Alice Cooper/Motley Crue Live

Back before Mother's Day Megan told me that Motley Crue was coming to town with Alice Cooper. I figured it was going to be a show at a casino, and quickly forgot about it. As Mother's Day drew closer, she reminded me of the show. I got us tickets to the show at the Xcel Energy Center, and put them in her Mother's Day card.

We arrived at the X around 7:05 and could hear a band onstage once inside. We found our nosebleed seats, and watched the unadvertised opener. They were pretty underwhelming, basically ruining pre-show conversations. There seemed to be only about 1,000 or so people in attendance anyway.

After the opener, whose name I never got (and hope I never do), the house lights came up, and a sheet with Alice Cooper's distinctive eyes was draped onstage. More and more people found their seats. Cooper and band took the stage around 7:40 with The Black Widow right into No More Mr. Nice Guy. Cooper, 67, performed the songs that he's played thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of times with the energy and voice of 1970's Alice Cooper. 

As far as I could see from my cheap seat, he hasn't slowed a bit. The stage-show featured pyro, whips, a 12-foot walking Frankenstein, and a guillotine decapitation. He played all of his hits, and a few songs that were new to me. He was surrounded by an amazing band that didn't miss a beat. Cooper's only stage banter was introducing the members of the band before the last song: School's Out (featuring an interlude of Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall). 

He said one guy was from St. Paul, Minneapolis. Megan thinks he meant he's from the metro area. I say it was a "senior moment." Either way, the entire 55-minutes was a spectacle. Well worth the ticket price. 

After a brief intermission, and the Xcel filling almost to capacity, Motley Crue took the stage (for their first Final Tour) opening with Girls, Girls, Girls. It was all 80's hair-metal after that, and I mean that in the best possible way. I felt like I was in junior high again. Vince Neil's stage banter between songs was laced with profanities. Nothing of any substance. How the fk are you? Make some fkn noise. And my favorite: Who out there is a motherfker tonight? 

Back in high school I'd heard that Tommy Lee plays his drums while spinning upside down. It's true, and he still does. Before the end of the show, Lee's entire drum kit elevates and spins while moving forward along a track (like a really slow roller coaster), and he beats the skins to remixes of current pop songs. It was quite impressive. As were the pyrotechnics throughout Crue's 90-minute show. There was a lot of fire, even a flame thrower attached to Nikki Sixx's guitar that shot blazes sky high to the beat.

The main show ended with Kickstart My Heart, and a grand finale of pyro and bombs that was better than any fireworks I saw this Fourth of July. It was a finale to go along with their "finale" (until Neil, 54, gambles himself into bankruptcy and has to do another "Final Tour"). Their encore was one song: Home Sweet Home; performed on a mini-stage in the middle of the floor seats; with a montage of old band photos and video displayed on the screen.

I've only been to one other show where the opener was better than the main act. Lenny Kravitz was slightly better than Aerosmith. Motley Crue was great, and Alice was even better.
Megan texted me during the show: Vince Neil is a lard. I thought he looked like he's gained a couple too. We agreed that he was out of breath for the last two numbers before the finale. Credit where credit's due, they have been a rock and roll band for 34-years. On top of the world for over half of those years. They've had their cake, and ate it too.

Dave Matthews Band live at Xcel

I hadn't been out to a show since 5/5, and my friend Jason at work (with whom I saw Har Mar Superstar) asked me last week if I knew about any shows coming up. I told him the Dave Matthews Band was going to be here next Wednesday, and he got really excited. The plan was he was to get tickets that night and then text me where they were. 

A text came that night, but it was him saying that he'd forgotten about a prior engagement and couldn't go. I was all jazzed for the show, and decided that I was going to go anyways. The show wasn't close to selling out on Ticketmaster, so I planned on getting a ticket at he box office and avoiding the fees. My plan worked like a charm. I got the cheapest ticket they had. It was in the upper deck on the side of the stage. 

I made it up, up, up to my seat, and it was in the very last row of the section. The last row of the arena. I wasn't too worried about it as I knew it wouldn't sell out, and I'd creep closer once the show started. Dave Matthews took the stage at 7:26 for the 7:00 show. He was all alone and started with two acoustic covers; A Whiter Shade of Pale and The Needle and the Damage Done. He then brought out Tim Reynolds and they did a couple of songs together, and then the whole band joined, and it was a rock and roll party. 

View from the seat I bought

Around the fifth song I noticed that my section was nearly empty. The whole arena was about 3/4 full. I went down to the second row, where there were plenty of open seats, and took the one on the isle. I couldn't sit in the front row because it was pretty full, with an obviously drunk brunette dancing and holding her beer up during every song. Her blonde friend was sitting in the seat next to her and kept trying to get her to sit down. Brunette finally got her friend to stand up and join her. The blonde would turn around and high five me often.

View when I moved closer

There was another gal they were with sitting on the isle who was nursing a beer, but sober. The blonde offered me her beer at one point. When I declined she slurred "are you driving?" I told her I was. "Good for you for not drinking and driving." Back she went to rousing the audience to stand up and dance, which was unsuccessful.

Matthews announced that they were going to do one more song and take an intermission. I went to the bathroom toward the end of the song to miss the rush. By the time I got back it was intermission. I went back to my second row seat, and the house lights were up. I finally had a chance to see the drunken dancers. The way they were behaving I pegged them in their 20's. When the show was going on I couldn't make out their faces with the stage lights behind them...
They were 50 if they were a day. 

Their sober friend, Debbie, told me that they were going to try to go downstairs and get better seats for the 2nd half. She asked if I'd I like to join them. I did want to see if I could get closer, and I knew it would be a story either way, so I tagged along. Deb told the brunette (whose name I never got) to look up Minneapolis St Paul Magazine's editor on her iPhone as it would help her story to get us closer. 

Out in the hallway I learned that the blonde high-fiver was Brenda. She was the drunkest of the three. She asked me what I did working at the Xcel Energy Center. I told her I worked at Target and she didn't believe me. The four of us walked around the whole perimeter upstairs looking for the escalator down while Brenda would ask me "so, what do you do here?' I'd reply "I don't work here." "You don't? You do too." She also asked me again why I wasn't drinking. "Is it because you're driving?"

Debbie found an elevator, and walked on it like she owned the place. I followed, and they had to hold the door for the drunken (I learned) sisters. Debbie was a friend of the brunette. We got off on the first floor, and Debbie told the sisters to keep their mouths shut and just follow her. She marched all the way down to the main floor. We got to the general admission floor, and Debbie told us to wait on the first step. We did, and she went to talk to the usher who was letting people onto the floor. 

It was good that she did the talking rather than Brenda. If Brenda had tried to sweet talk the usher, it would have come out like this: "Bray. Leth ush on va ploor. Pleeeeshe." Debbie spoke to the usher for a few minutes, and finally turned to us and gave us a flick of a finger. "Follow me."

And we were on the floor.

I bought the cheapest ticket, and spent the second, rocking, half of the show where the tickets were about $100. 

View from the floor

You have to expect some pot smoking at a concert. Maybe a little more at a DMB concert. I didn't notice it upstairs at all, but as soon as the lights went out for the second half, it smelled like a skunk was running around the floor spraying. You might think you'd see a puff of smoke here and there. There were billows. It gave me a headache and stomach ache. 

Brenda eventually a got in an argument with someone, and her sister snaked her way up closer to the stage. They were out of the picture by the second song of the set. Debbie was still around, and she was actually pretty cool. We didn't talk much, but I felt like I was at the show with one of my cool aunts. Every so often she'd slap my shoulder and say "what do you think, huh?" or "can you believe it? Aren't you glad you came with us?" 

After Too Much she shook my hand and said "nice to meet you" as she was going to try to find the sisters in the sea of people and clouds of fog. I was starting to feel wobbly from standing too long and knew that I better find a seat before it was too late. I waded through the crowd to the first deck, and got a seat about halfway up where I watched the remainder of the 4-hour show (including the brief intermission). 

Dave Matthews Band are professionals. The show was great, and the story greater. I'd forgotten how much I like their music. Maybe I should work at Xcel so I can see these shows for free. The next show will be Motley Crue and Alice Cooper with Megan in August. Our seats are in the upper deck for that too. At least the first part of the show will be.

Wolf Alice live at The Turf Club

Ellie Rowsell's pedal pad

At work one day last year, I was listening to The Current on my earbuds and a song came on that I had to know who the band was. The song was Moaning Lisa Smile and the band was Wolf Alice. I told myself that I had to see them live if they ever came to town. I didn't know anything about them, but if Moaning Lisa Smile was their sound, they were my kind of band.

Looking into them over time I learned that they're from London, and are fronted by Ellie Rowsell with three blokes behind her. I like their sound as it reminds me of 90's grunge, despite the fact that every member was born in the 90's. They have a couple of EP's out with a full album, My Love is Cool, "dropping" June 23.

I was excited when I saw they were coming to town, playing a venue I'd never been to: The Turf Club. Tickets were only twelve bucks. First Avenue has been awesome to me the last two shows I saw there by reserving a stool for me to sit on. With MS my leg muscles fatigue after standing for about an hour. My legs turn to jello, making me lose my balance. First Ave also runs The Turf Club, and they were kind enough to save me a stool at the end of the bar.

I arrived at 7:40 and surveyed the intimate venue. The layout reminded me me of Five Corners, a bar in which I spent many hours, and dollars, in the 90's seeing Pat McCurdy. My stool was about as far as you can get from the stage, but still not bad. I took my position and ordered a Diet Coke for two bucks. Then I ordered a Juicy Lucy. The bartender asked if I wanted to run a tab. I asked if the sodas were $2 each, and he said he'd refill them for free. I tipped him well, and he kept my glass full all night. 

I am a Juicy Lucy connoisseur. My favorite is Matt's Jucy Lucy. Next is The Nook, and then 5-8 Club. The Turf Club's Lucy (served with kettle chips) is fair. It was what it's supposed to be, but if I eat there again I'll try something else. I ate it while watching The Wild on the TV behind the bar. At 8:30 sharp the opening band, Made Violent, took the stage. The bar turned off the TV.

They were a decent rock and roll band. The lead singer sounds like the singer for The Strokes. He did his best to fire up the crowd during their 30 minute set. I expected the bar to be a lot more full for the sold out show. There was a lot of room near the back. I hoped for the bar to flick the Wild game back on between sets, but they never did. I looked up the score after the show and saw that we're down in the series 0-3 now. 

At 9:30 Wolf Alice took the stage. They wasted no time rocking or rolling; Rowsell head banging along with her guitar from the first note. People crammed closer to the stage when the show started leaving even more room where I was. I watched the first few tunes from my stool, but then snaked my way as close to the stage as I could get with the bar behind me to lean on. 

I got pretty close. I don't think I was in the best acoustic spot, but I was happy with my position. The band got tighter and better as their 45-minute set stretched on.  Bassist Theo Ellis was fun to watch, jumping around, and leading the crowd in a clap to back up one song. The set got me stoked for the album in June. 

Grainy phone picture

They left the stage after their penultimate song for a 60 second break before the encore of Moaning Lisa Smile. I could actually see them standing in the stairwell waiting the one minute before running back up on stage. They cranked out their radio hit, and exited stage left for the night. I went back to my stool to swipe the "reserved" sign to hang in my cube at work. People filed out, and now with plenty of room in the club, I went to the stage to take a few pics; like the one of the pedal pad above. I was about to leave, and Rowsell walked past me on her way to the merch table. I told her "great show" and she genuinely thanked me in her English accent.

I followed her to the table, and there were about 20 people crowding around to buy a shirt for $15, or a CD for $5. The drummer was already there selling and signing merchandise. Rowsell started signing things and taking photos with people. I would have bought something for them to sign, but I spent my money on an okay burger. I had my "reserved" sign, and thought it was worth a try. 

As I waited in line, bassist Ellis came strolling up to the table. I shook his hand and asked if he'd mind signing my paper. Being a nice English fellow, he went backstage to get Sharpies (not knowing about the ones the rest of the band were already using) and came back and had every member sign my paper. I didn't want the autographs because I thought they might be worth money. I did it for whatever story I'd get out of it, and it's a good one. Nice guy. 

Wolf Alice is a band that is doing everything right. I was lucky to see them in such a small, cozy space. I guarantee that if they come back to Minnesota they will be in a larger venue with a more expensive ticket, and they won't be slinging their own merch. Wolf Alice has it. They're all in their early 20's, and age will make them an even stronger band, and presence, on stage.

Har Mar Superstar/Sonny Knight & The Lakers-1st Ave

A friend of mine from work, Jason, moved here from our Tempe, AZ office about nine months ago. I've gotten to know him over these nine months, and learned that he plays bass, toured in a band for a year, and loves music. He'd never seen any live music in the Cities, so I took him out to see some. We were going to go to The Varsity to see Hippo Campus, but it sold out. He'd said that he'd "never even been to First Avenue." Tonight was their 45th birthday party featuring Har Mar Superstar, so we went there instead.

I made a deal with Jason that I'd buy the tickets if he'd buy dinner. Another friend at work recommended The Depot right next door to First Avenue, so we ate there before the show. We started with a sampler of pork spring rolls with awesome hot mustard sauce, cheese curds, and onion rings. Then I got their breakfast burger. A burger with bacon, egg, and cheese served on Texas toast. It was very good, despite the fatty, rubbery bacon that I peeled off.

After dinner it was a short walk to First Avenue's front door, where they had birthday doughnut holes for everyone who entered. Stuffed, we didn't take any. I showed him around the legendary club. It was pretty empty when we got there; better to get around. We found a spot upstairs against the railing and waited for 1st Ave to Tweet out their trivia question to win a table. That Tweet never came. Sometimes they don't do it, and they didn't for the birthday show.

At about 8:15 The Cactus Blossoms took the stage. Their folk-with-a-country-twang music and harmonizing was a perfect way to start off the show. It's not the kind of music that I'd listen to at home, or in the car, but live it was all right. I imagine hearing it on a juke box in a dusty dive bar.

During their set I went to the front door to see if they had any doughnut holes left. They did, but they were dry and stale.

I had four.

The Cactus Blossoms

Next up was local rap artist Sims. His hip-hop felt out of place after The Cactus Blossoms low key guitar pickin', and failed to connect with the crowd for most of his 40-minute set. He was full of energy all the way through, but the music ended up being a sore thumb on the night.

Sims

The third band was Sonny Knight and The Lakers. The set started with their horn section, and one of them introduced Sonny Knight, who took the stage clad in a white suit. It felt like The Blues Brothers opening their show. Knight moved and grooved during each R&B/funk song as best as his 66-year-old frame allowed. The almost full house was into it right away, dancing along. I told Jason after they wrapped up that they were going to be hard to top. If I had a late night talk show, they would be my band.

Sonny Knight & The Lakers

Around 11:20, our headliner, Har Mar Superstar took the stage with local hip hop artist Lizzo (whom I saw open for Sleater-Kinney in February). This was my first time seeing Har Mar, and he didn't disappoint. He's very hard to categorize. Part crooner, part hip-hopper, part pop-rock, wholly entertaining. Not playing an instrument, it's fun to watch him shake his overweight frame around the stage. He did a new song a cappella, admonishing people in the crowd for filming it throughout, saying it's not ready for the internet yet. He ended his show shirtless, doing a quasi-head stand while finishing the last song before the encore. The last song of the night was another a cappella number that was a cool way to wrap things up.

Har Mar Superstar

If I had to decide who was better between Sonny Knight or Har Mar, I'd call it a draw. Both sets were a lot fun fun for different reasons. I got to show a newcomer an iconic 45-year-old music venue for his first time, and the icing on the cake was finding my band for my talk show one day.

Mommy and Daddy Date Night

"The best play I've ever seen."

                           -Megan Anderson

Mommy and Nerd Dad got to go out tonight. Grandma is in town from LaCrosse, WI and watched Ozzie, so we got a Groupon for The Butcher Block, an Italian restaurant in SE Minneapolis, and made a reservation for 5:30. Early, I know, but we wake up at 5:00am all week. We're a couple in our 30's who could pass for our 70's. 

We dined there one other time last November with a Living Social deal, and Megan really liked it. I thought it was okay. Tonight Megan referred to herself as a foodie. I guess she is. Tonight she really liked it again, and I would call it not good, not bad. I ordered Chicken Parmesan that was served over mashed potatoes. I also ordered the deconstructed canolli for dessert, and I wish they would have called it what it really is: three baby scoops of paint-flavored ice cream with three waffle cone chips. 

Earlier today we'd discussed going to a movie, but there are none in theaters that we want to see. My old friend Zach Curtis (whom you can read about here) stars in a play at the Theater Garage, that is getting excellent reviews, called Boeing Boeing. Tonight's show was sold out, but I know one of the people in the show. He told me to wait and see if he could do anything. It turned out that he could; he was able to scrounge up two seats for us, and we're grateful. 

As a writer, I'm always procrastinating whatever I'm writing. My last evening of theater inspired me to start a stage play. I wrote furiously on it for about a week, getting through 20 pages, but then my inspiration dried up. Within 5 minutes of this show starting, it was back, and I look forward to picking that script up where I left off. Enough about that. I put this in here to hold myself accountable. Now I can't cock-off. 

 Boeing Boeing is hilarious. It's established right away that Bernardo (Sam Landman) lives in his flat in Paris with his New Yorker fiancé Gloria (Rachel Finch). Gloria is a flight attendant, and needs to catch her next plane, or go to work. On her way out the door, Bernardo's old friend Robert (Curtis) arrives, and they catch up for the 20 years, or 18 years and 9 months, that they haven't seen each other. Robert lives in Wisconsin and doesn't have much to say. Bernardo tells his friend about how Gloria is just one of his three fiancés that he juggles. 

All of his harem are flight attendants, coming and going; sometimes daily. None of the fiancé's know about each other, and all think they are Bernardo's main squeeze. Bernardo's maid, Berthe (Mo Perry), knows about all three of the women, and covers Bernardo's tracks; even swapping out pictures of the girls as one leaves and another is on her way over. We meet his Italian fiancé Gabriella (Stacia Rice), and German fiancé Gretchen (Sara Richardson). 

Today is the day that flights are cancelled, or returned due to weather, and all of the fiancé's are in town, dropping by to see their one and only Bernardo. He's fortunate that his friend Robert stopped by today so he can help with the deception of the women as they come and go. Bernardo takes one out to "the countryside," while Robert spins plates back at the flat trying to keep the other two from running into each other. 

Director Craig Johnson nails the airplane-sized job of directing this cast of incredible actors, who pull off the timing (entrances and exits, along with comedic) impecably. Even if you don't find the show funny (which you'd have to be the biggest grouch in the world not to), you'll be impressed with how they pull it off. I wish I could call out one performance that stands out, but each cast member is funny, strong, and crucial to the story. I can't say enough good things about this show. It runs until April 4th. Get your tickets here. 

A+

Caribbean Cruise - Epilogue

The picture above is on the bus back to the airport to take us home. Don't we look relaxed? Like we just had the week of our lives? Because we just did. 

We woke up and had breakfast in the main hall for our last meal on the ship. I had my usual: ham and cheese omelet and french toast. Megan had her oatmeal, and then it was back to our room to shower, grab our carry on bags and leave our room. All-inclusive means tips too. We never had to tip any waitstaff or bartenders as it's all factored in to the cost. I'd read, and GK told me, that you should tip your room attendant if they do a good job. Our room attendant, Kareem, was wonderful, and we handed him a saw buck ($10) on the way out. 

See? You don't get much French Toast. We met in the theater and waited to disembark the ship. We only waited a few minutes and it was time to follow everyone off and pick up our luggage that we left out the night before. It was easy to find. We breezed through customs in about one minute, and it was across the street to the bus. We took a seventy minute ride to the Houston airport where I could access the internet again. Megan talked to her mom about Ozzie on the phone for the whole ride.

They get the people off the ship in a hurry, and early, because they make it all nice for new passengers to board the same day and they do it all over again. Another 3,000+ people embark for a week to remember; while we go home with a lifetime of memories. That's cheesy, I know, but I'm getting nostalgic thinking about it. 

We had about a six hour wait at the Houston airport where we took the airport trolley to other terminals to check out their food. I worked at Blockbuster Video in 1995 with a girl from Texas who said that we needed Whataburger in Minnesota. I always remembered that, and got to try Whataburger in Houston. You know what? We do need Whataburger in Minnesota. It was a really good fast food burger. 

We found two comfy chairs next to an outlet where we could charge our phones. We read our books, and looked at our pictures. We even snapped a few in the airport on a cool, arty mode that Megan found. I wish I knew how to work the camera better on the trip, but I'm pleased with the photos we got. 

While we sat and wasted time, it was kind of a long walk to the bathroom. Megan returned and told me that she saw Rod (Ron) and Angela sitting near the Chili's. She didn't talk to them. I went over to say goodbye, and get confirmation on Rod's (Ron's) name. Angela was looking at their pictures when I went and shook Rod's (Ron's) hand. They also had a great week. I wished them the best and went back to my chair... forgetting to confirm his name. 

We flew from Houston to Dallas, and then Dallas to MSP where my brother was right on time picking us up. I was going to go into work late the next morning, but instead I had to go with mom to pick up Ozzie. I called work when I got home and asked them to push my vacation for the rest of the day, or mark me absent. Whatever. I had to see my little man. 

Reunited, and it feels so good. 

Now here's a list of things that I want to remember down the road when I come back to reminisce. They won't mean anything to you, and I couldn't find an interesting way to work them into any of the blogs. They're mainly inside jokes that we had while onboard, but if you're curious about any of them, just ask and I'm happy to tell you the story.

Jesse Atwood and The Jesse Atwood Show. Adam Gump, the A-hole bartender. The John Lennon Way. It's always this way. The big, fat man drawing. Rod-red. An eel gets a shoe. A shark chews my gum. 

I lost 20 pounds to go on this trip, and gained 8 pounds onboard. We started Weight Watchers again yesterday. Before the trip I was one pound away from one-derland. I don't remember ever weighing 1XX. I remember being 200-even in high school when I first started weighing myself; in one of my three gym classes per day that I had. My goal is to get to one-derland. 

My friend Rachael pointed out how abruptly yesterday's blog ended. I know it did, and I apologize. It was kinda late (for me), and I wasn't sure if I was going to post one last one, or if yesterday would be the end. I've received great feedback from you about this blog of our cruise. Thank you so very much for reading. I'm glad it entertained you. 

If you're considering a cruise, I say do it. It was 100% fun. I don't know if we'll ever get the chance to do something like this again, but I'm very happy that we did it. 

Let me know if you have any questions, or if you want to just shoot the breeze. 

Peace and love, 

-Nerd Dad

Caribbean Cruise - Day 7 - Cruising

Our last full day on the ship. I was missing Ozzie like I've never missed anything/anyone ever, but it had been such a fun and relaxing week. We went to the pool early to get good chairs in the sun before everyone got out there. There was a self-serve frozen yogurt machine in the pool area. I tried it on the first or second day and it was bad. Today I saw people walking around with cones that looked really good. I tried it again. It was still bad, but I finished it.

We sat by the pool until we were hungry for lunch. We went in around 12:30. All week lunch was served in the main dining hall until 13:30. We arrived at 13:07 and were told that they closed at 13:00 today, so we had lunch at Johnny Rockets quite by accident. Lunch at Johnny Rockets was fun. It was a $5.95 cover charge each, and all you can eat, except milk shakes. Milk shakes cost $4.50 each. I ordered one and they brought (and charged) Megan and I each one.

We went back to our room and packed. It seems that all cruises have you leave your packed luggage in the hall the night before your disembarkation, and they have it waiting for you after you get off the ship. We sadly packed everything we brought, leaving comfortable clothes out to travel in tomorrow. 

Tonight's show in the theater was an Elton John impersonator. We're fans of Elton John; we even saw him live at the Xcel in 2013. The ship was going to pick him up in Grand Cayman and he was going to be the entertainment on Thursday night. Since we never made it there they flew him to Cozumel, and he performed tonight instead. His name was Joel Mason, and it was a comedic show with decent covers of the songs. Cruise director Elise introduced him saying that his luggage was lost and he'd have to perform in what he wore on the airplane. Then he came out in feathers and 7 inch platform shoes. 

We went to dinner in the main hall, and it was good. I had a decent pasta dish and Megan got leg of lamb, with mint jelly and everything. The waiter said it would melt in your mouth, and it did. I tried the mint jelly and it tasted just like spearmint gum. Since it was our last night I asked for two desserts on one plate. 

We went back to our room and set our packed bags in the hall. The comic from last night performed an "adult" show tonight. We went and were underwhelmed. His stage presence and energy were top notch, but he told street jokes and stolen jokes that weren't that funny to begin with. 

This was the first vacation we took where we didn't want to stay a day or two longer. It was just the right length. It was hard to leave paradise, but we were ready to come home the next day.