Luke's Blog

I finally got to go to the postponed Van Halen show at Madison Square Garden last night.  I did something I wish I had done at the hundreds of concerts I went to when I was younger.  I wore ear plugs.  I've done it for the past few shows I've been to.  It's great to hear the music, have a beer and have a good time and not have to pay for it with ringing ears and added hearing loss.  I went to a couple of concerts when I was a kid that left me with ringing ears for 2-3 days after the show.  That sounds really healthy!  If only I had protected my ears.  Oh well, wisdom is not for the young.

While watching Idol on Wednesday, I couldn't decide if George Michael looked more like Robert DeNiro at the end of Casino or Junior from the Sopranos.  What a mess.

I seem to be the kiss of death for concerts these days.  A few months after I was denied a visit from Morrissey word is that Van Halen is packing it in before their MSG show:

TMZ.com reports that Van Halen’s current tour, originally scheduled to continue through April 19, has been canceled. While there’s no announcement on the band’s official site, the report comes on the heels of three cancelled shows and a tell-all book by guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s wife Valerie Bertinelli detailing infidelities by Eddie and Bertinelli.

READ REST OF STORY HERE

I just discovered the newly launched 101.9.  I had been in between stations for the most part since the moving of Jack FM to HD Radio (does anyone actually have this?).  I'd been bouncing between Q104 and the alternative rock station in Jersey (it's something like 106.5) but this station is a perfect mix for me.  It has some classic rock but doesn't stop its playlist at 1985.

The new RXP seems to be a great fit for the 25-54 audience segment.  On the way to work very early this morning they played Pete Yorn and then went into Zepplin.  What a nice mix of music.  It's actually a better match for me than Jack was.  The only question is "How long can it last?"

SEPTEMBER 28TH & 29TH, OCTOBER 4TH, 5TH & 6TH

Founded in 1967 by Patrick Kenny,, Kenny's Castaways was a haven for new and up and coming local bands to showcase their songs. From the New York Dolls residency to the debut of a singer named Bruce Springsteen (with the E Street Band) in 1973, Kenny's Castaways has held it's own for more than 40 years, alongside CBGB as a downtown staple for groundbreaking bands. Past performers who have graced the stage there include Aerosmith, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, The Smithereens, Phish, Professor Longhair and the list goes on and on.. Kenny's is still presenting live shows every night of the week and in this day and age where live venues come and go, it's nice to see that this treasure on Bleecker Street is still on the map and continues to be.

On September 28th & 29th, Kenny's will begin a celebration of 40 years in music, presented by Maria and Tommy Kenny, in memory of their father. Then again on October 4th, 5th and 6th There will be more anniversary shows added in November (details forthcoming). Known for it's all star late night jams, Kenny's will open and close the event with a variety of musicians, old and new, getting together to bring back the traditional Village atmosphere. The Bleecker Street music scene was the key to opening doors for a variety of live venues over the years and Kenny's is one of the landmarks that continues on as a great live venue, lasting more than four decades. Kenny's is the real school of rock!

I hate to say it but Britney Spears is a genius.  Her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards was everything she hoped it would be.

Just think what would have happened if she had come out in a grown up outfit, actually sang her song and performed some effective dance steps.  We would have had one line in a story about the lame awards show about Britney being back.

Instead, she has herself as THE story of the event.  Her picture is plastered on newspapers and Web sites.  She will be the lead story on all of the entertainment shows and will be on the magazine covers later this week.

Face it, in today's entertainment universe it doesn't matter what you are doing as long as you stay the lead story.  The woman sitting up front is exhibit A for that theory.  Paris Hilton has done nothing to gain positive attention in years but remains an in-demand "star".

In the throwaway pop music world, Britney knows being a circus side-show is far better than irrelevant and forgotten. 

 

And speaking of the MTV Video Music awards; wasn't it sad that Britney's fellow Mouseketeer, Jusitn Timberlake, had to beg the supposed "music" channel to play videos.  They should just rename the event the MTV trash-culture spectacle.

After months of anticipation, we finally got to see the Police concert Sunday night.  Overall, it was a great time but I got a reminder why I really don't go to see a lot of concerts anymore, especially big ones.

First off, the weather was a lot better than I expected.  I had worried about the weather since I bought the tickets in the dead of winter  My wife and I are both "cold weather" people.  We'd rather it be 25 degrees and snowing over hot and humid.  The weather wasn't too hot at all.

That being said, it was still warm and there were plenty of hot people with varying levels of hygiene all around us.  It was a festival of body odor.

My wife and I debated before hand about what type of crowd would be at the event.  We had concluded that it wouldn't be a big tailgate affair because we expected an older crowd.  We were certainly wrong on that count.  There were plenty of pass-out drunks around (probably all planning to drive home as well).

The traffic wasn't too bad getting in our out of the stadium.  I've been stuck in the parking lot longer during a football game.

As for the Police, it was a great concert.  The band played pretty tight.  I didn't leave thinking they had forgotten any song I wanted to hear.  They didn't do too much moving around on the stage but I expected that.  It's not like they are in their 20s.  The stage show was pretty basic, but they didn't need one.  The big monitors were more for showing the band to those of us in the back than trying to tell a visual story with the songs.

And if the band wants to tour again and Sting says "no", they can always use his son, whose band opened the show.  He sounds just like his dad when he sings

We've promised it, and here it is.... Tom's Good Day Song.  Enjoy!

Check out this video that MyFoxNY.com blogger Tom sent in:

Hi!  Welcome to Summer on MyFoxNY.com.  We're trying something new here on Fridays.  It's a live concert.  Log onto the website at 8:55 on Friday's and watch a live concert.  Here's the link  to an archive of this week's concert.  Click on the Good Day Page next Friday to watch the concert.

 Tomorrow:  July 6th:  Band Of Thieves

There is a new blog category for you in our blog community.  If you have an interest in music, this is the spot to set up your blog!