But tomorrow morning I go back to work, permanently this time. Life on the couch is not cool but at the same time it beats working. Of course I haven't been drinking in awhile due to the blood thinners but that changes in less than a month. Would have been one thing if I could have sat at the bar and got smashed every day but that was unable to happen.
Music things I've seen since being broken.....
1) 12.30.2010 - The Hold Steady at Lincoln Hall. I walked into the bar for dinner early to guarantee a seat. When we get there I see Craig, Tad and the boys at the bar but they were eating dinner so I didn't bother them while they eat. Plus, what am I gonna say, "I really like you're band, you guys are super cool!" Of course not. In retrospect I should have because my fiancee Nikole managed to get the band to dedicate "Sweet Part of the City" to me. Something along the lines of "We got an email from this guy's fiancee Nikole. He's been sick for a pretty long time and this is his first night out in awhile, so this one is for Pete." Coolest thing ever. Thanks to Nik and the Hold Steady.
2) 1.1.2011 - The Black Keys at the Aragon Ballroom. They are so fucking good. I can't believe it took them this long to hit some pay dirt. Listen to them, see them live if you can, worth every nickel. One thing to note here, the handicap seating is great at the ballroom. Put you in a private turret and you have an awesome view. The sound is even better up there...
3) 1.7.2011 - Weezer at the Aragon Ballroom. The played the entire Blue Album, amazing. The first half of the show threw me off though. If you have ever seen Weezer in the past (I mean like late '90s or early 2000s) then you know that, as a band, they play their songs, very little interaction with the crowd and they, in essence, do their job. This show starts with Rivers running all over the fucking stage like he's performing in the mode of of teenage pop star. Climbing into the balcony, it was weird. Then, intermission. Then anger started due to a performance by the local "School of Rock" kids doing Weezer songs. Fuck you "School of Rock" because I want to see Weezer, not kids playing Weezer, get the fuck off the stage. Then there was 20 minutes of painful slide show. Then the Blue Album and all was good again.
4) 1.8.2011 - Weezer at the Aragon Ballroom. The played the Pinkerton album all the way through. Amazing. See above notations of how the rest of the show went.
5) 1.17.2011 - Buddy Guy at Buddy Guy's Legends. For those unfamiliar with the tradition, Buddy plays his place Thursday through Sunday for the month of January. Me and Funk Doctor Spock and our ladies have made a mini-tradition of going for our respective birthdays. Buddy is so fucking good that it's almost frightening. That 74 year old man brings it with the best of them and may be the best guitar player alive. Listen to him, his new record "Living Proof" is proof that the blues ain't dead.
6) 2.11.2011 - Robert Johnson Centennial Concert at Chicago Symphony Hall. I had a little trepidation going into this one because it was fronted by Big Head Todd and the Monsters. I'm not a fan of theirs, it's not that their talent lacks they just don't do much for me. The biggest seller was I've never been to Symphony Hall (sound was so fucking amazing, every note rang clear, I'm still amazed how good it was) and that it was an all Robert Johnson show. They had two real special guest in 95 year old David "Honeyboy" Edwards and Hubert Sumlin. Honeybee looked and sounded really fucking old, if he sees 96 I'll be shocked. Could still play the guitar pretty damn good, maybe shouldn't sing anymore. Sumlin was the guitar player for Howlin' Wolf in the old days, not sure how old he is, late 70s maybe, he can still play and sing. Plus he has an oxygen tank that a roadie carries on and off the stage for him, that's a sign you made it. Good night, and thanks to my buddy Neil, it was a fine date night.
Talk soon, more shows on the horizon. Couple of quick notes. I have read that preliminary headliners for Lollapalooza are Muse, Eminem and the Foo Fighters. Love Muse, will likely watch whatever the opposition is for the other two bands. Just listened to the new Social Distortion record, sounds like old Social D records, so pretty good. New Strokes single is awesome and you can download it here http://www.thestrokes.com/home, I'm digging it. Sounds like them with a hint of polish.
Long Live Rock kids.
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