Music

Def Leppard, Poison, and Cheap Trick in Raleigh

So, back in the beginning of August, Ben and I scored free tickets by way of our friends Jess and Iris to go see Def Leppard, Poison, and Cheap Trick in Raleigh.  Thanks, guys!

Jess, our benefactor, and Iris, our lady in the know.

Jess, our benefactor, and Iris, our lady in the know.

Things I learned from the show:

1.  There are angry hippies. One was behind us in line, growling loudly and drunkenly as other people met up with their friends further up the line.

2.  The Time Warner Cable Pavillion gets packed–so packed that we missed nearly all of Cheap Trick while waiting to get inside.  What we heard of them was fun, though!

Cheap Trick before I got a better picture-taking vantage point.

Cheap Trick before I got a better picture-taking vantage point.

3.  People go to shows merely to tailgate in the parking lot and miss bands play.   I’d tailgate in my driveway for free, if I was that intent on it.

4.  Poison is way too country for me.  I suppose I should have known that from Brett Michael’s cowboy hat and a mic stand wrapped in the American flag, but it still took me by surprise.

Yes, that red and blue is a flag draped around the stand.

Yes, that red and blue is a flag draped around the stand.

5.  Def Leppard is an awesome live show!  No seriously, they rocked.

Def Leppard front and center...and shirtless.

Def Leppard front and center...and shirtless.



For more pics, check them out at our photo website, under Def Leppard and Poison.  Click on the thumbnails at the bottom of the screen to cycle through the set.
Ask me if you want to see the other pictures!

Would it be too revealing to mention that, while I had fun, I still enjoyed the American Idol show more?

American Idol Concert

I may give off an artsy, sophisticated air but as all those who know me can testify, I’m really a soul-sucked television glutton at heart.  I’ve had many obsessions stem from the world of the glowing screen including Sonny & Brenda (General Hospital), Spike (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), and most recently, Adam Lambert (American Idol but soon…the world!).  My fascination with The Glittery Alien from Planet Fierce, as dubbed by his own brother, reached great heights this summer.  So much so that I did something I thought I never would.  I bought a ticket to the American Idol concert in Greensboro.  Not only that, but I suckered three friends into going with me.

Me and three of the girls.

Me and three of the girls.

Now, I still try to maintain some sort of dignity, so I don’t watch American Idol until the performances start getting meaty, around when the Top 10 perform.  This year, Matt Giraud’s save was the first episode I watched so I had never heard the first two performers of the night before except for a duet on the finale.

The Banjo and Africa

I spent this evening attending a discussion at Duke on banjos and their roots in Africa.  There are three reasons why I chose to attend:

  1. I have loved banjos ever since I realized that the melancholic and slightly creepy plucking during the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was, in fact, a banjo.
  2. Tickets were completely sold out to the “Thrown Down Your Heart” performance tomorrow night with Bela Fleck and a number of musicians from Africa.
  3. The banjo is from Africa?