Portland Day 3!

 Off to the mean streets of Portland. Ya know, the city MAGA can't stop saying is burning down because ANTIFA HQ is there. I still couldn't find the actual HQ to pay my dues after dodging all the "fires" and "looting" going on 24/7. For real, it was peaceful AF because of course it is.

Portland is a nice calm city. People walk around at night, they sit in parks, they go to bars and convenience stores. No problems. Conservatives are such scaredy cats.

The Oregon Historical Society is a museum in which you will find out EVERYTHING you ever needed to know about the state of Oregon. Its sordid past is highlighted. Oregon after it was admitted to the Union, passed a law outlawing blacks from living there. Yep. And if they catch you, you get 39 lashes as an "incentive" to leave Oregon. The Asians weren't liked much either. So yeah, Oregon is kind of like every other state but at least they "woke" up and learned a lesson. Unlike some other states that have never learned much of anything. I'm lookin at you Nebraska. Some would say the place was "woke". I say it was truthful.

Saturday was No Kings Day. We saw very nice protesters and joined them for a bit. Lots of honks, lots of support, and lots of activists trying to save the country. Then we went and ate and then they were gone. No Kings!

Off to Eugene for the Husker Duck game. Parking at hotel was $45. Total so far, $336 to park.

Seattle Day Two!

Day Two was going to be epic. Whale watching. After visiting a sculpture garden near the docks, we made our way to Pier 69 for boarding a whale watching boat for a 4 hour tour. Goddam it was freaking freezing when we left the dock. I don't really get cold, but this excursion was COLD. I had to flee the outside for the inside and listened to the naturalist tell me all about whales we may or may not see. She was THE most informed person on sea life maybe ever. I couldn't wait to get out there into the open seas. The Salis Sea to be exact. We sailed around and then our naturalist said look to the left and a collective gasp was audible from the tourists. A family of orcas, killer whales, were swimming around, surfacing with blowholes going full blast. It was breathtaking to see a whale in the wild. 

The 4 hour tour included seeing eagles, sea lions resting on buoys, islands, birds diving underwater to catch fish, killer whales and then, voila, Little Patch, a grey whale who should have been south by now but decided to hang around the Salis Sea. The grey whale, Little Patch (yeah he had a name) was covered in barnacles and looked kind of rough. But it was epic to see two different types of whales. It was kind of pricey but hell YOLO right? Ive seen whales in the wild where they belong. Cool.

The trip ended unfortunately and we were released from sea to wander the waterfront. The Pike Place Fish Market is overwhelming. There are 5 levels of shops and restaurants and fresh fish. We did not see them tossing the tuna around, but it was still a sight to see. Parking $36.  Total so far $256. To park.

Dicks Drive In. A simple non nonsense burger joint. You can get burgers, fries, shakes and drinks. That's it. Not to mention it wasn't that expensive. Parking free.

The City Pass sent us to the Space Needle. Parking $35. There was a Doja Cat concert going on nearby, so the fans were dressed to fit the Doja Cat crowd. Short dresses, pink hair, 80% females and they were having the time of their lives. Good for them.

The Space Needle. You go up on an outside elevator. You get off on the top and walk around with all the others. It was crowded at sunset because why wouldn't it be? It's Seattle's claim to fame. And again, the City Pass is worth it all. Beautiful views from atop the Needle.

Finally, back to the hotel.

Parking damage so far, $291.

Seattle Day One!

Never been. The Pacific Northwest. Well, I was there when I was a kid since my grandma lived in The Dalles, Oregon but I was 10. I don't remember a whole lot of it except maybe being on the Columbia River dam with my brother and Dad and him driving across the border into Washington so I could say I was there. Hell, it's been 60 years.

We flew into Seattle on Tuesday night. We found a fleabag near the airport to crash for the night. Damn, who pays for parking at a Red Roof Inn? We did. $14? Seriously? Hey man by the time this trip ended, $14 was cheap to park.

Downtown Seattle is compact. Everything is right there within a few blocks. Stayed at a Courtyard by Marriott. $81 a night to park. Spit take. See what I mean? $14 was cheap.

MOPOP. The museum of pop culture. Close to the Space Needle, the Climate Arena, and a convenient parking lot right across the street. It was fairly empty. WARNING!!! Max paid the parking fee, $70??? $70 bucks to park? The rubes from Nebraska have arrived ready to be fleeced.

The museum itself is very interesting. they have Hendrix's guitar. Costumes from Wicked and the Wizard of Oz. Interactive exhibits, More guitars. Huge pile of guitars. Buy a Seattle City Pass and save a bunch of cash on admittance fees. Too bad they don't have a Seattle Parking Pass.

Then it was off to Easy Street record shop. Tons of used vinyl, CD's and clothing. The place was everything Seattle is. They gave out whistles to use if ICE showed up. There were NO ICE signs in many businesses. It was epic to see. Recommended. Hey and the parking was $12 or so. Parking fees so far? $256 and it's only Day One.

We checked out the Seattle waterfront, the stadiums, and Buddha pigeon, a fat happy pigeon sitting on a ledge outside our hotel room. Yes, I am easily entertained. Buddha Pigeon was a hoot.

It was Day One in the books. A little Detroit style pizza at Moto Pizza in downtown and get ready for another day of touristy stuff and avoiding the mental cases wandering the streets ranting about something or other. Yeah, we have those back home too. Mental health is a crisis in this nation but that's another story.

Wynton Marsalis!

 My Uncle Dick was hardly a hip dude. In fact, he may be the squarest person I've ever known. But one time, even though being mean to rock music (the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to be specific) he exclaimed that jazz was "better than that rock n roll". And to be honest I do not disagree with his opinion though I'd be more like jazz and rock are the best equally. Jazz has always been my go-to. When I'm hearing Miles or Coltrane or Basie or Roach or Dizzy I go into a different world without the artificial means. Jazz is something totally surprising and even the musicians can't tell you what's going to happen.

Now most music freaks will tell you they saw the Dead 66 times (me never) or Springsteen 46 times (me 5 times) or Phish 33 times (me once) or Pearl Jam 25 times (me 4 times) but my most seen act is Wynton Marsalis and a quartet or his Lincoln Center Orchestra at 9 times. His demeanor is humble, yet you can see he is THE leader of this orchestra consisting of a stable lineup of the best jazz musicians out there.

Wynton is retiring next year so his appearance at the Lied Center in Lincoln was his last. I do not know if the orchestra goes on but if it does, trombonist Chris Crenshaw, or saxophonist Sherman Isby, or trumpet player, Marcus Pointer, seem like successors to the best leader you can have, Wynton Marsalis.

Marsalis' band played two sets of about 45 minutes each, playing standards and originals and every second was every bit of jubilance that the packed house made it.  Constant applause for the solos, the cohesion and the atmosphere. 

Among the local references was a Chris Crenshaw original dedicated to ex Husker quarterback Tommie Frazier (complete with a Go Big Red chant) and the presentation to Marsalis of a distinguished fellow of the Lied and a Husker jersey with his name on it. He seemed genuinely moved by it.

Shout outs to sax player Alexa Tarantino who plowed through solos though visibly pregnant. To pianist Dan Nimmer for keeping the groove. To bassist Carlos Henriquez and drummer Oben Calviere for keeping the train moving. This is great stuff and you either get it or you don't. 

So Long Wynton Marsalis. Thanks for the memories.

Jefferson Starship!

 After last night's excursion on the SS Yacht Rock, the current night brought back the memories with a concert from 70's icons, Jefferson Starship at the Astro Theater in LaVista. The front end of the concert featured 3 other 70's hit machines, Firefall, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Pure Prairie League. Great, more yacht rock.

Firefall is/was a kind of country rock band, borne from the ruins of the Flying Burrito Brothers, that had big ass hits like You are the Woman, Just Remember I Love You and a sort of hit in what is one of my favorite songs from that era, Cinderella. The 30-minute set was energetic and well received by the crowd. There's only one original member of Firefall, guitarist Jock Bartley, left in the band, but the veterans onstage were of age to be originals so good for Firefall. They were great.

Atlanta Rhythm Section was next. That band also had hits in the 1970's and none were really my jam. The only original left is singer Rodney Justo, and from what I hear pretty much the rest of the originals are no longer with us due to being shot by cops, falling over tree limbs and drugs. ARS had two huge hits with So Into You and Imaginary Lovers and they did them in their 30-minute set. It was fine but like I said, not my jam.

The last band out was Pure Prairie League, another kind of country rock act with a couple of 70's hits including Two Lane Highway and of course, the monster hit Amie. There are no originals in this band, Vince Gill, the original lead singer on Amie seems to have moved on to better things. But the members of the current band are certainly capable of continuing keeping the music alive, including what seemed to be the world's tallest bassist, Jared Camic. He towered over everyone onstage. Maybe the rest of them are short but wow, that dude is tall. Their 30-minute set contained all two hits including the showstopper, Amie, worthy of a handshake from Paul Hollywood (IYKYK). 

Now look, there are two Jefferson Starships out there. There's Starship, which is fronted by Mickey Thomas and there's Jefferson Starship, fronted by singer Cathy Richardson and original member, 88-year-old David Freiberg. So as far as I'm concerned there's only one. The one we saw tonite.

Jefferson Starship, borne out of the ruins of the Jefferson Airplane, was formed in 1974 by Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg. The hits followed. It was acceptable rock to the masses as opposed to the long jams and weird songs from the Airplane. The hits were many. With Richardson playing the Grace Slick role and of all people, Freiberg played the Mickey Thomas role. Did I mention he's 88? He has to be the greatest 88-year-old singer on earth. His voice is spot on, hitting the high notes of Balin and Thomas. He is amazing. Richardson has the chops and the power of Slick's voice. If you were blind, you'd never know the difference.

All the hits were there. Find Your Way Back, Miracles, White Rabbit, We Built This City (no it's NOT the worst song ever written, hipsters) Jane, Count on Me and of course, Somebody To Love. The crowd couldn't stop cheering after going oh yeah, I know that one. The current band is also perfectly capable of keeping this music alive. Marty Balin is dead, Paul Kantner is dead and Grace Slick may as well be dead considering she's 87 and painting and "retired" from performing in the 80's because as she said then, " all rock n rollers over 50 look stupid and should retire". Ehhhh, maybe 70. 

It was another trip to the past for Max's Mom and me. Hearing the music of a group I last saw in 1978 with Kantner, Balin, Slick and Freiberg was gratifying. Let's hope they keep on going, Christ, Freiberg looks like he'll live to be 100, and Richardson has the sober vibe of Slick. The story she told of Freiberg going to Egypt with the Grateful Dead in 1974 for "some reason" (complete with a shrug from Freiberg) and declining to join the Dead because "I have a Starship to form" was THE most 70's story ever.

Nostalgia is wonderful if you are of a certain age. This foursome concert fit that bill. Wonderful.

Yacht Rock Revue!

 Let's put this out front. I was in radio for years and played what is called "Yacht Rock" constantly to the point I hated every second of Cool Change or Still The One or Afternoon Delight or The Pina Colada song. I still hate them if they come on the radio (who listens to radio anymore?) but as done by the traveling band called Yacht Rock Revue it's even tolerable at worst (Brandy or Danger Zone) and downright enjoyable at best (Africa or Takin It To The Streets).

The two hours that this cover band is onstage passes like that. Led by lead singer and shameless 70's lookin guy, Nick Niespodziani, this band is tight. Nick sings like whoever he's covering. For instance, He sounded exactly like Michael McDonald on Takin it to the Streets and then hit the high notes during Africa. What a voice (tho his voice did get a bit tired at the end). He runs the show like a true conductor. Leaving some songs to people with more appropriate voices as he plays guitar or keyboards. Kourtney Jackson sings the Olivia Newton John song Magic and the Fleetwood Mac song Everywhere while when not singing lead is a great backup singer (as are all of them). Keyboard player Mark Bencuya handled the Steely Dan covers sounding just like Donald Fagen. Peter Olsen handled the vocals on other songs like Lido Shuffle and Baker Street. Now let's talk about sax player David Freeman. Man, he's a pro. He handles the sax solo in Baker Street, Ride with The Wind and other songs. He captivates while onstage. A truly great saxophonist.

The crowd of nerds and dorks dressed in Captains hats, sailor outfits and one guy in a shark costume was sparse. Not exactly a full house at the Steelhouse which may be because the similar Yachtly Crew was in Lincoln last weekend but the crowd that was there was very into it. Max's Mom was really into it and Max's Dad, the aforementioned deejay in the 70's and 80's, tried very hard to hate it and failed. It was good stuff.

This is truly the music old rockers like me love to hate. It's wimpy, soft rock that appealed to haters of disco and haters of hard rock. It served a purpose at the time.

Hey, and it serves a purpose now. It's fun. Though Afternoon Delight still sucks and is unlistenable even by them. Go get a beer during it.

Come From Away!

 

Some of my favorite moments were spent with my parents convincing me to go see theater. On the occasions I did go with them I eventually fell in love with live theater. And the Omaha Community Playhouse was the spark. Hell once, I was in the front row of the balcony watching a weird modern version of Julius Caesar when a guy with a rifle came down the stairs, crouched down beside me as I wondered what the fuck was happening, and shot Julius Caesar dead. Then he ran away. I was mortified yet realized the genius that even community theater actors and directors have in them, Yeah it's like watching AA baseball but ya know what, it's still baseball and it's great.

Come From Away is playing at the Omaha Playhouse thru October 11th. Not familiar with Come From Away? Well, you should be.

Come From Away is a musical about when airplanes from all over the world were rerouted to Gander, Newfoundland on 9/11. 38 planes full of 7000 passengers overtook this small town in Canada and the residents jumped into action to make them as comfortable as possible. The story is of the heavily accented Canadians being saints and the passengers being pissed, until they aren't. We have the two gay dudes named Kevin, the female pilot who overcame the sexism of the industry, the woman whose son is a firefighter in NYC, the Englishman and the divorcee, the Mayor, the townsfolk, the Muslim man singled out as a threat, Beulah the sweet lady who makes everyone feel better, the Africans and a cast of real characters. The story is fascinating, the songs are catchy and the local actors are fantastic singers and thespians.

The set is a bunch of chairs that get rearranged by the actors as the story goes on. A plane, a bar, a bus, customs, libraries. That's about it. And it's handled expertly. It is probably 50% dialogue and 50% songs. This is a one act play that is nothing but fun, until the end when we find things out about the people. Spoiler alert, the woman loses her son in the Towers. That's kind of depressing but man the rest of it is pure joy.

Go see it. You'll laugh a lot. You may even cry. But you will leave the theater saying man those Canadians are fine people. When asked why they were so accommodating, the Canadians say well you'd have done the same for us, to which many Americans on the stage say, would we?

We love you Canada!