The best part about the Browns being awful? Cheap seats.

Meadows and I picked up tickets to the Monday Night Football “showdown” between the Ravens and Browns for $50/ticket…3 rows off of the field! While I had originally planned to watch the game at home, the cheap seats were too much to pass up. Unfortunately, the game was probably only worth about $50 total to watch, but it was still a good time.

At 4-4, the game was a must-win for the Ravens as they tried to make a push, ANY push, for a successful second half of the season. For the Browns…well, sometimes getting that second win of the year has to come at some point, right?

The Browns defense actually played really well. In fact, if the Browns had any semblance of a NFL-caliber quarterback, I think they could’ve pulled off the win. With the Ravens playing uninspired – as if they knew that an average game would be enough against the Brady Quinn-led Browns – the Browns defense was able to keep their team in the game until the second half. The scoreless first half, with the sole highlight being what I had to assume at the time was Steven Hauschka’s last field goal miss in a Ravens uniform, consisted of some of the stalest football I’ve seen. There was just nothing going on. Two teams playing it safe, as if they knew the only real separation would be in the turnover column. I saw more punts than canine-related costumes, and other than the two drunken morons that kept rousing Meadows, the crowd aspect of the game failed to inspire.

Fortunately, the NFL came up with the brilliant idea of a second half. With the way the Ravens have been sleepwalking through the first half for the last few weeks, I was optimistic things would pick up during the final 30 minutes. After the Ravens got a big play from Derrick Mason, Ray Rice took advantage of the Browns only having 10 men on the field and put the Ravens up 7-0.

The one thing that I had to assume coming into the game was that the Ravens would be taking out pigskin loans from the Quinn interception reserve. While Quinn was off in the first half, none of his passes made it into the right hands…until the ensuing drive after the Ravens first TD. Quinn’s pass met the hands of Robert Royal, who clearly didn’t want anything to do with it, and the ball deflected into the hands of a surging Dawan Landry for a nice pick-six. After that score, though, Hauschka decided to cement his lack of a future with the Ravens by missing the PAT. I immediately wanted to drive to Owings Mills to tryout.

Of course, Quinn decided that his highlight-reel night wasn’t complete when his pass slightly behind his receiver resulted in another deflected interception by Chris Carr on the following possession. In frustration, though, Quinn’s found his lone success…a low block on Carr’s short return that was quite effective in the spraining of Terrell Suggs’ knee. Great…just in time for the important games. I guess even Quinn wanted to finally see Paul Kruger in action after he hear that the rookie was suited up for the game.

We stuck around until the end of the game, but it was definitely one of those match-ups that we should’ve stayed home for. It was a game that I had to assume the Ravens would win, and despite the soft score line, the Ravens were never at-risk of losing. Regardless, we did have a good time, and the win will keep the hopes alive for the Ravens. They’re going to have to play better with the Colts coming to town this weekend, though, because the Colts DON’T have Brady Quinn behind center.

Go Ravens!!!

We were fortunate enough to make it down to Philadelphia for the final event at the Philly Spectrum on Saturday – a three-and-a-half hour marathon Pearl Jam concert that I won’t soon forget. Witnessing a show like last night’s killed any remorse I had for missing the first three shows of their four-show stand at the legendary Broad Street venue. The Rocky music lead-in that the band came out to was the perfect introduction to a match that was about to go until the final bell, leaving both fighters – the band and the fans – completely drained.

A show on Halloween night, paired with the World Series being in town and knowing that it was the last event in the Spectrum gave us more than enough optimism for something different. With a new album worth of material to play, I knew I’d hear some songs that I had never heard live before, but Pearl Jam really threw a couple of punches that none of us expected. After the one encore, Pearl Jam acknowledged Halloween by coming out onto the stage dressed as Devo and playing Whip It. I guess the Devo shirt that Eddie was wearing earlier in the night foreshadowed the moment, but seriously, who would’ve expected such a funny sight. The cover was actually really good, but I don’t think my laughter subsided until about halfway through the song. Great moment.

Another surprise was when Eddie took the stage…which an accordion. Pretty much anyone who owns, or owned, Vitalogy knew what was coming. While Bugs isn’t exactly the song that you get excited about hearing for the quality, it’s surprise inclusion in the set helped set the night apart from the twenty-plus shows I’d attended. Of course, two surprises aren’t really that crazy at a Pearl Jam show, so to make the night even more unique, the band played Sweet Lew for the first time, Out of My Mind for only the third time, and songs like Pilate, Crown of Thorns, Rats, and Satan’s Bed; all of which are the antitheses of the Cordoroys and Even Flows heard show after show.

The band was clearly having a blast on stage and just when you thought the show was coming close to an end, they kept going…and going…and going…until the confetti shot up into the air and the balloons dropped from the rafters. Of course, even that didn’t represent the end. While I could go a lifetime without hearing Yellow Ledbetter send us home, closing the Spectrum with a song that signaled the beginning of so many events at the soon-to-be-demolished venue – The Star-Spangled Banner – seemed fitting.

All-in-all, the only show that I can confidently say rivaled this one was State College in ’03. I’ll call it a split decision.

This past weekend started with a nightmare and ended with disappointment, but all-in-all I had a blast with my dad in Minneapolis.

I took off Friday because I had a 6:35 flight in the morning. Unfortunately, I was unable to fall asleep, and then I slept right through my alarms. Yes, more than one alarm. After missing my flight, I was put on standby, went home, and caught up on sleep. Upon returning to the airport, I found out that my morning flight was actually cancelled due to a flight gear issue…which meant that EVERY person originally on my flight now was going to be fighting for spots on the rest of the flights to Minneapolis. After waiting on standby for two more flights, they finally sent me home with a guaranteed ticket for 6:35 am on Saturday. Even though I wasted a PTO day at work and spent nearly all day in Pittsburgh International Airport, I was content. I’m pretty sure I’ll hate Delta/Northwest for a long time, though.

I made my flight Saturday, and finally met up with my dad in Minneapolis. It was my first time in the city, and I have to say I had a great time! Granted, the weather was phenomenal for October in the Midwest, but I think I would’ve enjoyed the city regardless. The people were really nice, the city seemed pretty cool, and the food was good. I don’t really ask for much more than that. After eating a ton of food, getting drunk with my dad while watching in anger as the Yankees beat the Angels, and walking nearly every square foot of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, we were set for the real reason we made the trip…the Vikings and Ravens game!

Having never been to the Metrodome, I was really excited to experience a new team’s home field and crowd. The Metrodome was unimpressive, but it was cool to go to my first dome game. The vibe was a lot different from most of the games I’ve gone to, since the Vikings and Ravens hardly ever play. The lack of a rivalry was evident from the outset. The fans were very friendly and there was such a passive vibe during the game. There wasn’t any trash talking or anything…just pure enjoyment of the spectacle on display. Legends and top-tier players everywhere on the field – Brett Favre, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Ray Rice, etc. Waching players like that is worth every penny.

The two most memorable parts of the Vikings stadium experience was the player introductions. While the inflatable viking ship seemed a little cheesy at first, once Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song started, and the inflatable vessel started moving side to side, I have to admit…I was HYPED for some football. It gave me a serious rush. The second thing I remember was the song that they sing after every score. While a little goofy, it gives you a real idea of the traditions that these old school teams have. It’s really cool, despite it’s redundent nature (when you’re team gets scored on a lot).

Anyway, the bonus to seeing all of the great players on display was that the game itself was probably the best game I’ve ever watched live. After an awful start, where the Ravens went 3-and-out while the Vikings responded with 2 touchdowns, the Ravens woke up and faught back little by little to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, 4 things kept the Ravens from winning: Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, Sidney Rice…and Steven Hauschka.

Peterson came up with huge plays all day, but Brett Favre and Sidney Rice were the real killer. The Ravens secondary couldn’t stop that connection…especially when Frank Walker was covering Rice after the Ravens took a late fourth quarter lead. Amazingly, even after the Vikings regained the lead, the Ravens drove back down the field to put themselves into a position to win with a field goal. At this point, I’m pretty sure my dad and I were both sitting there with all of the confidence in the world. The way this game was going, there was no way the Ravens were going to lose. It just seemed like the storyline was so perfect…

Unfortunately, Hauschka sent the numerous Ravens fans that we saw in the Metrodome home questioning Harbaugh & Co.’s decision to let Stover walk away during the offseason when he hooked the would-be game-winning field goal wide left from the left hash from 44 yards out. Ugh.

It’s the third straight loss for the Ravens, but it’s hard to not be at least somewhat optimistic after a game like this. The last three games have been incredibly close, and a play here or there could’ve seen the Ravens sitting anywhere between 4-2 and 6-0. Unfortunately, they lost those close games, but if the Ravens can correct some of their mistakes, anything can happen going forward.

Regardless, I loved the trip, the city, and spending some quality time with my dad. I’m looking forward to catching the Vikings for the second straight week when they come to town next weekend to play the Steelers.

On my way out to Chicago, I was thinking about how my excitement levels for going to Pearl Jam shows had fallen off a bit. I wasn’t looking forward to fighting my way through the merchandise lines to snag a poster, I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with all of the obnoxious super fans (yes, there are MUCH crazier fans than Mundis and I), and I hadn’t really been listening to too much PJ in the lead-up to the trip. I was feeling like going to the shows had become more of a tradition than something truly exciting. After night two, though, I was reminded of why we travel all over the place to see these guys play.

Night one was a really good show, albeit a bit shorter than usual (about 2 hours and 15 minutes). It was Megan’s first PJ show, and Mundis won the ticket lottery – landing him in the tenth row – so it was a pretty exciting night from the beginning. We even checked out the pre-party down the road from the United Center, which was a lot less irritating than we thought it would be. The setlist included some songs that I had never heard live before (Needle and the Damage Done, The Fixer, Got Some, The Real Me, Supersonic), which is one of those things we always hope for in going to the shows. I think their new songs, The Fixer and Got Some are awesome live. They’re so full of energy and the crowd really responded well to both. I’m reserving my judgment of Supersonic until I get to hear it on the album. It just didn’t sound tight live…or maybe I just need to hear it to get used to it. Other than that, the show was a nice reminder of why I’ve spent so much time and money going to see them. The experience is worth it. Jeff also had us sing happy birthday to a friend of his who had passed away, which provided a lot of insight into his poster design for that night. We weren’t thrilled about the design until we learned more about the meaning behind it…the appreciation is much deeper now. Regardless, night one was a really nice show, and it left me excited for night two.

Night two was destined to be better than night one. Why? Well…because on my way to grab food and do some shopping we ran into Jeff Ament. I typically don’t bother famous people when I see them, and I didn’t want to bother Jeff, but I had to at least say hi. With Jeff being essentially the only person that Mundis would want to meet (Mundis was being a tourist and visiting the Field Museum instead), it would’ve been rude to not say anything. Jeff was totally cool with us interrupting his shopping excursion and kindly let me get a photo with him. We thanked him for an awesome show the night before, and moved along. I was nervous as hell, so I didn’t really know what to say, but it was nice of him to be so chill.

Then the show ended up being one of the best, if not the best show I’ve seen them play in the 22 times I’ve seen them. The first set was hands down the best I can remember. It had a very vintage PJ feel, with nothing but raw energy carrying the band. You could see that the band was having a blast on stage. While they didn’t play anything that I hadn’t heard before, there were 21 different songs from night one. Even songs that we’re typically sick of hearing were really good…almost like a fresh start. Better Man and Daughter were finally exciting to hear again. I can only hope that when PJ puts the bootlegs on sale, that it sounds as good as the show we thought we experienced. It was amazing. It was also cool to get a poster by the same artist who designed the Backspacer album art – Tom Tomorrow.

On my way out of the United Center on Monday, all I could do was think about how floored I was and how much fun the shows were. Getting posters wasn’t a problem, the crowds were awesome, the set lists were great, and the performances were amazing. It’s exactly what I needed to get me pumped for Halloween…when I’ll be traveling to Philly to see Pearl Jam rock the Spectrum!

What a game…what an experience.

I’ve been a Milan fan since I was in high school, but that was back when the only coverage you could get was the rare game on satellite or the coverage in Soccer America magazine. The thought of seeing them in-person would’ve seemed so surreal in the early nineties. It still blows my mind to think that on Friday, we got to watch two of the best clubs in the world play each other…in my hometown!

I was fortunate enough to see Milan play Chelsea a few years ago when the first attempt at the World Football Challenge came through and went bankrupt. The game took place in Philly and was just as exciting as the game on Friday, but the main difference between both experiences was the crowd. Friday’s crowd was a complete sellout of over 71,000 fans…a far cry from the 30-some thousand people that attended the game a few years back. Blame it on the heightened exposure, or the influx of soccer-knowledgeable immigrants, but selling out a NFL stadium is simply an awesome accomplishment for the game in The States.

Usually when I’m in M&T Bank Stadium, I’m surrounded by insane, belligerent NFL fans, so the vibe was so cool Friday. Even though most of the fans there were pulling for one team or the other, the majority of the fans could only cheer the excellent exhibition put on by the two clubs. It wasn’t violent, and people cheered every good touch.

Ronaldinho and Milan put on a hell of a show, only to be outdone by the Blues in a 2-1 loss that exposed some of Milan’s big weaknesses – namely, their lack of a true world-class striker and poor options at goalkeeper. I felt that Milan spent way too much time trying to force the ball over the top of Chelsea’s strong defense, and their lack of fitness and practice was clearly evident, with mistimed runs and poor communication underlining their performance.

Chelsea, on the other hand, looked really strong. Not much to criticize there. Looks like Ancelloti took over for a very good side…I wish him the best of luck.

One of my favorite moments was when Oguchi Onyewu stepped on the field for Milan in the 66th minute. He’s always been a favorite of mine on the US National Team despite his sometimes suspect defending, so to see him playing for Milan is simply awesome. He received an huge bi-partisan ovation all game whenever he did something good. I hope that helps give him the confidence needed to propel him into the starting lineup. He played pretty well, too, considering the fact that he’s only had a couple of practices with the team. Luckily, Leonardo knows 5 languages – English being one of them – so Gooch can communicate with his new coach. I’m excited to see how it pans out.

Forza Milan!!!

We took a little trip down to Baltimore this week, with our original goal being the procurement of an Adam Jones bobblehead from the O’s/Mets game. Naturally, Eddie Vedder decided it would be a good week to schedule some solo shows at the Lyric Opera House, too. Add in some bowling, a trip to the National Aquarium, and a drive up to York to visit Kree, and you’ve got one of those fun vacations that leave you completely drained.

Eddie Vedder kills the Lyric

While Mundis and I failed to land tickets to both Sunday and Monday’s shows, we did get to go to the second night…and it was awesome. Mundis initially thought that Monday’s show was better than both of the Chicago shows, and he very well could be right. The crowd was much better than the Chicago crowds, which could be a big part of our reasoning. While there were still the constant requests for songs, it was nowhere near as obnoxious as the drunken morons that ruined the crowds at the Auditorium shows in Chicago. Even the large guy who smelled like cheese sitting next to me couldn’t ruin such a good show.

As usual, Vedder was on. The Lyric, as a venue, simply made his voice sound that much better, too. He refrained from playing a lot of the songs that I hate hearing, and played a few that we didn’t hear when we were in Chicago last year. It was essentially the same exact concept as in Chicago, but with a varied playlist – same opening act, same backdrops, same stage set, etc., so there really isn’t much to add to our experience. Liam Finn was entertaining, and we even got to briefly meet him after his set. Nice guy…too bad Vedder going on cut our time together short.

If you haven’t seen Vedder solo, get a ticket…that is, if he ever tours solo again. I’m willing to say that I’ve enjoyed his solo shows more than nearly every Pearl Jam show that I’ve seen. Maybe it’s the jaded Pearl Jam fan in me…maybe it’s the intimate setting…who knows. He’s just so much clearer, and much more musically powerful, when he’s not fighting the noise around him. His personality opens up a bit more, and he’s a lot more entertaining than you would think if you had only seen him front Pearl Jam. It’s really all about the emotion shining through, though. Despite all of the drinking and smoking, he can still use his voice to carry a room like very few people.

National Aquarium

Fortunately, we had a day to waste in Baltimore between the Vedder show and the O’s game, so I used the random Tuesday to finally get back to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I hadn’t been there since I was in high school, and I could never work out a way to get back…until now.

It was more or less exactly the way I remembered it, though, so it was fun…juuuuuuust not nearly as much fun as it was when I was a kid. I was also a little bummed that some of the sharks weren’t in the tanks…no hammerheads or threshers – the sharks were always my favorite. Fortunately the jellyfish exhibit, which happened to be the last thing we saw, was awesome! I can say that jellyfish officially freak me the hell out, but they’re wild to see in a closed environment. The price of admission seems a bit high, but it was still worth it, even if just for the nostalgia.

A night at Camden Yards

The original purpose of the trip was to take a trip to Camden Yards to see the Orioles, and more importantly, pick up the Adam Jones bobblehead (which is frickin’ awesome, btw). It was awesome to be at an Orioles game again. Fortunately, we had seats covered by the upper deck, so watching the O’s beat the Mets in the rain with Mundis, my Dad, and Megan went smoothly. We also got to see Matt Wieters’ first career home run! I’m 2-0 when attending O’s games the last two years…maybe I should go more often.

It’s kind of unfortunate that the Cavs are probably going to lose the conference finals to the Magic. I would’ve preferred to say “I was there when Lebron hit that game-winner with 0.0 on the clock to change the series!”. I may have even found myself more intrigued by the NBA. Instead, I’m left to question whether or not a live NBA game is really something I can get into.

Last Friday, 6 of us packed into Meadows’ Explorer and made the trek to Cleveland for game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was going to be my first live NBA game, and it also happened to be my birthday, so I was pumped. The vibe in the Q was exciting, and we were all fired up to see Lebron. We got up to our seats in time to catch the pre-game nonsense of flaming scoreboards, lame cheerleaders, and warm-ups, which definitely got us pretty energized for the game. Unfortunately, the next couple of hours simply deflated everything that the pre-game had built up…until the end, of course.

The whole thing was a spectacle, that’s for sure. After every shot, the announcer gets all excited “LEBROOOOOOON JAMES”, the music starts piping through the arena speakers, and the replay starts playing on the scoreboard. The nonsense surrounding the game itself just screamed a desperate-for-attention “LOOK AT ME!!!”. It was kind of pathetic, really. Factor in the large stat board, and the sensory overload becomes so much that it has the opposite effect than originally intended. How can I really get excited when there’s something worth cheering for when you try to get me to cheer for EVERYTHING? Well…actually, the answer to that was easy on this particular night.

The Magic took a 2-point lead with exactly 1.0 second left in the 4th quarter. As the pathetically-used-to-losing-in-every-sport Cleveland fans started filing out, Mo Williams’ inbound pass got to Lebron, and Lebron beat his man to sink the game-winning 3-pointer. The deafening celebration that ensued was awesome to be part of. I couldn’t believe what I had just seen.

Here’s the game-winner dropping:

Unfortunately, 20 minutes later, the conversation was still revolving around how unimpressed we were with the NBA. We had just witnessed an awesome last-gasp winner from one of the biggest – if not the biggest – player in the NBA, and we were still being critical. While the ending made the drive, the money, the experience, and my birthday a great time, whether or not I ever see another NBA game is still up for debate. Regardless, the night was fun, and it turned out to be one hell of a game for me to attend for a first experience.

At least we can all say we were witness…

On Saturday, I made the trip to Columbus to see the Crew home opener against Toronto FC. Just like last year’s home opener, Toronto’s fans came out in strong numbers. This year, though, their singing sea of red that constantly tossed streamers, flares, and smoke bombs while waving flags was drown out by the Crew Union in the opposite corner of the stadium. Of course, that was because I was in the middle my own streamer-tossing, smoke bomb throwing, sing-along with the Crew supporters.

For the first time, I actually had the pleasure of feeling like I was at a sold out Crew game by sitting in the mix of Crew supporters in the Northeast corner of the stadium. It was a lot of fun, but I wouldn’t bring your littlest ones to that section. Some of the chants and songs are a little expletive-laced. Fun for me, not for kids. Regardless, the vibe was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to the next game! If you’re going to a game, definitely sit with the Crew supporters. The songs are fun and the “we’re not worthy” greeting they give to last year’s MLS MVP, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, is funny…and well-deserved. He’s a beast.

As for the actual game…the Crew had a beautifully crafted first half that saw them go up 1-0. The were playing some wonderful soccer, with creative build-ups and passing. They really deserved to be up 2-0, but Toronto’s keeper came up huge on a shot from a failed clearance.

Schelotto puts the crew up 1-0 with a well-placed spot kick!

In the second half, the Crew slowed the game down, stopped attacking, subbed Schelotto, and paid the price when an 83rd-minute own goal from Padula snuck over the outstretched hands of Will Hesmer. Without their best attackers on the field, a goal was unlikely in the final 7-10 minutes. It was unfortunate, but that’s what the Crew gets for doing their best impression of your average Serie A team with a 1-0 advantage. It’s infuriating, but at least the season is young. Next time, DON’T STOP DOING WHAT WORKED ALL GAME!!!

At least we got some cool 2008 MLS Cup Champions scarves!

This past weekend was a lot of fun. I never get out of town aside from the random trip to nearby cities like Baltimore, Columbus, or Cleveland, and with all of my friends scattered across the country I never see them. Fortunately, I was able to engineer a little trip to help with both things (with a little planning research from Megan).

College Station
For a whopping $7 more per ticket, we were able to fly direct into the smallest airport I’ve ever seen…in College Station! Davis picked us up and we proceeded to check out what College Station had to offer. We eased into the A&M nightlife by going to a place we actually have in Pittsburgh: The Fox & Hound. After Davis and Kathleen crushed us in some shuffleboard, we hit up a place called Los Cucos Mexican Café for some dinner. While the meal was typical of most “authentic” Mexican joints, the fried chicken fajita stuffed avocado makes it a place that I’ll probably beg Davis to take me next time I’m in the area…even if the place smelled like lime-based cleanser.

We enjoyed the surprisingly lame bar scene for a Thursday (wtf?), but still had a good time. The drinks are really cheap and the girl/guy ratio was actually impressive, and a far cry from Pittsburgh. I can see why Davis wanted to go back to school in a warm climate. One irony that I noticed was how a lot of the girls I saw weren’t overly tan. Why is it that girls in Pittsburgh – a place known for its lack of sunshine – think it’s okay to be ridiculously tan, while girls in a place like Texas just go natural?

Unfortunately, we only had one day in College Station, so Davis took us to Rudy’s Bar-B-Q the next day for lunch and we toured A&M’s campus. It’s a pretty nice campus, but doesn’t win any awards in the architecture category. In a place where everything is already brown and weather-beaten, A&M’s conservative beige buildings just made me shake my head. We did get to see the Aggie Bonfire Memorial, which was really nice…and one of the few areas where the grass was green.

Davis explains the backstory to Megan…

After the tour, we headed back to the airport to pick up our sweet rental car: a Kia Rondooooooooooo. I really hope I never have to drive a car like that again. While it got us to Dallas, it definitely made us look like some dorky family traveling from Florida (the plates on the rental).

Dallas
We arrived around 6:30 in Dallas, where I immediately felt inferior in all aspects of life. First, we get to Chris and Garrett’s house…which was most definitely nicer than any home I’ll ever own…and more impeccably decorated at that. We then proceeded to go to some upscale steakhouse called Nick & Sam’s. While the food was good, I clearly, and predictably, did not come dressed for the occasion. Fortunately, we were still allowed in, but I was definitely the only person in that restaurant sporting an AE hoodie – a necessary article since the weather during our stay was in the 40’s. Thank god Chris paid, because my broke ass couldn’t have even purchased the appetizers. Ha ha.

That was as far as our pretentious journey took us, as the rest of the weekend remained low-key, but fun. We spent a lot of time eating (surprise, right?). I really liked Cyclone Anaya’s. They have really good chili queso…like good enough to crave. The ribs are also really good. I’d recommend both and will be back there the next time I go to Dallas.

Trece Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Lounge was amazing, too. We kept calling it Mexican food’s answer to Piccolo Forno of Italian food. It was really good. I was a little worried walking in there, though, as every car that was parked outside cost a minimum of $125k. It was pretty ridiculous.

After that, I took on a journey completely new to me…we went to a lesbian bar in the “gayborhood”. It was actually a lot of fun as the bar lacked the meatheads and tramps usually crowding your typical straight bars. We just shot pool and downed a fair amount of beer, but had a great time. We were clearly the only straight people there, but it was a blast. It was a totally fun and different experience to be so entrenched in the “alternative” lifestyle. It really magnified how stupid other people’s intolerance is toward the gay community.

Pens > Stars
Anyway, on Sunday, we got to go to the Pens/Stars game. Of course, that was after a delicious breakfast buffet that included enchiladas and fried cheesecake. Ugh. We drove by the grassy knoll on the way to American Airlines Arena and saw where Kennedy was assassinated. It was kind of eerie to see a place that you’re so familiar with from TV and school. There are two x’s on the ground to represent where the two shots hit Kennedy. Crazy.

Although, maybe not as crazy as the giant Chili’s blimp that floated around the arena before the game…

The game was awesome, though. The arena is really nice, but felt like a shopping mall as you walked around the concourses. The fans were vocal and peaceful, but quickly died off to reveal a rather large contingent of Pens fans after the Penguins took control of the game and skated off with a much-needed 4-1 victory.

Malkin scores the 4th…

Overall, the trip was a lot of fun. While there are a ton of places I’d love to find time to visit, I’m totally up for another trip to Texas. Both places were a lot of fun, and it was great to see some old friends while meeting a bunch of new ones. Until next time, y’all…

On Thursday, Megan and I took to the road to meet Mundis for the final outdoor show of the season at Pier Six – Cake with the Winterpills! We arrived at the venue around 7, but unfortunately had to wait until 8:30 for the opening band to take the stage. With the cold weather kicking in, signaling a hint of Fall in the air, most of the vendors weren’t open along the lawn side of the venue, so food and beer options were pretty limiting, and the crowd seemed much more sparse than the last time I was at Pier Six to see Cake in the warmer months.

Mundis’ friends were actually at the show to see the Winterpills, so we traded tickets for the opening band’s set, and chilled off to the side eating awful food. The Winterpills were decent. I’d like to take a listen to their stuff on CD because their sound was pretty laid back and ended up provided us with more of a background ambience for our conversations than highly engaging tunes that I could focus on. They had a  sort of mellow Death Cab for Cutie sound, but never really picked it up too much. I’ll wait to judge them until I get better acquainted with their stuff, but their live sound was sharp and they sounded good. They also get points for having tour posters, although, I didn’t pick either one up.

By the time Cake came on, the crowd had filled in and we were enjoying our seats in the 9th row, center. The show wasn’t the best Cake show I’d ever seen, but they were excellent as usual. The beginning of the show had some sound and lighting problems that obviously angered John McCrea, but once everything was fixed, the show went really well. Cake’s just such a good band. The songs are well-written, interestingly composed, and executed with near perfection. While the whole band is excellent, their guitarist and bass player just blow me away. The bass in a live setting makes you realize just how much it drives Cake’s music. The setlist highlights for me were definitely “War Pigs”, “Stickshifts & Safetybelts”, “Arco Arena”, “Mexico”, and “The Distance”, but in reality the entire show was solid. I even think we got to hear one new song, but that’s based solely on the idea that neither myself or anyone around seemed like they had heard it before. Regardless, it was pretty good.

Naturally, our seats put us right next to “that guy”. You know, the ultra-loud, obnoxiously drunk guy that keeps screaming the band’s name before the band takes the stage. The guy who spills beer on his girlfriend. The guy who doesn’t use deodorant, but wears a wife-beater shirt. Yeah…that guy. He sat right in front of Mundis. Interestingly enough, the last time we saw Cake, there was an issue with someone sitting near us having some fierce body odor. Anyway, aside from “that guy”, the crowd was alright. Cake brings an interesting mix of fans, which are more laid back for the most part, but still fun.

Anyway, this was my 4th Cake show, so I’d obviously recommend seeing them to anyone. My only recommendation would be to study up on your tree knowledge – that is, if you want a tree to plant. At one point, the band gave away a small Granny Smith apple tree to the first fan who could guess what kind of tree it was. Without the apples, it obviously made people’s guesses pretty poor, but eventually someone got it…and it wasn’t me. The girl who figured it out got to go up on stage and take the tree home if she promised to plant it and nurture it. It seems like this is their new thing at every show. Gotta love Cake – helping the environment by improving the air quality with both new trees and great sounds. It was definitely worth the trip.