For Those About To Rock...

Last night was probably one of the most rockin, sweaty, sold out shows I've been to since Pearl Jam in 1994. Back then, it was the Patriot Center. Driving home from college that day, April 8th to be exact, and oh yeah a certain Kurt Cobain had just died, was exhilarating, nerve-racking and thrilling. I was such a wreck, stirring in my seat of my ex-girlfriends car, who earlier in the year, after we broke up, but only days after, was seeing the football player across the hall. The same guy who throughout the year would blast his Metallica and Megadeth over his $900 stereo everytime I would turn my little bookshelf Circuit City stereo on to play my favorite band in the world (at least at that time): Pearl Jam. And what a show it was. They pulled out all the stops that night. A soft "Footsteps", a rare "B-side" off of their "Jeremy" single which also featured "Yellow Ledbetter", Mike McReady's "tribute" to Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" was very memorable that night as it touched many peoples hearts after the days incident.

But enough about that concert, it's My Morning Jacket that essentially worked me over last night. I started the night out nicely by getting all the way to "B-Lup's" house only to realize that I had forgotten the tickets. I was pretty embarrassed since I had just given our boy "C-fed" the business for being late and now I was "that guy". It was a sold out packed house at the 9:30 Club in DC, not really my favorite venue in the area, but the only "real" music "hot-spot" that gets the big name artists with fairly big followings. Other memorable shows I've seen their include The Smashing Pumpkins on the grand opening, or first show at the new address, Trey Anastasio's first solo tour, and a number of other "jambands" that put on excellent shows. Once we parked in the always shady $20 parking lot, we made our way up to the upstairs bar, noticing that the opening band "The Slip" had already begun their set. I was a little dissapointed that we couldn't get there any earlier because we really would've loved to have a seat at the bar, plus I actually had heard a bit of the opener and was intrigued. Taken as a whole, The Slip just didn't impress me that much. It may have been the overall "muddyness" of the sound of the 9:30 club that just didn't mesh with their sound, but regardless I was hoping for something a little edgier. But, once MMJ came on they did not dissapoint. Opening with "Anytime" off of their newest release "Z" was unbelievable. One of my favorite cuts off of the, in my opinion, best album of 2005, with the great lyric:
"THINGS I COULD SAY TO MYSELF –
I COULD NEVER SAY TO ANYONE ELSE.
BUT WHAT MADONNA SAID REALLY HELPED -
SHE SAID: "BOY - YOU BETTER LEARN TO EXPRESS YOURSELF!"
The band came on at around 9:35 and didn't let up until their encore break at about 11:00. By 11:30 it was all over and it was like the crowd let out a collective sigh as soon as the house lights came on. They just seen this masterpiece of a show:

That's the final page of my moleskin, so it's time to buy a new one. If you are like me and love to take notes, make lists, and write down your thoughts, then a moleskin is the best you can find...hell if Van Gogh, Matisse and Hemingway couldn't leave home without them, then they are good enough for me.

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Big thanks to snadly. You see There's only one problem. I got this feeling.
- What feeling is that, exactly? - You know this feeling very well.
- You know, when you got your table all set. - Uh-huh.
- Knife, fork, sauce, A- Luger's, but... - Yeah.
- You just don't have the stake. - Exactly.
I know, useless rounders movie quotes are so cliche' in poker blogs, but it really was a problem. Don't worry snad, i'm good for it!

Junkies Poker Open in just two days. I can't friggin wait. It's going to be a blast!