Sunday Journal – June 19, 2011

Happy Father’s Day Everyone.

First things first, let me add my voice to the growing throng who are pissed off as all hell at what happened in Vancouver this week.  To my mind it was a perfect storm of emotion and alcohol fuelled mayhem that only needed a spark to explode.  I believe that at the heart of the Vancouver riot there was a core element that was not there to celebrate game 7.

Vancouver Riot

Who in their right mind shows up to a street party with a baseball bat or Molotov cocktail? This was not a riot based on the win or the loss of a hockey game in my opinion. This was a deliberate act by a core group of hateful people who were determined to twist the drunken emotion of a hopeful crowd into a violent orgy of hate.  Mission accomplished.  I hope you were stupid enough to get your picture taken by one of the hundreds of cameras present at the event.

Water Polo player caught red handed.

May you feel the hot breath of your new butch cellmate on the nape of your neck as he introduces you to life in jail! Bitch.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…Finale

Looking at the playbill after Jeff Beck had left the stage I noticed that we only had two more headliners to go,  Metallica and U2.

With appropriate heavy metal bluster Metallica took the stage with ear-splitting prowess.  Originally the organizers of the event wanted Led Zeppelin to carry the hard rock part of the show and were pretty much turned down flat by the remaining members of the group.  Thus it came to be that metal’s chosen heirs came to New York representing  every thing that embodies teenage angst and rebellion.

Opening with For Whom the Bell Tolls, the heavy drumbeat thumping into my chest with some force. Then into One and Turn the Page, before bringing out New York Native Lou Reed.

By their own admission Metallica does not play well with others, and did not automatically grasp the “Jam” concept for the show.  However when they learned whom they were to be teamed up with it all made sense, claimed lead singer Lars Ulrich.  It was their job to become the backing band for their Rock and Roll Elders.

Lou Reed emerged onto the stage in a Deja Vu invoking cheer of “LOOOOO”, thinking back to the “BOOOO’s” that greeted Bruce Springsteen the night before.  He appeared totally at ease with Metallica and the crowd as he lead  off with Sweet Jane.  White Heat/White Light followed in a similar rocked up fashion.

Lou Reed leads Metallica

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Night Two

Visibly worn down and physically exhausted from everything we had experienced so far in New York, Dar and I treated ourselves to a short nap before heading out to the second night of incredible music.

The walk to Madison Square Garden seemed shorter this time our tired feet almost seemed to know the way.  Perhaps tonight’s performance would be shorter than the marathon 6 hours of music we had rocked to the night before.

The event started out in familiar fashion, Tom Hanks addressing the crowd bringing out the still incredible Jerry Lee Lewis to open the show once again.  The elderly rascal belted out Great Balls of Fire in classic form.  Even going so far as to kick over his piano bench in a display of youthful enthusiasm.

Next up a red clad Aretha Franklin, took the stage with polished precision.
She rolled though a series of show tunes and a tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, before bringing out her first guest of the evening.  Annie Lennox, bravely showing her support for Aids research wearing a black Tee emblazoned with the slogan “HIV Positive”.

Annie Lennox joins Aretha Franklin

New York, New York… East Village and Alphabet City

Hey everyone!  Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and a great break before the New Year.

Waking up to the greeting of a ringing phone was not the way I had wanted to start the morning after a marathon concert.  But our tab had to be paid, the sponsoring radio station 92.1 citi fm,  needed an interview for the morning show back home.   After Darlene gave a brief sleepy account of the night before, exclaiming that Bruce Springsteen was the highlight of the evening.  We got our tired bodies ready for another hurried day on the streets of New York.

As the day before, we shunned the hotel “Hot Breakfast” in favor of  bagel sandwiches from the corner shop.  Gaining familiarity with the streets we confidently picked our subway stop and headed south into Soho, bound for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex.  This stop on our trip almost got scratched due to time constraints but I am very glad that we managed to fit it in.  If you are a fan of New York based rock and roll do check it out before it closes early in the new year.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Night One..Part 2

After Simon and Garfunkel finished taking the audience on a whirlwind trip back in time another short break was required to prepare for the next act.

Stevie Wonder, was led to his electric piano to a welcoming applause, the house lights dimmed and his backing band filed in behind. Everyone was ready for a rocking ride on the soul train.  Stevie assumed his standard pose behind the keys rocking rhythmically, apparently to himself.  Something had gone terribly wrong the man had no sound!  Time Passed as techs raced around the stage checking cables.  Stevie, visibly agitated, began tapping his mike listening for any hint of sound.

After what seemed like an eternity, Stevie’s Piano came to life.  He smiled as he brought the mike to his face.  “Aw Shit, Stuff Happens” he pronounced, his backing band still without power.  So being the true showman that he is, he starts in to Blowing in the Wind with what little back up he has.

Stevie Wonder with No Sound