxy Giants Stadium 07/19/08

This post will not be so much about this game itself, but more about David Beckham's impact on Major League Soccer and Soccer in the United States.
The game it self was pretty good. Not as exciting as last years meeting at Giants Stadium between these two clubs, but it was a good game. It took about 20 minutes for the game and the teams to find their groove, but once they did, it was pretty exciting. L.A. dominated the first half, while New Jersey, err... New York dominated the second.
Carlos Ruiz and Landon Donovan scored for L.A., while Dave van den Bergh and Juan Pablo Angel scored for New Jersey. Out of the 4 goals, 3 were pretty memorable. Van den Bergh's was a solid blast from about 30 yards out. Angel's was a thing of beauty. A nice chip over the goalies head. Donovan's was another amazing shot that looked like it was not going in, but did. Donovan almost won the game for L.A. a minute later with a powerful shot that hit the upright post. That being said, it's pretty frustrating when your team loses the lead in the final minutes of stoppage time. My advice, defend for those last 3 minutes.
The game and the atmosphere were a little less intense compared to last years game, probably because that was Beckham's first game in the NJ/NY area last year after joining the Galaxy. There were also about 20,000 less people than last year. However, 46,754, people for a U.S. soccer game is pretty impressive.
A lot of people criticize Beckham for coming here, and label him as past his prime. I totally disagree. Time and time again, Beckham has come back from injuries and slumps and shown that he is still a solid player. Do I think he is the best player in the world? Of course not. He'd probably tell you the same thing himself. He is a great team player though. He is great at whet he specializes in, finding that 1 inch of space his teammates may have and getting the ball to them. He is a terrific midfielder and does not try to score goals when there's the slightest chance one of his teammates has a better shot. He does what a good captain should do, keep the team organized. Does he take practically every free kick or corner kick? Yes, but he is the most likely player to put the ball where it needs to be.
Another thing, I truly believe Beckham is sincere when he talks about his love of the game and the people he plays with. I really think he wants the game of soccer to succeed in this country, but he knows it will not happen overnight.
Despite what some people may say, he has raised the profile of soccer in this country, and a few more people are turning out to see games, and maybe watching on t.v.
I would love it if someone great like Luis Figo would play in MLS. The fact is , I could probably get better seats to the games he would play in. Don't get me wrong, Figo would help sell more tickets than are normally sold, but not as many as Beckham. Few players could help sell as many tickets as he does.
When Pele came to play for the Cosmos in the U.S., he raised interest and curiosity for the sport of soccer in this country. Now it's Beckham's turn.
There are many great players, many better than Mr. Beckham, but the fact is this. For soccer to get more notice in this country, it needs a rock star, and Beckham is the biggest rock star soccer has.

Denise Richards:It's Complicated......If you're an idiot

Denise Richards has now added her name to the long list of celebrities who want to have their lives filmed daily and show how they go through all the same trials & tribulations as everyone else.
I must say, that I am one of the people who believe that celebrities are dogged by photographer's and paparazzi more than they should be. I know they are celebrities and in being such, have given up part of their private lives. I agree that is part of the price you pay. If you show up at an public event(Movie Premiere,Play Premiere,Charity Event,Etc.) you should expect photographer's and fans to film you, take your picture, ask for an autograph. This should be expected and part of the job.
However, if you're famous and going to the doctor's office, or at a funeral , or maybe out with your family, the paparazzi should have some minute sense of decency and allow you to have some sort of "normal" life. But decency is not really something to expect from these sort of vultures. It is not the same as it was years and years ago. There are more and more photographers stalking these celebrities and it certainly has gotten out of hand. It would be nice if a couple having a baby was given the peace to have some alone time, unless they're selling the pictures for a huge sum of money which seems to be the trend nowadays.
Having said this, I am amazed that Denise Richard's will have her daily life, along with her children, filmed and then is shocked when photographers start taking pictures. Here's an idea, if you don't want to be photographed doing private things, like sunbathing or going to the tattoo parlor, try not hiring a film crew to draw attention to yourself. The reality is, the producers of this show probably hired the 2 photographers who were photographing her and her friends in Hawaii to follow them and make it seem like anyone cares about her vacation. As my wife said, "I'd love to know where you could see these pictures, I've never seen pictures of her anywhere".
Luckily I've seen only 1 or 2 episodes of this show, and I keep watching out of frustration. But watching the exciting episode where Denise and her friends got to get away from the oh so mundane life of spending time with their children and got to cut loose like they were "in high school", was just enough to make me never watch again. However, never say never.
As I said, it's hard to have any sympathy for someone who is so bothered that their daily activities are being filmed by someone other than the people she is working with to film her daily activities.
As the title says, it's complicated. Actually it's not.

Live Earth - Giants Stadium 07/07/07

Today marks the one year anniversary of Live Earth, the global concert to raise awareness about Global Warming. I won't go into details about the expansiveness of this concert since probably everyone already knows, unless you live under a rock.
It had been some time since I was at a BIG concert, let alone one that had multiple acts and was all day long. My wife and I had never been to a concert of this size together, and I was very excited when word was announced about this show. Bon Jovi were one of the performers so I knew she would want to go. There were several band that I wanted to see so I needed no coaxing.
We managed to get great seats, and we were blessed with a perfect day. It never got too warm and the crowd around us was great. I was a little leery at first since New Jersey audiences tend to be some of the most obnoxious and loud. I could never understand the idea of paying money to talk through a show. Having said that, the audiences when I went to see U2 at the Continental Airlines Arena and Coldplay at the same venue, different dates, were two of the best audiences I can remember. What I thought was great about the crowd at Live Earth, was that if they weren't into a particular artist, they would either head out and take a walk, or watch and give them a shot. Since the concert included a pretty diverse group of acts, everyone around us seemed to be there for a different artist. My Wife was there for Bon Jovi, I was there for the Dave Matthews Band, the couple in front of us for Kanye West, the family behind us for Roger Waters. Everyone was willing to listen to each others band and have a good time.
The big critique of the concerts was that so much energy was wasted putting on these huge concerts, and that we cannot save the planet by changing a light bulb. Those critics are partially correct. You can't save the planet by changing a light bulb, and you can't expect people to go on living and give up everything they are use to. However, if more people did change the type of light bulbs they use and recycled and carpooled and used a little less water and didn't have every light in their house on, it might start to make a difference. And the main point of all the speeches given that day was that nothing will change unless governments(local and national) lead the way.
My life may not have changed that much since that day, but I do try to do a little everyday. A year and a half ago no one was talking about practical ways to save energy, but today it's in our vocabulary. Generally as a country, we expect changes overnight. Real change usually happens a little at a time.
So we went away from Giants Stadium that night with a little hope and of course the memory of some great performances. I'll list a few of the highlights ,for me, that day.
After the concert, my Wife and I headed to the Tick Tock Diner for some food, along with many other concert goers. When we walked in, NBC was showing the highlights from the concert. There were the Police performing Message in a Bottle with Kanye West & John Mayer. The phrase "sending out an S.O.S." was still in my mind, and Kanye managed to salvage his part after adding some pretty lame rhymes earlier in the song by ending with "we can save the world". The reality is maybe we can't, but it's nice to have that hope sometimes and to believe, if only for a day, that you can save the world.

Highlights

K. T. Tunstall - Suddenly I See
Keith Urban & Alicia Keys-Gimme Shelter
Keith Urban-Stupid Boy
A.F.I.-Ziggy Stardust
Fall Out Boy- This Ain't a Scene It's an Arms Race
John Mayer-Waiting On the World
Dave Matthews Band-Whole set: One Sweet World
Don't Drink the Water
Too Much
Kelly Clarkson-Since You've Been Gone
Kanye West-Stronger
Bon Jovi-Whole set: Lost Highway
It's My Life
Wanted Dead or Alive
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Livin' on a Prayer
Smashing Pumpkins-Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Today
Roger Waters-Whole set:In the Flesh-intro
Money
Us & Them
Eclipse/Brain Damage
Happiest Days Of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall Part II
Police-Can't Stand Losing You/Regatta de Blanc

Glen Burtnick - Point Pleasant High School 06/04/1988

When I was finally of legal drinking age to go to the Stone Pony, I went as often as I could. For years I had wanted to go to see the bands. But back then , you had to be 21 to enter. None of this 18 to enter 21 to drink policy they have now. Of course I always went with the hopes of seeing Bruce Springsteen. I was lucky to catch him on a couple occasions, but I got to see and hear a lot of other good musicians too.

One of those musicians I saw many times was Glen Burtnick. He later dropped the "c" to become Glen Burtnik. Glen was a one time member of Cats on a Smooth Surface and La Bamba & the Hubcaps. He was a member of Beatlemania along with Marshall Crenshaw. His first album was titled Talking in Code. It included some very good songs, a few which became staples of his live shows. The sound was very overproduced and very 80's sounding. His second album was titled Heroes & Zeros and was was closer to the sound he had wanted to create, from what I had read. It had a slightly harder sound, but the songs all had strong melodies. It sounded, to me, what 80's Bon Jovi might have sounded like if they were a little less commercial.

I wound up seeing Glen several times at the Pony playing with Cats on a Smooth Surface as a guest. Almost every time they would perform Heard it on the Radio, which he co-wrote with Vinnie Daniele of Cats. This song was the first song on the second side of the Heroes & Zeros album.Glen was always there whenever there was a benefit concert, and still is. To this day he still puts on his annual Christmas Extravaganza where he performs with many of his friends and musicians he's worked with over the years.

When Heroes & Zeros came out, I had to get it. A local artist had a major release. Had to support the locals. Well I wound up loving the album and saw Glen virtually every time he played either the Pony, or Birch Hill, or Raritan Manor, or wherever. The song Follow You would reach #65 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. Glen would later have a side project called the Slaves of New Brunswick which released a CD. I will cover them later. Glen later replaced Tommy Shaw when Styx reunited. He co-wrote several songs on their Edge of the Century album, one of which reached #25 on the Billboard Top 100 (Love at First Sight). He co-wrote Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough with Patty Smyth. That song reached #2 on the Billboard Top 100.

I would see Glen a few times here and there, but never as much as the late 80's through the early 90's.

One of my favorite Glen shows was in support of Heroes & Zeros. He did a show at a local high school in Point Pleasant New Jersey called Point Boro High School. I went with a couple friends, some who had seen Glen before, some who had never heard him. One was studying for the bar and was originally not going to go. Her Father convinced her to go out one night and have some fun. She became an instant fan. Another was a good friend who I had seen Glen with several times at the Stone Pony. The other was a friend from college who was a Glen fan. She brought her boyfriend along. They both loved the show.

Here is the set list from that night.

Scattered

Walls Came Down

Heard it on the Radio

For Your Love/Spinning My Wheels

Love Goes On

Here Comes Sally

Stupid Boys

Talking in Code/Perfect World

Replace My Face

Little Red House

Follow You/Not Fade Away

Glad All Over/Birthday/Pump it Up

Talk That Talk

Slow Down

The Day That Your Ship Gets Thru

Abalene

We're Alright

Jon Bon Jovi-Supper Club,New York 06/18/97

My Wife is a big Bon Jovi fan. I like them, but not as much as her. I don't know if anyone likes them as much as she does. I have been with her to see them many many times and usually enjoy myself very much. They put on a great concert and are a very tight band.
When Jon released his second solo album, Destination Anywhere, he did a small tour in support of the album/CD. For whatever reason. we were able to get tickets for the closest show near us. The show was at the Supper Club in New York. We drove in with a friend and saw, what to this day is probably my favorite Bon Jovi show, even though technically it was not a Bon Jovi show.
For this tour he had a backing band which consisted of Hugh MacDonald on Bass(current bass player with Bon Jovi), Bobby Bandiera on guitar(second guitarist with Bon Jovi/Asbury Jukes/many time Bruce Springsteen side man/and the list goes on), Jerry Cohen on keyboards, Shawn Pelton on drums(Sheryl Crow Drummer/John Eddie Drummer,SNL, etc...) and Everett Bradley on percussion(John Eddie, and everyone under the sun).
For the show, Jon focused primarily on his solo songs. He did throw in a few Bon Jovi songs and 2 covers as bookends.
I prefer Jon's solo albums to the band recordings, so right off the bat I knew I would probably love the show. All the songs sounded great, with the exception of Keep the Faith. This song came across as very sluggish with the absence of Tico Torres on the drums. August 7, 4:15 was not performed in it's album version, but was slowed down to be a ballad. Livin' on a Prayer was performed is the acoustic version that Bon Jovi had performed previously, most notably on the MTV Music awards and the Bon Jovi Christmas concerts at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank New Jersey. The rest of the songs were pretty faithful to the original versions, with enough room for some great soloing from Bobby and company.
This would also be the only time I would get to see any Jon's solo songs performed live, with the exception of Blaze of Glory which he does pretty regularly with Bon Jovi, and Blood Money which he does perform with Bon Jovi on occasion.
The show was well paced and I thought the set list was pretty strong. I liked the fact that the crowd was accepting of the band he picked, and did not gripe that he did not perform such standard Bon Jovi fare as Bad Medicine or You Give Love a Bad Name. I personally could do without seeing either of those songs ever again. One thing I've noticed when I've spoken with Bon Jovi fans or noticed while at one of their concerts, is that they tend to prefer the focus to be on only the 4 members of Bon Jovi: Jon, Richie, Tico, and David Bryan. Hugh is technically not a member of the band. Go figure. The fans would rather hear Bad Medicine or It's My Life, than a lesser known song like Hearts Breaking Even or Stick To Your Guns. So I was very happy to see a very positive reaction to the backing band and the songs he chose.
As far as the band goes, he picked a good group of musicians, that did not sound like Bon Jovi wannabes. I personally prefer Bobby Bandiera's style of guitar playing to Richie Sambora. I do think Richie is a great guitarist and a very good singer. I don't think Bobby is as fast as Richie, but I prefer his bluesier, crunchier style of playing. He gets more out of 5 notes, than most guitarists get out of 50.
I spotted Little Steven in the crowd and hoped he might join Jon onstage for a song, but that never materialized. But I cannot complain since I was treated to a great show in a small venue.
I always hope that Jon will once again work on a solo effort since I think his writing and music is a bit meatier when he sets out on his own.
Here is the set list.

Not Fade Away
Every Word Was a Piece of My Heart
Queen of New Orleans
Ugly
Midnight in Chelsea
Destination Anywhere
Blaze of Glory
Livin' on a Prayer-Acoustic version
August 7, 4:15
Billy Get Your Guns
Janie Don't You Take Your Love To Town
Naked
Keep the Faith

It's Just Me
Wanted Dead or Alive
Sleep When I'm Dead

Treat Her Right

Show length was 1 hour 45 minutes