Flying Kangaroos, Dustland Fairytales and Kraft Dinner

3 Venues. 3 Bands. 3 Shows. This is a review of the fall concerts I attended. They all were awesome, and all were very different.

The Australian Pink Floyd Show
September 3, 2009
Venue: USANA Amplitheater
Playlist
Speak to Me
Breathe
On the Run
Time
The Great Gig in the Sky
Us and Them
Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
Welcome to the Machine
Pigs
Sheep
Keep Talking
Learning to Fly
...
Wish You Were Here
Money
Another Brick in the Wall
Goodbye Cruel World
Hey You
Is There Anybody Out There?
Nobody Home
Vera
Bring The Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb
Encore:
Run Like Hell

I found out about the show through a radio station promotion selling $10 tickets. I was able to convince Courtney to go with, along with Todd, Andrew & Hilary, Steve, and Paul. The show was amazing for anyone who a)Loves Pink Floyd's music and/or b)Loves the art of engineering rock music. Pink Floyd's music is incredible to listen to, but even more amazing is watching the artist make the music. The Pink Floyd sound is very intricit and takes a lot of work to produce on the stage. Each guitarist had about three different pedals to get all the effects they needed for the concert, they even switched to a slide guitar at one point. Watching them use the voice guitar in Sheep was a treat and he saxaphone solo in Us and Them, switching from alto to a baritone saxophone in, like, a half a rest was also pretty impressive. Overall I was just blown away by the musical talent of the original Pink Floyd even more so than I already was because I got to see it materialize on a stage in front of me. Aside from the music, The Australian Pink Floyd Show also provides the same visual shows the original Pink Floyd used. Lots of lights and lasers and a large round projection screen behind the stage featuring wild and crazy animations for each song. Great show. The venue helped, too. There's nothing like an outdoor concert. I give it 5 out of 5 marching hammers.

The Killers
September 26, 2009
Venue: The E-Center
Playlist
Joyride
Human
For Reasons Unknown
Shadowplay
Bling
A Dustland Fairytale
Smile Like You Mean It
Spaceman
Losing Touch
Read My Mind
Mr. Brightside
All These Things That I've Done
Encore:
Sam's Town
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
When You Were Young

Courtney surprised me with tickets to this concert for my birthday. I really wanted to buy tickets for this show in the spring, but decided no to because I didn't feel like spending the money. I'm lucky my wife loves me so much. That was the take home message from this concert. Courtney wasn't feeling well but still came to the concert with me after she had worked a full day, justDe as she had done for the Pink Floyd Show. Such a great concert. The E-Center isn't the greatest venue, but Brandon Flowers sure puts on a show. He provided unlimited energy and vocal solos throughout the entire show. I was also impressed with the bassist Mark Stoemer; his energy and the fact that he looked like Paul McCartney. Guitarist Dave Keuning shared a resemblance to a muscular Robert Plant, but didn't carry quite as much energy. The highlight of the night was probably the outstanding Dustland Fairytale, ending with a guitar lead in to I Can't Help Falling in Love With You. I couldn't have picked out a more rocking encore set than the one they did, and I loved All These Things That I've Done. I give this show 4.5 out of 5 guitars.

Barenaked Ladies
December 14, 2009
Venue: The Depot
Playlist
Get in Line
What's So Maybe About Katie
The Old Apartment
Blame It On Me
God Rest Ye Marry Gentlemen/We Three Kings
New Song
Go Home
New Song
It's All Been Done
New Song
Pinch Me
One Week
If I Had $1,000,000
Encore:
Green Christmas
Feliz Navidad
2nd Encore:
When Doves Cry

I have to admit that I was a little nervous about this. I have been to one of their shows before, but now that Steven Page is gone I worried about how the songs he sang lead vocals for (nearly all of them) would sound. I have to say that everyone's picking up the slack quite well. And I mean everyone. Jim's sharing the load with Ed a lot, and sounds pretty good, although nothing can quite compare to Page's amazing vocal chords. I always love going to a concert that features an accordian, too. Kevin's great with the squeeze box and behind the keys, too. Anyways, the music is only half of why to go to a BNL concert. The other half is the outrageous antics of the band. Signature to any BNL concert are a number of ad libs ranging from SLC's new In-N-Out to geneology to how much Ed loves Kevin from the depths of his heart. The band is still hilarious. And feliz navidad was great with Tyler at the mic, but nothing was as great as When Doves Cry with an accordian, bass and maracas. And The Depot is a great place for a concert. This show gets 5 out of 5 Chinese Chickens.

Here's a movie of Feliz Navidad. Don't miss Tyler's scat in the middle.

Todd, Cindy, Courtney and I at the concert.

Say it ain't so, Steve!

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Steven Page, lead singer for the Canadian rock band, The Barenaked Ladies, has been arrested for possession of cocaine. Following a night of fighting with his girlfriend and getting totally plastered, she drove him to her place, where he pulled out a five dollar bill and the powder and went to work. The black and whites stopped in to see about a car door that was left open, and from the doorway observed the situation. Steven's words, "Yeah, it's cocaine."

Wow. Sixteen years into their existence, just after releasing an incredible children's music album, the band is finally stained. They were so clean- or were they? I'd rather not think about it. But lets take this time to look at other famous celebrity surprises.

1966-Sandy Koufax annonces retirement

His ten year career seemed too short for the amazing stuff he had.

1969ish-The Beatles dissolve

People cried for this one all around the world. I know I made tears in heaven over this one.

1987- Lawrence Taylor tests positive for cocaine

Hey, the man just won the 'ship, and instead of going to Disneyland like everyone else, he just wanted to get loaded. I don't know how disappointed anyone was, but it provided a great line for him in Adam Sandler's "The Waterboy", when he told some pee-wee football players, "Remember kids, don't do crack," in response to some dumb remark made by Sandler's character, Bobby Boucher.

1988-Ben Johnson's juiced in Seoul

Hooray breaking speed records! Boo steroids!

He wasn't the first.

And he certainly wasn't the last.

1993-Michael Jordan retires

Very surprising, very disappointing, and just plain out sad for those of us who based our entire basketball world around him. I don't know how I recovered.

1995-Michael Jordan returns from retirement- with #45!

Now I remember. He eventually wised up and changed the jersey back, and started winning championships again.

1997-Ellen Degeneres is gay

Whatever.

1998-Bill Clinton did not have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky

That's not what she said...

1998 (Seven months later)- Bill Clinton DID have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky

Wait, but didn't you tell us you didn't? I'm so confused!

2002-N*Sync breaks up

Finally!

2006-Lance Bass is gay.

I knew it!

2006-Brett Favre retires

Yeah right...

2007-Brett Favre retires. Again

Sure...

2008-Brett Favre texts the Packers GM and wants to play ball

That's what I thought.

And now this. Without stuff like this, what is life? Just me and people I know who actually care about me.

Freedom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the season finally over, I found relief on the sunny shores of California. For three days it was quality time with the family, the ocean, and the boogie board. I was unfortunately joined by the sun, which did a number on my skin. I went to church today looking like a leper. I told people I was auditioning for a minor role in Jesus Christ Superstar. Unfortunately, with my moustache my ethnicity is mistaken more for one found south of the border than the Gaza strip, so the audition didn't turn out that well.

I know nothing of world event right now. I'll let it all soak in this next week. Until then, I have nothing to rant about. I do, however, have an exceptional review of the best album of the year. Who made such a thing? Why, Canada's finest, of course. The Barenaked Ladies have introduced Snacktime!, an album full of songs for all the kids. It is incredible, and I advise all to purchase not only the cd, but the storybook of lyrics (illustrated by keyboardist Kevin Hearn) as well. This link goes to the website where you can view the music video from the song "789" (it looks like it came straight from Sesame Street) and hear the song "Snacktime".

http://www.bnlmusic.com/snacktime/

This is a candidate for greatest album of the century. Search YouTube for their songs "Drawing" and "Pollywog in a Bog", which will come out soon, as well.