Saw Bruce a few times, natch. REM with him twice, Tracy Chapman, Patti
Scialfa and Jackson Brown with him other times. And that's not a bad score
card right there, you know that?
Went to a couple Prince/Morris Day and the Time shows. The first show blew
my socks off. I was less enthused about the 2nd show, though. It wasn't
entirely new to me anymore. Also, I went in the wrong door or something,
so I didn't get myself a 2nd copy of Musicology. That irritated me. Plus,
I was by myself the 2nd time. The people in the seats around me were
annoying and unattractive, too. They were singing and dancing and crap like
that, which really bugged me. Come to think of it, I had decided to go to
the show on the spur of the moment because I was a crab that day, and I
thought it might make me break out of my surly mood. It didn't really help,
as it turned out.
Got a sweet ticket for David Bowie, so I went to see him. I'm not a huge
fan, but the ticket was 3rd row, so why not? There was a clip of Uncle
Floyd and Oogie up on the video screen for one song. That was fun. The man
puts on a nice show---Bowie, that is. I met a woman before the show. I'm
not sure, but I think she might have been interested. I wasn't interested.
I liked thinking that maybe she was interested, though. I would've asked
her whether or not she was interested, but I don't know whether I would have
liked her answer. I'm glad she didn't ask me.
I went to see Eric Clapton at the Garden. I was originally supposed to go
with my girlfriend at the time, but that didn't happen. Getting tickets was
really her idea. After that relationship came to an end, I thought long and
hard about giving her the tickets---but I kind of wanted to see Clapton
myself, ya know? I tried my best to score another equal or better pair
that I could give her, but struck out (I scored my Bowie ticket in the
process, though). In the end, I kept the tickets for myself and never even
consulted with her about them. Not exactly my proudest moment. I ended up
going with my older sister, at least. She enjoyed the show. I thought it
was more or less okay, but I brought a lot of baggage with me that night.
You know something? Guilt and remorse don't really go with the Blues all
that well.
I went to see Patti Scialfa when she played at the Paramount. That was a
surprisingly good show. I thought I would see more people I know, though.
I did get to hang out a bit with Carl B a bit before the show. He's a
quality guy to drink beer with, so that worked out well. There was a woman
there who was wearing a tee-shirt with a slogan that I assumed was some sort
of Christian reference, and thought "ugh!" I don't think well of
bumper-sticker Christians, ya know? Anyway, I avoided her like the plague
because of her tee-shirt. Then, during the show, I figured out the shirt
was referring to Patti's song, "State of Grace." You know what happens when
you assume, right? I need to remember that more often.
Then I saw the Eastern Potata reunion show. It's been over ten years since
they played together, so that was pretty cool. No, you haven't heard of
them. They were a band that my sister's ex-boyfriend was in. They were
damn good, though. That show was something like a class reunion for the
clique of their fans. I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen since
back in the day. People don't really change much over the course of a
decade, do they? Of course, I feel like a completely different person, but
I don't think anybody noticed that.
To pay me back for the Clapton concert, my sister took me to see the Strawbs
do an acoustic show out in Sparta. We got a little lost on the way, but
found the joint in plenty of time for the show. It was a pretty nice deal,
actually. We got a nice dinner and a show out of the deal. The prime rib
looked pretty good, but I need to watch my cholesterol these days. I had
the chicken instead. I like Eliot Spitzer, but he's not my sister's
favorite guy these days. I admit that a Spitzer lawsuit can have a
devastating effect on stock prices, retirement plans, and lead to lay-offs.
And I admit that it's true that these things do have bad consequences for
ordinary people who are effected. But I still like Eliot Spitzer. I agreed
to disagree, but I bet she still thinks I should change my mind.
Then, there were also some shows that I didn't see...
There was a Little Richard/Chuck Berry show that I wanted to go to, but
wasn't able to make it. I'm going to regret that more and more further on
down the road. What was more important than that? I can't even remember...
I was going to take my Dad to see Willie Nelson for Father's Day, but that
show got cancelled. The damn bastard decided to get surgery for carpal
tunnel syndrome. They kept saying that the show was going to be
re-scheduled, but they eventualy decided just to cancel the whole damn thing
after leaving me in limbo for weeks and weeks. I'm still pissed at Willie
Nelson. I ended up taking my Dad to see the Cubs at Shea Stadium instead.
Those damn Cubs lost the game in the first inning, so I'm pissed at them
now, too. I was in charge of navigating on the way home, but I got us
pretty good and lost. I bluffed it well enough that I don't think anyone
noticed, though. We did get home eventually.
I get lost a lot, actually. I've gotten pretty good at being lost, too. To
tell you the truth, I kind of like not knowing where the hell I am. You
never know what you're going to find when you're hopelessly lost. It can
turn an ordinary drive into a little adventure.
I had won a couple of lawn seats for a Diana Krall concert, but I skipped
that one too. I think it was Diana Krall, anyway. I don't have any regrets
about that. I did the happy hour thing after work instead. A Hispanic
friend tried to teach me how to dance. She didn't succeed, but she was nice
about it. Hey, if I haven't learned to dance properly in 42 years, what are
the chances? I'll be biting my lip on the dance floor until the day I die.
I tried to see Steve Earle in NYC on Halloween. The Halloween Parade got in
my way, though. Couldn't get anywhere near the Bowery Ballroom in time.
That's all right. I've seen Steve a few times before. On the other hand,
I did get to see a lot of things that I've never seen before marching in
that parade.... That was actually the 2nd time I've attended the parade by
accident. One of these years, I'll have to go on purpose. It looks like
it's a pretty good revel, if that's what you're there for.
I'm trying to remember whether or not I saw Bob Dylan this year or not.
I don't think there's much point in going to see him again if I can't even
remember... I mean, what's the point?
I feel like I must be forgetting another show or two here... I think it's
just a matter of wanting to believe I'm more exciting than I actually am.
I'm pretty sure that's everything, actually. I really would like to be
able to claim a few hip and cool shows, but that's just not happening these
days. Having an exciting life is just too damn much trouble these days. I
really should have been more exciting back when I had the time and energy, I
guess... The world of the hip is meant for the young and the pathetic.
I'm average enough and I'm at that age now, when I show up at a show, it
becomes just a little bit less cool simply because an average old guy like
me is there. When there's a lot of guys like me, and I feel more at
home, we're approaching full Cleveland territory. Life shows no mercy that
way.
I'm in something of a yadda, yadda, yadda mood tonight. I'll stop now.
bt