The Chicks!

 

Its been 14 years since the Dixie Chicks made new music and the Dixie Chicks never will make new music. but The Chicks will. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer Robison blew into Omaha last night and were met by a 90% female audience of women and daughters and grandmas ready to become empowered by music.

After a 40-minute opener from singer songwriter Ben Harper (not my cup of tea and in fact a snooze IMO) the digital screen behind the stage played MTV videos of female rockers like Pat Benatar, Tina Turner, The Go Gos, The Eurythmics, The Runaways and finally the female rock legend Joan Jett's Bad Reputation to which the Chicks used as an opening to come to the stage and start.

Now I am not a Chicks connoisseur as I am not exactly their demo so a lot of the songs were unfamiliar to me though the experience of new music was actually thrilling because this is one helluva band. With Maines vocals, McGuire's fiddle and Strayers banjo and guitar, along with the three-part harmonies, these middle-aged moms delivered. From opening number Gaslight, a song off their new album, right up to the closing Goodbye Earl, I couldn't stop tapping my foot. I loved the song choices, the digital backdrop that featured shots of Trump floating on a lake with Putin and DeSantis floating on a rubber duck and sinking as Maines sang " you'll get what's coming to you" during a song called Tights On My Boat which I think was more directed at her ex-husband as she flipped a double bird during the song.

The hits were there. The beauty of Landslide, a song originally sung by a bleating goat (yeah not a fan of you know who) but with Natalie is a thing of wonder. Travelin Soldier, which for some reason I knew every word, Wide Open Spaces, and of course Not Ready To Make Nice and Goodbye Earl.

But the songs that I found most compelling were the ones I was not familiar with. A wonderful version of Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton's Rainbowland, a song that was banned in certain rural schools in Wisconsin cuz ya know, rainbows will turn you gay. A new song, March March, which Maines sang with a list of murdered black men showing on the digital screen. "March March to my own drum...Hey Hey I'm an army of one". For Her, another new song was also a standout to me ..."Stand up, show love, for her, for her". 

Look, Natalie Maines may be short, but she's been fighting all her life, whether its Toby Keith or George W Bush or the entire right wing smear machine along with the death threats that come from the goons it inspires, Maines truly has no fucks left to give. Never had any to give quite frankly. She says what's on her mind and she lets you know what it is. Between her defiant lyrics and the truly incredible musical talent of McGuire and Strayer, this band was meant to perform. And perform it does.

The arena was perhaps 75% full and most of it, a good majority of it, were women. Oh, there were men there, I was one, but the show was for women and their desires to be taken seriously. It was great because not once did I hear a typical Bro Country lyric about Friday nights, drinkin beer, trucks, and tight jeans. It was refreshing. I did see three men, all of whom looked like Jan 6 participants, wearing T shirts espousing the NRA, Back Rifle Coffee and one with a vulgarity regarding Joe Biden. Do these fucking idiots know where they are? That was not refreshing.

Vivek Ramaswamy!!

 That smile is so punchable. Its Vivek Ramaswamy , the "star" of the first Republican debate. The "star" because because the mush brains whose attention spans have wandered off the Mar A Lago grounds are looking for yet another loudmouth kook who owns the libs. Vivek was smiling his bleached teeth smile constantly even as Chris Christie and Nikki Haley gave the "star" a wedgie and stuffed him in the toilet bowl. 

Vivek Ramaswamy was a goofing voice of insanity and inanity all night as he advocated laying off 75% of government employees, climate change is a hoax, give Ukraine to Putin and Taiwan, elimination of the Department of Education AND teachers unions, and denying what he said on tape. It's no wonder the crazies are so smitten with the smiling cobra, he's a brand new grifter they can't wait to send money to. Ramassamy is the Trump of 2024. A smiling idiot with the gift of gab. For chrissakes he called Trump the greatest President of the 21st century which begs the question why the fuck are you running against him then?

The other parts of the debate. Ehhhh...Ron Desantis looked as if he needed somebody to unplug him and plug him back in. His creepy look and his constant repeating of his campaign talking points was nothing new. Tim Scott made no inroads. He's the guy the GOP says is good but would never support. He's just a feel good some of my best friends are black guy. Asa Hutchinson is up there for why? The leg challenged Governor of North Dakota has great Brezhnev like eyebrows but no substance. Besides he paid people $20 to give him $1. Economic "genius". Mike Pence is DOA for doing his constitutional duty. Oh he's still a piece of  crap but he is the one who MAGA wanted to hang.

Chris Christie is there because he hates Trump . Probably dumped by Trump and is still bitter. His calling Vivek a chatty AI bot pretty much was the funniest moment. But how long he sticks around is a guess. He has no chance and who knows how long before he'd crawl back to Trump begging forgiveness. 

Nikki Haley had perhaps the most logical moment when she attacked Ramaswamy for being a naive little bitch on foreign policy. Vivek's position to let Putin have Ukraine was an unfortunate position to have as yesterday was the day Putin murdered yet another guy who wronged him. I'm sure Trump was absolutely jealous and screaming why cant I do that while sitting there with fake Melania. Haley took Viveks manhood and flushed it down the toilet as the smiling idiot stood and watched. Oh sure, like Pence and Christie, Nimrata Haley is a low down scumbucket, just less so than the rest. 

But to the ADHD Republican base, because their god wasnt up there, they became distracted by the hollering little man with the Musk complex. And we all know to the base, money + crazy= Support.

Enjoy your "win" Vivek Ramaswamy. Your act will become tedious soon enough when the OG nutjob gets back.

Why??

 WHY isn't this loudmouthed crook not in jail yet?

Lincoln Salt Dogs!!

 The trip ends with a short jaunt down the road to Lincoln where the independent league Salt Dogs play at Haymarket Park, home to the underachieving Big Red baseball team.

On the way the traffic on I-80 came to a dead stop right past Exit 420 (IF Nebraska ever pulls its head out of its backwards conservative ass and legalizes marijuana what could be a better place for a dispensary than Exit 420?). The Husker traffic in the fall always does this but why on an August night when absolutely nothing is happening. Can the Salt Dogs be that popular? When the weigh station was within sight I saw the right lane was closed and the millions of trucks needed to get over and thus the standstill. At the weigh station were 5 State Patrol cars and about 8 or 9 officers standing in the right median, I dont know, discussing past glory on 2-pound pot busts, I have no idea. But that's what the holdup was, a State Patrol AA meeting or something.

Haymarket Park is right over the Interstate from the gigantic tomb like football stadium where lots of losses have occurred in the past few years. I mean seriously, before they put a fake side up and a fresh coat of paint on this pig, it was grey and dull and when it rained it looked like a home that Dracula would love. But thats another story.

Haymarket is a rather new stadium (20 years or so) with the modern walk around concourse though its not very wide. The price to get in is anywhere from $12-$25 a bit more expensive than the other places I went. The beer on Saturday night is $3 for the real low rent stuff like Hamms and PBR. Big deal I cant taste the difference any longer after that encounter with the on-fire tamales in Flagstaff.

The heat was unbearable, and I was under the overhang out of the sun. By inning 2 there were people leaving, by inning 4 there were lots of people leaving. I persisted. Switching from Hamms to water kept me from puking. As I wandered up to get water, I damn near passed out as I saw an older woman sitting with EMTs being tended to. JFC this heat and humidity is a killer.

The players are all 25-35 as Ive stated. Hanging onto a dream. A former Husker pitcher who had washed out in the minors was pitching and it became apparent why he had washed out. It was 5-0 by inning 3. But the decent sized crowd of Big Red/Saltdogs fans still stayed loyal and cheered him as he was pulled from the game losing 8-2. Go Big Red Forever baby!

Before the game, since the opposing team was from Winnipeg, the national anthem was preceded by the cheery tune of Oh Canada. That is a national anthem! My second fave. Too bad the opposing team wasn't from Paris or I'd have been even more happy. Once Oh Canada finished, that war promoting turd the Star Spangled Banner was sung and ruined it all. Ohhhhhhhhhhh Canada our home and native land.........,

I made it thru 7 innings and then had to go. I was dripping wet and and ready for A/C in the old Prius for the jaunt back home. The State Patrolman's meeting was over and it was clear sailing. Until next year, gawd willing, I sign off on the Minor league admiration tour.

Cedar Rapids Kernels!!!

Driving from Davenport to Cedar Rapids, Iowa is short and sweet, perhaps the ONLY drive I didnt despise in Iowa. I get that trucks are the lifeblood of the American economy but migawd are there a lot of them out there and they drive all sorts of different speeds and absolutely annihilate your cruise control. 

I resisted the temptation to visit the World's Biggest Truck Stop and carried on to the bustling burgh of Cedar Rapids to see the High A Cedar Rapids Kernels later on. Years ago we were in Cedar Rapids and attempted to go to the ballgame but were sent away as it was sold out. Really?

Anyway, killing time in Cedar Rapids involved a movie and the longest one I could find was one I've already seen, The 3 hour 20 minute plus trailers Oppenheimer. But the IMAX experience is so overwhelming and LOUD and with Nolans shitty sound mixing a lot of dialogue I missed. So see it in a regular theater with loungers and less loud. 

Now the story of Cracker Barrel. Earlier today there was a Cracker Barrel right next to the hotel. So I went there early in the morning. I havent been to a Cracker Barrel well since maybe 15 years ago, before I realized they catered racist white people.The food was bland, the waiter was nice, the hot sauce was used to add something, like flavor, and I was out of there.

The bad thing about eating bland food is after seasoning the shit out of it and actually consuming it its revenge is coming. 90% of the way thru Oppenheimer Cracker Barrell had its revenge. I had to leave, now I can get gross here, but I will use metaphors. I made a loud noise, realized it wasnt all noise, and had to leave to go to the loo to do loo stuff. It was ugly. Did I go back into the theater to finish the movie? Not on your life. pal. In fact I lost tire tread getting out of the lot before anybody from Oppenheimer came out to tar and feather me.

The Super 8 in Cedar Rapids was ok. It had a lot of noise and some older guy in a wife beater wandering up and down the hall asking for money or something. 

Veterans Memorial Stadium is a typical minor league park. Nothing fancy, old concourse, miniature theme park out back of left field, large dimensions (330 down lines and 403 to center) and High A baseball played by kids. Concessions typical ballpark fare but this time the corn dog was great and the Summer Shady was cold and it wasnt expensive.

Now the game...I've watched a lot of baseball in my life, my favorite place to be on earth is at a ballgame , but I aint never seen this happen before. In the first inning on the 3rd pitch of the game, the umpire ejected the batter, I assume for arguing balls and strikes, or maybe that he was black, I've no idea. The manager of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (not an affiliate of the D Backs but of the Brewers) came out to half ass argue and it was over. One batter ejected in the top of the first and a new batter came up to fly out to center.

One thing I saw that made me happy. 6 of the 9 Wisconsin Timber Rattler starters were African Americans (I looked them up). Thats rare nowadays. Black folk don't play baseball because it's all select teams and well off white people traveling around dreaming they have the next Mike Trout living in their house. In my youth the Pirates once started and entire lineup of black players and that became commonplace in MLB. Nowadays black American born players represent somewhere around 8% of all MLB players. Thats a disgrace. I recently saw the College World Series and the black players were few and far between. Something should be done to help black youth play ball and fall in love with the game like I did. MLB should do it instead of making 50 different uniforms for each team as a cash grab.

It was after the game when a young guy with a leaf blower on one shoulder, a backpack on the other and pushing a mower ahead a few feet then doing it again, asked me for "ride to Kirkwood". All the while he never stopped pushing that mower and walking forward. I said "I have no idea where Kirkwood is" and he kept moving and said "no troubles man". It was a weird exchange.

Later on that night I found out some drunk in a truck back home smashed into my fence and opened a gaping hole out onto a busy street meaning the poor dog was screwed too. So I will return to home base and not go see the Kansas City Monarchs. Life blows sometimes.

Quad Cities River Bandits!

The drive from Chicago to the Quad Cities is a short one. From the untold number of McDonalds and Caseys and weed shops Illinois is not the soul sucking slog of driving across Iowa but kind of charming, especially the weed shops (I kid I kid) that reek of marijuana and old people looking for their youth and to kill the pain of creaking joints. Now this is all hearsay (wink) but the Ottawa weed shop was a kind of stand in line with the other olds and wait for a budtender to help you. When you are allowed into the locked back room it is like being at a 70s Pink Floyd show with the smells and the music playing in your head. Apparently from what I've been told, Illinois has a daily limit of 250 mg of THC that can be purchased by out of state scum. So I  I mean my friend had to jettison some of it for legal reasons. Hey Nebraska Sheriffs, this was not me, it was what I was told by the voices in my head. Cool. Illinois is cool and getting mucho tax money from me I mean out of staters looking for relief from living in Nebraska  I mean Illinois?

Anyway, once the drive is complete and the Mississippi is crossed into Iowa the thrill of being out of the Plains states is gone. Davenport, Iowa, one of the Quad Cities is where the Quad City River River Bandits play what is called High A baseball. The stadium is right on the Mississippi and features quite the view of The Chamberlain Bridge over the river and a theme park for the kids out in left field. The gigantic Ferris Wheel is quite the sight also. The highway over the bridge goes over the entrance to Modern Woodman Park so when you walk up the rumble of trucks can be heard as you wonder how long it will be until the infrastructure collapses and kills dozens of fans.

Modern Woodman Park is 92 years old but obviously renovated with comfy seats and modern concourses. The concessions are typical ball park cuisine and not all that good. My corn dog was still frozen and the replacement bratwurst was cold. The beer was cheaper than most places and it was $1 Keystone Light night. $1 beer? Im in! 

The baseball is good. Being the High A affiliate of the KC Royals, I'm used to lousy minor league ball (ask me about that 20-1 game I saw where the Iowa Cubs beat the Omaha Storm Chasers with 5 home runs in the top of the 1st) but this team was ok to watch. Playing their heated rivals, the Beloit Sky Carp, the River Bandits consisted of a whole lot of 18, 19, 20 and 21 year olds trying their best. It was a 2 hour 10 minute game (thank you pitch clock again) and I can't even remember who won, other than me with my $1 beers and cold brat.

The hotel was a comfortable Super 8 with a Cracker Barrel right next door. More on that tomorrow. It was a nice place and even with the homeless guy living on the side where I had to enter I had no problems.

Modern Woodman Park....go there sometime for the view and the giant Ferris Wheel and $1 beers. 

Chicago Dog Treat!

 Did I ever tell you about the time I drove to Chicago to see a baseball game and it wasnt to see the White Sox or the Cubs? Well, read on of you wish.

I havent been to Chicago since the pandemic hit and it is perhaps my favorite city in this country. The drive there is long and it involves the long slog across Iowa which is absolutely the worst and Ive been thru Eastern Colorado. Yeah I know Nebraska is no pleasure drive but its home and I know it like the back of my hand. Familiarity breeds acceptance.

Theres a team located in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont that has a name that cant be beat. The independent league Chicago Dogs. They are named after the greatest hot dog ever invented. There a damn Weiners Circle at the stadium for chrissakes. I couldnt wait.

The traffic in Chicago is crazy. Tailgaters, junkers, speeders, semis, crazy people its all there for the enjoyment of facing immediate death. It's a thrill ride indeed. 

Since I am alone on this trip (who in their right mind would want to travel 500 miles to watch a baseball game with 25 to 35 year old men not in great shape hanging on to a sport they love? Uhhh me) Im slumming it. Cheap motels, cheap eats, risking death. Ah hell its been a full life right?

The Motel 6 in Schiller Park is definitely cheap. But at less than $50 it comes with some risk. The other people staying there. Oh yes, there were some shady characters, but nothing of any consequence. Beer drinking at 4pm in the so called courtyard? Knock yourselves out comrades (they were speaking Russian or something).

The stadium is a short drive and its brand spanking new. $3 to park in a garage and there you are right next to it. Impact Park. Its a clean facility for sure. It should be its about 2 years old. 

Impact Park is a modern ballpark with a walk around concourse. The ticket price is reasonable and you can sit anywhere you wish on a Tuesday night so buy the cheap $9 ticket and then sit in the $18 seats. I didnt know this so I spent the $18 and sat where I was supposed to like a good sheep. All alone in a section on the aisle with a great view of the "action".

Remember what I said about the 25-35 year old men hanging on to a dream? Well yes they are, for Dog sakes the Dogs manager uses a walker to come to home plate (hey its ex Red Sox 2nd baseman Butch Hobson). The game was good. The ballpark is so small lots and lots of home runs were hit (its 294 to right and 312 to left in honor of the area code and the highway that passes over the bullpen). The game was just over 2 hours (thanks to the greatest rule change in baseball  history the pitch clock) the Dogs won 16-8 over the Cleburne Railroaders (yeah its in Texas or something).

The Chicago Dog was heavenly, but boy did it kick my ass (an extra Prilosec when I got home). The Leinenkugels Summer Shandy was also heavenly as was the weather. It was in the 70's and I'd forgotten how chilly Chicago can get . 

This may sound like hell to most but to this guy and his love of the sport it was fantastic. 

Back at the Motel Moscow, the Russians (or whatever) were still partying and one said something to me as I walked by (I think it was a friendly greeting) I said Hi and walked by hoping I hadnt insulted them by not stopping for a shot of moonshine. I lived.

Onward to Davenport Iowa.

Hamilton (Again) !

 The first time I saw Hamilton I was skeptical. Even though I'd tried and failed to obtain tickets back when it was just an off Broadway sensation in a Harlem theater, the hype, the devotion, the kids who knew every word just made me be my typical cynical self. 

Then I saw it. And goddammit I had to wait for it. Wait to see it a 2nd time which we did during the same run. Then it came back and we were there once again. It gets better every single time.

Hamilton came to Lincoln, Nebraska for a two week run and I had no intention of going. Until on a road trip and bored driving and listening to the same old classic rock on went the Hamilton soundtrack. By the time we got back, I had purchased tickets to see it a 4th time. Why? Well ya only live once and the aforementioned it gets better every time.

The cast was different except for the Washington character played by Marcus Choi who we have seen knock it out of the park again. 

You all know the greatness of the musical. I won't describe it yet again You either get it or you don't and if you don't get it that's fine. I'm not here to judge but sorry, you're missing out on great music, great lyrics, fun lyrics and the history lesson you probably need. 

Almost an entire cast of people of color works their ass off delivering a powerful lesson on American history updated to be relevant to today. It's not judging and it's not ignoring the times. Passing references to slavery and immigration (the immigrants get the job done line still gets applause) along with political philosophies still debated today, the play simply doesnt stop being great. 

Hamilton is no saint. Jefferson is no saint (but one helluva lot of fun) and Burr is a jealous milquetoast politician trying to be liked by everyone. All of it is covered. Hamilton's wife and sisters in law never fail to impress and of course, the three songs by King George are well received and a great humor break in a serious time. 

See it if you can. it, if you dont get it or like it, leave at intermission like the two people in front of us who actually googled "what is hamilton about" before it started. They were baffled by all of it. 

I was baffled by them.