Face to Face

When: May 11, 2013

Venue: House of Blues, Anaheim

Accompanied By: Steph and Susan

Genre: Punk; Rock

Setlist: 123 Drop, Walk the Walk, I'm Not Afraid, A-OK, Ordinary, Bright Lights Go Down, I Won't Lie, Bill of Goods, Disappointed, I'm Trying, Big Choice, Smokestacks and Skyskrapers, Blind, Shoot the Moon, You've Done Nothing, Disconnected, It's Not Over

In honor of the 20th Anniversary of House of Blues, the lineup for the show this evening was Blacklist Royals, Teenage Bottlerocket, and Face to Face.  We arrived in time to catch the final 2 songs of Teenage Bottlerocket and enjoyed what we heard. But the reality was I was there for Face to Face. Originally, this show as to be shared with my friends, Lara, Megan and Sarah, but sometimes life gets in the way and things change.  I was fortunate enough to enjoy the show with my friend, Stephani and her sister, Susan.  An evening out with friends, listening to live music ... it doesn't get much better than that.

Tenacious D

When: May 5, 2013

Venue: Bootleg Bar, Los Angeles

Accompanied By: Gabs

Genre: Rock; Metal; Acoustic; Comedy

Setlist: Rize of the Fenix, Low Hangin' Fruit, Senorita, Dude (I Totally Miss You), Kyle Quit the Band, Friendship, Kielbasa, History, Kickapoo, Saxaboom, Roadie, Rock N Roll (Zeppelin), Rock is Dead, The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage, To Be the Best, Cosmic Shame, Tribute, Double Team

Encore:  Baby, 5 Needs, Fuck Her Gently

Celebrity Sighting: John C. Riley

Not too much to say about this evening other than it was awesome. And damn, Tenacious D have loyal fans. Bootleg Bar packed us in with minimal room to move or breath. The upside for this tiny industrial warehouse type bar/club is that they have a fairly extensive beer and wine list...AND have tasty cider options as well.  

It was great fun seeing Tenacious D minus the "jazz hands".  This night was all about face melting mind blowing metal and the D did not disappoint.

An Afternoon with Composers Stewart Copeland and Michael Gordon

Presented by LACMA and Long Beach Opera

When: May 4, 2013

Venue: LACMA

Accompanied By: KJ

Genre: Opera

I'm so not an opera fan...but you add the name Stewart Copeland to pretty much anything and my ears are going to perk up.  The chance to sit in a small theater and listen to Stewart talk about his musical adventures was too good to pass up. Granted, after all was said and done, I had no desire to run out and buy tickets to the Long Beach Opera for the following weekend performance of "Van Gogh" by Michael Gordon and "Tell-Tale Heart" by Stewart Copeland, I definitely left with an appreciation for their vision.

From Stewart Copeland's Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/StewartCopeland

Press Telegram Review

Rolling Stones - Staples Center

When: May 3, 2013

Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles

Accompanied By: Rosey G.

Genre: I know it's only Rock and Roll, but I like it
Surprise Guests: Gwen Stefani, Keith Urban

Setlist: I Can't Get No Satisfaction (performed by the UCLA Marching Band), Get Off of My Cloud, The Last Time, It's Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It), Paint in Black, Gimme Shelter, Wild Horses (w/ Gwen Stefani), Factory Girl, Emotional Rescue, Respectable (w/ Keith Urban), Doom and Gloom, One More Shot, Honky Tonk Women, Before They Make Me Run, Happy, Midnight Rambler, Miss You, Start Me Up, Tumbling Dice, Brown Sugar, Sympathy for the Devil

Encore:  You Can't Always Get What You Want, Jumpin Jack Flash, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Chevy Metal

When: April 27, 2013

Venue: Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, Tarzana

Accompanied By: Jane & Kathryn

Genre: Good ol' Rock n Roll

No clue of the setlist...but for sure it consisted of a number of hits from the 70s and 80s...complete with Van Halen and even the one time wonder hit "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors. 

All in all a fun night with girlfriends. Consuming one too many vodka & sugar free red bulls and vague memories of french fries and pie.

Thankful for the opportunity to take a photo with Mick Murphy, who I think is the PERFECT addition to Chevy Metal. Awesomely animated on stage like a bad ass metal head.  

And then there's Taylor...as always, a super nice guy and took a moment before heading off for the night to pose with me. 

These are the types of memories that last a lifetime and I'm extremely thankful. I'm a lucky girl!

Depeche Mode at the Troubadour

When: April 26, 2013

Venue: The Troubadour, Hollywood

Accompanied By: Nic

Genre: New Wave, Alternative

Setlist: Angel, Higher, Walking In My Shoes, Barrel of a Gun, Heaven, But Not Tonight, Personal Jesus, Soft Touch, Soothe, Enjoy

Two weeks before this show, I was lucky enough to win tickets for one of the upcoming Fall Depeche Mode shows from my favorite radio station, KROQ. Oh, and not just any tickets, but THIRD row tickets!! I thought there's no way I'll ever get any closer than that to see one of greatest bands of my youth...but I was wrong. KROQ announced that same week of the show that they would be giving away tickets for an evening with Depeche Mode at the mother freakin' Troubadour!!

I won't divulge any secrets as to how we scored tickets to this show, but thanks to Nic and her intense desire to be there, we made it happen. And better still, once we arrived, we managed to secure a spot close enough to the stage that Dave Gahan was within reaching distance during some moments of the evening. I was prepared...I had my Canon S120 and extra batteries. I was ready to go. And then BAM, just when I took out the camera to figure out the best settings, I was hit with the realization that I forgot the freakin' memory card. Ultimate Fail.

Regardless of my oversight, Depeche Mode proceeded to amaze. And has left me even more excited knowing that I will get to see them from the 3rd row in September. This time, I won't forget the memory card!!

Blog Review by The Jet Set Family

Photo Gallery by KROQ

Jimmy Eat World Record Store Day Performance

When: April 20, 2013

Venue: Fingerprints Records, Long Beach

Accompanied By: Solo, but met up with Tiffany B., Lisa K., Jazz & Mark

Genre: Alternative Rock

Setlist: I Will Steal You Back, Big Casino, Work, Damage, Heart is Hard to Find, Hear You Me, Lucky Denver Mint, The Middle

The last time I was at Fingerprints for Record Store Day was when Foo Fighters were performing. When I heard that Jimmy Eat World would be there this year for RSD, I knew it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Fingerprints never disappoints. Add this to one of the many reasons why I love living in Long Beach.

Blog Review by Live Rock Gig (w/ videos)