Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways LA Episode

When: Friday, November 14, 2014
Where: The Roxy, Hollywood Los Angeles
Accompanied by: Geo
Genre: Rock

Set List: The Feast and the Famine, Learn to Fly, White Limo, Arlandria, Times Like These, Rope, The Pretender, My Hero, Hey, Johnny Park!, Monkey Wrench, Congregation, Cold Day in the Sun, In the Clear, I'll Stick Around, Generator, Walk, Outside (w/ Joe Walsh), Rocky Mountain Way (w/ Joe Walsh), Mountain Song (Jane's Addiction cover) (w/ Perry Farrell and Joe Walsh), All My Life, Miss You (Rolling Stones cover), Dear Rosemary, Breakdown (Tom Petty cover), Best of You, Something from Nothing, Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie cover), Everlong

NOTE:  This one's for Geo....I don't know if trying to obtain these tickets would have been met with such determination had it not been for her extending her trip from Australia a few extra days in hopes of being able to go to this show....She was my inspiration and because of that, my good luck charm!!

Oh the insanity. Two full weeks of absolute insanity once the word got out that Foo Fighters would be performing at The Roxy in collaboration with the HBO documentary "Sonic Highways" Los Angeles episode.  I mean, we all knew it was coming since the precedence was set with the previous episodes and small intimate shows in Chicago, D.C., Nashville, and Austin... with LA as the 5th location for the HBO broadcast, all we needed to know what how to get tickets.

Oh, yeah, there in was the catch. No tickets would be sold for this show. No waiting for some tweet to direct us to the box office within a minimal time frame. No Facebook post alerting us of an online ticket sale date and time. The only way into this show was to win tickets from The World Famous KROQ. Piece of cake, right? A full 5 days with the opportunity to win every hour on the hour?! Surely this would not be a challenge. It might take a little bit of time, but between the group of us making the effort, I felt confident that we would all be attending this show. 

Yeah, not so much. The week came and went. We had a Facebook messaging tree up and running to alert of when to call in. I utilized people out of state to call in when it was time, just to up the odds. This was the golden ticket that became the impossible dream.  One more week before the actual show date and just when we thought no more tickets were going to be offered up, Alt 98.7 announced that they would be giving away tickets - but only 3 sets throughout the day with really no rhyme or reason as to when. This took the challenge to a whole new level. 

But Goonies never say die!

You don't wanna know...

Thursday morning, the day before the show, the morning radio crew announce to call in for a contest called "Spit or Swallow"...  ummmmm, yeah, no. I can't possibly participate in such a thing. Even as I was dialing the number, I thought there is no way in hell I can do this. Didn't really matter because they had their female volunteer, so I figured it was time to accept that we would not be going to this "secret show". Listening to the contest, the girl they had chosen choked (pun intended?), and they hung up on her. It was a sign from the rock gods, right?  I quickly dialed the station and nervously waited as the phone rang... and rang.... and rang. I won't go into the specifics of what this contest entailed. The fact is that just by being the female volunteer, answering a bunch of silly questions and endearing a little bit (okay, okay, a whole lot) of embarrassment, two tickets to this Foo gig at the Roxy would safely belong to me and Geo.  In the end, it became clear that there really isn't much I wouldn't do for Foo. And for friends.

Needless to say, the hours between then and showtime were all a blur... but man, oh man, what a night!!!  There are no words. This was an evening that consisted of pure magic. In every way.

Geo, Cass, Tai

Sonic Highways 2014

Geo n Tai - Front, Shifty side

Hi Dave....

How you doin....

Wait...don't go!!

This one will go down in the books of amazing memories!!

QOTSA - End of the Road

When: Friday, October 31, 2014
Where: The Forum, Los Angeles
Accompanied by: Juls, Geo, Cassandra, Tiffany, Lisa, Anthony, Vanessa
Genre: Rock

Set List: Keep Your Eyes Peeled (w/ Jake Shears), Feel Good Hit of the Summer, The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret, My God is the Sun, Smooth Sailing, If I Had a Tail, Little Sister, Someone's in the Wolf, The Vampyre of Time and Memory, I Sat by the Ocean, Make it Wit Chu, Regular John, No One Knows, Go with the Flow

Encore: You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire (w/ Nick Oliveri), Quick and to the Pointless (w/ Nick Oliveri), Auto Pilot (w/ Nick Oliveri), Another Love Song (w/ Nick Oliveri), Gonna Leave You (w/ Nick Oliveri), A Song for the Dead

Life is Beautiful - Night #3

Who: The Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters
When: Sunday, October 26, 2014
Where: Downtown Las Vegas, Fremont Street
Accompanied by: Juls & Gabs
Genre: Alternative, Rock & Roll


"I do not suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it..." A little over 4 miles today... #easylikesundaymorning Taking the time to #reflect upon a multitude of feelings and random emotions. Reminding myself that everything happens for a reason and that all is as it should be. Even when it hurts. #lifeisgood, #iamloved and #iamstrongerthanithink. Found a loop around a #shady area of #downtown #lasvegas and discovered a cool music shop and assorted #graffiti proving that even in the #dingiest situations, beauty can be found. 


Arctic Monkeys Set List: Do I Wanna Know, Snap Out of It, Arabella, Brianstorm, Don't Sit Down 'Cuase I've Moved Your Chair, Dancing Shoes, Crying Lightening, Knee Socks, My Propeller, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, Library Pictures, All My Own Stunts, Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?, Fluorescent Adolescent, One for the Road, I Wanna Be Yours, R U Mine?

Foo Fighters Set List: All My Life, Times Like These, The Pretender, My Hero, Learn to Fly, White Limo, Arlandria, Cold Day in the Sun, Big Me, Something from Nothing, Walk, Miss You (Rolling Stones Cover), Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie cover), Best of You, Monkey Wrench, This is a Call, I'll Stick Around, Dear Rosemary, Breakdown (Tom Petty cover), Everlong

note: Rope, The Feast and the Famine and Generator were on the setlist, however the band played covers instead, along with I'll Stick Around and Dear Rosemary



In the grand scheme of things the one thing that brought the three of us together for this weekend, or in essence that brought us together in the first place years before this weekend was even possible, was our common love of Foo Fighters. Go figure. The power of music really is an amazing thing.

Life is Beautiful - Night #2

Who: Lionel Richie, Outkast
When: Saturday, October 25, 2014
Where: Downtown Las Vegas, Fremont Street
Accompanied by: Juls & Gabs
Genre: R&B, Hip Hop



A gorgeous Saturday morning in Las Vegas... While we let Juls lounge in bed, Gabrielle and I took advantage of the time and headed out for our own jaunt along the city streets.  I'd love to say that we went for a run together, but there's no way I could keep up with her, so we parted ways once the cool air hit our faces.  

The goal was to get a few miles in, since I had a half marathon coming up in early November and being in Vegas was no excuse to stop training. Fortunately, the previous evenings excursions didn't hinder my performance and I was able to knock out an easy 3+ miles.

For the evening's festivities, we decided that we would take in the main stage with Lionel Richie and Outkast.  

Now, if anyone would have told me that the highlight of the weekend would be seeing Lionel Richie, I would have been a bit skeptical. And while he may have been the senior citizen listed on a weekend bill of youthful artists, that man can still dance on the ceiling all night long!!  His 90-minute performance was able to string together the best of the 70s and 80s in a way that was pure magic. His reference to buying music and listening to your favorite song on "CD, record album, cassette tape, or 8-track" touched upon every generation in the crowd. And not surprising, Juls knew the words to pretty much every song. We danced. We sang. and there were a few moments of daftness.

Following Lionel's performance, we had a little bit of break waiting for Outkast to take the stage.  Enough time to regain our energy and find a spot to get our groove on.  Going into this festival, I knew I wasn't terribly familiar with the music of Outkast, but I also knew that they were on my list of acts to see. And just like with Lionel, I was not disappointed. The energy this group exerted upon the crowd was addictive and with every song, we wanted more. 



Night #2 was a success....good friends, music, pretty lights and Vegas. It really doesn't get much better than this!!

Life is Beautiful - Night #1

Life is Beautiful Night #1

Who: Neon Trees and Panic at the Disco
When: Friday, October 24, 2014
Where: Downtown Las Vegas, Fremont Street
Accompanied by: Juls & Gabs
Genre: Alternative

The drive to sin city was filled with silliness and fun. Lots of singing along to bad 80s music and a few pit stops along the way, but we made it there without any major traffic issues or hold ups. The Four Queens was perfectly located in the middle of Fremont Street, within minutes walking distance of where we would be spending the next three days and nights.

Certainly, there was a lot going on even on this first day/night. We decided that we would relax a bit, eventually go out and grab a bit, a few cocktails and then make our way to the main stage to catch 2 of the acts that were on our list to see.

We were not all that familiar with Neon Trees, but since they were the act before Panic!, we decided to get situated and check them out. And by the end of their set, we were glad we did!  Absolutely fabulous with the perfect amount of glam energy needed to start our weekend off right.

Neon Trees @ Life is Beautiful Festival, Las Vegas Night #1

Neon Trees Setlist: Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night), Your Surrender, Animal, Love in the 21st Century, Text Me in the Morning, Mad Love, I Love You (But I Hate Your Friends), Sleeping with a Friend, First Things First, Everybody Talks

Then came time for Panic! Who just freakin' killed it. Brendon Urie exudes deliciousness that cannot be denied. And when they broke out into Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, it proved that he has the pipes that even Freddie Mercury would approve of.  This is one of those bands that I will definitely see again if and when the opportunity arises.

Panic! at the Disco @ Life is Beautiful Fesitval, Las Vegas Night #1

Panic! at the Disco Setlist: Vegas Lights, Time to Dance, The Ballad of Mona Lisa, The Only Difference Between Martyrdon and Suicide is Press Coverage, Let's Kill Tonight, Girls/Girls/Boys, Ready to Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind), Nicotine, New Perspective, Casual Affair, Miss Jackson, Nine in the Afternoon, Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen cover), Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off, Collar Full, Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met...), This is Gospel, Positive Hardcore (Good Clean Fun cover), I Write Sins Not Tragedies

Maceo Parker

When: Friday, October 10. 2014
Where: Catalina Jazz Bar & Grill
Accompanied by: KJ, Marvin & Robert
Genre: Jazz, Funk


Any show at Catalina Jazz Bar & Grill is a guaranteed good time!!


Crappy cell phone photos...but  you an tell that the man is still going strong and loves what he does. 

Weezer @ Fingerprints Records

When: Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Where: Fingerprints Music, Long Beach
Accompanied by: Tiffany, Jazz, Mark
Genre: Alt Rock

Set List: The British Are Coming, Da Vinci, Go Away, Foolish Father (?), Eulogy of a Rock Band

The following videos are the property of Live Rock Gig

DaVinci



The British Are Coming



Eulogy of a Rock Band




Weezer Wednesday in LB... yup, pretty much love my city.  Fingerprints Music continuously provides our community with the most amazing opportunities to see live performances in a tiny ass venue. What's not to love, right?  Thanks to FP, I've had the opportunity to see Foo Fighters on RSD 2011 and NO! (who now go by Black English).  I even got to meet John Densmore for a book signing in 2013 thanks to the Fingerprints crew.  And just last week, my friend Tiffany saw Chrissie Hynde.  Big ups to the small independent music establishment. They help keep the rock n roll dream alive in every way

Here is what Fingerprints had to say about what last night was all about:

WEEZER – LIVE IN-STORE PERFORMANCE

Wednesday, October 8th  8:00pm  Holiest of wows, Weezer is coming to Fingerprints. I’m kind of losing my mind right now, this is going to be legendary. Rather than blather on about how amazing Weezer is, and the legions of bands they’ve influenced, I’m just going to say Weezer’s new record, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, comes out on October 7th, and to celebrate, Weezer will be coming in to play a very special acoustic set.Produced by Ric Ocasek, who produced both The Blue Album and The Green Album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End is not a collection of songs or singles, it’s a classic album, designed to breathe some life into the idea of playing a record all the way through. Rivers describes the process as being much more collaborative and open, and speaks about the value of letting the recording process happen over time, saying “”I have an instinct to move slowly and a belief that a record only gets better the longer you let it grow, it becomes more complex and layered”. After four years of letting the flavors marry, as they say on the cooking channel, Everything Will Be Alright in the End is ready for it’s first public tasting.

Just another middle of the week... hanging with friends, enjoying some grub and a hard cider at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing before making out way over the sold out show.

Once we had full bellies, we waddled back up a few blocks and claimed our spot among the masses inside the store. Shortly after 8pm, we were entertained with an acoustic set of three songs. The band asked fans to come up on stage to help sing. It was pretty exciting for everyone. After the short set, we were given a cool poster and the opportunity to have it signed. That little extra personal touch that makes events such as these an absolute treasure.

Yeah, I love my city. I love everything about living in Southern California. If my love of music didn't run so deep, I think I'd be okay living somewhere else, but since music is what feeds my soul, this is exactly where I need to be. Life is good. And I am happy.