The Next Viral Video

If you've been wondering what Scott Baio has been up to then take a gander at this video.

New Weezer in 11 days...

One step closer to Dejarik holochess...

A group of students at Carnegie Mellon University put together a modernized way of playing Dungeons & Dragons using the Microsoft Surface. Kind of makes you wonder what playing Battletech, Car Wars, or Warhammer 40,000 would have been like on this sort of gaming table. Definitely, would have saved a lot of paper. I'd still miss using my lucky set of dice, though.

In response to Firecracker George's "Best Concert I've Ever Been To" post...

Being close enough to almost feel like you could touch Bono? Eh. Overrated. My seats at Cowboys Stadium were so much better than what Firecracker George managed to get, or even Wild Willie, for that matter. Not only did I not have to be bothered by the sight of all of U2's aging wrinkles and the smells of their body odor, I had the wonderful opportunity to stare at the colossal behemoth that was the unused black expanse of the Jerry Vision TV that was so much more spectacular than U2's puny little stage (you can see a bit of the TV in the upper right hand corner of the picture above).

And the acoustics of Cowboys Stadium? Outstanding! It was like listening to gunfire in an oil barrel. How could you not want that? And if you don't believe me about the sound, take a gander to the video below. No, that's not some fancy audio editing--that's how awesome the concert really sounded from my seats!

Seriously, though, if you're ever tempted to buy tickets to anything other than football at Jerry World, let me give you some advice--don't. The concert literally did sound like that (Muse's opening set sounded almost unrecognizable), and the ginormous video screen that had to be specially raised to accommodate U2's stage was a huge distraction. I almost thought the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey was floating above the whole time (which I guess could have fit with U2's space cowboy theme). It didn't help that I found out general admission tickets on the floor were almost a third what I paid for my nosebleed seats. I guess I got the benefit of cup holders to put down my $8.00 bottle of beer. Luckily, U2 is the greatest band on Earth and they put on quite a show. Lemon and I left happy--that's just how good they are.

The Best Concert I've Ever Been To

This is how close I was.


I wish I had brought a proper camera. This was from my cell phone.

Hopefully, it doesn't smell as bad as the real thing...

I love that the zipper pull that opens up the tauntaun is a lightsaber.

Soon to be on sale at ThinkGeek.

One Orlando Night

While on vacation for my birthday last week my Wife and I ate at the House Of Blues in Orlando and discovered much to my delight two of my favorite bands were playing that night. Tickets were cheap, the venue tiny, and the entertainment some of the best I've ever experienced. My great love of the Happy Mondays is no secret. As God says at the end of the brilliant film '24 Hour Party People' Shawn Ryder is the greatest poet since Yeats. I agree wholeheartedly. While his huge drug problems are well chronicled in the film, Shawn was clean and sober at the show and making jokes about his past problems with a closed mouth smile. Shawn admitted at one point during the show all of his teeth had fallen out from drugs and now when he smiles he "looks like a mother f***er." Though there were few original members of the band playing, I was there for Shawn. He did not dissapoint.
The Psychedelic Furs have been on the top of my favorite bands list since seeing the film 'Pretty In Pink' in 1986. They were a band I thought I'd never see live though as they broke up long ago and seemed to want to stay that way. Richard Butler was famous as one of the most entertaning front men of the New Wave era. Even 20 years later it held true. Their sound was superb and all of the songs had been updated for a more modern feel, but leaving none of the old charm behind. I was front and center against the barrier for the entire show and the intimacy of the club mixed so well with the vibe of these two bands I thought I'd never see live that it combined into the best night of what was already the greatest vacation I've had. The chances of these two bands playing while I was there could have been serendipity, or luck, or maybe karma. Whatever it was all I know is it was one of the greatest birthday presents I've ever had.