Sunday, April 19, 2009
The first picture is Brandon Flowers of the Killers, then Franz Ferdinand, and the last 3 are of Paul. I don't pick the order, blogger does.
I was lucky enough to go to the Coachella music festival in Indio, CA for the first time. I went Friday and Saturday and the main reason I went was to see Paul McCartney. Let me tell you one thing, he did not disappoint. The way Coachella is setup is they have music going all of the time. They have a main stage, a smaller outdoor stage, and three tents setup with a stage and musicians performing in them. It is crazy the amount of bands that play during the three days, and you can just walk from place to place and listen to whomever you want. On Friday, we got there, walked around, listened to The Airborne Toxic Event, walked around and listened to some other bands, but then decided to camp out in front of the main stage to have a good location when Paul went on. We listened to Franz Ferdinand who were amazing live. I was really suprised how good they were. Then at 8:30pm, Morrissey came on and was decent. He was upset about something. I think he was having technical problems, but he was angry. That didn't stop those Mexicans from loving every song he sung. I don't know why so many Mexicans love Morrissey. It will forever be one of the great mysteries of the human race. He played for about an hour.
So with Morrissey done at 9:30, the only one left was Paul, and the people came. We were in a great spot. Maybe 20 yards away from the stage, but we were packed like sardines. The worst thing about music festivals are also the best: there is no assigned seating because there are no seats. So every fan can get as close as they want or can. We all pay the same price for the tickets, and we can go where we want. With that said standing in the same place from 8:30 until 12:30ish will do a number on your legs and back but being close to the stage, especially when Paul came on and starting performing, was worth every second.
I love the Beatles. I have listened to them for a long time. I have their Love CD in my classroom and have listened to it well over 50 times during the last couple of years. Going in, I wasn't sure what Paul was going to be playing. I didn't know if he would sing most of his solo stuff, or Wings stuff. I was afraid he wouldn't sing much of his Beatles stuff. Well, I had no reason to worry because he sang tons of Beatles Stuff. Here was his set-list:
Main set: Jet / Drive My Car / Only Mama Knows / Flaming Pie / Got to Get You Into My Life / Let Me Roll It (with a coda of Purple Haze) / Honey Hush / Highway / The Long and Winding Road / My Love / Blackbird / Here Today / Dance Tonight / Calico Skies / Mrs. Vanderbilt / Eleanor Rigby / Sing the Changes / Band on the Run / Back in the U.S.S.R. / Something / I’ve Got a Feeling / Paperback Writer / A Day in the Life > Give Peace a Chance / Let It Be / Live and Let Die / Hey Jude
First encore: Birthday / Can’t Buy Me Love / Lady Madonna
First encore: Birthday / Can’t Buy Me Love / Lady Madonna
Second encore: Yesterday / Helter Skelter / Get Back / Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts
Club Band (Reprise) > The End
Club Band (Reprise) > The End
It was a great mix of Beatles and non Beatles stuff. He performed well over 2 hours, and his energy and sound was amazing. He started playing "Something" with the ukulele which sounded rad. When he sang A Day in the Life that went into Give Peace a Chance to Let It Be to Live and Let Die to Hey Jude, I was going crazy the entire time. A Day in the Life, Let It Be, and Hey Jude are in my top 5 of all time favorite Beatles songs, so when we just went through them the way he did, I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was very moving. It was sad because Paul announced to the crowd he was playing on the anniversary of his wife Linda's death. He said it was a very emotional day for him. During the night Paul played a song for her, John Lennon, and George Harrison. He came back out for two encores and honestly, if he didn't tell people Sgt. Pepper's was his last song for the night, we all still might be there begging him to play more. He was great. I had huge expectations going in, and he exceeded them.
Saturday was cool. Not as good as Friday, but I don't think there is a musician alive who could've topped Paul from the night before. With that said, The Killers, are awesome live. They sounded great. The energy was amazing. They were going going crazy on stage. Great, great, performance.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
I went to Disneyland twice in a week. One day is was 80 degrees and the other was raining and freezing. Here are some pictures
Friday, January 30, 2009
Lost has been amazing so far this season. That's right, three hours into the new season, and I can't stop thinking about it. I mean, 1954 and a hydrogen bomb on the island, how can you not like that? I have had a theory for a long time that the island is the Garden of Eden and that's why crazy stuff happens on it. I just can't wrap my head around the time travel. I don't think everyone can time travel, but it seems that other than Faraday, others don't know they are traveling through time. I like the idea of not being able to change the future by changing the past. It's vastly different than the Back to the Future school of time travel. One interesting thing about the hydrogen bomb being on the island is on Back to the Future, platonium was needed to make the flux capacator work. Now, on the island, with the hydrogen bomb there is some kind of radiation to make that happen.
Going back to the Garden of Eden theory though. I always wondered why after being kicked out of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve just didn't go back. Maybe they couldn't because they didn't know where it was, maybe it moved. Perhaps thats why Ben can't go back, because he moved he island. I think the entire series of Lost comes down to Whitmore vs Ben. Why, I am not entirely sure, but they both have people working for them. I don't think plane crashing was a coincidence. I think there is a logical explaination why it crashed. There has to be Abbadon told Locke to go on a walkabout. Jack's dad possibly died in order to get his son to pick him up. Oh, many questions. I love it.
Going back to the Garden of Eden theory though. I always wondered why after being kicked out of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve just didn't go back. Maybe they couldn't because they didn't know where it was, maybe it moved. Perhaps thats why Ben can't go back, because he moved he island. I think the entire series of Lost comes down to Whitmore vs Ben. Why, I am not entirely sure, but they both have people working for them. I don't think plane crashing was a coincidence. I think there is a logical explaination why it crashed. There has to be Abbadon told Locke to go on a walkabout. Jack's dad possibly died in order to get his son to pick him up. Oh, many questions. I love it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Are you an Obamacan or an Obamacant? Well, today Obama became President Obama, and since I am a US History teacher, we watched the festivities. The Fontana Unified School District firewall allowed us to only view the ABC feed for some reason. I am not suggesting the district is in bed with ABC, but that was the only option. I was surprised they were able to breath life into Sam Donaldson to host the event. I really thought he was dead, so it was a surprise to see him and his toupee in Washington DC. I had some students who were surprised Obama was not assassinated during the event. When I asked them why, they responded with a sincere, "Because he's black." That's right a black guy calling the shots, even though he is half white. I am sure there are many conservatives hoping it's his white half making the decisions. I think eight years of Bush has taught us to realize even white people can make horrible presidents. It will be refreshing to actually have expectations for the President of the United States of America. During the last four years I don't think anyone expected anything out of Bush, and boy did he deliver. At least the bar has been set extremely low for Obama. No matter what he does, it will be something, and as a country, we haven't had something for awhile. It was interesting to hear people hoot and hollar about the historical nature of this inauguration. I think if you are under 30, the fact we have a black president isn't a big deal. We have grown up in multi-cultural communities and schools, and in my opinion, are less racist than the so called "greatest generation." No matter what color he is, black by the way, I do not envy the position he's in. There is lots of work to be done to fix the economy, Iraq, and _______ (fill in the blank), but if anyone can do it, why not a smoker?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The new season of 24 is going to start in a bit, and I am more excited than I anticipated. Last year, due to the writers' strike, there was no Jack Bauer. We have had to wait for a long time for the return of the shortest toughest guy on TV. In fact, I think the real reason Obama won the presidency is because there was no 24 last year to remind us of how crazy things can be with Black Presidents, see David and Wayne Palmer. Entertainment Weekly gave the season premiere a B+, and with such an endorsement from such a classy periodical, I expect most people to be watching tonight. I can only hope when it's 24's last season, Jack Bauer dies. Let's be honest, he really is living on borrowed time. In other exciting TV news, we are only a few weeks away from the return of Lost. I thought last season was great. With the Oceanic 6 needing to go back to the island, I can only hope Ben will lead them to the promised land. There are so many questions that need to be answered, and I can't wait to not be able to understand them!
Thursday, January 08, 2009
I went to Las Vegas of New Years Eve 2009. It was pretty cool. There were tons of people, lots of booze, and numerous people dressed up for church. I am pretty sure it was so they could get into a club later, but it was interesting nonetheless. They had big stunts set up in three different locations, so we watched the guy jump on top of the arc at The Paris Casino. It was pretty cool, but it went down at 9:00 pm, three hours before New Years in Vegas, so people on the east coast could ring in their new year seeing it. I think the country would be a better place without the east coast. At least when in comes to Vegas stunts on New Years Eve. Overall, it was pretty cool, here are some pictures to prove I was there.
Friday, January 02, 2009
My movie watching has taken me to Algeria and a piano big enough for 500 people. Let's start with Algeria. The Battle of Algiers is the best movie ever made according to Dr. Bues, one of my professors in college. The story is about the relationship between France and it's colony in Algeria. Obviously, many Algerians did not like the fact France was telling them what to do in their country. The movie came out in 1967 and follows the FLN, a "terrorist group" of Algerians as they try and sent a message to France that they don't want them in their country. This movie was watched by the higher parts of the US Government before they invaded Iraq as an example of urban warfare. Here are some observations:
1- Awards in Opening Credits- I know this is an older movie, and I know it won some awards. How do I know this? Well, the movie's in black and white, and in the opening credits it let me know what awards it won. Look, I am already watching the movie. You don't have to tell me it's good or it's won awards, I have already decided to rent it and watch it!
2. Bring back the Guillotine- Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio and where have you gone guillotine. Now, I know the guillotine never really took off in America, but since this is a French movie, the guillotine was in full effect in one scene, and it got me thinking, that's the way I want to go. To me, getting my head chopped off would be better than any other way of dying. I am open to other suggestions though
3. Beware of gangs of little kids- Little kids divided, not much to fear, but lots of little kids united, something to fear. Just ask the drunk who got beat up by the gang of little kids. Also ask Cosmo Kramner and some people in Hostel 2.
4. Be weary of covered women- Now, I know Muslim women like to cover themselves up. I have no problem with that. Sometimes, I wish most American women would do the same thing, but you have to be careful because you have no idea what they have under that robe. It could be a bomb, candy, or perhaps a mini refrigerator and generator.
5. Carrying a bomb is scary stuff- Why people decide to handle and transport bombs is beyond me. Having to walk through checkpoints with something that could explode at any moment would give me a heart attack.
The Next movie was 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. The screenplay and music was actually written by Dr. Seuss. It came out in 1953 and is about a kid named Bart who is getting piano lessons from Dr. Terwilliker. Bart's dad died and he is taking lessons to make his mom happy. He doesn't like the piano and has a crazy dream that Dr. Terwilliker is trying to make all little boys play the piano and only Bart and Mr. Zabladowski, the plumber, can wreck the evil plans. Here are some of my favorite parts of the movie:
Crazy Piano Teacher
The Terwilliker Beanie
Brothers with Connecting Beards
The Dance off
Pickle Juice
Dr. Terwillikers Wardrobe
Dungeon for non piano players
The Blood Oath
Spandex and Roller Skates
The Piano for 5,000 Fingers
Really, need I say more?
1- Awards in Opening Credits- I know this is an older movie, and I know it won some awards. How do I know this? Well, the movie's in black and white, and in the opening credits it let me know what awards it won. Look, I am already watching the movie. You don't have to tell me it's good or it's won awards, I have already decided to rent it and watch it!
2. Bring back the Guillotine- Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio and where have you gone guillotine. Now, I know the guillotine never really took off in America, but since this is a French movie, the guillotine was in full effect in one scene, and it got me thinking, that's the way I want to go. To me, getting my head chopped off would be better than any other way of dying. I am open to other suggestions though
3. Beware of gangs of little kids- Little kids divided, not much to fear, but lots of little kids united, something to fear. Just ask the drunk who got beat up by the gang of little kids. Also ask Cosmo Kramner and some people in Hostel 2.
4. Be weary of covered women- Now, I know Muslim women like to cover themselves up. I have no problem with that. Sometimes, I wish most American women would do the same thing, but you have to be careful because you have no idea what they have under that robe. It could be a bomb, candy, or perhaps a mini refrigerator and generator.
5. Carrying a bomb is scary stuff- Why people decide to handle and transport bombs is beyond me. Having to walk through checkpoints with something that could explode at any moment would give me a heart attack.
The Next movie was 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. The screenplay and music was actually written by Dr. Seuss. It came out in 1953 and is about a kid named Bart who is getting piano lessons from Dr. Terwilliker. Bart's dad died and he is taking lessons to make his mom happy. He doesn't like the piano and has a crazy dream that Dr. Terwilliker is trying to make all little boys play the piano and only Bart and Mr. Zabladowski, the plumber, can wreck the evil plans. Here are some of my favorite parts of the movie:
Crazy Piano Teacher
The Terwilliker Beanie
Brothers with Connecting Beards
The Dance off
Pickle Juice
Dr. Terwillikers Wardrobe
Dungeon for non piano players
The Blood Oath
Spandex and Roller Skates
The Piano for 5,000 Fingers
Really, need I say more?
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