Virgin Fest 2008, wrap up!

I left for the show a little later then expected, but made it. I hung around the entrance of the race track trying to buy a ticket. Last year it only took like 10 minutes to get into the show. This year it was a bit longer, about 45 minutes. And I paid $50, which was still about half price. That's life. I missed KT Tunstel, the opening act I wanted to see. I did catch the next group Gogol Bordello. I was surprised how good these guys were! They were very energetic and kept the place rockin!

This year I found a spot by the VIP area and stayed there. It had kind of a seat, so I could sit down or stand on the seat to see over the crowd. This gave me a great view to take some pictures. I think the pictures this year came out a lot better then last. Also unlike most concerts, the sun was right onto the stage, which made things very bright and clear.

The next group that came up was Lupe Fiasco. Some of the people around me told me they were good. They weren't very good. They did some kind of hip-hop/R&B thing that really wasn't good. And they kept messing with the stage monitors, which destroyed any pacing that they may have had.

Then came Bloc Party. These guys were okay, if you like shitty music. They were professional and all, but I just didn't like their music.

Finally, The Offspring! I was afraid that they would load up the set list with their new album or the one right before it, NOPE! They played all the classics a couple off of 'Conspiracy of One' that I really liked, and ended with Low Self Esteem!


A mushpit broke out, and all in all, the best time I've had at a show in a while, just rockin' out!
After The Offspring left, the place cleared out, FAST! I guess the kids weren't keen about seeing Chuck Berry. Well, I should have went with them. This is what happen:
The Silver Beats came out first. When I read this on the program, I thought this was Chuck's backing band, but no. This was a Japanese, Beatles tribute band. I guess they played cheap. The music was fine, but it was just the wrong venue for this group.

So Chuck finally came out. I know he's old, and he looked every day of his age. But I was hopeful. Well, it went bad. He started every song like it was Johnny B Goode, and then sing a different song, but destroy the lyrics. This went on for all the songs he did. I was just hoping he would wrap it up and get off the stage. Then it got worse. He said something like, "For the last number I want to let some girls up here on stage! Four on the left, four on the right, and four in the center. Security, help them up here!" Well, it was actually creepier then it sounds. And none of the girls wanted anything to do with it. Finally the rounded up a bunch of them. The song went on, and he left the stage while the band was still playing. What a mess!


Then waited around for the Foo Fighters! They were good. The crowd was into it, the whole bit. I'm just not a big Foo Fan. I watched them for about half an hour and rolled out.



I wanted to beat traffic. So that was my show. The weather was great! And I can't wait until next year!

Happenings this month...

Not much...

It's been a little while since I've posted, but there really isn't a heck of a lot to blog about. I'll break it out a little.

Garden

The garden is coming along fine. I've been meaning to take some pictures, but it basically looks like last year. I have had some kind of bug infestation that is really wiping out my squash this year. I have tried pesticide, but no luck. Cucumbers have been coming on pretty well (as usual) and I've been bringing them in for the folks at work. They seem to enjoy them!

Work

Speaking of work, all is going well here. It seems to be a pretty tight knit bunch and that's a good thing. The only problem is that it's God awful boring. I can pretty much come and go as I please, but while I am here, there really is NOTHING to do. So here I am blogging.

On June 30, Teri and I did bring Rebecca in to see all the folks. That was a big hit. This kind of set me up in a situation where I can stay here a long time. The 3 of us also came down on Sunday 7/13. I needed to do some work, and Teri and the baby went to the Portrait Museum. It was right around the corner from Legal Seafood (where we had dinner). All in all, it's going as swimmingly as it possibly can.

Friends (relationships)

It seems like I am the Rock when it comes to my friends. A couple of them are having problems, but they lean on me to keep them going. I don't know how I ended up in this position, but I try to lend as much support as possible. I don't really want to go into a lot of detail and break their trust, but I do try to remain supportive and give the best advice I can.

Concerts and up coming stuff

Well July is a boring month, just like I thought it would be. That's okay, because August looks like a total blow out! I'm now going to do 3 Springsteen shows, and work a vacation into the works too.

On the evening of August 14, Teri, Rebecca, Sister Cindy, Niece Candice, Great Niece Tabitha, and maybe Nephew Kurt, are traveling to Roanoke Rapids, NC to stay with Teri's kin. Then on August 15, we continue down the highway to Myrtle Beach, SC. The night of August 15, Cindy and I are going out on the gambling boat for a poker tournament. The next day, August 16, my birthday, Teri and I go to Charleston, SC for the Springsteen concert.
We have a 'free day' on the 17th, then it's time to head north on Monday, 8/18. When we will see Bruce again in Richmond, VA. Cindy will take Rebecca for the remainder of the trip back to MD, and watch her the next day when we see Bruce the final time in Hershey.
Not 100% sure if all of this will happen, but at least that's the plan at this point.

So that's the news here. I will try to update a little more often, or as near as I can make it.

Summer’s Here and the time is right…

Well it’s not here yet, but a few bands have announced tours and I got tickets. It seems June is filling in. Tom Petty on Sunday, 6/8 at the Nissan Pavilion in Virginia, then the following Saturday, 6/14, Rush in Philly, followed by Pearl Jam in DC on 6/22. I’ll probably take in the Springsteen show in Charlottesville, VA on 4/30. I think the Donk got us some tickets to see the Black Crows in August; the Virgin Fest will take place again in August. Maybe a Bruce show or two. Got to take in an O’s game or two, and probably want to get down the Nats at their new ballpark. The summer is filling up!

Virgin Festival 2007 - The People

And now, the people who were at the show.
As usual it was a very peaceful show. Back in the day, folk would get drunk and fight, not the case any more. Kind of in a boring way. Most of the people at the show were young (18-25) or were there with their kids. The geezers had to see the geezer acts of Cheap Trick and The Police. And if you ask the geezers, all the other acts sucked.

Street Acts
Outside of the bands on stage, there was a lot of entertainment off the stage. Anything from people promoting their various social causes, to people just promoting their self.

Young Girls

It was a hot day, and this encouraged the girls to show a lot of skin. But now a day, they don’t flash the bands any more, which is disappointing to the rest of us.

Illicit Activity
And with any festival since Woodstock, there was a fair share of drugs. Mostly pot, but I am sure a few were taking other things. I'm not judging, I'm just reporting. Some people were more then happy to allow for a photo or two.

Virgin Festival 2007 - The Musicians

With a full day of activities, I'm going to write several posts. The first and most important, the musicians. Big line up, and I so all of the main stage and a few on the second stage. This will be in mostly chronological order.

Fountains of Wayne
I have heard a couple of their songs, and I thought they were pretty good. They are actually better then I thought. I hope to see them again sometime in the future, and maybe I'll add their CD(s) to my collection.


Cheap Trick
I've seen them before, and they are a great opening act. The crowd knows 4-5 of their songs and that is good enough for any opening group.


Amy Winehouse
I was hoping she would be a good act. Her songs I've heard on the radio were pretty good. What a disappointment. The band was pretty decent size, with horns, backup singers, the works. But her songs were slow, and I lost interest quick. This looks like a one trick pony.


Paolo Nutini
Very impressive! He had the crowd eating out of his hand. Good songs, good stage presence, a really bright future! And all this from a Scotsman!


A couple middle acts I didn't think much of, and will skip over them. Next up, Ben Harper.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
My friend Ray (who I went to the show with) said he liked Ben Harper, so I checked him out. The performance started a little slow, but Ben got into a rhythm and ended up putting on a great performance! Highly musically talented, and plays a few different instruments. I hope to see him again sometime down the road.



Beastie Boys
They were okay. I've never thought that much of them, and they didn't do anything to change my mind a the show. I didn't get up close and just shot the screen.


The Police
If this had been the only time I would hear the over the summer, it would have been an okay performance. But I've downloaded a dozen of their shows, and they are the same setlist, and sound the same. Stick to the greatest hits for 100 minutes and the Geezers are happy...


Modest Mouse
These guys are a combination, Grateful Dead and Talking Heads. They put on a really good show, much better then The Police who they were sharing audience time. The lead singer cranked it out and a full range of instruments made for a really full sound. Because of the thick crowd, I could only shoot the screen. I hope to see these guys again too.


So there you have it! My one day at the Virgin Festival. As I said, I'll post more on other activities that took place soon.

Concerts for the Summer of 2007

It's time to start getting back out there and hit some shows. There isn't any HUGE band that I MUST see, but the summer is starting to fill up. In order of appearance:

June 23: RUSH at the Nissan Pavilion. The Donk got tickets and Chris wants to hop on the ride down to the show with us. Chris will probably end up with better tickets and pay well under face.


As I labeled this in an e-mail: GEEZ-FEST!
Yes, finally the Geezer show that you have been waiting for! These bands wouldn’t sell out a state fair alone, but they will be all together for one BIG NIGHT! Saturday, July 21, 2007 at the

Baltimore Arena (1^st Mariner Arena, Civic Center, whatever you want to call it) get down with JACK-FM as the ‘JACK-Fest’ comes to Baltimore! It's JACK FEST-- featuring ZZ TOP...REO SPEEDWAGON...THE PRETENDERS...and THE STRAY CATS!

Assuming I recover from the Geez-Fest, the next day it is off to Wilmington, DE for the opening night of the Counting Crows show on July 22.


If it was just the Counting Crows, I wouldn't go through much trouble, but this is a 3 band lineup. Along with the Crows, Live and Collective Soul will also be on the bill. I will actually take in a couple more Crows shows on this tour. On August 14 and 15 they will be playing a couple of other minor league ball parks in Aberdeen and Frederick, MD. This should also be interesting too since I will probably train it to the shows right after work.

Last September, I bought tickets and had all intentions of going to the Virgin Fest show. Unfortunately, my appendix gave out earlier in the week and I didn't make it. But this year, I am on for the August 4 show.


Austin City Limits Music Festival - I really want to go to this show. I probably won't pick up tickets until I get there (or shortly before) and I will need to get things straight with stuff at work. But of all of the show, this is the one that I would like to see the most!