Because you can’t possibly be tired of me talking about music and concerts yet…

On Monday there was a bit of news spread about the interwebs that Steven Tyler was leaving Aerosmith to pursue solo work. Crazy timing, since I had tickets to see the Joe Perry Project the very next day.  I found myself thinking about this show with bittersweet emotion, excited about seeing one of the best guitar players ever, but wondering if I’d ever see him in my favorite band again.

I got there at 6:00 and was 4th in line for the General Admission crowd.  By 8:00, Roomie had shown up and they let us in.  Little known fact (because it’s a lie), the Fillmore Theatre was designed by M.C. Escher.  Because of this, the entrance to the stage is not only upstairs but also to the far right upon entering the main lobby.  Thanks to past experiences at this venue, we knew this and it resulted in Roomie and I being the first people on the floor, dead center on the rail and about 7 feet from the stage.

The opening act was The London Souls.  Great guitarist and drummer, crappy vocals.  Our consensus was that we would happily listen to them again for free.

But enough of that.  Joe Perry Project took the stage around 10:00.

His set was a mix of original work and some of his favorite Aerosmith.  Singing these songs with Joe Perry was basically a 20-something Steven Tyler impersonator.  I have never in my life had such instant malice for someone.  Not because he couldn’t sing like Steven Tyler, but because he was trying to.  Anyone who’s seen Aerosmith live knows that Tyler has certain, well, moves for lack of a better word.  Now that I read it, it sounds ridiculous but it’s quite effective in person.  The Steven Tyler Duplicate was attempting these moves.  Poorly.  And if the little STD had put scarves on his mic stand, there might have been bloodshed.

Despite the frustrating performance of the singer, Joe thoroughly melted our faces during each of the numerous solos.  He used a lot of his well-known guitars, including Billie, his custom made Gibson B.B. King with a picture of his wife on it.  He rocked just over an hour finishing with Train Kept a Rollin’.

They came back out for the encore and then Joe introduced a special guest…

Steven Tyler.

After Roomie pulled me down from the rail (which I was suddenly standing on, poised to jump), Tyler announced that he was NOT leaving Aerosmith.  He said something else after that, but I didn’t hear it.  I was too busy screaming my head off.

They leapt into Walk This Way and I have never felt such electricity come out of a crowd.  It had been a great show and the crowd was into it, but those two on stage turned that place into a madhouse.

These things just don’t happen to me.  I’m never that close to something that makes news.  And yet there I was, front and center, living one of those moments I’ll remember till the day I die.

- J

Thanks for reading, everyone.  I know this probably isn’t the most interesting subject matter to a lot of you, but it meant a lot to me and I wanted to share.

If you need to rest after a long morning…

There’s a nap for that.

Sorry guys, but I had to pass this one along.  Thanks Texan New Yorker!!

- J

Remember, remember the fifth of November
The Yankees, a World Series they bought
A-Rod is the reason, the Mets fans this season
Will forever, be distraught

I’m not a particularly avid baseball fan or anything (though I am a Mets fan by association).  I just wanted an excuse to use The Fifth of November poem today.

Have a good one!

- J

And now I have added General Admission tickets to The Joe Perry Project to the remainder of my 2009 live musical list.

For those that don’t rock know, Joe Perry is the lead guitarist for Aerosmith.  In his down time he plays gigs with his band, The Joe Perry Project.  Getting within 10 feet of any member of Aerosmith is kind of an ongoing dream of mine, so this is what some might refer to as A Big Deal.

If you reside in the New York, Tri-State area and wish to see your local J squealing like a little girl during every solo, tickets are 40 bucks if you buy now.  I’ll be the guy down front having a conniption fit during Mercy.

- J

October has been pretty crazy (hence the lack of posting), but we are officially in the homestretch of Countdown.  That being the case, let’s talk about something else!

I had a very musical weekend.  Friday night, I saw my friend Jessica play an unplugged set with her band Walking Upright at Waltz, a hip little coffee shop in my neighborhood.  They put on a great show, as always.  They play regularly all over NYC, so check them out if you get a chance.

Saturday night I saw Zac Brown Band at Terminal 5.  It’s a great venue and we were right on the rail about 10 feet from the stage.  They’re touring with 3 other artists and I gained a lot of respect ZBB because they played with their opening acts, really supporting their music.  One of the them was from Tyler, Tx where I lived for a few years.  The show was about 3 1/2 hours and one of the best I’ve seen in a while. 

And on Sunday, I went to Video Games Live at the Beacon Theatre with the one and only Jon Decker.  VGL is kind of like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, only they play music from video games instead of classical music.  Aside from the full orchestra, the show also featured Youtube favorites Martin Leung (I’m pretty sure he’s a robot) and Flute Link. 

It made for a full weekend, but it was all great.  Music has always been very important to me and seeing it live just blows my mind.  Coming up in the next 2 months is Metallica, Luke Bryan and Cross Canadian Ragweed.  When no one was looking, country artists started playing in NYC!!  Woot!

We now return you to your semi-regular, not quite bi-weekly posting schedule.

- J

What my roommate says to me:

“Hey J, I’m going out of town this weekend.”

What I hear:

“Hey J, you don’t have to wear pants for 2 days!”

Happy Friday everyone!

The Virgin Megastore on Times Square is being replaced by a Forever 21.

Oh, and an American Eagle is opening up right across the street from it.  Times Square is supposed to be energy, traffic and excitement.  It should live up to its image as ”the crossroads of the world”.  Instead, in just a few months it’s become a popular lounge area with all the spunk of a well-lit outlet mall.

Why do I have the sudden urge to watch Empire Records?

- J

So today marks 3 years back in NYC. 

That’s about 1,577,846 New York minutes and about 1,500 country miles away from Texas. 

Eventually I guess I’ll reach a point where I stop counting.  For now I still enjoy looking back every year and thinking about what’s happened.  And I have no idea how to put this past year into words.

A funny thing happens to me every three years or so.  I usually look around and say to myself, “Well, this has been fun. But now I’ve seen this and it’s time to move on.”  Then I uproot my entire life and take off in another direction.  This pattern has gone on the last 10 years or so.  The odd thing about this 3 year block of time though, is that I have no desire to change anything.  I’m happy with my life, I feel like God is using me here, and I’m having way too much fun.

Again, thanks to everyone who reads these little scribbles and also to anyone who has befriended me here in NYC.  Y’all are truly blessings from God and the reason I’m still here. 

- J

About a month ago Sony announced the long awaited price drop on the Playstation 3.  Along with the price drop on the original model, they also released the PS3 Slim which is smaller, just as fast and 120G.  A vast improvement over the bulkier 80G.  So, once again, I did my part to help stimulate the economy by purchasing expensive electronics.  Seriously, the things I do for my country.  I deserve a medal or something.

From the perspective of someone who’s only been playing the Wii for the last few years, this machine is amazing.  Aside from playing games and Blu-Ray movies, you can download older PS games similar to the Wii’s Virtual Console.  The PS3 takes it a step farther and also allows you to download movies, TV shows and music.

I started playing Resident Evil 5 the same day I got the system.  Two weeks ago Batman: Arkham Asylum came out.  This game was one of the main reasons I got the PS3 when I did.  I traded my PS2, controller, DVD remote and a few games toward the purchase of Batman.  To give an idea about trade in rates these days, the console and all still only covered about half the price of the game.

I won’t bore you with more details, but I’m having a blast.  It’s a totally different gaming experience from the Wii.  It’s a more hardcore system, best suited for immersive, one player games as opposed to the Wii which is geared more toward groups and families.

Well, y’all take care.  I’ve got zombies to kill.

- J

Long standing quote:

“Why is there a hole in the roof of Texas Stadium?  So God can watch his favorite football team.”

Quote explaining last night’s loss in the new stadium:

“God must be pissed because of that big screen blocking his view.”
 - My roommate

You know, he might be on to something there…

- J