Jay – The Boring Old Man

Concert Review: RUSH at SAP Center, San Jose, CA

This is a review I never thought I’d be writing. I had assumed, along with just about everyone, that with the passing of Neil “The Professor” Peart in 2020 that the days of RUSH on stage were over forever.

Imagine my surprise when I heard they were hitting the road again.

Now, I have seen RUSH 3 times prior to this engagement, and I considered myself fortunate to have been there, but I did not realize the last time I’d seen them I was saying goodbye, so to speak. I wasn’t ready for there to be no more RUSH.

And while I had always considered myself a fan of RUSH, taking into account what I’ve learned in the lead-up to this show, I may have to downgrade myself to merely an appreciator of the band. Their die-hard fans are so off the hook with their granular knowledge of the band and their music, I don’t think I qualify as a fan in this day and age. Nonetheless, I was very excited to see this new version of the band and to put a final bow of the present of RUSH’s live music experience.

I’ll admit right up front that I was skeptical when they announced Anika Nilles as Neil’s understudy. I was familiar with her work prior to RUSH, and while she’s extremely proficient and talented technically, I had my doubts as to whether she could fill the absurdly enormous shoes Neil left behind.

While I can’t really say Neil was a direct influence on my playing as a drummer, I am, and have always been, a great admirer of his. And I regard him with the utmost respect as a musician, a lyricist and simply as a man. He was not only wildly skilled on the technical side, he was also a very “musical” drummer – his drum parts were always so much more than simply a beat. And on top of all that, he was incredibly powerful. Not just loud, powerful. He played with an authority, a conviction that absolutely did influence me directly. And based on the interviews I’ve read over the years, and what everyone said about him after his passing, and in the recent documentary that was released about him, he just came off as the genuine article. A serious man, with a serious work ethic but also a great sense of wonder and a desire to learn. And a goofy sense of humor as the cherry on top. So like I said, massive shoes to fill for this young lady.

I did not honestly expect that I would be able to get tickets to this show, nor did I expect the Mrs. to be enthusiastic about attending, but much to my surprise, both items worked out better than anticipated. The Mrs. has seen them once before, and it was before she and I were an item, so tonight was her first show with RUSH in nearly 40 years!

The SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks hockey team is a pretty decent place to see shows. Generally speaking I try to avoid arenas and stadiums, but every now and again, you have no other choice. I’ve been to probably a dozen or so concerts and other events at SAP (though it’s changed names so many times since it was built, who knows what it was called for all the others… We locals refer to it as the Shark Tank. Not that I’ve ever seen a hockey game there. But I digress.) I’ve seen The Who, the Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons, Parliament Funkadelic, Duran Duran, and RUSH there before (amongst others I can’t recall) so there was no mystery or anything new and exciting about the venue. The good points for me are that it’s close to home. And generally speaking it’s easy to find a parking spot, though what they charge for parking is borderline criminal. It is what it is.

The show’s start time was listed as 7:30pm, which honestly is awesome for us old geezers, especially on a school night. (If I haven’t mentioned it before, the Mrs. is a school teacher, this isn’t simply a turn of phrase!) But it didn’t exactly start on time, and they played a full set, took an intermission, and came back for another full set, followed by an encore! An early night was not in the cards!

Overall, the show was fantastic. The band played a bit of everything from throughout their career, but thankfully they seemed to lean heavily towards the classic RUSH era – 2112, Moving Pictures, A Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres… It was a great selection of music, and performed extremely well. Geddy and Alex both seemed to be having the time of their lives, and you would never guess both these guys are now in their mid-70’s by the sound and energy coming off the stage! Honestly, they played every bit as well last night as they did the first time I saw them back around ’87 or so. It was an inspiration!

The lighting and the artistic visuals were all top notch, not that I’d expect anything less from a RUSH show!

As for Anika on drums… She nailed it. Her playing was absolutely precise and you could see from the very first note, that she was completely locked in, 100% concentration. There was no room for fun, she was at work, and work she did! Was her performance as good as Neil? No. There is a difference when playing a part you personally brought forth from the Ether and playing a part you’ve memorized. She played everything nearly as close to note-for-note as any human could. It was dang near perfect. I could find no fault in her playing whatsoever. But despite that, it just wasn’t quite the same. Neil would add to the magic of what was on the records, Anika played what was on the records, pretty much exactly as they were recorded. Which is highly impressive, don’t get me wrong. Those are some of the most difficult drum parts ever conceived, and she executed them like an absolute, stone cold professional. She truly was great. But no, it’s not the same. It was however, better than I anticipated, and undoubtedly better than I could do in her shoes!

The one and only thing that besmirched the evening was the sound system. It was, if I may be so bold, atrocious. Seriously, the WORST sound I’ve ever experienced at a RUSH show. The first few songs or so were positively excruciating. They had the kick drum turned up so high in the mix that it felt like getting punched in the chest by a heavy-weight boxer with each and every bass drum note. Seriously, it was painful. The first 20 minutes felt like a physical assault. And to make matters worse, the drum mix overall was just lousy. There was good definition when she played the high pitched concert toms, but the moment she dropped to the lower pitches, it just turned into auditory mud. Which is a shame really, here she is, giving these ultra complex parts her all, and the audio guys are asleep at the wheel. There were other problems here and there when Geddy would swap to a new bass – one Fender Precision in particular just sounded god-awful. Not sure if the bass itself was having severe problems or if it was the Front of House mix, but it was in the Top 3 worst basses I’ve ever heard at a live show. Thank goodness he only played it on one song! And the overall muddiness had a tendency to swallow the guitar here and there.

But like I said, overall it was a great show. The Mrs. and I were very glad we went, we were very impressed with the playing, the energy and just the overall vibe of the show. In all likelihood, it will be the last RUSH show of my lifetime, and I’m perfectly OK with that. Nothing wrong with going out on a high note! I’m grateful that Alex and Geddy persevered and gave it another go-round. It was clear watching the crowd that this music means a great deal to a great many fans, and this show was a real cathartic experience for a lot of people. While I’m sure they both had some self-serving reasons for embarking on this tour, the impression for me was that this was a big Thank You gift to the throngs of fans they have all around the world, as well as a fond farewell and a celebration of The Professor. And I’m grateful that I could be part of it.

I don’t know how much longer the tour is continuing, but if you like RUSH even a little, it’s worth your while to check out what could possibly be the very last time they grace the stage!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thirty Five Years.

Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of my marriage to the Mrs.

Thirty Five Years.

It’s hard to believe. And something to be proud of. According to the Interwebs, the average length of marriage in the US before divorce is 8 years. The average length of marriage in the US before the death of a spouse is 19 years.

Not to brag, but for the first time in my life I genuinely feel like I’ve beaten the odds on something!

It’s all the more shocking when you consider that we were both 20 years old when we first started seeing each other… We’ve spent nearly twice the amount of years together than we’d been alive before we got together. It doesn’t seem possible sometimes.

It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve been through richer and poorer. We’ve been through sickness and health. We’ve been through better and worse. We’ve been through a lot in our lives together. Everything you can imagine life throwing at you. And still, somehow, we prevail.

Sometimes (especially over the last decade) I’ve felt like I got a raw deal from life. That I’m a magnet for bad luck. That every important decision I’ve ever made has been wrong. But in this regard, I couldn’t have been luckier.

Nobody, outside maybe a professional stand-up comic, makes me laugh like the Mrs. does. Nobody else shares my weird music tastes. Nobody gets me the way she gets me. And that is something special, something to celebrate.

Not many people get to spend their entire adult lives with their best friend, and I feel extremely fortunate to have been one of the lucky ones that has. And God willing, if we make it to the ripe old age of 73, I’ll be back here celebrating our 50th!

If you have someone close to you, take a minute and tell them you love them. Time flies, and nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. Celebrate your connection. It’s something special!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: BEAT at the Quarry Amphitheatre, Santa Cruz, CA

Ok kids, this one was a show for the ages. I don’t even know where to start… I suppose a little background is in order, to explain my pre-conceived expectations and bias!

If you’ve never heard of BEAT, you’re not alone. And it was a curious choice of a name, considering we have The English Beat, aka The Beat AND The Paul Collins Beat, aka The Beat… and then along comes a Supergroup to end all supergroups, calling themselves BEAT. Whatever, they could have called themselves anything, and still outshine any 4 piece band on the planet.

BEAT is the brainchild(?) of guitar maestro Adrian Belew and bass virtuoso Tony Levin. As they describe it on their website BEAT is “a creative reinterpretation of the music of KING CRIMSON including the iconic albums, Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair, and beyond.“

When I was a young’in coming up, I first heard King Crimson around 1982 and I was absolutely blown away. They were so completely weird, yet technical and futuristic that I couldn’t help but go bananas for them. At the time, I had NO idea of their pedigree, I didn’t know they’d already been around my entire life, I had no idea they had released half a dozen albums before I ever heard of them… I just thought they were another New Wave band and I was all in. (Remember, this was more than a decade before the interwebs, and being able to find out everything about anything with a couple mouse clicks…) Their drummer at the time, Bill Bruford, became a big influence on me and I was totally obsessed by Tony Levin on this new fangled instrument called the Chapman Stick. They were like aliens compared to the music that was on the radio in the day, and if you met somebody that was into King Crimson, you knew you had found one of your kind. They were undoubtedly NOT for everyone.

Long story short, I’ve gone down the King Crimson rabbit hole, discovered the many variations of the band and their music, the lineup changes, etc., and for me that Classic 80s lineup of Belew, Levin, Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford was the pinnacle of the group. But sadly, I was too young in this era to have seen them play live and figured that ship had sailed.

Then a couple years ago I found out about BEAT, a group put together by Adrian and Tony featuring Steve Vai in place of Robert Fripp and Danny Carey (from TOOL) on drums, playing my favorite generation of King Crimson music. Unfortunately when I found out about them, I couldn’t make the show. I don’t recall why, I’d either already missed them coming through my area or I didn’t have the scratch for the tickets or maybe had tickets to another show that same week…I don’t recall. Nonetheless, I was bummed. Again, I figured that ship had also sailed, it would be a one-off, and I’d missed my chance to see Adrian Belew, one of my “bucket list” artists.

But a few weeks ago, much to my joy and amazement, I heard they were making another round, only this time with my all time drumming hero, Terry Bozzio, on the drum throne! So this time, there was NO WAY I was missing the show!

I have seen Terry Bozzio play a few times and he’s mesmerizing. I also met him a number of years ago, and he was just a fantastic guy. And I couldn’t wait to see how one of my heroes interpreted the work of another one of my heroes, Mr. Bruford! I’ve seen Steve Vai live before and he too was out of this world. If anyone can fill in for the genius of Robert Fripp, Steve is the guy. And I once saw Tony Levin when he was playing bass for Peter Gabriel many moons ago, but the bass in Gabriel’s music is nowhere near as tantalizing as his work with King Crimson. And as I mentioned, Adrian Belew has been a bucket list artist for me for decades. Between his work with King Crimson, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails and The Bears, he’s been a favorite of mine as a guitarist for 4 decades. The very idea of these four together on stage gave me a level of fevered anticipation that I haven’t felt since I was a teenager just discovering live music.

The Quarry Amphitheatre is a new venue for me, despite being around some 50 years. Evidently they did a major renovation of the place in 2017 and started hosting rock shows there, but honestly I’d never heard of the place until this show came along. Located on the UC Santa Cruz campus, which is only about 20 miles from home. It’s been dubbed “Red Rocks in the Redwoods”, but since I’ve never had the pleasure of attending a show at Red Rocks, I can’t compare it myself. (A Red Rocks show is another Bucket List item for me though!).

The venue was cool. Parking was a bit of a walk, but I’ve had worse. (Looking at you, Shoreline Amphitheatre!). But the staff was pretty easy going and once I found the entrance, it was a breeze. Nothing but Porta Potties though, so the ladies might be less than thrilled. But generally speaking, not too shabby. It’s definitely got a vibe to it. Kinda like the Greek Theater at UC Berkeley, but more natural and a bit smaller.

A beautiful venue on a beautiful Fall night.

No opening band tonight, it was straight to business. And let’s be honest, who could open for this collection of living legends?!?

The band came on stage (promptly at 8pm, like true professionals) and right off the bat, they were firing on all cylinders. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming. So many awesome things happening at once, it was hard to decide where to look! Adrian, Tony and Steve were all in suits, like the old days, and they just ripped out one barn burner after another for about 25 minutes straight. And Terry? My goodness. I haven’t seen him play with such power and intensity since I last saw him play with Missing Persons. It was, to put it mildly, awesome.

They slowed things down at the 25 minute mark, with a newly written song, performed for the first time evidently. Then into an unhinged instrumental section , that started with what sounded like sound effects from an old Sci-Fi movie – played on guitar, mind you which somehow turned into a wild, syncopated guitar jam that I simply don’t have the vocabulary to describe. And then at the 48 minute mark, they broke for an intermission. Thank goodness for that, my brain needed some time to catch up with what it has just witnessed. It’s times like this I wish I were a better writer, as I have no words…

After the intermission they came back for another hour of non-stop, master class level virtuosity that was mind boggling. They played a selection of classics, some improvisational instrumentals and next to last, played my absolute favorite King Crimson song Elephant Talk. And then an encore on top of everything else. What a night! I’ve now seen things I can’t even describe. I’ve heard sounds from guitars that have no business coming from a guitar. I’m flabbergasted. Awestruck. Bewildered. And I couldn’t be happier.

Upright bass, electric bass, Chapman Stick and Synthesizer, Tony covered a LOT of ground

I started seeing “real” bands play shows at the ripe old age of 14, and in the years between then and now, I estimate I’ve seen between 450-500 concerts, from small clubs to massive arenas and I can say without hesitation that from a strictly musical standpoint, tonight was the best concert I’ve ever witnessed. It wasn’t flashy, there wasn’t some crazy light show, no video screens, no pyrotechnics. Just pure mastery from each and every musician on stage. It was a night I’ll not soon forget. As it turns out, tonight was the very first night of the tour, which means not only will it continue to get better (which I can’t really even fathom) but it means you still have a chance to see them! They are on the road through December 3rd, traveling Coast-to-Coast. If you love music, if you appreciate true mastery of instruments at the highest level, you owe it to yourself to see BEAT. Let’s face it, these guys are no Spring Chickens – Steve Vai is the youngest of the group and he’s eligible to collect Social Security benefits! These guys won’t be around forever, and while I’m not gonna say there are no up-and-comers that may be great players, there is nobody that matches the caliber of these guys when they are together in a group. It’s literally a once in a lifetime experience.

Mr. Belew, Mr. Levin, Mr. Vai and last but certainly not least Mr. Bozzio, THANK YOU for an absolutely unforgettable night of auditory magic. It was beyond delightful and a dream come true for this music lover.

And to my readers, thanks for stopping by!

Insightful

Just happened upon this today by random chance, and thought it was quite insightful. Thought I should share….

Personally, I think a few of those attributes fit me, I’m certainly not just one. But at this ripe old age, I’ve seen enough to know this is a pretty accurate description of a lot of folks and their personalities/behaviors.

That’s about it. That’s all I’ve got today.

I’m on the downhill slide towards the end of my 4th week on the new job. It’s hard to believe. Time is just flying. But so far, so good. I’ve met some really good people, a few really nice dogs and I get to see wild turkeys almost every morning when I drive in to the site. And as crazy as it sounds, that’s a huge deal to me! I must be getting old, I’ve developed quite a fascination with birds over the last several years. My wife loves Hummingbirds and Crows, but for me it’s all about Pelicans and Wild Turkeys. Who knows why?!?

Hope y’all have a great weekend.

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Dogstar at the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

Here we go again folks, Dogstar is back in town, roughly 4 months into their All In Now tour, which has taken them across the U.S.A., over to Europe for weeks on end, then back across the States once again.

This is maybe the 7th Concert Review of Dogstar on this blog, and I don’t know at this point how many times I have seen them. Maybe 30? It’s hard to say… And no, I’m not some middle-aged fan boy of Keanu – though he is a delightful gentleman – no, in fact every single show I’ve been to is because of Bret, their guitarist/vocalist. Bret and I go back 40+ years. We played our first gigs together at school events and house parties. We wrote our first songs together. We played our first night club shows together. Our first time in a recording studio was together, the first time our song got played on the radio… He was my Best Man when I got married nearly 35 years ago, his family is like my own. He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother. And I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s come a long way and worked his hind end off to achieve the level of musicianship he’s reached.

So yes, every single time I have an opportunity to see him and his band, I’ll be there. And now you all get to hear about it too!

The opening band was The Backfires, whom I’d never heard of before today. Because it was a show up in the city and I had to work today, I didn’t get there until their set was almost finished. I heard one song as I was coming into the venue and actually got to see them perform the last song of the set. But that was it. I can’t really say much about them other than their lead guitarist seemed pretty darn good. I wish I’d been able to see a little more of them.

Dogstar put up a solid set, pulled from their most recent album and their last. They definitely seemed tighter as a band after all these months on the road and knocked out a good hour-plus before coming back for an encore. I still think they should pull out some of the tunes from their earlier albums – Our Little Visionary has some absolute bangers that deserve to be played live, but for whatever reason they’re just sticking with the Dogstar v2.0 repertoire. One really pleasant surprise was them whipping out “Can’t Hardly Wait” by The Replacements during their set. They did an excellent cover of that song and for me personally, it brought back some great memories. The Replacements were a big influence on Bret and I when we were coming up and it was a touching homage to some wonderful days gone by…

Keanu played great, and honestly I expected no less of him. I know he takes his instrument seriously, and it shows. A lot of people were there just to “see” him, and it’s a shame, cuz he’s actually a fine musician that deserves an audience’s ears more than their eyes.

Rob did his thing on the drums. I try not to say much about him, as I’m afraid it’ll come off as petty. I can’t help but hear Bret’s songs with what I would play behind them, and that’s not fair. Rob does what he does and I do what I do, and they’re simply different. He held it down, and that’s what works for Dogstar.

Bret was in fine form. The tour has certainly pushed his abilities and he’s just getting better all the time. His voice sounded great, which honestly was a bit of a surprise, I half expected him to be worn out a bit after dozens and dozens of shows for months on end, but his voice sounded really strong. And his guitar playing was absolutely on point all night. Great tone, great solos, just all around impressive. And I could tell it meant a great deal to him to be back at The Fillmore, “hometown” shows are always just a bit extra.

So once again I’d say it was a great show. Am I biased? Undoubtedly. But they are a seasoned band. They’ve been putting in the work, and it shows. This ain’t no vanity project, this is the real deal and Dogstar puts out good, solid rock and roll as good as anybody out there on the road today.

They’ve still got maybe 10 or so shows left on this tour, if you have the opportunity, go check them out. If you like tasty guitar and thumping bass, you will not be disappointed! And if you happen to meet any of the guys, tell them the Boring Old Man sent ya!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Aneesa Strings at Yoshi’s, Oakland CA

Tonight was something special. And unexpected…

The Mrs. introduced me to Aneesa Strings some time ago, and I thought she was cool – I mean, who doesn’t dig a woman with an upright bass and a great voice? But honestly, it didn’t exactly knock me out. Not in the way that I’d actively seek out her music, it was just a little too much on the tame side for my tastes.

So when she told me Aneesa was coming to town and she wanted to go see her, I figured, m’eh, why not? It was a Friday night show at Yoshi’s, a club we’ve been to many times and despite being located in Oakland, it’s a spot we really, really like.

We decided to make a night of it and made reservations at the restaurant that’s attached to the club – or is it the club that is attached to the restaurant? Anyhow, we’d always wanted to try the food there – a Japanese -Fusion menu – but every time we’d been there in the past we were running up there after work and never had time to make it to dinner before the show. But this time around it was a late show, we’d made reservations at 7:45, and figured we’d have just enough time to eat before her set.

Let me tell you, we were FOOLS for not eating there in the past! Goodness me, the food was absolutely spectacular! I won’t go into all the details as I’m not a “foodie” and this is a concert review, but I will say I had a pork chop that was hands down the best pork chop I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. And I’m no stranger to pork chops… But seriously, everything we had was delicious and the pork chop was out of this world. I’d eat another one right now if I could!!

Aneesa was accompanied by a drummer, keyboard player and a guitar player, a relatively standard jazz band setup. The show started off a little slow frankly, and after the first song I was thinking to myself “I might be a little too tired to sit through an hour of this“, but very quickly things started to heat up.

I’m not gonna pretend to know what songs she played, old or new, I’m not at all familiar with her catalog of work. What I will say though, is that she was a phenomenal artist. Her voice was smooth as glass – at times – and sometimes gritty, when it was called for. Her bass playing was absolutely on point, it was plainly obvious that she and the upright bass were dear old friends. And midway through the set, she switched it up and picked up an electric fretless Fender Jazz bass, and that’s when things really started cookin’!

One particular highlight was her rendition of Sade’s Ordinary Love, which is a song I (and millions of others) love. I have never heard anyone cover Sade and sound good. Never, that is, until Aneesa. She not only did the song justice, she put just enough of a twist on it to make it her own and I was completely taken in by her version. To be able to hold down that impeccable bass groove – if you know you know – AND sing that song, with that depth of soul, beauty and conviction is beyond impressive.

And speaking of impressive, her band was on fire! We were seated about 8 feet from the drummer, who was right up at the front of the stage, and I was able to see every stroke, every kick drum beat, and as a somewhat snobby drummer myself, I just gotta say WOW. He was so fluid and yet solid as a rock. He played so many parts that straight up surprised me, and yet fit the songs perfectly. That’s how I judge a drummer; if I can predict what they’re gonna play before they play it? M’eh. But this guy took all kinds of turns I never expected, while staying completely in the pocket and just grooving. It was very inspiring. Her guitarist was very much in the background, both literally and musically, but he too was great. I don’t know a lot of jazz players, but his playing reminded me of Larry Carlton. Not at all overbearing, just the right amount of spice to compliment the flavor of the songs. Same with the keys, he took a few solos letting us know he had some chops, but for the most part he played in a supporting role, filling in the overall sound. But as an ensemble, she couldn’t have asked for a better band. They played flawlessly – to my ears anyway – never overshadowed the primary artist, and just helped weave a beautiful, sonic tapestry.

Then for the cherry on top, she finished the show with what was perhaps the most unbelievable “mash-up” I’ve ever witnessed as her encore. She launched into a slightly down tempo, gritty, funky version of Come Together by the Beatles, which wove its way into Blackstreet’s No Diggity, incorporated a few bars from a Biggie Smalls track (I don’t recall the particular song title, but it was immediately recognizable) and back to the Beatles. Now, I’m not really a fan of the Beatles, and I’m absolutely not a fan of Blackstreet nor partial to Biggie, but I gotta admit, the musical acrobatics, the sleekness of which they melded the three songs into one, was certainly one of the most memorable moments I’ve seen on stage in a long time. It was a stellar end to an incredible show.

All things considered, I couldn’t have enjoyed the night more. Excellent food, a great vibe and amazing artistry.

Thank you Aneesa for a night full of “WOW!”, and props to your band for playing their hearts out. I’ve seen literally hundreds of shows over the last 40+ years, and last night’s show at Yoshi’s is gonna live in my personal Hall of Fame! It just goes to show, sometimes when you step outside your comfort zone and open your mind and your ears, you get to witness magic. And last night was absolutely magical for myself and the Mrs!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Public Image Limited at The Rio Theater, Santa Cruz, CA

This one was a long time coming folks. As a youth, a tender Freshman in High School, I was introduced to the Sex Pistols and it was one of those musical events that absolutely changed my life. I had already been turned onto College Radio by that time, but the Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks album was unlike anything I’d ever heard in my life and I was forever changed.

Unfortunately for me, the year was 1982 and the Pistols had already imploded and were no more…

A year later I came into possession of a book titled The British Invasion: From the First Wave to the New Wave by Nicholas Schaffer (thanks Dad!) and it was there that I discovered Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistols fame had shed his Rotten moniker, gone back to his given name of John Lydon and started a new band by the name of Public Image Limited. Naturally, I was thrilled, and I set out to find their records. Ha!

Now keep in mind, this was way before the interwebs. The days of record stores like Music Land and Rainbow records and of course Tower Records. And we also had a great used record store in town in an old converted house called Streetlight Records that specialized in punk and New Wave records, European imports and the like, and it STILL took me TWO YEARS to get my hands on the Public Image Limited debut record!

And let me tell you, it was NOT what I expected! Nonetheless, I took my time absorbing it and came to appreciate it in a totally different way than the Pistols’ album.

Over the years I was there for every subsequent album release, and I grew to love the “band” – really a constantly revolving cast of characters – including Steve Vai at one point – with Mr. Lydon at the helm. And the records just kept getting better and better over the years.

But, for whatever reason, I was never able to see them on stage. So they became one of those bucket list bands for me and honestly I never thought I’d get the opportunity as Mr. Lydon hit 70 years old this year and subsequently just went through the passing of his long time wife Nora. The odds seemed insurmountable.

But much to my surprise I caught wind of a new tour coming this year and the minute I confirmed it was true I snatched up tickets. And here I am!

The Rio Theater was a new venue for me, not only my first visit, but the first I’d even heard of it! Which is weird considering I live only about 20 miles from Santa Cruz and come over the hill all the time… But it’s a cool venue, an old converted movie theater, which still has a bunch of seats, for which my old, worn out knees were grateful! The staff was super friendly – generally a given in Santa Cruz, but nice nonetheless. The crowd was a good mix – LOTS of old heads like myself, but a smattering of many generations altogether. Lots of Doc Martens, lots of old punk band T- shirts…my kinda people! Then again, most of the crowd was surprisingly “normal” looking. I suppose growing up in the 70s and 80s in the punk scene, if we’ve made it this far, we’ve got nothing else to prove and can leave the leather jackets at home.

The opening band was Plague Vendor from LA. They are kind of throwback punk band, with a bit of a modernized sound. Not really my thing, but I would have loved them when I was 16… What I will say though is their guitarist was great. He was ripping it up on a hollow body guitar through a tube amp, so for me he automatically gets bonus points! And their frontman was really giving it his all. He was a bit of Iggy Pop mixed with Lux Interior from the Cramps, with the occasional James Brown dance moves thrown in for good measure. He was definitely there to put on a good show for the audience. So, overall, I’d say they were pretty good for what they were, it just wasn’t my kinda jam.

The stars of their band. Not to diminish the rhythm section, but these two were blazing!

When it came to the main event I wasn’t sure what to expect. I figured it would be awesome or a train wreck quite honestly.

Well, the jury is in, and let me tell you they were AWESOME! The band was really sparse – guitar, bass and drums (though both the guitarist and bassist played some keyboards here and there), and they just killed it! They played songs from every era, even pulling out World Destruction, the dance club staple that John did with Afrika Bambaattaa back in the late 80s, and it was absolutely fantastic. Honestly, I had kinda forgotten just how deep their discography goes. They covered a lot of ground and didn’t miss a beat the entire time. That band was on fire! They played a number of their “hits” (LOL) and some deep cuts and just really wowed me quite honestly.

I wish I knew who this guy is, he was AMAZING!

Then John did something I’ve NEVER seen in a live show – he told us he was going to take a smoke break! “Gimme three minutes, and I’ll be right back” he said! He even flashed a pack of Marlboro Reds, just so we’d know he was serious. Only in California!

After the smoke break the band came back on, he thanked the audience for their patience, then promptly tore into the song Public Image. What a re-entry! Truly it was their encore, but it was different, I’ll tell ya that!

If I’m being completely honest, there were a number of songs I was hoping they’d play that they didn’t. But overall I really couldn’t have asked for more. They absolutely surpassed any expectations I might have had going in and I left on the kind of musical “high” that frankly is a bit rare these days.

And I not only got to discover a new venue but I got to cross a band off my bucket list that frankly I never thought I’d have the chance to see. An absolute win for the Boring Old Man!

Thank you Mr. Lydon and much thanks to your stellar band, I took me well over 40 years to see you, but it was undoubtedly worth the wait! I wish you continued success on the rest of your tour.

And to my readers, thank you for stopping by!

The End of a (Short) Era

Today was my last day at my “new” job. Although I didn’t plan it out this way, my last day is EXACTLY one year apart from my first day at this place – August 28, 2025 to August 28, 2026.

I have never, and I do mean never, held a job as an adult for this short amount of time before, and I feel kinda weird about it. Even my last “temporary” job, that was supposed to be a 3 – 6 month gig, turned into a year and 5 months… But I guess this is the world we live in nowadays. I’d estimate my average tenure at a job is 6 years, and I’d fully intended to stay at this one until I hit retirement age – which would be somewhere around 10 years – and I missed that mark by a WIDE margin. But if I’ve learned anything in my work life, it’s that staying for the sake of staying and hoping things improve is a mistake. In those situations the juice is never worth the squeeze.

I knew coming in that it was gonna be hard here. And it was. Much harder than I anticipated in fact. But it was also fun. I had a great boss that “got it” and knew what we were up against – years of neglect and a constant churn of staff, and the place was nearly off the rails. But we were all on the same page, we had assembled a great new team and we were crushing it daily and turning this place around. We were making an impact and every metric pointed to us moving in the right direction. So much so, that the ownership decided to pull the plug on the existing management team and “self manage” the operation. They pulled the rug out from under us with 29 days notice, sent my great boss to another property and installed a new one from their internal team, who promptly let go of some of our great team and imposed his will on every aspect of the operation, while placing undue blame on the rest of us that had pulled this place outta the sewer and made it profitable and an exciting place to be. He not only let the wind out of our sails, he sucked the very life outta the place. In three short months, he undid what we’d spent 8 months building and I reached the conclusion that the fork in the road I’d been forced into, was NOT the path I wanted to be on.

As luck (?) would have it, two days after I’d decided that it was time to pack it in at this place, I got a call from an old boss of mine. He was in a new facility and needed somebody with my particular skill set. A round of interviews were set in motion, I had to go through background checks, fingerprinting, drug screen and all that good stuff, and I dropped my notice of resignation on the new boss’s desk.

I’m leaving behind some really great people; colleagues that I hope to stay in touch with for the long haul, a couple guys that I hired that I really, really like and an absolutely gorgeous building, but I knew I would come to despise the place if I stayed there. Simple as that. But I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months, my diet and exercise routine has gone to hell and I’m constantly stressed. That’s no way to live, and I’m too old to go down that path again.

So the new gig starts Monday. I’m quite anxious about it honestly as I swore I’d never go back into the “healthcare adjacent” field after my experiences during The Plague, but they kinda made me an offer I couldn’t refuse… I always had a good rapport with this former boss I’ll be working with, two of the guys on my team there are guys that I personally hired at other facilities in the past and they’re both outstanding at what they do. My daily commute will be less than half of what it is at my current place, I’ll get my.preferred health benefits package back (that was ALSO snatched away during the management transition at the current job) and my paychecks will be a bit fatter. On paper it’s a no-brainer. I just need to get myself back into the mindset of bureaucracy and endless regulations. I ain’t skeered of it – I spent 17 years of my life in that world – but I’ve been out of it for 2 1/2 years now, and it’s absolutely gonna be an adjustment to pick up where I left off.

Things might get a little (more) quiet on these pages as I re-adjust to my new reality, but I’ll be back, and better than ever I expect.

And for the sake of my diminishing memory banks, I’m gonna add some behind the scenes pics from this place with the hope that, in time, I’ll come to remember it fondly…

Wish me luck y’all! See you soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Changing Tastes…

I’m not sure what’s happening to me, but lately I find my taste in music has been changing drastically. So many of the songs I’ve enjoyed, loved even, over the last decade, I can’t even listen to anymore.

It’s kinda disconcerting.

I’ve always been a lover of music. All kinds of music. And certainly my tastes have changed over the years, but this feels different. Once upon a time (right around 1982) I vividly recall giving my entire music collection to my older next door neighbor because I’d discovered New Wave and punk music. I told him “I’ll never listen to this stuff again. You can have it all.” I said goodbye to AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Foreigner, Aerosmith, Van Halen…and more, so much more. He said, “let me know when you want it back”, and I laughed. But sure enough, a few years later I had come to accept that even though I preferred modern rock, there was still a place in my heart for all the classics I’d grown up on. Alas, he’d since joined the Navy, his parents had sold their house and moved out of state, and I never saw him or my old collection again.

But this time it’s different. Back then it was a conscious decision – I didn’t WANT to listen to those old bands anymore. I’d discovered a whole new musical world and I wanted nothing to do with the dinosaurs of old. Now, it’s as if I CAN’T. It’s not like I’m just bored of it, the music seriously aggravates me.

The only thing I can find that is a sort of common thread is, for lack of a better term, negativity. Which is weird, as generally speaking I don’t pay attention to lyrics. While I recognize that lyrics are part of the overall vibe of a song, I just never really thought about a guitar part, for example, as being negative. But it’s not like I’ve been listening to screeching post-hardcore or Norwegian death metal or some crazy stuff. It’s been primarily (though not entirely) stuff from the last decade, but across genres – hard rock stuff, alternative, hip hop, even what I guess would be classified as pop music – it all has the same effect on me. A song – from a playlist I personally curated, not just some random song – will start up, and within a few seconds I just get the ick, as the kids say, and I have to move to another song. And like I said, it’s not just a matter of being bored with a song ‘cuz I’ve heard it too many times, they make me borderline nauseous.

What gives?!?

I’ve also been listening to a lot of the same stuff I’ve listened to for decades, from Pablo Cruise to the Plimsouls to the Cult, and they all have lyrics that deal with heartache and loss and being left behind and whatnot, not exactly cheerful, zippity-do-dah lyrical content, but those songs don’t have that same effect on me. I tell ya, I’m baffled.

On the bright side, since I’ve had to pass on so many of my recent favorites I’ve taken the time to rediscover some oldies but goodies like the Ventures and Link Wray and some classic rockabilly stuff (the music they used to just call rock-‘n’-roll) and I’ve been enjoying that on a different level than I did in the past. It’s not a nostalgia trip – the vast majority of that music was released before I was even born – I just find I greatly appreciate the authenticity of it. Real people with real instruments, writing actual songs that can move you on a primal, subconscious level. Vocal harmonies like you simply don’t hear any more. You know, music!

I don’t know if it’s just because I am truly getting old. When I started this blog, the Boring Old Man thing was firmly tongue-in-cheek, as I was in my 50s, still going to rock concerts and playing the drums and surfing and doing a lot of stuff I loved when I was truly young, and that was something we used to say as a bit of a slur to the squares we encountered back in the day. The “geezers” that would tell us to turn it down! or not to ride our skateboards on the sidewalk. But now I wonder if I REALLY am turning into a square, or if there is something else – spiritually, metaphysically? – going on with me that is beyond my grasp.

I mean, I do sorta pine away sometimes for the simpler life we had back in the 70s and 80s. Back when you got your news in the morning paper and maybe if you were really into current events or politics you’d also watch the evening news, but you weren’t bombarded with it all day, every day. When you could take off for a day to have some sort of adventure and not be tethered to your phone. Solitude was exceptionally easy. When we just lived life without having to document everything with the prefect picture to post online. Before YOLO, before FOMO, before Insta… Back when you had to call your local radio DJ to request your favorite song and pray that they actually put it on the air. When we did what we liked to do, not doing what we thought would get us “likes” on social media. Sure, back then we had our share of fear-mongers and zealots and serial killers…gas lines and acid rain and the unending threat of thermo-nuclear war hanging over our heads, but we also had fun. We were hopeful and had dreams – bolstered by science fiction – that the future was going to be AMAZING. And we danced! Man, did we dance! We had an innate sense of abandon that I haven’t seen, much less felt, in decades. We were ALIVE. And to me and my cohorts, music was a MASSIVE part of that.

Now we’re incessantly swamped with bad news. With negativity. Everyone is afraid of something, whether it be losing a job or health insurance, being a victim of some random crime or being “cancelled” because they didn’t follow the herd with their comment on an X post. Not to mention the non-stop proliferation and accusations of “xx-phobias” these days. Bars and clubs are going out of business at an alarming rate because, as I understand it, women are afraid of being drugged and/or assaulted and men are afraid of being either labeled a creep for speaking to a woman, being ridiculed because they aren’t 6 feet tall with 6-pack abs and a 6 figure income, or just being straight up used for free drinks. And nobody dances anymore for fear of being recorded and posted online. The “amazing” future we all thought was around the corner turned into 24/7 surveillance, phishing scams, identity theft, dating apps and catfishing, a complete lack of faith in our government and voting systems, data centers gobbling up arable farm land and water sources and starting next year, cars that the jack-booted thugs, that work for us, will be able to disable at will. Not to mention nearly everything in life requires either a subscription or at the very least a log-in and password. I don’t know about you, but NONE of that stuff is what I imagined coming from the digital revolution. And I gotta ask, other than for the few that have made bazillions of dollars off this stuff, what’s the true benefit? Can we honestly say that our quality of life is better now than it was 25 years ago? Sure, it’s nice being able to pay your electric bill without writing out a check, putting it in a stamped envelope and dropping it off at the Post Office, and things like eBay and Amazon are convenient, but I swear I would be content with the capabilities of year 2000 interwebs, and could do without all the nonsense of the last decade-plus.

Ok, I realize this has turned into a bit of a tirade, that may or may not have anything to do with my initial statement. My apologies… When I get some random idea or queries in my head, sometimes things go a little sideways as I explore them.

That being said, maybe I just inadvertently fell into the reason that music I (until recently) really liked is making me sick. Maybe it’s simply that my negativity tank is just full to overflowing. The brain, with all its mysterious ways, has been known to produce physical manifestations due to psychological stressors. And let me tell you, I’ve been positively loaded down with psychological stressors as of late. Perhaps my brain is simply telling my body, “if you purposely indulge in any more negativity, I’m gonna make you toss your cookies, bud. I’m hanging on by a thread here…”

Anyhow… that’s what’s on my mind these past few days. Now that I’ve delved into the depths of my wonky brain, I’m gonna sign off and go listen to something uplifting. Perhaps a little Flesh for Lulu? ‘Cuz why not?

Thanks for stopping by!

Eh, Probably for the best…

Today I got a notice from Reddit stating my account has been banned for 3 days, due to my breaking of “Rule 1”

That’s right, the Boring Old Man has been accused of threatening or encouraging violence!

Here’s the question I answered that brought the hammer down:

My answer to said question was “Better Off Dead”, a COMEDY from 1985, starring John Cusack. I swear I must have watched that movie a hundred times as a teenager, and a few more times as an adult for nostalgia. My reply contained absolutely NOTHING aside from the words Better off Dead. Which quickly garnered a response from another user, quoting “I want my 2 dollars”, a running gag throughout the film.

Well, I was on a streak of 543 days, but I guess that puts an end to that.

It’s a shame. Of all social media platforms, I find Reddit the most entertaining. I strictly avoid ALL political and “cultural” topics, I stick to music, cars, entertainment and GenX related subs and have been enjoying it for a while now. But if this is the way things are going on the site with its AI moderator overlords, then I think my time is through there. Like MySpace, it was fun while it lasted.

It’s probably for the best. I need to find more productive ways to spend my time.

Suck it, Reddit!🖐️

Thanks for stopping by!