Since all I have seen is this youtube video, I don't understand the context of Foo Fighters playing a Carly Simon cover on a Grammy nominations show. Was everyone performing asked to do a cover? All I know is this was a pleasant surprise to watch over morning coffee. This past June I got obsessed with that song for the second time in my life. I like the combination of Carly Simon and Mick Jagger's vocals on it and the lyrics are classic. So on a flight from Salt Lake City to London, I put it on a playlist I've been playing quite a bit.
Dave's growl adds a certain menacing quality to the song. It's more like "You're so vain and I'm gonna make sure you don't live anymore because of it". Hahaha --J
Showing posts with label FooFighters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FooFighters. Show all posts
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
The Boys are in Town
Instead of going to Wembley, I was jet-lagged and watching the Sex and the City movie. I was thinking on the train ride home that Sex and the City never had good music in it. Why is that? Do girlie girls not care about music unless it’s accompanying a runway show? Random thought, I digress. --J
Monday, February 11, 2008
50th Grammys- K's POV
It was the 50th anniversary, so the show was all about celebrating the classic with the contemporary; thus, you had a duet with Alicia Keys and Frank Sinatra to open the show. Cher introduced Tina Turner and Beyonce (who just needs to stop- I'm sorry I'm just not into her jerky movements) performing Proud Mary. Kid Rock and Keely Smith performed That Old Black Magic. They were very playful and somehow it worked.
Jason Bateman referred to a cello as a violin with thyroid trouble, LOL. He also mentioned John Paul Jones playing with Foo and said "as in Led Zeppelin, for all the morons out there". I really miss Arrested Development.
Dave Grohl dedicated the record of the year award to his daughter- he got slightly choked up.
Cirque du Soleil performed a bit of their beatles themed show with song A Day in the Life, which is one of my favorites.
Kanye gave an emotional performance clearly dedicated to his mother after "Stronger". It was moving.
Amy, my god- I don't know what to say. She looked and sounded terrific. That girl sang her heart out last night.
The big surprise was that Herbie Hancock won album of the year. Even Quincy Jones, who gave away the award, was shocked.
All in all, it was not boring, which is all we can ask for! -K
Jason Bateman referred to a cello as a violin with thyroid trouble, LOL. He also mentioned John Paul Jones playing with Foo and said "as in Led Zeppelin, for all the morons out there". I really miss Arrested Development.
Dave Grohl dedicated the record of the year award to his daughter- he got slightly choked up.
Cirque du Soleil performed a bit of their beatles themed show with song A Day in the Life, which is one of my favorites.
Kanye gave an emotional performance clearly dedicated to his mother after "Stronger". It was moving.
Amy, my god- I don't know what to say. She looked and sounded terrific. That girl sang her heart out last night.
The big surprise was that Herbie Hancock won album of the year. Even Quincy Jones, who gave away the award, was shocked.
All in all, it was not boring, which is all we can ask for! -K
Separating the Artist from their Music
Ugh, sounds like the Grammy broadcast might have been worth watching this year. Everything I have read says that Amy did a fine job at 4 a.m. from London, but maybe that’s the UK press playing favorites. I’m looking online for a clip of the performance so I can judge for myself. Looking at the list of winners, I had some thoughts, and a lot of them relate to my ability (or inability) to separate the artist from their work.
1. Amy Winehouse – If the focus was back on her music, then bravo. I am glad to see her record be honored this year. The UK press here has made it difficult to remember that it should be about the music.
2. Foo Fighters – In spite of being smitten with all things Dave Grohl, I’m not crazy about this album. There, I said it, trying desperately to separate the artist from the work. I do, however, think The Pretender is a great single.
3. Kanye West – The man has had an extremely difficult year, so I am going to go gently, but usually when I see him win or not win an award, all I can think about is what a sore loser he is. Is it just me or is it also difficult for us rock fans to tell how really talented a hip hop star is? I mean so much is production, isn’t it?
4. Alicia Keys – I dig the instrumentation on No One, but her voice on that song. The word “caterwaul” comes to mind. Since it seems like she is always photographed with the powerful Clive Davis, I always wonder if she would dominate the airwaves in true payola fashion even if people didn’t like her.
As Dennis Miller would say, “of course that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong”. --J
1. Amy Winehouse – If the focus was back on her music, then bravo. I am glad to see her record be honored this year. The UK press here has made it difficult to remember that it should be about the music.
2. Foo Fighters – In spite of being smitten with all things Dave Grohl, I’m not crazy about this album. There, I said it, trying desperately to separate the artist from the work. I do, however, think The Pretender is a great single.
3. Kanye West – The man has had an extremely difficult year, so I am going to go gently, but usually when I see him win or not win an award, all I can think about is what a sore loser he is. Is it just me or is it also difficult for us rock fans to tell how really talented a hip hop star is? I mean so much is production, isn’t it?
4. Alicia Keys – I dig the instrumentation on No One, but her voice on that song. The word “caterwaul” comes to mind. Since it seems like she is always photographed with the powerful Clive Davis, I always wonder if she would dominate the airwaves in true payola fashion even if people didn’t like her.
As Dennis Miller would say, “of course that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong”. --J
Sunday, February 10, 2008
J's Random Thoughts
So no Grammy viewing for me! They are broadcast here tomorrow, but on a satellite channel. It bothers me but really it shouldn’t since every year I just bitch about how lame the show is. But this year my boyfriend Dave takes the center stage with some unknown musician playing with the Foo Fighters, so I guess I’ll have to youtube that tomorrow.
For the past few weeks I have been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin and I can’t really explain why. When I was in the fourth grade, I was talking to some boys in my class and to seem cooler, I told them that I liked Led Zeppelin, which is what my brothers were into at the time. Forget the fact that my two favorite LPs at the time were The Knack’s Get The Knack and the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. Later in life I specifically remember having a conversation with my husband H about how much I disliked Led Zeppelin and how I would never like them. I’m not quite sure what’s happened, but I’m totally into them now. Since H is a fan, all of their records were already loaded on my iPod as if my iPod was anticipating my future requests.
New stuff is just not moving me right now. For example, this band Vampire Weekend that every music magazine is covering, in my opinion is just unnecessary. So here I go, regressing to the fourth grade and meaning it this time. Led Zeppelin at the moment is my favorite. --J
For the past few weeks I have been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin and I can’t really explain why. When I was in the fourth grade, I was talking to some boys in my class and to seem cooler, I told them that I liked Led Zeppelin, which is what my brothers were into at the time. Forget the fact that my two favorite LPs at the time were The Knack’s Get The Knack and the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. Later in life I specifically remember having a conversation with my husband H about how much I disliked Led Zeppelin and how I would never like them. I’m not quite sure what’s happened, but I’m totally into them now. Since H is a fan, all of their records were already loaded on my iPod as if my iPod was anticipating my future requests.
New stuff is just not moving me right now. For example, this band Vampire Weekend that every music magazine is covering, in my opinion is just unnecessary. So here I go, regressing to the fourth grade and meaning it this time. Led Zeppelin at the moment is my favorite. --J
Sunday, November 18, 2007
All the Guys in the Audience Want to Be Him, and All The Girls Want To…
I don’t think that there is anything left for me to see at a Foo Fighters show. This was the biggest and most impressive, with the craziest audience.
The stage looked kind of spare compared to their last tour, but there was a long walkway that led to a round covered smaller stage in the middle of the floor of the arena. Mid-way through the show, the cover came off of the smaller stage and the band moved there for a set of about five acoustic songs. They were joined on that stage by some of the musicians that played on the acoustic tour including Pat Smear. Every effort was made to acknowledge and play to everyone in the audience, including the people in the nosebleed sections, and the crowd went wild.
They played for two and a half hours, which led me to wonder if Taylor Hawkins is human. He is absolutely amazing! While the crowd loves Dave (girls were wearing Mrs Dave Grohl shirts next to me) I thought it was Taylor’s night.
The setlist covered all of the highlights, including a lot of stuff from the first record. The most amazing part of the night was when Dave mentioned they wanted to do something special since they were in London and just then two people starting to walk out to the stage. When I saw the silhouette I knew who it was instantly. Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen joined them and they performed 39 from A Night at the Opera. Not only did we get to see these two legendary performers, but we got to witness Dave and Taylor gushing all over them, they are such huge fans.
As I left the arena, I realized it has been ten years since I saw them perform in Huntsville, Alabama at Big Spring Jam in front of a crowd that might have been as big as one section of seats in the huge O2 Arena. Seeing them at the height of their fame last night in a country that adores them was a nice note to end on. As they say in the UK, well done!
At the end of the night, Dave said to the audience, "I wish I could make out with each and every one of ya". Okay, so maybe there IS something left to see. --J
Monday, September 10, 2007
Fighting Jetlag and LOL'ing, Judakris watches the 2007 VMAs
I will not be one of the many that makes fun of Britney after her VMAs opening last night. I realize she's fucked herself over the past few years, but I couldn't help but feel kind of sorry for her. I was totally annoyed that MTV agreed to let her open because they knew viewers would tune in to see the train wreck. Of course she agreed to do it, she would probably have done anything to get herself back on stage and in front of that audience. I don't care how damaged she is, I don't like watching a person basically self-destruct onstage. (By the way, who in the hell made the decision to open with a close-up of her hair extensions?) To me it was just too easy and unnecessary. With TMZ and Perez coming on the air, I guess MTV felt that they needed to jump on the bandwagon and feed the public's hunger to shoot a celeb while they're down.
Listen, while I was annoyed with MTV, I can't defend Britney. I may feel sorry for her, but she just needs to buck up. J told me she heard talk that Britney missed rehearsals for personal reasons (in other words, she had been partying too hard, which is indeed totally unprofessional). As a result she seemed comepletely stressed during the performance, forgetting lyrics and steps. Regardless, my beef is still with the channel I have loved my whole life. Any class MTV had seemed to go out the door along with all the music videos they used to play. It's just sad.
To be honest, while J and I agreed that the editing of the live performances were quick and wonderfully devoid of boring commentary, I felt as though the opening performance cast a dark cloud over the entire show and thereafter nothing seemed quite balanced. Despite this, there were two things that cracked me up: 1. anyone else notice that Beyonce's boob was on its way out? As she walked up onstage that boob seemed determined to say thank you as well.
Check out Kanye's face.
And, 2. Travis McCoy was totally loaded at some point. Not really able to say thank you since members of Fall Out Boy and other suite folks screamed and crowded around the band when it was announced that Gym Class Heroes won Best New Artist, Travis decided to chug his drink. Good boy. Actually, a lot of people seemed to be in a festive mood. Maybe it was Vegas, maybe it was to forget the opening.
I have a question. Who dresses Alicia Keys? The woman is talented and gorgeous, but that ensemble she had on during her performance was so unfortunate. I think J described the lower body section resembling "sausages." Very true.
I LOVE that Kid Rock and Tommy Lee got into a scuffle.
That's so rock n roll. I've heard that Kid Rock gave it to Tommy pretty good.
I also love that Justin kept taking every opportunity to tell MTV they needed to play more videos- even in front of some girls from The Hills. Right on, JT.
I dug that Rihanna opened Shut Up and Drive by jumping on the bed in a Hot Topic-like outfit. So cute.
Thankfully, the Foo Fighters rocked it out. Someone needed to. I wish we could have heard more of the Cee-Lo/FF cover of Darling Nicky.
I have no clue who Peter, Bjorn, and John are.
Finally, thank CHRIST J is back in town, if only for a week! -K
Listen, while I was annoyed with MTV, I can't defend Britney. I may feel sorry for her, but she just needs to buck up. J told me she heard talk that Britney missed rehearsals for personal reasons (in other words, she had been partying too hard, which is indeed totally unprofessional). As a result she seemed comepletely stressed during the performance, forgetting lyrics and steps. Regardless, my beef is still with the channel I have loved my whole life. Any class MTV had seemed to go out the door along with all the music videos they used to play. It's just sad.
To be honest, while J and I agreed that the editing of the live performances were quick and wonderfully devoid of boring commentary, I felt as though the opening performance cast a dark cloud over the entire show and thereafter nothing seemed quite balanced. Despite this, there were two things that cracked me up: 1. anyone else notice that Beyonce's boob was on its way out? As she walked up onstage that boob seemed determined to say thank you as well.
Check out Kanye's face.And, 2. Travis McCoy was totally loaded at some point. Not really able to say thank you since members of Fall Out Boy and other suite folks screamed and crowded around the band when it was announced that Gym Class Heroes won Best New Artist, Travis decided to chug his drink. Good boy. Actually, a lot of people seemed to be in a festive mood. Maybe it was Vegas, maybe it was to forget the opening.
I have a question. Who dresses Alicia Keys? The woman is talented and gorgeous, but that ensemble she had on during her performance was so unfortunate. I think J described the lower body section resembling "sausages." Very true.
I LOVE that Kid Rock and Tommy Lee got into a scuffle.
That's so rock n roll. I've heard that Kid Rock gave it to Tommy pretty good.I also love that Justin kept taking every opportunity to tell MTV they needed to play more videos- even in front of some girls from The Hills. Right on, JT.
I dug that Rihanna opened Shut Up and Drive by jumping on the bed in a Hot Topic-like outfit. So cute.
Thankfully, the Foo Fighters rocked it out. Someone needed to. I wish we could have heard more of the Cee-Lo/FF cover of Darling Nicky.
I have no clue who Peter, Bjorn, and John are.
Finally, thank CHRIST J is back in town, if only for a week! -K
Friday, August 17, 2007
Musical Sidenotes
I haven't driven a car in a week since my move to the UK, so I haven't really listened to music. I did download the new FF single, The Pretender. They deliver a satisfying solid rock song but it is not exactly covering new ground. The Foos are playing all over the UK right now but nowhere close. It's as if Dave wants to hover close to me but not seem too obvious.
Amy Winehouse is the Lindsay Lohan of Britain. Every day there is a new article about her drug and alcohol problems.
Every night at midnight one of the stations airs a live performance of a popular band from one of the summer festivals. It's very cool.
I stepped into a small independent record store around the bend from my office. I got the High Fidelity stare. You know, are you worthy to buy something that I sell? I would have bought something if they had anything that I was interested in that I didn't already own.
I fear that I won't be catching any shows soon. While there are some coming that I would like to see, I'm on a remote train line into London right now and I'm not keen on riding the train late at night by myself. K, I miss you! --J
Amy Winehouse is the Lindsay Lohan of Britain. Every day there is a new article about her drug and alcohol problems.
Every night at midnight one of the stations airs a live performance of a popular band from one of the summer festivals. It's very cool.
I stepped into a small independent record store around the bend from my office. I got the High Fidelity stare. You know, are you worthy to buy something that I sell? I would have bought something if they had anything that I was interested in that I didn't already own.
I fear that I won't be catching any shows soon. While there are some coming that I would like to see, I'm on a remote train line into London right now and I'm not keen on riding the train late at night by myself. K, I miss you! --J
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
New Foo Fighters Record in September
Dave and the boys have announced the tracklist for their upcoming record. One of the songs is titled, Cheer Up Boys (Your Makeup is Running). Can't wait to hear that one. --J
Sunday, July 8, 2007
7-7-07
I feel like I shouldn't be making negative comments on the performances of Live Earth because it wasn't about the performer at all. It was really about spreading awareness. I have already started making notes as to what I can do locally to help out, but after HOURS of tv watching I couldn't help but get annoyed, get entertained, and often totally enjoy the hell out of watching a thousand and one broadcasts of performances! So here are some thoughts…
Firstly, the most hilarious performance was Snoop Dogg in Hamburg only because I have never seen so many white people arm pumping at one time.
Having to sit through performances by snoozers like John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae, Metallica was a most welcome performance. Let's face it, Metallica was made to to be big and loud and Wembley provided them with the perfect playground. When I heard the opening of Nothing Else Matters I stopped everything I was doing and sat glued to the television. Metallica blew Wembley's collective face off and the men in the crowd responded by head banging and wearing a "thank you god" look on their faces. James Hetfield told the crowd, "make some noize if you give a shit" They did.
Roger Waters performed a few songs from Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall while an inflatable pig hovered over the crowd in Giants Stadium with Save our Sausage graffiti'ed on its side. David Gilmour was not there.
Kasabian was underwhelming, but as usual looked as though they were quite proud of themselves.
Next to Metallica, I think Foo Fighters were the most energetic.
Leave it to Billy Corrigan to use the opportunity to promote his new album during his performance. OK, we all saw ya. You can sit down now.
RHCP were good, but I wish that Anthony Kiedis would figure out what he's doing with that hair.
Black Eyed Peas were just as annoying as they usually are.
Alicia Keys looked and sounded stunning. She was the only thing that made Keith Urban's Give Me Shelter stand out.
Bon Jovi has just become a performing machine, haven't they? It really bugs me because I can remember seeing them in Giants Stadium back in 1989 and they were on the verge of burning out, but hadn't just yet. Now it's like it's their civil duty to keep the band going and perform.
Katie Melua. Who is she? I love her song Nine Million Bicycles. Beautiful.
Did anyone catch the Antarctic explorers performing on top of the mountains? It was a great song but I can't for the life of me remember their name or the name of the song.
Anyway, it was an amazing broadcast and I took from it a lot of ideas for changing my own wasteful lifestyle because of it. -K
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Our Brush with a Shirt that had a Brush with Greatness
Speaking of The Police, I was taking a break from the mundane and sent K the following pic of Stewart Copeland and Taylor Hawkins backstage at a Foo Fighters show. K took a look at it and thought, “Where have I seen that shirt???” Well, here’s a pic of Taylor, his drumstick, and I at the Double Door months before his hanging with Stewart. --J
Thursday, December 14, 2006
2006 Concert Survey
It’s December and Judakris has decided to put together our own survey of the live shows we’ve enjoyed, hated, and obsessed about in 2006. Most of the shows and acts were seen here in St. Louis where occasionally the local time is 1840. Every act and show we mention in this survey has been reviewed somewhere on this blog.
Individual Acts:
Best Opening Song
J: Wolfmother - Dimension
K: Muse - Knights of Cydonia
Most Anticipated
J: Foo Fighters – Since this was a completely new setting, and the tickets were purchased so far in advance, I would definitely say this was the most anticipated for me.
K: HIM. It was my first time.
Best Storyteller
J: Dave Grohl easily! Who doesn’t want to hear a story about the first time he met Kurt Cobain?
K: I could only wish to be as engaging as Pete Yorn the morning after an all-night bender. The most I can usually pull off is to somehow find a way to say “shut the fuck up” politely.
Best Showman
J: Richie Kirkpatrick of Ghostfinger – I was very impressed at the energy and liveliness of the show when there were about 20 people in the whole bar. It was awesome.
K: Yeah, Richie. Gotta love that guy.
Show That Gave Us Best Story to Tell
J: This one is kind of tough but I’m going with Wolfmother. When is the last time I’ve been invited to a private performance? Never. Also the guys were so great that it made it extra special. I also loved being there with K and D.
K: J and I get a lot of mileage out of the Wolfmother night, but to me it’s the Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders show in Chicago. My head was practically in Taylor’s bass drum all night, the slutty white jeans girl was pretty engaging and the fact that Taylor used my skin as a canvas after the show gave me some pretty bloggerific material this year.
Most Disappointing Act
J: Hands down – Living Things
K: Living Things
Best Production
J: Muse
K: AFI
Best Sound
J: Muse – Their album sounds like it’s got a lot of studio wizardry so I didn’t expect them to sound so good live but they were amazing.
Foo Fighters – The acoustics at the Auditorium Theater were impressive and really enhanced the experience.
K: Nightmare of You.
Funniest Act
J: Under the Influence of Giants – They were so over the top with the clothing and the onstage antics, it was worth the price of admission. By the way, this is a compliment!
K: I don't know if this is a legit answer, but the Bonnie Prince Billy in-store at Vintage Vinyl had me rolling internally for most of it.
Best Connection with the Audience
J: Foo Fighters – The banter with the crowd makes even the largest venue feel intimate.
K: AFI. The fans loved Davey and he loved them for lovin' him.
Most Creative Production
J: As overwhelming as it was, Panic! at the Disco
K: Ditto
Most Impressive Production
J: For a band with only one album, Panic! at the Disco
K: I’m not trying to be a copycat; I have to agree with J once again.
Biggest Ass-Hole Lead Singer
J: Lillian Berlin of Living Things – You won’t be playing bigger venues than the Creepy Crawl if that’s how you treat people who pay to see you perform. It’s all about karma fellas!
K: I agree with J. Never have I been so disappointed after a performance.
Sexiest Lead Singer
J: I’m gonna go with Pete Yorn here. If you can be sexy at 2:00 in the afternoon under fluorescent lights in a record store when you’ve just rolled out of bed, you’ve got something there.
K: I’m sure it’s obvious what my answer will be. Sick, chain-smoking, and hiding every inch of his flesh, by mid-concert Ville Valo’s 6’1 lanky frame and smoky baritone made me want to jump off the balcony and die for him this year at The Pageant. Luckily, I had J there to keep me in check.
Best Scream
J: Dave Grohl always wins this category for me. I wish I could make his scream the alert sound in my Outlook email at work. I might smile at work every once in awhile if that was the case.
K: Veruca Salt’s Louise. I’m sure she was tutored by Dave. Actually, I remember J and I commenting that she sounded JUST like Dave. We might all know why that is.
Worst Opening Act
J: Dead Meadow – I just wanted them to go away!
K: Oh god, yes, Dead Meadow. I wanted to kill someone by the time they were done.
Honorable Mention
J: Veruca Salt – I have to give Louise props for holding her own in a 2006 concert lineup of men. She was super cool.
K: Alkaline Trio’s opening act, Against Me! For making Judakris stand up and take notice during their set.
Shows:Best People Watching
J: HIM – Since I was just there for the ride, I focused more on the crowd than usual. Also, it was completely diverse from frat boys to goth kids.
K: Muse- Geeks, freaks, gays, fratboys, and a handful of disgruntled library automation coworkers all having a grand time together.
Best Post-Show Feeling
J: Kings of Leon – I wanted to jump in my car and follow them forever.
K: HIM, The Pageant. Again, it was my first time. I found out recently that the reason the band stood us up after the show was for legitimate reasons so I'm over it. Let's face it, I was over all that an hour after the show and practically emigrated to Finland over the following months. Not since seeing U2 for the first time years ago did I feel a post-show love (metal) hangover quite like that one.
Most Disappointing Night
J: I am going to go with HIM because I was hoping to be won over by the music and wasn’t and then to be stood up for the meet and greet was pretty shitty. I hated that for K.
K: Alkaline Trio because I realized I wasn’t as much of a fan as I thought I was that night.
Most Anticipated Song Not Performed
J: Time to Waste at the Alkaline Trio show and also Ain’t it the Life at the Foo Fighters show, especially since that was on the setlist for other venues.
K: In Joy and Sorrow- HIM
Thanks to all the bands in 2006 that made us feel alive. Judakris has already begun planning dates for the 2007 concert schedule. Don't hold back, bands. You know we won’t. XOXO J and K
Individual Acts:
Best Opening Song
J: Wolfmother - Dimension
K: Muse - Knights of Cydonia
Most Anticipated
J: Foo Fighters – Since this was a completely new setting, and the tickets were purchased so far in advance, I would definitely say this was the most anticipated for me.
K: HIM. It was my first time.
Best Storyteller
J: Dave Grohl easily! Who doesn’t want to hear a story about the first time he met Kurt Cobain?
K: I could only wish to be as engaging as Pete Yorn the morning after an all-night bender. The most I can usually pull off is to somehow find a way to say “shut the fuck up” politely.
Best Showman
J: Richie Kirkpatrick of Ghostfinger – I was very impressed at the energy and liveliness of the show when there were about 20 people in the whole bar. It was awesome.
K: Yeah, Richie. Gotta love that guy.
Show That Gave Us Best Story to Tell
J: This one is kind of tough but I’m going with Wolfmother. When is the last time I’ve been invited to a private performance? Never. Also the guys were so great that it made it extra special. I also loved being there with K and D.
K: J and I get a lot of mileage out of the Wolfmother night, but to me it’s the Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders show in Chicago. My head was practically in Taylor’s bass drum all night, the slutty white jeans girl was pretty engaging and the fact that Taylor used my skin as a canvas after the show gave me some pretty bloggerific material this year.
Most Disappointing Act
J: Hands down – Living Things
K: Living Things
Best Production
J: Muse
K: AFI
Best Sound
J: Muse – Their album sounds like it’s got a lot of studio wizardry so I didn’t expect them to sound so good live but they were amazing.
Foo Fighters – The acoustics at the Auditorium Theater were impressive and really enhanced the experience.
K: Nightmare of You.
Funniest Act
J: Under the Influence of Giants – They were so over the top with the clothing and the onstage antics, it was worth the price of admission. By the way, this is a compliment!
K: I don't know if this is a legit answer, but the Bonnie Prince Billy in-store at Vintage Vinyl had me rolling internally for most of it.
Best Connection with the Audience
J: Foo Fighters – The banter with the crowd makes even the largest venue feel intimate.
K: AFI. The fans loved Davey and he loved them for lovin' him.
Most Creative Production
J: As overwhelming as it was, Panic! at the Disco
K: Ditto
Most Impressive Production
J: For a band with only one album, Panic! at the Disco
K: I’m not trying to be a copycat; I have to agree with J once again.
Biggest Ass-Hole Lead Singer
J: Lillian Berlin of Living Things – You won’t be playing bigger venues than the Creepy Crawl if that’s how you treat people who pay to see you perform. It’s all about karma fellas!
K: I agree with J. Never have I been so disappointed after a performance.
Sexiest Lead Singer
J: I’m gonna go with Pete Yorn here. If you can be sexy at 2:00 in the afternoon under fluorescent lights in a record store when you’ve just rolled out of bed, you’ve got something there.
K: I’m sure it’s obvious what my answer will be. Sick, chain-smoking, and hiding every inch of his flesh, by mid-concert Ville Valo’s 6’1 lanky frame and smoky baritone made me want to jump off the balcony and die for him this year at The Pageant. Luckily, I had J there to keep me in check.
Best Scream
J: Dave Grohl always wins this category for me. I wish I could make his scream the alert sound in my Outlook email at work. I might smile at work every once in awhile if that was the case.
K: Veruca Salt’s Louise. I’m sure she was tutored by Dave. Actually, I remember J and I commenting that she sounded JUST like Dave. We might all know why that is.
Worst Opening Act
J: Dead Meadow – I just wanted them to go away!
K: Oh god, yes, Dead Meadow. I wanted to kill someone by the time they were done.
Honorable Mention
J: Veruca Salt – I have to give Louise props for holding her own in a 2006 concert lineup of men. She was super cool.
K: Alkaline Trio’s opening act, Against Me! For making Judakris stand up and take notice during their set.
Shows:Best People Watching
J: HIM – Since I was just there for the ride, I focused more on the crowd than usual. Also, it was completely diverse from frat boys to goth kids.
K: Muse- Geeks, freaks, gays, fratboys, and a handful of disgruntled library automation coworkers all having a grand time together.
Best Post-Show Feeling
J: Kings of Leon – I wanted to jump in my car and follow them forever.
K: HIM, The Pageant. Again, it was my first time. I found out recently that the reason the band stood us up after the show was for legitimate reasons so I'm over it. Let's face it, I was over all that an hour after the show and practically emigrated to Finland over the following months. Not since seeing U2 for the first time years ago did I feel a post-show love (metal) hangover quite like that one.
Most Disappointing Night
J: I am going to go with HIM because I was hoping to be won over by the music and wasn’t and then to be stood up for the meet and greet was pretty shitty. I hated that for K.
K: Alkaline Trio because I realized I wasn’t as much of a fan as I thought I was that night.
Most Anticipated Song Not Performed
J: Time to Waste at the Alkaline Trio show and also Ain’t it the Life at the Foo Fighters show, especially since that was on the setlist for other venues.
K: In Joy and Sorrow- HIM
Thanks to all the bands in 2006 that made us feel alive. Judakris has already begun planning dates for the 2007 concert schedule. Don't hold back, bands. You know we won’t. XOXO J and K
Monday, September 4, 2006
Chicago Vol. 3 Playlist
Since the last “reorganization” within our company, work has become a little angsty for me. Everyone would rather be doing something besides work, right? Well, I never actually saw my job as being a shitty one. So, it has been particularly disappointing to face the bad taste in my mouth and find the motivation just to get out of bed every morning. I admit it, I’m stressed. You can probably tell how stressed I’ve been based on my Foo Fighters review. I know, boo-hoo. Whatever. It happens and it won’t be there forever, so for now I’m just getting by with getting by. My ways of decompression were and are a little schizophrenic, because on some nights I work out intensely or I just drink a healthy amount of Jaegermeister and smoke. Both do the trick for me, but on the latter nights I inevitably fire up the laptop, get onto iTunes, and test drive or purchase the latest pop songs that iTunes tells me everyone else is listening to.
J and I are into playlists for our road trips. Since we were going to an acoustic show, we both prepared playlists that had mellower themes. While mine was mellower than usual, it was also poppier. Shockingly so, in fact. Not only was it poppier, it also raised some eyebrows. I knew what I was doing, but some of the songs on the playlist show how outside of myself I have been in the last few weeks. I can justify it by saying that sometimes I need to cleanse my palate and start fresh. I can also say that I was clearly self-medicating when I purchased some of these songs and created the playlist. Listed are a select few to represent what the Chicago Vol. 3 playlist was like.
Stars Are Blind- Paris Hilton. You know, sometimes you just have to close your eyes and pretend the person you’re with is someone else. That’s what I do when I hear this song because as long as I forget who is singing, the song is good pop.
Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo- Bloodhound Gang. I love these guys, but I never expected to share this particular song with anyone in a car. It reminded me of hearing “Let’s Talk About Sex” in the car with my Granddad once, just not as awkard. More “unexpected”.
Suddenly I See- KT Tunstall- I heard this song when I watched The Devil Wears Prada. I don’t seek this song out, but it’s a good driving song.
Call Me When You’re Sober- Evanescence. J and I were both a little curious to see how all the internal drama of this band was going to translate into the material. If this song is representative of that, then it’s just another day in Evanescenceland. Take it or leave it.
Fidelity- Regina Spektor. I downloaded this song and then forgot about it until I saw the video. Pretty original. I can appreciate that she is doing her own thing.
Idlewild Blue- Outkast. I have always liked Outkast anyway, but this song is pretty amazing even though when the lyrics start I always want to continue singing Higher Ground.
Electricity- Anathema. I’m very new to these guys. It’s moody, ambient, and a nice background piece to any conversation. Like another band I like, as M would put it, “this music’s made for [luv makin]”. Yes, it is.
Murderers- John Frusciante. I’m not surprised that I added John to this playlist since we were on our way to an acoustic show and he’s just a fucking great composer. But I have no idea why I decided to add this song after a 30 second taste.
Sexyback- Justin Timberlake. Sometimes I need to sex things up a bit.
Baby Hold On- Dixie Chicks. I don’t give a shit what they say about politics- who cares! But, what surprised me for wanting to add them was the fact that I was SO SICK of them being played on Huntsville Radio all the time and would have been happy to never hear their music again. HOWEVER, this latest album is phenomenal. Also, J really likes this song and played it for me one night while we were having a “night”. It makes my heart melt.
Redemption. Here are some other tunes that made it onto the playlist. A little more K-typical…
Last Caress- Misfits
DOA- Foo Fighters
Dancing With Myself- Billy Idol
Paranoid- Black Sabbath
Exo-Politics- MUSE
Lonely Road- Daniel Lioneye
Goody Two Shoes- Adam Ant
Bad Reputation- Joan Jett
I Want to Be Buried in Your Backyard- Nightmare of You
Headfirst for Halos- My Chemical Romance
-K
J and I are into playlists for our road trips. Since we were going to an acoustic show, we both prepared playlists that had mellower themes. While mine was mellower than usual, it was also poppier. Shockingly so, in fact. Not only was it poppier, it also raised some eyebrows. I knew what I was doing, but some of the songs on the playlist show how outside of myself I have been in the last few weeks. I can justify it by saying that sometimes I need to cleanse my palate and start fresh. I can also say that I was clearly self-medicating when I purchased some of these songs and created the playlist. Listed are a select few to represent what the Chicago Vol. 3 playlist was like.
Stars Are Blind- Paris Hilton. You know, sometimes you just have to close your eyes and pretend the person you’re with is someone else. That’s what I do when I hear this song because as long as I forget who is singing, the song is good pop.
Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo- Bloodhound Gang. I love these guys, but I never expected to share this particular song with anyone in a car. It reminded me of hearing “Let’s Talk About Sex” in the car with my Granddad once, just not as awkard. More “unexpected”.
Suddenly I See- KT Tunstall- I heard this song when I watched The Devil Wears Prada. I don’t seek this song out, but it’s a good driving song.
Call Me When You’re Sober- Evanescence. J and I were both a little curious to see how all the internal drama of this band was going to translate into the material. If this song is representative of that, then it’s just another day in Evanescenceland. Take it or leave it.
Fidelity- Regina Spektor. I downloaded this song and then forgot about it until I saw the video. Pretty original. I can appreciate that she is doing her own thing.
Idlewild Blue- Outkast. I have always liked Outkast anyway, but this song is pretty amazing even though when the lyrics start I always want to continue singing Higher Ground.
Electricity- Anathema. I’m very new to these guys. It’s moody, ambient, and a nice background piece to any conversation. Like another band I like, as M would put it, “this music’s made for [luv makin]”. Yes, it is.
Murderers- John Frusciante. I’m not surprised that I added John to this playlist since we were on our way to an acoustic show and he’s just a fucking great composer. But I have no idea why I decided to add this song after a 30 second taste.
Sexyback- Justin Timberlake. Sometimes I need to sex things up a bit.
Baby Hold On- Dixie Chicks. I don’t give a shit what they say about politics- who cares! But, what surprised me for wanting to add them was the fact that I was SO SICK of them being played on Huntsville Radio all the time and would have been happy to never hear their music again. HOWEVER, this latest album is phenomenal. Also, J really likes this song and played it for me one night while we were having a “night”. It makes my heart melt.
Redemption. Here are some other tunes that made it onto the playlist. A little more K-typical…
Last Caress- Misfits
DOA- Foo Fighters
Dancing With Myself- Billy Idol
Paranoid- Black Sabbath
Exo-Politics- MUSE
Lonely Road- Daniel Lioneye
Goody Two Shoes- Adam Ant
Bad Reputation- Joan Jett
I Want to Be Buried in Your Backyard- Nightmare of You
Headfirst for Halos- My Chemical Romance
-K
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Acoustic Foo in Chicago
Settle in. This is gonna take awhile.
Yesterday K and I took the day off of work to travel to Chicago to see the Foo Fighters on their acoustic tour at the Auditorium Theatre. This trip was long-awaited and a welcome relief from work. I had a very stressful business trip from Monday to Thursday and in the worst moments, I would have to go to my mental happy place and just think “FRIDAY” to get me through.
The trip up to the venue was a bit dramatic but alas, we finally arrived at the beautiful Auditorium Theatre in time to hear Frank Black performing an acoustic set. Just to give you an idea of how far up we were, when looking at Frank Black on stage, I said to K, “He looks thinner than I expected”, and she replied, “Yeah, and he looks like he has hair”. Shit maybe it wasn’t even fuckin Frank Black but we were none the wiser without binoculars. We were stone cold sober at this point by the way. I throw in the “f” word to give you a feel for the onstage banter throughout the show.
Our seats were in the last stinking row of Balcony One, smack dab in the middle. This all sounded good on paper, but in actuality sucked. The house lights were on behind us the whole show, we had all of the noise from the open stairwell that led to the seating, and we had rude staff standing around us. It was really a shame. K and I came expecting a mellow experience. Yes, they still rocked out some of the songs, but it was a sit-down kind of concert.
Let's get to the show. Here's the setlist. The opening song was Razor, a song off the acoustic record of the double album In Your Honor, that is not one of my favorites, but the arrangement was amazing, with Dave on stage for most of the song alone with his acoustic guitar. By the end the entire band was out with a few additions: Pat Smear also playing guitar, a violinist/mandolin player, a percussionist, and a keyboardist. It was really beautiful.
The sound in the Auditorium Theatre was incredible. If anyone has seen the Foo, you know that Dave is a talker, which is always good fun. In this venue, you could hear every word.
There were a few songs I really missed hearing, which were Ain’t it the Life and Aurora, both off of There is Nothing Left to Lose. What was interesting was that some of my least favorite songs, Friend of a Friend, and Razor ended up being some of the best, either because of the arrangement or because of the stories Dave told to accompany them. For example, he told an insightful story about meeting Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain for the first time when they picked him up from the airport after he joined Nirvana. You see kids walking around these days in Kurt Cobain t-shirts like he’s their patron saint. People forget he was just a regular guy and the story illustrated this point.
Criticisms
I didn’t like the arrangements when there was heavy use of keyboards. Sometimes they were just ambient sounds but then other times they took the place of some of the guitar parts, and I didn’t like that at all.
Dave let the violinist sing Floaty. No Thanks!
K and I both agreed that we didn’t like the background screen behind the band with their logo from the In Your Honor album. The stage would have been fine with just the lighting and the curtains. I am attaching a pic of the background taken at the Philly show. This sounds sick but the shape of the emblem reminds of the scene in Silence of the Lambs when the cops bust into the hotel room expecting to find Hannibal in his cage, but instead they find the cop strung up by Hannibal Lector with his insides all open to the public.
Not the bands fault but I wish so badly we would have been sitting away from the house lights and rude staff and fans, so we could have just gotten totally immersed in the music. Instead we got a drunk girl in front of us who was trying to record the show on her cell phone who also got a bad case of hiccups and had to disrupt everyone to get up and then stand directly behind us bending over, drinking her beer out of the other side of her cup, trying to relieve said hiccups. I almost gave her my sister-in-law M’s signature, “Zip it!” Also, when K got up to get a beer, some guy jumped into the seat next to me and wanted to chat. There was also an almost fistfight that broke out very close by. Can these people not act like adults?
Favorite Moments
I actually enjoyed hearing the songs that they played off their other albums over the acoustic album the best. Songs like Walking After You and February Stars (which they played but isn’t on that set list) are never on their rock show set list. Due to the highly entertaining footos video, they never play Big Me at shows because Dave doesn’t want to get candy thrown at him. He played it here.
Dave did a rocking, but acoustic version of Best of You out on the stage alone and it was the most amazing moment of the night.
And of course, they finished the night with my all-time favorite Foo song, Everlong.
After the show, we got to watch Nate Mendel sign some autographs and get into a van to head to the airport. The rest of the band had hit the road as soon as the show was over so they could board a private plane back to L.A. While we stood outside on Michigan Avenue, enjoying the beautiful summer night weather and the people watching, we chatted with some other fans and also our favorite Roadie. He was telling us how if you are part of the crew and you are late to arrive when they have chartered a private plane, you get a financial penalty, so no one is ever late! I also overheard some of the other roadies talking and they said that the Auditorium Theatre staff was the most meticulous and biggest pain in the asses that they had ever worked with in all their years. One of them also expressed his unhappiness about the upcoming Foo Fighters/Bob Dylan tour dates. This person said that while it is being booked as a co-headlining tour on paper, the person who goes on last is the headliner and gets all the perks in staffing, space, etc. We also inquired with our favorite roadie on how my nephew, D, could get a job like he has and he made it sound like it was all chance. He did mention having to drive bands around when he first started, so D, if you are reading this, GET YOUR LICENSE!
This night gets an UNBELIEVABLE rating from me. --J
Yesterday K and I took the day off of work to travel to Chicago to see the Foo Fighters on their acoustic tour at the Auditorium Theatre. This trip was long-awaited and a welcome relief from work. I had a very stressful business trip from Monday to Thursday and in the worst moments, I would have to go to my mental happy place and just think “FRIDAY” to get me through.
The trip up to the venue was a bit dramatic but alas, we finally arrived at the beautiful Auditorium Theatre in time to hear Frank Black performing an acoustic set. Just to give you an idea of how far up we were, when looking at Frank Black on stage, I said to K, “He looks thinner than I expected”, and she replied, “Yeah, and he looks like he has hair”. Shit maybe it wasn’t even fuckin Frank Black but we were none the wiser without binoculars. We were stone cold sober at this point by the way. I throw in the “f” word to give you a feel for the onstage banter throughout the show.
Our seats were in the last stinking row of Balcony One, smack dab in the middle. This all sounded good on paper, but in actuality sucked. The house lights were on behind us the whole show, we had all of the noise from the open stairwell that led to the seating, and we had rude staff standing around us. It was really a shame. K and I came expecting a mellow experience. Yes, they still rocked out some of the songs, but it was a sit-down kind of concert.
Let's get to the show. Here's the setlist. The opening song was Razor, a song off the acoustic record of the double album In Your Honor, that is not one of my favorites, but the arrangement was amazing, with Dave on stage for most of the song alone with his acoustic guitar. By the end the entire band was out with a few additions: Pat Smear also playing guitar, a violinist/mandolin player, a percussionist, and a keyboardist. It was really beautiful.
The sound in the Auditorium Theatre was incredible. If anyone has seen the Foo, you know that Dave is a talker, which is always good fun. In this venue, you could hear every word.
There were a few songs I really missed hearing, which were Ain’t it the Life and Aurora, both off of There is Nothing Left to Lose. What was interesting was that some of my least favorite songs, Friend of a Friend, and Razor ended up being some of the best, either because of the arrangement or because of the stories Dave told to accompany them. For example, he told an insightful story about meeting Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain for the first time when they picked him up from the airport after he joined Nirvana. You see kids walking around these days in Kurt Cobain t-shirts like he’s their patron saint. People forget he was just a regular guy and the story illustrated this point.
Criticisms
I didn’t like the arrangements when there was heavy use of keyboards. Sometimes they were just ambient sounds but then other times they took the place of some of the guitar parts, and I didn’t like that at all.
Dave let the violinist sing Floaty. No Thanks!
K and I both agreed that we didn’t like the background screen behind the band with their logo from the In Your Honor album. The stage would have been fine with just the lighting and the curtains. I am attaching a pic of the background taken at the Philly show. This sounds sick but the shape of the emblem reminds of the scene in Silence of the Lambs when the cops bust into the hotel room expecting to find Hannibal in his cage, but instead they find the cop strung up by Hannibal Lector with his insides all open to the public.
Not the bands fault but I wish so badly we would have been sitting away from the house lights and rude staff and fans, so we could have just gotten totally immersed in the music. Instead we got a drunk girl in front of us who was trying to record the show on her cell phone who also got a bad case of hiccups and had to disrupt everyone to get up and then stand directly behind us bending over, drinking her beer out of the other side of her cup, trying to relieve said hiccups. I almost gave her my sister-in-law M’s signature, “Zip it!” Also, when K got up to get a beer, some guy jumped into the seat next to me and wanted to chat. There was also an almost fistfight that broke out very close by. Can these people not act like adults?
Favorite Moments
I actually enjoyed hearing the songs that they played off their other albums over the acoustic album the best. Songs like Walking After You and February Stars (which they played but isn’t on that set list) are never on their rock show set list. Due to the highly entertaining footos video, they never play Big Me at shows because Dave doesn’t want to get candy thrown at him. He played it here.
Dave did a rocking, but acoustic version of Best of You out on the stage alone and it was the most amazing moment of the night.
And of course, they finished the night with my all-time favorite Foo song, Everlong.
After the show, we got to watch Nate Mendel sign some autographs and get into a van to head to the airport. The rest of the band had hit the road as soon as the show was over so they could board a private plane back to L.A. While we stood outside on Michigan Avenue, enjoying the beautiful summer night weather and the people watching, we chatted with some other fans and also our favorite Roadie. He was telling us how if you are part of the crew and you are late to arrive when they have chartered a private plane, you get a financial penalty, so no one is ever late! I also overheard some of the other roadies talking and they said that the Auditorium Theatre staff was the most meticulous and biggest pain in the asses that they had ever worked with in all their years. One of them also expressed his unhappiness about the upcoming Foo Fighters/Bob Dylan tour dates. This person said that while it is being booked as a co-headlining tour on paper, the person who goes on last is the headliner and gets all the perks in staffing, space, etc. We also inquired with our favorite roadie on how my nephew, D, could get a job like he has and he made it sound like it was all chance. He did mention having to drive bands around when he first started, so D, if you are reading this, GET YOUR LICENSE!
This night gets an UNBELIEVABLE rating from me. --J
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Foo Fighters at the University of Illinois
On K’s birthday we were driving to Champaign to see Weezer/Foo Fighters at the University of Illinois. For some reason, many of our favorite bands did not come to St. Louis this year so once again, we were road tripping it. It had been a stressful couple of months. Our company had recently bought another company and things were crazy. I had planned to take the next day off, but K planned to work since Champaign is only about 2 and a half hours from St. Louis.
I was shocked how many people in the audience were hardcore Weezer fans. While I like a few of their songs, I’ve read one too many interview with Rivers Cuomo and his reluctant rock star shtick. These frat boys sitting behind us were all “Dude, are you gonna stay for Foo Fighters?” “Dude, I don’t know”. “Dude, I just want to see fuckin Weezer man!” I was thinking to myself, yeah, why don’t you move along fellas. We had great seats but the numbering in the arena was weird. I never got a handle on it but let’s just say I had confronted someone for being in what I thought was our seats and it turned out they weren’t. And we in turn got confronted by two separate groups of people thinking we were in their seats but we were in the right then. It was strange. During the Weezer show, they pulled a guy from the audience who got to play along with them and they gave him an acoustic guitar.
Foo Fighters, as usual, put on one hell of a show. Having seen them a number of times in the past, this seemed like the biggest stage production of their careers. I was impressed and was now in disbelief that I was not really looking forward to the show due to the stresses of work that week. This is exactly what I needed. Dave did scale a very small ledge in the arena, walking pretty close to us on the balcony. Call me a mom, I almost couldn’t watch, afraid he would fall. By the end of the show, it felt like a great big party it was so loose and everyone was having such a good time.
After the show there was a party atmosphere in the parking lot so we hung out hoping that maybe we could get some pics of the band after the show. In situations like that, I always feel compelled to look around the crowd to see if I’m the oldest person there. Since Champaign is a college town, most people fell into the same demographic, but there was one woman who definitely looked older than us. I feel as though as long as I am around the same age as the band, meeting them shouldn’t be weird, but I think some of the young tuffs waiting around with us feel differently on the topic. Hey, Dave’s a year older, it shouldn’t matter!
The kid with the acoustic guitar from Weezer was out there and kept playing. At first it was charming, but it got way annoying as the night went on. His fifteen minutes were up but he was trying desperately to keep all the attention on him. Taylor came out first and signed stuff. I told him to bring his solo stuff to St. Louis and we talked for a minute about that. One of the security guards then stated that the rest of the band would be coming out but people had to stay behind the barricades. It was all very serious. Well, we waited for hours. I kept looking at K, saying do you want to wait? She had to be at work in the morning but she was fine with waiting. Just as we were about to pack it in, around 2:30am, Dave and Chris came out. It was strange how the security guards made such a big deal about us keeping our distance but when Dave came out, he was helping people with their digital cameras, taking pictures, and chatting, all outside of the barricade. I won’t even document the banter I had with him. I really do get starstruck and I was at that moment, so I sounded like an idiot. I did take a picture with him that I would not show to many people. When I sent it to my friend R, in DC, he laughed and said, “You look like that runaway bride from Georgia! Your eyes are like the size of half-dollars, what happened to you?!” There’s another pic that K took that I am attaching that has on the left of the frame, a sliver of my face, and on the far right of the frame, it is unmistakably Dave’s arm. He had just walked away from signing a shirt that I had. It captures the moment perfectly.
So it’s now close to 3:00am and we get a Rockstar at the gas station and drive home. We’re pumped, reliving the concert and the meet and greet for about an hour of the drive. When we finally see the Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis (around 5:30), I am practically hallucinating from lack of sleep. --J
I was shocked how many people in the audience were hardcore Weezer fans. While I like a few of their songs, I’ve read one too many interview with Rivers Cuomo and his reluctant rock star shtick. These frat boys sitting behind us were all “Dude, are you gonna stay for Foo Fighters?” “Dude, I don’t know”. “Dude, I just want to see fuckin Weezer man!” I was thinking to myself, yeah, why don’t you move along fellas. We had great seats but the numbering in the arena was weird. I never got a handle on it but let’s just say I had confronted someone for being in what I thought was our seats and it turned out they weren’t. And we in turn got confronted by two separate groups of people thinking we were in their seats but we were in the right then. It was strange. During the Weezer show, they pulled a guy from the audience who got to play along with them and they gave him an acoustic guitar.
Foo Fighters, as usual, put on one hell of a show. Having seen them a number of times in the past, this seemed like the biggest stage production of their careers. I was impressed and was now in disbelief that I was not really looking forward to the show due to the stresses of work that week. This is exactly what I needed. Dave did scale a very small ledge in the arena, walking pretty close to us on the balcony. Call me a mom, I almost couldn’t watch, afraid he would fall. By the end of the show, it felt like a great big party it was so loose and everyone was having such a good time.
After the show there was a party atmosphere in the parking lot so we hung out hoping that maybe we could get some pics of the band after the show. In situations like that, I always feel compelled to look around the crowd to see if I’m the oldest person there. Since Champaign is a college town, most people fell into the same demographic, but there was one woman who definitely looked older than us. I feel as though as long as I am around the same age as the band, meeting them shouldn’t be weird, but I think some of the young tuffs waiting around with us feel differently on the topic. Hey, Dave’s a year older, it shouldn’t matter!
The kid with the acoustic guitar from Weezer was out there and kept playing. At first it was charming, but it got way annoying as the night went on. His fifteen minutes were up but he was trying desperately to keep all the attention on him. Taylor came out first and signed stuff. I told him to bring his solo stuff to St. Louis and we talked for a minute about that. One of the security guards then stated that the rest of the band would be coming out but people had to stay behind the barricades. It was all very serious. Well, we waited for hours. I kept looking at K, saying do you want to wait? She had to be at work in the morning but she was fine with waiting. Just as we were about to pack it in, around 2:30am, Dave and Chris came out. It was strange how the security guards made such a big deal about us keeping our distance but when Dave came out, he was helping people with their digital cameras, taking pictures, and chatting, all outside of the barricade. I won’t even document the banter I had with him. I really do get starstruck and I was at that moment, so I sounded like an idiot. I did take a picture with him that I would not show to many people. When I sent it to my friend R, in DC, he laughed and said, “You look like that runaway bride from Georgia! Your eyes are like the size of half-dollars, what happened to you?!” There’s another pic that K took that I am attaching that has on the left of the frame, a sliver of my face, and on the far right of the frame, it is unmistakably Dave’s arm. He had just walked away from signing a shirt that I had. It captures the moment perfectly.
So it’s now close to 3:00am and we get a Rockstar at the gas station and drive home. We’re pumped, reliving the concert and the meet and greet for about an hour of the drive. When we finally see the Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis (around 5:30), I am practically hallucinating from lack of sleep. --J
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Destination - Queens
Jamaica, Queens was my destination this week. I had a work trip with a colleague. It was my first time stepping foot on New York soil, which was extremely exciting and also upsetting since the closest I got to the Manhattan skyline was my hotel window.
On the way there, the opening lines from Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC kept running through my head. “It’s Christmastime in Hollis Queens. Mom’s cookin chicken and collard greens.” Since I never got out of Queens, I had to find some musical associations to the area so I could feel like the trip wasn’t all work. G-Unit is from Jamaica. So these were the streets where 50 Cent got showered with bullets? It didn’t look as tough as I expected. We also ate dinner in Astoria, birthplace of John Frusciante! Okay, now the trip was successful. Forget the effing Statue of Liberty.
The flight home was hell. I was in the dreaded middle seat next to a woman with a nine month old baby, an egg-headed baby. That might sound mean. It was cute but had an enormous head. When women become moms, sometimes I think they get ultra strange. This woman was no exception. When I made eye contact with her baby, which made him smile by the way, she looked at me as if she smelled something bad. As if to tell me, don’t stare at my child! I was thinking to myself that a strange face, especially one with glasses, always entertains a baby for a bit. You’ll need me later in this flight! The young woman on the other side of me said aloud, “That baby is so cute!” prompting the mom to look at the baby and say, “They are nicer than the people we sat next to on the way out, aren’t they?” It always cracks me up when instead of talking to you, people tell their kids stuff aloud for your benefit.
I put on my headphones and chose a little Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as we departed LaGuardia. Then the wailing began. This kid wouldn’t stop and the mom was whipping him around in various positions, trying to get him to stop crying, bumping that noggin of his into me repeatedly. For someone who seemed so protective the baby’s personal space, she thought nothing of letting that flat head of his rest on my arm for his all too brief nap. Then he was back up screaming and I couldn’t even hear a word of the Bee Gees’ Jive Talkin’. There would be no comparison of The Bee Gees or Tavares’ versions of More Than a Woman on this flight. I needed more than disco to drown this kid out.
Foo Fighters’ Monkey Wrench
Sleater-Kinney Entertain
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Cheated Hearts
I could still hear that baby. Thanks Baby, Thanks A lot!
--J
On the way there, the opening lines from Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC kept running through my head. “It’s Christmastime in Hollis Queens. Mom’s cookin chicken and collard greens.” Since I never got out of Queens, I had to find some musical associations to the area so I could feel like the trip wasn’t all work. G-Unit is from Jamaica. So these were the streets where 50 Cent got showered with bullets? It didn’t look as tough as I expected. We also ate dinner in Astoria, birthplace of John Frusciante! Okay, now the trip was successful. Forget the effing Statue of Liberty.
The flight home was hell. I was in the dreaded middle seat next to a woman with a nine month old baby, an egg-headed baby. That might sound mean. It was cute but had an enormous head. When women become moms, sometimes I think they get ultra strange. This woman was no exception. When I made eye contact with her baby, which made him smile by the way, she looked at me as if she smelled something bad. As if to tell me, don’t stare at my child! I was thinking to myself that a strange face, especially one with glasses, always entertains a baby for a bit. You’ll need me later in this flight! The young woman on the other side of me said aloud, “That baby is so cute!” prompting the mom to look at the baby and say, “They are nicer than the people we sat next to on the way out, aren’t they?” It always cracks me up when instead of talking to you, people tell their kids stuff aloud for your benefit.
I put on my headphones and chose a little Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as we departed LaGuardia. Then the wailing began. This kid wouldn’t stop and the mom was whipping him around in various positions, trying to get him to stop crying, bumping that noggin of his into me repeatedly. For someone who seemed so protective the baby’s personal space, she thought nothing of letting that flat head of his rest on my arm for his all too brief nap. Then he was back up screaming and I couldn’t even hear a word of the Bee Gees’ Jive Talkin’. There would be no comparison of The Bee Gees or Tavares’ versions of More Than a Woman on this flight. I needed more than disco to drown this kid out.
Foo Fighters’ Monkey Wrench
Sleater-Kinney Entertain
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Cheated Hearts
I could still hear that baby. Thanks Baby, Thanks A lot!
--J
Monday, June 26, 2006
Foo Fighters- K's Mini-Retrospective
The first time I saw the Foo Fighters was in 1997 in Huntsville, AL at Big Spring Jam. This is an outdoor concert festival. J and I were both there, but we didn’t know it. It was the first time that I remember seeing Dave Grohl come out from behind the drum set. I was completely impressed by his showmanship as was the entire crowd. Gradually, the Foo Fighters became a mainstay on WZYP and every sporting event thereafter.
The second time I saw the Foo Fighters was on October 4, 2005 in Champaigne, IL. J and I had gotten to the show early and chatted with a tattooed roadie that we ran into again during the Taylor Hawkins show at the Double Door.
The Kaiser Chiefs opened for the Foo Fighters that night. They were good performers, but didn’t hook me.
Some highlights of the show were DOA, the acoustic then rocking rendition of Everlong, and Dave’s stroll out into the audience very close to us. A fortunate jock kid got up onstage and jammed with the band.
Afterwards, J and I stood out by the buses for a few hours and met and hung out with the band. This was a monumental moment for J. She had never met the guys before and it didn’t matter how long it took, we were both going to meet them that night. They did not disappoint. I’ll let J give tell her own story of meeting Dave, who was hilarious and extremely charismatic. We have a picture of those two that has been referred to as the Runaway Bride Picture. That was also the first time we met Taylor Hawkins. I yelled his name at some point and he yelled back "COMING!". We hadn't even really met yet, but we were already bickering. TH is a very personable and warm soul. As a fan, I was smitten.
Peanut from the Kaiser Chiefs was hanging around and I couldn’t get over how he reminded me of Pete Doherty. It was an uncanny resemblance.
In August, we have tickets to see the Foo acoustic set in Chicago. I have seen pictures of the set online. I can't wait to experience this show live.
The second time I saw the Foo Fighters was on October 4, 2005 in Champaigne, IL. J and I had gotten to the show early and chatted with a tattooed roadie that we ran into again during the Taylor Hawkins show at the Double Door.
The Kaiser Chiefs opened for the Foo Fighters that night. They were good performers, but didn’t hook me.
Some highlights of the show were DOA, the acoustic then rocking rendition of Everlong, and Dave’s stroll out into the audience very close to us. A fortunate jock kid got up onstage and jammed with the band.
Afterwards, J and I stood out by the buses for a few hours and met and hung out with the band. This was a monumental moment for J. She had never met the guys before and it didn’t matter how long it took, we were both going to meet them that night. They did not disappoint. I’ll let J give tell her own story of meeting Dave, who was hilarious and extremely charismatic. We have a picture of those two that has been referred to as the Runaway Bride Picture. That was also the first time we met Taylor Hawkins. I yelled his name at some point and he yelled back "COMING!". We hadn't even really met yet, but we were already bickering. TH is a very personable and warm soul. As a fan, I was smitten.
Peanut from the Kaiser Chiefs was hanging around and I couldn’t get over how he reminded me of Pete Doherty. It was an uncanny resemblance.
In August, we have tickets to see the Foo acoustic set in Chicago. I have seen pictures of the set online. I can't wait to experience this show live.
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