..Are any of you guys on twitter? I am now. Let's follow each other :) You can find me at http://twitter.com/junkyardmessiah.

It's gearing up to be another great year for concerts -- we haven't had one of those in awhile, huh? Looking forward to:

-- Coachella in two weeks, where I'll see some old faves: Morrissey, the Cure, McCartney, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand...plus some new kids, like the Black Keys and Airborne Toxic Event.

-- Tears for Fears
-- Depeche Mode
-- U2
-- Coldplay

Or as many as I can see until the old wallet runs dry! :) Concert tickets aren't getting any cheaper, that's for sure...but great bands only come around once every few years so, it's worth it. Can't wait to hear what everyone's been up to! :)..

Hey. It's been awhile. How are you, cuties?

Just bought a slew of tickets of various concerts coming through my town this summer and got pretty excited -- I haven't seen this many shows since the Rockstar days!

Here's what's on the list for this summer:

Stone Temple Pilots -- Hollywood Bowl
The Faint (both nights) -- The Henry Fonda
George Michael (shut up, you.) -- The Forum
Collective Soul - The Greek
Live -- The Greek
Blues Traveler -- The Greek
Stars Down (Lukas Rossi's new band) -- Viper Room
She Wants Revenge -- the Wiltern
The Who's Tommy -- The Ricardo Montalban
Radiohead (both nights if I can swing it) -- Hollywood Bowl
Raconteurs -- The Greek
The White Noise Supremacists -- my cousin's band!

It's gonna be a good summer, I think! If you're going to any of these shows, let me know, so we can exchange hellos.

Hopefully somewhere in all this, I can feed a little of my David Cook fetish but doubt I'll be making any of the AI concerts. Cuz, really y'all, I can pretend to care about the rest of the contestants, but the truth is I couldn't give a rat's ass! I'm hoping Cookie'll drop a solo album in the fall and start touring that bitch immediately.

Yes, "Cookie".

I also call him "Skittles" when no one's looking. Because, see, he sings this song that has this stupid lyric in it about "tasting every moment" and "searching for that magic rainbow..." and well, you know, "Taste the Rainbow " is the slogan for...oh never mind. All you need to know is I got it bad for the boy, and plan to check him out if he does any solo gigs.

Other than that, how is everyone?

Quick trip down memory lane: I heard a radio interview with JD Fortune the other day, back home in Canada. Then I watched a little interview with Lukas Rossi, back making music with some old buds. Wish I could link to them both but can't find them again now that I'm looking. It's so interesting to hear what the fame thing has done to two of my old favorite performers. I remember the excitement surrounding their wins -- two totally different vibes for sure, but still the sense of of the possibility of world domination. Both tasted that to varying degrees, and are now on the other side of it, each working in new, post-show ventures with old friends. I feel nostalgic and kinda sad for what was, wondering how you regain that spotlight once it's swung away.

But it's not all sadness and tears, far from it.

I can't wait to see Lukas' new band. See the evolution. Also can't wait to hear JD's solo album.

What's in store for Skittles? Will I be writing a blog two years from now about how fame broke him, too and how he's trying to start again from -- if not square one then from square two? I don't think so. Unlike my other two broken birds, Cook never lived in his car under a bridge -- which to me says that something broke them early, and music was something that helped stitch them back together. For Cook, he seems to have had a pretty stable childhood despite some rocky bits, and music was embraced as a joy rather than as a life line.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but hey! What's a gal to do while she waits for her damn pizza to arrive?

Lots of love, cuties :) See you at the show.

Hiya gang!

A lot of folks have been asking me about the Writer's Guild of America strike currently going on -- what its about, why I'm striking, who is striking, does this matter when there's a war in Iraq and and people dying in Darfur. I thought I would just add my reasons, and share some videos by people more eloquent than me, and funnier than me, too!

QUESTION: Why the hell are you idiots striking?

ANSWER: Television, the way we view it, is dying. Damon Lindelof, co-creator of LOST, explains it rather well here in the New York Times Op-Ed piece.

QUESTION: I didn't even know you wrote for TV! I thought you were some concert groupie!! WTF?

ANSWER: I am a concert groupie! But my "day job" has nothing to do with music. I have been writing for television for about 7 years now, off and on. I met most of you guys during the Rockstar INXS days, during which time I was unemployed (for 14 months!). During those 14 months, I went out on job interviews every day, got rejected, had hope, got shot down, worked on a few passion projects for free, and tried to keep my spirits up by going to tv show tapings and then writing about them on the internet. It was fun, but it also helped me keep sharp for when a job opportunity did finally come my way. The one thing that sustained me during my months of unemployment, apart from getting to see JD Fortune's chest every now and then at a Rockstar taping...were my residuals. This was money paid to me every time a network re-ran one of my episodes of Crossing Jordan.




Residuals are the percentage paid to the writers, actors and directors of TV shows when our work is run on network TV or cable. But increasingly...there are no more reruns. Shows run once on air...then are available on Itunes the next day, online for free within the week, and boxed up for DVD just weeks after the season airs on TV. So the network gets to swallow all that profit...without giving the writer one red cent. Actually, if it's a $20 DVD...the writer gets 4 cents. If multiple writers are used (as is the case with your favorite TV shows) then the writers all split that 4 cents. My current show, Medium has 13 writers on it, so I'm basically getting 1/3 of a penny.



QUESTION: But those DVDs sell billions of copies! Your 1/3 penny really adds up to millions!!!!

ANSWER: I have never gotten even a single cent of DVD money in the seven years I've been working in this town, even though my work is featured in three TV box sets right now.

QUESTION: That's what you have to say. What about the other side? What's their position?

ANSWER: The "other side" are the AMPTP -- an alliance made up of the six big media giants -- Sony, Disney/ABC, Time Warner/Warner Brothers, NBC-Universal, News Corp (Fox), CBS/Paramount.


They say that the internet is a brand new, unknowable thing, and they haven't even discovered ways of making money off the internet/"new media"/digital media. They want time to research this risky crap shoot called the interweb. How can the writers ask for something if the companies themselves don't know if the internet will make ANY money? Good argument...until you hear what they're telling they own share holders...




QUESTION: Yeah yeah, I notice you're not saying how much money YOU make. You're probably secretly raking in the cash! Aren't you??

ANSWER: Nope. I've rented a $800 a month apartment in this town for a decade, and could only afford to put a small down payment on a 2 bedroom condo just last year. Yay me!

QUESTION: But...most writers probably make more money than you do! You're all rich fat cats crying for a bigger slice of the pie! Aren't you??

ANSWER: Yes, you're right! Writers can indeed make buttloads of cash. But that's about 10% of us. I hope to be in that 10% some day! But on most days 50% of the WGA is unemployed.

QUESTION: But JYM, why should you get paid for something that you worked on years ago? Didn't you already get paid? You only wrote the thing ONCE, why should the network/studio keep paying you for ever and ever?

ANSWER: Because each TV episode I wrote makes the studio money, each time they run it. They charge advertisers X amount, lets say it's $100,000 to run a 30 second commercial during my re-run. Every hour of television has 13 minutes of commercials, so the network/studio makes roughly 2.6 million bucks every time it shows ONE rerun.

QUESTION: So? I paid a plumber to fix my toilet, and I don't pay HIM every time I flush. Why are writers any different?

ANSWER: Hm. Well let me answer that with an analogy of my own. If you designed a widget, and the your boss says to you, nice widget! I'm going to sell them in my old store (TV) and pay you for them. But I'm also going to sell them in my fancy new store (The Internets), where all the cool kids are going...but I'm not going to pay you for any widgets I sell in THAT store...and by the way, I'm CLOSING that old store soon. Keep making those widgets though! Nice article here about that. And a good 3 minute video explains it all with nice graphics...




QUESTION: But TV sucks. Why should you guys get paid anything for turning out crap?

ANSWER: Yeah. A lot of it is crap. But one man's crap is another mans treasure. TV has moved me to cheers, jeers and tears, and when its good, FUCK its good! My case for TV not being crap: Mad Men, The Wire, The Shield, Pushing Daisies, Damages, 30 Rock, Lost (season 1), Battlestar Galactica, Deadwood, The Office...etc. I love TV!

QUESTION: Are you sure you're a professional writer? You ramble a lot and I'm still confused. (and P.S. you also talk to yourself quite a bit in fake "Q&A"s )

ANSWER: I'm off my meds! mumblemumbleFuckin'writerstrikemumblemumble. Here are some videos on the strike that make me laugh, and explain things better than I can.

Very concise reason why the WGA has gone on strike, in the past and now. If you watch only one of these, this one sums it all up in 3 minutes.


But THIS one makes me laugh. Harlan Ellison is one of my favorite writers. He doesn't like to be called a "science fiction" writer, but that's what he is to me, and why I love him!



So, thanks for the messages! :) Hope this answers everything. Here are some blogs that writers have been reading to keep up with strike news:

Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood
Daily Variety's Strike Blog
Writers Guild official site
Dave Letterman's writers strike blog a funny glimpse at how the New York wing of the WGA is striking

Hiya cuties, long time no review!

Just came back from the first night of Morrissey's series of ten nights live at the Hollywood Palladium. I got tix to Night One and Night Ten -- just to see if Moz is still standing after ten straight shows!

Night starts with the hideous opening band. I got there late, don't know their names, but the chick lead singer/keyboardist was so off key I think my ears started spontaneously hemorraging! Me and my friends Julie and Rich had to leave the room -- THAT'S how bad! Julie tells me, though that this chick has opened for Morrissey before, so...clearly he's a good and charitable man, helping the helpless and the hopeless! ;)

Morrissey more than made up for her -- he was dazzling! I don't know how old this dude is now -- even though he's gone a sexy salt-n-pepper, he's still sporting that pompadour, and wasn't afraid to whip his shirt off a couple times, to thrill the masses. But the thing about him that makes him a superstar? His voice. Ah, that voice!! Ah, he's a crooner of the first order, and he hasn't lost any of the magic. Sad songs with danceable beats had the audience swaying, singing and pouring out universal love.

The band was tight -- and featured TWO, count 'em TWO drummers, and three guys on guitars, as well as a horn guy, and maybe one other besides Morrissey. The drums were crazy -- the lead drummer had a standard looking kit...with the addition of this HUGE, Japanese-style KODO drum off to one side, and a MASSIVE gold GONG behind him. Needless to say -- the beats were thumping. One of the guitar guys was playing so fast it looked his arm was bionic! He was young and cute too, if a bit too skin-head esque for my tastes!

And fronting them all was Morrissey. He swayed and sang, leisurely moving across the stage -- no crazy antics, just planting it and belting it. Very very satisfying! They played for about 90 minutes, but got through a surprising amount of songs --


Here's the set list, roughly in order.

Stop Me
Tomorrow
??? -- All You Need is Me (thanks for filling in the blanks, Julie!)
Sister I'm a Poet
The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
London
??? -- Billy Budd
??? -- The Loop
Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself
Stretch Out and Wait
First of the Gamg to Die
Let Me Kiss You
Death of a Disco Dancer
Disappointed
You Have Killed Me
In the Future When All Is Well
I Like You
Goodbye Will be Farewell **new song!!*
Dear God Please Help Me
How Soon is Now

encore: Irish Blood, English Heart

The Audience wasn't packed to capacity. The venue supposedly holds 5000 -- this looked about 4/5ths full -- packed but they coulda squeezed in more. I was just there last week to see the Arctic Monkeys (great show! go see 'em!) and the place had been packed so tight they must have broken fire code. But it was a more streamlined crowd for Moz. Those that were there were amazingly diverse -- and all age ranges -- youngsters to grey-hairs. I guess Morrissey has a strong following among young Mexicans, who didn't seem to know the old Smiths stuff, but sang Morrissey's solo stuff at the top of their lungs, word for word. The old fogeys like me took up the slack, singing all the Smith tunes (and there were several!) loud and proud. EVERY one seemed to know the opening song (Stop Me) and the closing one (How Soon is Now -- my favorite song in all the world!). So all in all a great show, good crowd, minimal fights and rowdy people. Can't wait to see him again on closing night.

Oh wow. Good show. Lots of head boppin' and dancing about.

I decided to go at the last minute and bought a cheapo ticket in the nosebleeds off Craigslist. Best 30 bucks I've spent in this town!

Got there in plenty of time to see opening band, Electrolane, which were energetic and so impressive that I'm gonna buy a couple songs from them. I'd describe them more, but hey, I was in the nosebleeds, and they looked like little dots on stage. I couldn't pick them out of a police line up! But the music was serious toe-tapping goodness.

Then the main event - Arcade Fire! The staging was terrific - five round black and white TV's strategically placed on stage, amid neon strips and a glowing neon bible in the back drop. The show opens with a video clip of this heavy-set southern female preacher - giving a sermon to a fervent congregation. (check her out here!) She whips her crowd up...and also us, saying that we need "Holy Ghost enemas!" to wake us up, and telling the ladies that it's "time to take off those high heels, and put on your combat boots" for Jesus! The crowd at the Greek started this video precheress... and then...the Arcade Fire took the stage.

They were great! Win Butler's voice was clear, fragile and beautiful throughout. My favorite songs of the night - My Body is a Cage, Neighborhood #1 and #3, Ocean of Noise and Haiti. LONG lag time in between songs though, and a bit of a momentum killer, but once they'd start to play...wow. Most of the songs were off the new album, Neon Bible, with many goodies off Funeral thrown in.

Partial set list, not in order, though they did close with Wake Up!

Keep the Car Running
Black Mirror
No Cars Go
Ocean of Noise
My Body is a Cage (my favorite!)
Antichrist Television Blues
Intervention Youtube video - Intervention
Haiti
Cold Wind (from Six Feet Under)
Black Wave
Neighborhood #1
Rebellion
Windowsill
Neighborhood #3
Neighborhood #2 Youtube video from night 1 show
Wake Up Youtube video - Wake Up

Good show, mellow crowd. Thanks for that ticket, craigslist guy, and thanks for the tip about the show, Rob!

Well last night in Los Angeles was a night to remember, kids! I saw the infamous Iggy and the Stooges at the Wiltern Theatre. Going in, I was warning myself that dear Iggy was pushing 60 years old, and to just content myself with a good trip down nostalgia lane. I was just praying that he wouldn't go the sacreligiously acoustic route (see my Pet Shop Boys review), or the completely drugged out unintelligble route (see my Pogues review) but other than that, I was prepared hear this old-timer croon his old hits in some toned down fashion.

Uh. In a word....no.

This dude BROUGHT US TO OUR KNEES last night!!! 60 is the new 20, y'all! Iggy was jumping/twisting/contorting/stage diving/water-spitting/amp-humping/gyrating/holy-rolling/crab walking like a fifteen year old with ADHD. He was thin, lanky and a little bit skanky...but amazingly ripped! He spent the whole night shirtless, with his jeans barely staying above crack-level...and I have to say I mentally made an appointment for the gym after looking at this kat's six-pack! Iggy looked GREAT!

Okay first, the crowd: EVERYONE was there. Old punks, young punks, punks of every stripe, size and color. All hard core rockers ready to mosh. A friend of mine got us PIT TICKETS so we were right in the middle of the die hard fans who just would go apeshit to the point of being forcibly removed by security on several occasions. I was pressed to the back of the pit, and didn't dare try to move forward (I wanted to keep all my limbs, my eardrums and my eyesight!).

Once Iggy took the stage, he wasn't two songs into his set before he stage dove head first into the audience. He did it at least 8 times the whole night! The pit crowd would surge forward to catch him while a team of three body guards would try to grab his legs and pull him back on the stage. Madness!

I was closest to the Mike Watt (bass guitar) side of the stage, and he was pleasure to watch. Dude just planted his feet and crushed it. Just as intense being in one place as Iggy was moving around. Joy, oh sexy joy to see! The drummer was simply a madman. He banged the shit out of those things, and imploded my ear drums in the process. Thank you, Mr. Asheton!

Then at one point, Iggy says he wants some company on stage, and invites the audience to come on up! Punks of all colors, gals of all stripes JUMPED up on stage, and suddenly it was PACKED with young folks all dancing with each other, dancing and grabbing Iggy who hugged them back, and twirled the girls and chest pumped the guys. This man is NOT afraid of his fans! In truth, there was nothing to be afraid of. Everyone was having a simple GREAT time! Even the rowdies who would plant an elbow in your kidney one minute, then immediately hug you and say "excuse me, darlin'" the next. Aww! Manners, punk style. It's all love, as Supernova would say. :)

The set list was a good mix of old faves plus the new album, The Weirdness. Listening to it on Itunes, I wasn't that fond of it...but live? With this band? With this crowd? WOW! Love the new shit now! My favorite songs of the night were She Took My Money from the new album, any song where there was a stage dive, and I Wanna Be Your Dog which involved a lot of audience sing-along and fist pumping and jumping about, and .

It was the loudest concert I'd been too in awhile, this dude's lung capacity was amazing! He'd be able to sing and scream all while jumping on a riser and twisting himself into a pretzel. Now that's skill, kids. ;) He played probably 90 minutes, maybe a little longer, and managed to pack in a ton of songs.

Iggy & the Stooges Set List (partial, totally not in order, from memory)

I Wanna Be Your Dog
Cock in My Pocket
You Can't Have Friends
Free & Freaky
Dirt
My Idea of Fun
TV Eye
Down on the Street
Funhouse
She Took My Money
Trollin'
No Fun at All
1969

Encores:
I'm Fried
Little Electric Chair

Plus maybe these songs...I can't remember!

I Got a Right ?
ATM?
High on You ?
Kill City ?

If you were there, correct me!

I love it when worlds collide. Here's some bootleg video of the Supernova tour, Portland Oregon, Feb 16, 2007. Lukas singing classic Depeche Mode. LOVE him! Shot by my girl, concert diva WATT.



And here's Lukas doing Purple Rain. Awesome rendition!



I got to see Supernova twice over New Year's holiday. I had a blast, and am sad I won't catch their shows in California. Have a great time, my California crew!

It's a little late for a Year in Review, isn't it, cuties?

But I couldn't resist.

...Especially since I've been benched for the last couple of days with a cold to end all colds. All I can do is sit here, in THE MOST UNATTRACTIVE BATH ROBE IMAGINABLE, huddled on my couch, trying to breathe through my nose (silly me)...and the only thing to help the misery is a little trip down memory lane with all my favorite people...

Hard to believe most of us started the year completely in a JD/INXS haze, and ended it enthralled with a whole new set of talented musicians. I don't think I'll have another year like it, because most of my favorite bands of all time decided to dust themselves off this year and tour...something some of them hadn't done in DECADES, and some will probably never do again. Depeche Mode toured for the first time since 2001, The Pogues toured as a complete band for the first time since 1992, other bands like Erasure and The Pet Shop Boys came out of the woodwork with new, strong albums and immediately toured...how could I POSSIBLY sit on my ass and miss all these dudes?? I think that's why I went so concerts- crazy in 2006, because it felt like I might not be able to see such concentrated musicianship LIVE ever again. Hope I'm wrong, but it felt that way.

So, I saw (and reviewed) a LOT of concerts this year... here are my favorites!

INXS




I saw nine INXS shows this year, and ALL were special for different reasons...but three of these concerts stood out for me. First, the Toronto show in May! My first front row center experience at a concert ever. Holy hannah! It was a perfect experience, from the people I met from literally around the world, to my concert companion - Erin, a wonderful chick with a bum leg who STILL managed to rock out the entire concert...to the show itself. Wow. (reviewed here). It's the biggest arena I've seen INXS in. The other cool thing, I got to be on TV when they filmed a bit of the concert for Rockstar II!

Next fave INXS show: Los Angeles, June, when the band did all my favorite songs of SWITCH that they skipped on the first leg of the tour: Perfect Strangers and Hot Girls! This was my second and last time being in the front row for INXS. It was a fantastic show, seeing the months and months of touring pay off for them, hearing them gel as a band with JD, but still having a BLAST performing. Added bonus...JD snatching my sunglasses during Hot Girls, and smooching me on the lips! Still swooning, months later! (review and pix here).

Third fave INXS show: Hemet, California. This was a dirty nowhere venue that turned out to be the funnest experience of them all - just on a fan/band interaction level. It was the loudest show, and for some reason also one of the largest gatherings of regulars on the whole tour that I'd encountered...



DEPECHE MODE



I saw my other favorite band, Depeche, four times on the Playing the Angel tour. The tour was pretty epic - 30 countries in 11 months. Each show was pretty monumental, but the best, hands down, was the Toronto show, at the Air Canada Center. This is probably the best show of any band that I've seen all year. (reviewed here.) The band also released professional soundboard recordings of EACH CONCERT on the second and third legs of the tour - if you want to have your mind blown, track down the recording of the Mexico City, Night Two concert. Phenomenal!

I love music, but something about DM's lyrics are pretty much intervwoven in my psyche, so I was pretty humbled when I actually got to meet Martin Gore, their main lyricist, the man whose WORDS have been running around my head, shaping my thoughts in some ways, for the last 25 years. That whole trip to Toronto was filled with great times and moments I'll remember forever.



ROCKSTAR SUPERNOVA TAPINGS




What a different experience it was this year from the RS:INXS tapings...I was both less invested, but somehow having much more fun! I loved so many more of the musicians this year, and though my "dog in the fight" was Lukas, I have probably followed about half of the other 14 contestants in their solo projects - Storm, Toby, Magni, Dilana, Phil, Ryan and even Zayra! As for the tapings themselves...wow! I had so much fun being a fly on the wall, and reporting back all the tidbits that I was sure wouldn't make it on air. Posting on rockband.com was fun, and while it lasted on Television Without Pity. Being a gossipy sort at heart, I had the most fun chatting about performances etc with my fellow spoilers, kylie, LAXguy, hazeyjane, fabtwin, SlideOverHere and Cheryl.



ROCKSTAR CONTESTANTS SHOWS/ MUSIC





As I said, I followed the careers of a bunch of the rockers after the show, since a lot of them had gigs literally blocks from my house! How could I not go?? Of all the former rockers, my favorite live performer, hands down, was Storm & the Balls. (reviewed here.) She was the most polished, the sexiest, the funnest to watch. Her voice was magic and both her cover songs and her originals were quirky and memorable. Go Storm! The winner of the Good Time Award goes to Toby and his band Juke Kartel. Yes, I saw them three times in concert! They rock hard and have fun and should be huge. Toby wins as being the most Squeezable rocker ever! He and his band mates are very sweet, accessible, sexy and over-talented. I also trekked out to see Ryan Star as well, who played at the House of Blues, and he did a fine job, even when the entire place experienced a blackout and dear Ryan had to sing, in the dark, with just a guitar, a flashlight and no microphone. As far as actually listening to anyone's music on my IPod...well, the only one who's made it into heavy rotation for me is...drumroll....LENNEX! Yes, DirtyPhil Rithcie's band. I ragged on Dirty Phil a lot during the show, but holy god can this boy sing. I've actually downloaded a lot of their new album off Itunes. (If anyone cares, my favorite Lennex songs are: Swan Dive and Bleeding My Heart Out. Check 'em out!)

THE HOUSE BAND




Also this year, developed a super huge crush on the House Band, especially bass guitarist Sasha! Lucky for us, not only did the boys play together outside of Rockstar (backing Paul Stanley, reviewed here), but several, including Jimmy, Nate and Rafael had side gigs. The first one I saw outside of Rockstar was Jimmy with his band - he was fantastic, especially since my man Sasha filled in for Jimmy's missing bassist. The latest news is that Jimmy is going to be touring with Avril Lavigne as well as continuing on with the Yay! My favorite of HB side projects though, was Rafael's band Magnetico. I saw them a few months ago at a small club called Cafe Fais Do Do. It was wacky, but the music was great...I gained a whole new appreciation for Rafa's musicianship.


BEST OF THE OLD GUYS





Like I said, I saw a lot of old bands this year, from the Pet Shop Boys to the Rolling Stones. Mick and Keith still had the moves, but since I was in the nose bleed seats for that show, I didn't get to fully appreciate them. The most nostalgic show for me was The Pogues, even though it wasn't the best....thanks to lead singer Shane MacGowan being stinking drunk and unintelligible! (reviewed here.) But that's okay I guess...I mean, it should be acceptable for an Irish folk-punk singer to be hammered on stage, singing in front of an audience of drunken Irishmen (except for me, who sadly was neither Irish nor drunk). I had fun at the Pet Shop Boys, but unlike some of their eighties counterparts, they didn't seem to be able to keep up with the changing times. It was a nice trip down memory lane, though! Erasure seemed to have the opposite problem, they were trying new stuff...but it I'd say 50% of it wasn't working! The one constant was Andy Bell's voice, which is still as clear and melodious as the day you first heard it.


BEST OF THE NEW GUYS



Saw a lot of "new" bands in 2006, from The Killers to She Wants Revenge, and really had a great time for the most part. Even some little known bands, like Norway's Big Bang and Supernova's opening band, LUNA HALO (more on them later) have made it into my Ipod after seeing them live. But the best of the lot, hands down, was The Faint, see my last review. Holy shit. They are a great live band, and I haven't danced that hard at a concert since...well, Depeche Mode. Their label, Saddle Creek out of Nebraska, I think, has a lot of good bands/musicians that I'm happily delving into.



So...to sum up:

Number of concerts/gigs seen in 2006: 33
Number of concerts/gigs reviewed: 28
Number of Rockstar tapings seen/reviewed: 12
Favorite band I never woulda heard of if not for Rockstar: Blue October
First concert of the year: January 27th - INXS - Los Angeles
Last concert of the year: December 31 - Supernova - Las Vegas (review coming up...)


It was great year...and the best part was meeting so many cool people! :)

The Faint

Holy sisters of mercy. The Faint concert last night. I can't even describe my love for this group.

I am beaten, I am bruised, I am deaf in both ears, my boots are ruined, I have an unknown, "Something About Mary" type substance in my hair, and I'll probably lose a kidney...but holy shit did I have the best time!!!

Night starts off with me getting to the Hollywood Palladium (capacity 4000) and being body-cavity searched by what must have been moonlighting gynecologists! What the hell did they think Faint fans were planning to do? Pull weapons from hidden orifices and wage a ground war? Actually, after all the moshing that went on later, perhaps this wasn't the wild assumption I first thought...

So me and my buddy Shaun brave the SWEATY HORDES of CRAZED YOUTH entered the venue, which I can officially confirm is now my FAVORITE place to see a band! Nothing but a humungous dance floor ringed with a plush balcony and bars galore.

First band up was a trio called RATATAT All guitars and drums...no singer! So they do about half an hour of lyric-less tunes...that didn't sound half bad! But dudes seriously needed a lead singer. Maybe he quit, or had been killed by a wild herd of Ladytron/Faint fans before the concert. Either's a distinct possibility.

Next up: Ladytron. A fun band that I'd heard two or three songs from, and are fun to bop around to.


When they took the stage, the place was suddenly packed, and the up-til-then tame crowd became a bit hyper. Ladytron are fun to watch. After awhile, however, their stuff gets repetitive. But that's just me -- the three thousand screeching Ladytron fans would beg to differ. They end with the only song I really know from them, Destroy Everything You Touch. I liked their look, particularly the two chicks - severe dominatrix hair, and sexy Soviet school teacher attire just worked. Good job Ladytron!

...and I guess this is where the X and/or meth that half the audience was taking kicked in because...

The Faint took the stage...


...and suddenly it was a mad house. I was squeezed like a pimple on prom night, kids! It's like they suddenly pushed twice the number of people into the venue. The band set the tone by opening with their moshpit anthem, Drop Kick the Punks. Haven't heard this song? It starts off by counting to 8 in German...

eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht!!!!!
Visciouscounterpoperosionrevolution...one oh one!!!!!

...and then EXPLODES into this punk guitar not heard since the freaking Clash. ALL the hair on my head RIPPLES from the base and the audience, to a man, goes batshit crazy!! And we're off! They then go immediately into gen-Y/next/whatever anthem Paranoiattack!. The middle of that songs devolves into lead singer Todd screaming

Paranoia!
Paranoia!
Paranoia!

...twenty times and all four thousand fans pogoing as one, screaming it right back at him. Yep. Four thousand! All on one big dance floor.

Though the whole crowd is off its nut, there was one couple in particular who were, from Note One, Song One, doing this combination of moshing/making out/whirling like dirvishes/pogoing/copulating like roaches...and as they would sway and knock into people, the entire crowd around them would shove back, creating this fascinating ripple effect throughout the entire audience. Watching the crowd was almost as fun as watching the band.

The highlights:

* Mini fights broke out.
* People fainted.
* Bouncers/security were running around with huge water bottles and pouring liquid into the open mouths of dehydrated/emaciated Faint fans.
* Several dudes crowd surfed until they were grabbed by security and brought back to earth.
* During my favorite song, Desperate Guys girls started making out with one another when the song gets to the part:

I knew you knew I liked you,
I knew you knew it.
I figured desperate guys NEVER had a chance with you..."

It was madness. I think by the third song I had lost hearing in one ear and taken several elbows to the kidney, but no time for crying because...they launch into one of my favorite (and ironically appropriate) songs, Take Me to the Hospital. Hee! I love this song. They sang mostly songs from their last two albums, plus two totally new songs. (Partial set list below...). They left all their slow and semi-slow songs off the list last night - even tongue-in-cheek fave Erection. Probably because this crowd would have mobbed them if they'd slowed the beat below 120 thump-thumps per/minute.

I think they ended the regular set with Worked Up So Sexual, but then came back after two or three minutes of crowd cheering. I forget the first song in the encore, but the second was the one ballad of the night, "Birth". Complicated song about the conception of a baby from the love making of two scientists, told through the eyes of the sperm...um. Somehow it's both gross and lovely.

A word here about the Faint and lyrics: The Faint is a dance band, through and through, but they have interesting and fun song writing. So if you care about that shit, there's something to love, and if you don't...then you still have that amazing beat.

So anyway. Show comes to a close with the anarchist's anthem, Agenda Suicide which mirrors my exact mood about the job I had to get up and go to six hours later...

"Agenda Suicide
The Drones work hard before they die
To Build themselves a pretty little home..."

The crowd filed out, excited but orderly...the whirling dirvish copulators had been kicked out earlier, and perhaps the drugs were wearing off so everyone went home after the FIVE HOUR CONCERT (7pm to midnight) drained, bruised, dehydrated...and smiling.

Thanks to my buddy Shaun for braving the masses with me :)

Set list (partial...just from memory...)

~ Drop Kick the Punks
~ Paranoiattack!
~ Call Call
~ a new song
~ Take Me to the Hospital
~ Your Retro Career Melted
~ Glass Danse
~ another new song
~ I Disappear
~ Let the Poison Spill From Your Throat
~ Desperate Guys
~ Posed to Death
~ Worked Up So Sexual

encore:
~ ???
~ Birth
~ Agenda Suicide

not sung:
~ Southern Belles in London Sing :(
~ Erection :O

Hiya friends!

So last night I saw my five hundred and fifty thousandth INXS show (only a slight exaggeration...I may be off by one or two). The boys played in the heart of Downtown Disneyland...literally. My first time anywhere near Disneyland, so figuring out where the frak I was, was a major accomplishment.

Got to the venue too late to catch the opening band...and too late to be anywhere near the stage! The hard core fans had been lining up since 11 that morning! No way were they gonna let some asshole who strolls in at 8:15pm (i.e. me) saunter up and bask in the glow that is Kirk or JD or Timmy! "B-but...I have a job! I had to work! Then I had to drive to friggin' Anaheim!" I stammer. That silence you hear is the sound of No One Giving a Shit! Clearly I'm the only person in INXS-land who didn't take the day off to camp out for our boys. I am a bad fan :( Thank goodness LAXguy got there early and held a space for me! I wasn't on the main floor, but off to the side, with a great view of the stage. Yay, LAXguy!

The House of Blues - Anaheim is the smallest venue I've seen them in - the whole place fit maybe 800-900 people? Maybe a thousand. Packed packed packed! And the crowd seemed a bit...mean! I guess I would be too if I'd been waiting since noon! Men were shoving women, women were shoving back, and one chick even threw a cup at the head of some guy who wouldn't let her scoot past. Whoa...in the words of Supernova, "it's all love" people! The folks right around me were super nice and fun, especially the nutso Gary lover who rocked out the whole show next to me!

On with the show.

Missed the opening band. Got there in plenty of time to hear TNT, and see the five minute clock count down. When it got to "4:48" a good lusty cheer went up! And I felt like an old den mother when a couple next to me asked, "why did people cheer at 448? What does it all mean?" Clicking into crazy fan mode, I explained about JD's magic number, the tattoo on his neck, the legion of fans who call themselves 448ers...I stopped myself when I saw their eyes start to glaze over. I can take a hint, kids! ;)

Seeing the show again was like slipping on an old pair of your favorite jeans...and finding they still fit! Tighter in some places, looser in others, but oh so familiar...

Set list started with Suicide Blonde, per usual, and JD was licorice-delicious! Long, lean, wearing a black military-style jacket, black pants, black stubble, black bedhead hair...yum! He's looking sleek, and very well-travelled. From my angle, I couldn't see John or Andrew very well, but got an eyeful of Kirk, who grinned and had fun throughout. Tim seemed the most animated, after JD, and the most playful and interactive with the audience. Gary was all eye candy - wearing a loosely buttoned dark shirt under a blazer, and then later changing into a muscle tee! Nice guns, GGB!

JD did a couple spoken word riffs, passed out cups and poured champagne to a few folks in the front row, and mumbled sexily about being in California, seeing familiar and new faces in the crowd. He smoked, laughed, cuddled with Kirk, and sang his little heart out.

Familar favorites were played: Devil's Party, Mystify, Need You Tonight, Disappear, Afterglow, Hungry, Original Sin, Never Let You Go, Kick, Pretty Vegas, Never Tear Us Apart, Don't Change...

Gone were Taste It, Perfect Strangers and Hot Girls. Since they didn't do Taste It, I really missed hearing any extended solos from sax-sex-on-a-stick, Kirk! I am very fond of PS and HG, so was sad not to hear them - all three songs provide a bit of raunch to the show that was definitely missing! In the case of Taste It, I can live without it, but I wouldn't have minded rockin' out to the other two!

Added: Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues, which was a nice surprise, and a hit with the audience. JD's baritone is a good match for Cash tunes, so cool choice!

The band sounded wonderful - and I got to dance around and sing to all my favorites! But on the whole I was kinda sad! This is definitely my last INXS show (their tour's over tomorrow, after 230+ gigs played around the world!), and you could kinda tell the band will be happy for it to be over. Not that they didn't give it their all...but things that seemed spontaneous and frivolous six months ago...were now a packaged part of the show - still entertaining, but honed. I don't know how to really explain it - but anything done 230 times is going to substitute spontaneity for assurance. Both are attractive and fun, so...in the end it's all good. /ramble mode

It was great seeing so many of the old gang, and meeting some folks who've I've only known online! For those of you going, have fun tonight in Indio, where this year long tour will finally come to an end!

Hi gang!

Saw Juke again a few days ago and again they were fabulous (see my other reviews of their shows at the Viper Room in September here (night 2) and here (night 1)). This time around - the venue was twice as big, the crowd was rowdy and the Juke boys pretty much closed down the bar when it was all over!

I managed to sneak my camera in, but didn't dare turn on the flash, so sadly all my pictures turned out like this...


Too bad I spent most of my time fiddling with my damn camera, but I did manage to rock out sufficiently when I finally gave up getting any good pix. I was off to the side, right in front of Tommy, bass player, who was a flippin JOY to watch - he's got a great smile and plays with abandon, LOVED IT!! I also got an eye and ear full of Todd, wild-haired guitarist who, if possible, was more animated even than Toby. Grrr, these boys were hot, and they put on another good show.

Highlights of this show, that I remember:

- Toby starting off "Throw it Away" as a stripped down a cappella ballad for a verse...and then ripping the roof off and the whole audience pogoing and singing along.

- Handing my shitty camera over to photogoddess Kelly Mullis who managed to get slightly less shitty pix out of it like this:


- Lukas and Tommy Lee sneaking into the show. Tommy Lee just gave a wave of support to JK before going to the private balcony to watch the show. But Lukas ran on stage and JUMPED into Toby's arms, shit you not. He wrapped his legs around the Tobster like he was a cat climbing a tree. Er, hello! Too bad my shitty camera wasn't out to capture that.

- Tommy and Todd mashing their heads together on numerous occasions, eyes closed, fingers flying over strings, tongues out...yowza!!

- Seeing and hanging out with my old Rockband gang, and new friends!

- The crowd saying happy birthday to cutie pie drummer Eddie, who either turned 20 or 21 (either way... jeez! Jail bait! I think you get arrested for statatory rape for even thinking he's cute!) Bless him!

- The boys hanging out and chatting with fans and friends afterwards. Very cool, guys!

All in all, this show was right up there with their Viper Room, night two gig. Good times!


photo taken by disposable cam diva Trish!

A friend of mine called last night, telling me she had an extra ticket for the Paul Stanley show at the House of Blues, with Paul being backed up by the fabulous Rockstar House Band. Did I want to come? Uh. Does a bear shit in the woods, friends? Yes. Yes it does, and yes, yes I wanna see OB:House.

But here was the dilemma.

I don't know a damn thing about Stanley, Kiss, the Kiss Army etc. Would I still enjoy myself? I was contemplating...but then I saw this picture of Sasha (bass player) that a fellow rockbander sent me from the Seattle Stanley show

...



And yep. Bear shittin' in the woods time! My ass was going.

Get to the HOB, and the place was packed to the rafters, the line to get in wrapped around the outside of the venue and went on for 2 1/2 blocks. The Kiss Army, which apparently consists of 18 to 70 year olds, was seriously representing last night.

The opening act was fun - a chick-fronted band called SLUNT...The lead singer wore a black bra and tuxedo vest, with black leather pants, while her female guitarist wore a pink negligee. I didn't hear the name right, and thought they were called Slut until I was nicely corrected by a fan who overheard me saying, "Wow, this Slut band is pretty good! I'd by a Slut t-shirt!" My bad! In between acts, suddenly half the audience starts craning their necks to the balcony and pointing and yelling. Second coming of Jesus? No. Just one Mr. Gene Simmons, prepping to watch the show from on high. Cool!

On with the show:

Paul Stanley was fantastic. I have confessed to not knowing any of his material...but I sure as hell did by the second verse of each song! Wow, why didn't I join this army before? Audience at HOB was enthusiastic and rowdy, all jumping and screaming Paul/Kiss lovers. Paul's vocals were spot on, crooning and belting and SCREECHING those lovely high notes in true rocker fashion. He wore a see-through leopard print shirt, unbuttoned to the navel...and he looked pretty damn fit! Nice! He really knew how to put on a show, had me even jumping and screaming, and I didn't know the damn songs!

Here's the set list, also snagged from the amazing emswazzu:
Live to Win
Hide Your Heart
A Million to One
Got to Choose
Move On
Bullet Proof
Tonight You Belong to Me
Lick it Up
Wouldn't You Like to Know Me
Magic Touch
I Still Love You
Strutter
Everytime I See you Around
Do You Love Me
I Want You
Love Gun
Lift
Detroit Rock City

My faves of the night: Lick it Up, I Want You, Love Gun, Detroit Rock City.

The House Band...what can I say? FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!!! I mostly had eyes for my tv boyfriend Sasha, Nate and Raphael (I couldn't really see OB:Paul or Jim from where I was standing, mid floor area).

Sasha, Sasha, Sasha! I didn't see evidence that his knee was bothering him (heard that he'd twisted it up in Seattle), he moved around quite a bit, playing to Nate, crossing the stage to jam with Rafi, etc. Didn't notice any limping. I made sure to gaze adoringly at him the whole show! ;)

Nate, Nate, Nate! My stick-twirling bad-ass! He didn't stop grinning the whole time, and just drove this whole bus. Raphael had tons of guitar riffs, and during every. Single. One. he made that screaming orgasm face that we all know and love! His fingers were FLYING, and he was just on on on last night. Lots of love for all of them when introduced!

Great show, gang, The biggest thanks to Annie for the ticket and ems for the Seattle pix that compelled me to check out Paul Stanley!

Hi gang :)

Holy hell, the Pet Shop Boys were a blast. The dynamic duo were in pretty good form last night, even though keyboardist Chris Lowe was completely stationary behind his piano/computer, and singer Neil Tennant didn't move around too much either. That's okay, because there was plenty to delight the eye and ear. The show sported interpretive dancers, glowing neon movable set pieces, gold lame cowboy get-ups, kooky hats, a George Bush spoof, a Princess Di tribute, a military march, popping and locking, an acoustic guitar solo, a U2 cover, two spelling lessons (on how to spell "shopping" and "minimal"), and a SHITLOAD of great songs. The whole experience was VERY 1987...in a good way, kids! Took me back to my rave days. The audience was extremely enthusiastic especially during all the oldies. I sang along to most of the songs and danced in the aisles. They played for a good 90 minutes, plus a 20 minute intermission halfway through, and one encore.

Set list, not complete or in order (sorry, I suck)

I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing
I'm With Stupid
Minimal
Shopping
Rent
Can You Forgive Her?
Opportunities
Suburbia
Left to My Own Devices
Dreaming of the Queen
Heart
Where the Streets Have No Name
Home and Dry
West End Girls
The Sodom and Gomorrah Show

Encore:
It's a Sin
Go West!

There were a couple other songs in here, that I didn't know! But all in all, a good, nostalgic show.

OMG!! I just found out Pet Shop Boys were on Dancing with the Stars this week. Here's a clip of it West End Girls.

Hey gang!

So last night our girl Storm played a club/pub called Molly Malone's - and I can't even count the ways I'm in love with her, y'all! Storm was awesome - sexy and powerful, in-your-face but playful, wicked yet sweet...and above all, Storm's a Showman, with a capital "S." Storm's coolness lies in her between-song banter - she tells raunchy stories, sick jokes, laughs with and at the audience and THEN sings her heart out.

Storm/Balls did a mix of original songs and covers...but these covers were totally rearranged into punk/rock/blues/jazzy versions of the originals with Storm belting them out in a voice somewhere between Liza in Cabaret and Nina Simone - smoky/sexy!

She started the set with I Want You to Want Me sung slow and sultry. And I don't care if you walked in that place a straight woman or a gay man, you were in love with her by the end of the first stanza!! (Stormy wore a slinky brown dress which exposed her back tat beautifully. The Balls were pretty much dressed in black.) Throughout the show, Storm gave us a visual demonstration of how and why Star Trek geeks make the best lovers, admitted a fascination for stories about vivisection, expressed how nicely her boobs looked even when bruised...and when audience was appropriately shocked by this, she told us, "Aww, don't be concerned for me guys, it's totally fine! It's just something I do...for money." Then she went on to tell us a joke about gag balls. Heh! That's our Storm, bringin' the BDSM humor! Navarro would be so proud! ;)

set list, not in order:

I Want You to Want Me
Missionary Man (wow, she sang the shit out of this song! If she'd done this on Rockstar she could have been fronting Supernova by now.)
Tainted Love
I Want You to Die (great audience sing-along on this!)
Take a Chance on Me
Beautiful
Ladylike
Some Ozzy Osborne song
Sweet Home Alabama - but a totally bluesy/hip hop version of this. Can't really describe but it WORKED, audience LAPPING out of her hand!
Star Spangled Banner - again, completely rock/blues version. Stunning. I think it's on her CD.

Encore:
Hopelessly Devoted
Heartbreaker

Fantastic show, my favorite of any ex-"rocker" so far! The show was sold out, but the place was tiny - probably held about 200 people. And among those 200, our boy Lukas who stayed for the whole show, and hung out afterwards, first with some fans, and then with Storm. Lukas looked good! Shades on, even though it was 2 o'clock in the morning. Hey, you never know when the rockstar fashion police might show up - can't be caught without your gear ;)

Also on hand for the whole show, our girl Dilana! Storm dedicated a song to her, and then pulled her up on stage to sing a chorus of Ladylike! That was cute and fun - Dilana is, at best, HALF the size of Storm. Dilana also hung out afterwards, said hello to a few fans. The bar was small very intimate, so after signing copies of her CDs and chatting with fans, Stormy came out to the bar, and she, Lukas, Dilana and some friends hung out around a bar stool, and closed the place down.

So, that was the night! I had the best time :) Here's a pic I snuck of myself at work, in my new Storm tshirt...

Hiya cuties :)

Over the last two weeks I've seen a few shows - including The Pogues at the Wiltern, Ryan Star at the House of Blues, Chris Daughtry, of American Idol fame with his band at the Viper Room (pretty good show- he would have kicked some serious ass if he'd made it onto Rockstar). And then caught Magnetico, the three man band of House Band guitarist Raphael. My memory's for shit, gang so just brief highlights of each show...except for the Pogues. I could talk about those dudes forEVER! LOVE their drunk crazy fucked-up Irish asses!!!

First up: Raphael with his band Magnetico - Cafe Fais Do Do - Oct. 14th

Wow. Raphi's stuff is pretty damn amazing. His guitar playing was, not surprisingly, fabulous but the shocking thing was how strong a voice he has. Saw him in a little out of the way club called Cafe Fais Do Do - the crowd was stunningly laid back for all the heat Raphi was generating on stage...but my friends, this show was interesting in more ways than one. On stage with Raphi was an honorary fourth member of the band, this local artist nicknamed "The Wizard" who strung up this huge, man-sized erasable canvas behind the band, and during each song, would paint these kooky sci-fi images, of green space men and flying Medusa heads and shit!! I am not shitting you! I am a TV writer and even I can't make this shit up. After each song, this Wizard guy would erase the canvas (with a sponge and a bucket of water) and draw a whole new alien landscape with snakes and whatnot. The first picture he drew was so hideous that me and my friend just about doubled over in laughter - it was truly horrible. But then, by the second or third painting...he suddenly turned into, like Picasso or something! That was a fun night. I think someone got pictures of a bunch of us with Raphael...and that kooky artwork in the background. When the photographic evidence surfaces, I will post it ;)

Ryan Star - House of Blues on Sunset - Oct. 10

Okay. I don't have a lot to say about this one...very short set. Very small crowd. He hadn't even gotten into his second or third song when the power totally went out, plunging the House of Blues into total darkness... and rendering the Dark Horse without a working microphone. Did this stop him? Non-Ryan fans might wish it had. But no. Dude sang his little heart out, with just a guitar, a flash light and a dream. To compensate for the lack of a mic, Ryan screamed Back of My Car at us while brutally abusing the strings of his poor now-acoustic guitar. He would have killed us if he could see us! What was I doing there, you might ask, since I was never his biggest fan? Well. All my friends are fans so...I followed the flock that night. I had a good time, a good laugh and a good cheer, especially when Ryan declared: "Look around you! Remember the faces of the people here tonight! Because years from now, people will claim they were at this legendary show...and you can call them liars! You were here when we made history!" Again, I am not making this up. But Ryan was a good sport, and once the power came back on, gave his fans 110%. Good job, Dark Horse! Seeya on the charts.

So that was last week. This weekend, though was all about...

The Pogues - October 19th

I saw them at the Wiltern Theatre, the same place where I saw the Killers a few weeks ago, site of the infamous patty-caking. Well there was none of that horseshit in the line for the Pogues. These concert-goers were at least a decade or so older, and at least seven times drunker - before the doors even opened!! I don't know why I was surprised, this IS Ireland's most popular musical export, who've composed more drinking songs than there are fish in the ocean. In our defense, we NEEDED a drink to prepare ourselves for what was to come... the Pogues, reunited on tour for the first time in 15 years!! Woohoo!!

On with the show!

Well. From note one, song one...Shane MacGowan, legendary lead singer, was DRUNK off his freaking ASS! I mean, he could stand up all right but there wasn't one single intelligible word that passed his lips the entire night. Let's see, how to describe what he sounded like...? Okay. Take about six cotton balls and eight children's marbles...and shove'em in your mouth...then try reciting the alphabet backwards. THAT'S what he sounded like!!! Luckily for him, 99% of the audience was drunker than he was. They all stamped, did jigs, sang and swayed, and then would toss half filled cups of beer onto their fellows, then fling the empty cups at the stage!

Luckily for all of us, drunk and sober alike, the seven kick-ass musicians who make up the rest of the Pogues were NOT drunk - they played so beautifully with such abandon and precision and intricacy and flair that you completely forgot that Shane was such a mess. Indeed, every other song or so, Shane would step off the stage, and let his other band members fill in on the vocals. The most charismatic of the bunch was the accordion player, James Fearnley - always my favorite! Bald as a cue ball but somehow he managed to make leaping around with an accordion strapped to his chest...sexy! Lively and strange, completely mesmerizing. *new crush!*

Then there was the man with the piccolo (or whatever it's called) named Spider. I am, again, in love. Dude sported a fedora, sang like an Irish angel and played like a devil. The banjo player, Jem also took up vocal duties on one or two songs. They are all such fine musicians and really good show men.

Show was a good two hours - including two encores. So what did they sing? Not the full set list or in the right order, but here's what I remember...


Turkish Song of the Damned - sang early on, pretty lackluster :(
Sunny Side of the Street - amazing tune!
Streams of Whiskey
Boys from County Hell
White City
If I Should Fall from Grace with God
Pair of Brown Eyes
Broad Majestic Shannon
Body of an American
Sally MacLennane
Dirty Old Town
Rain Street
Bottle o' Smoke - lots of stomping, slurring, swaying and beer swigging!
Thousands Are Sailing - Sung by Spider. I can't lie, I started crying - I love this song! It really speaks to anyone who's an immigrant, a child of an immigrant, a refugee, or any stranger in a strange land, with big dreams.
Fiesta - I vote this Best Song to Throw Beer To!! Shane and Spider had brought out these tin pie plates (like you'd make pizza on) and started bang themselves on the head with them...using their heads as percussion instruments - loud and funny and hilarious! But I'm surprised Shane didn't knock himself into a coma with that thing.
Fairytale of New York (encore) - the song the world knows and loves them for. It was gorgeous - Shane (still standing somehow, god bless 'im) waltzed around the stage with the woman who sang the duet with him, and suddenly a million fake snow flakes started to fall around them! So lovely! It had all the Irish blokes weeping in their beers instead of throwing them!

So that was the show. Try to catch them if they come by you...especially if you already know all the words to most of the songs, because lord knows you won't understand a thing that comes out of Shane's mouth the entire night!