Ka @ MGM Grand Hotel

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with Lynn & A.

Our 3rd Cirque.  Shows keep getting better.

London, England

What I remember (in 2024)

On November 24 we flew into London to spend time with friends and family, as K&J are living in Maida Vale.  We stayed at Robbie & Linda's to start with.  

We went to a Premier League game at Highbury (mentioned in another post).  Otherwise it was the usual London tourist things.  We did have a night at Hayden's pub, where I finally met the man himself.  Saffa & Gretchen, The Kerns, The Creans, K&J and the Upcrofts were there as well.

As also posted, A & I flew to Graz for a couple of days.  

Upon coming back, we moved over to K&J's place and the big event on the back end was dinner at Brick Lane one night with the Kerns, Upcrofts, K&J, and Rohan.

A&I also went to see Chicago (also another post).

Chicago @ Adelphi Theatre, London

What I remember (in 2024)

A & I bought tickets from the 1/2 price tickets from Leicester Square.

Roxy was played by Linda Carter - the original Wonder Woman.

Chicago @ The Strand, London, England

Graz, Austria

On November 27, A&I caught the train out to Stansted Airport and then flew to Graz, Austria for 3 nights.  It was a country neither of had been to, and a cheap flight from England.

We stayed in Hotel Weitzer in the middle of old town.

In the cold weather we braved the funicular up to Schlossberg and its clock tower, wandering up and down along the River Mur, and the Kuntzhaus, a cool modern art museum.  The old town had its Christmas markets in full force for people to enjoy during the evening.  

Our dining out consisted one night of going to a restaurant without a reservation.  The owner let us dine as long as we were out in 30 minutes.  We were in Austria, so I had to have schnitzel and spaetzle.  We chowed down in the allotted time, and were rewarded with a shot of schnapps before we headed back into the cold.

Graz is a great city, that will need to be explored more another time.

A, Hotel Weitzer, Graz, Austria

River Mur, Graz, Austria

Funicular to Schlossberg, Graz, Austria

Schlossbergplatz, Graz, Austria

Clock Tower, Graz, Austria

Graz, Austria

Kuntzhaus, Graz, Austria

Arsenal vs Blackburn @ Highbury, London

We spent the morning with the Upcrofts in Portobello Market, walking distance from their place.  WE found a pub later where we met Saffa, Gretchen, Kerns for a drink.  Then A, Rob, Kern & I caught the train out to Highbury to see Arsenal v Blackburn.

Kern had bought tickets off a workmate.  I couldn't believe we were 7 rows from the pitch, behind the goal, at the Arsenal end.  It was amazing.  We saw Fabregas and Henry give Arsenal a 2-0 lead before the break.  Before the game Robbie was warned not to say anything positive about   Blackburn, despite the fact there were 2 Aussies on the field, Lucas Neil and Brett Emerton, we were not at home at the local footy, and the English take their support seriously.  SO when he said he wished Blackburn scored to make it more interesting, we did the right thing...and turned our backs on him like he was a stranger.  He later said the guy behind him looked ready to kill.  He was warned.  Eventually we were rewarded with a beautiful Van Persie goal at our end in the 90th minute.  Arsenal 3-0 winners.  All 4 of us got to leave the stadium in 1 piece.

Arsenal 3 (Fabregas 4, Henry 45, Van Persie 90) defeated Blackburn 0

Crowd: 38,192

Arsenal

Jans Lehmann, Lauren, Kolo Toure, Kevin Campbell, Pascal Cygan, Robert Pires (Matthew Flamini 77), Cesc Fabregas, Gilberto Silva, Jose Antonio Reyes (Freddie Ljungberg 72), Dennis Bergkamp (Robin Van Persie 82), Thierry Henry.

Blackburn:

Brad Friedel, Lucas Neill, Ryan Nelsen, Andy Todd, Michael Gray, Brett Emerton (David Thompson 61), Steven Reid, Robbie Savage, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Shefki Kuqi (Paul Dickov 79), Craig Bellamy.

Bob, Me, ABH & Kern @ Highbury

7 Rows Behind The Goal @ Highbury

Kern, Bob, Me & ABH @ Highbury

We ended up in a pub near Highbury station, where we were joined by Tawnie, Linda & K&J.  From there we caught the tube to Angel where we had dinner at Carluccio's.  A quaint Italian restaurant, where we took up a huge table in the middle of everything.  All in all a fantastic day.

Jon Stewart @ Caesars Colosseum

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with A.

Laugh a minute show, and better than Dennis Miller's the night before.

Was offered Dave Chapelle show tickets for a show in the same venue straight after Jon Stewart, and I turned them down.  Regret that now.

Dennis Miller @ Caesars Colosseum

Jamiroquai @ House Of Blues

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with A.

House of Blues was jam packed.  We stood up near the bar, watching the sardine like crowd on the main floor.

I knew the first 3 songs and Little L.  After a while, it started getting samey for me.

The Crap Facts

This is my 239th concert.

This is my 15th concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 35th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 35th concert in Nevada.

This is my 40th concert in the USA.

Jamiroquai are the 283rd band I've seen.

Weezer & Hot Hot Heat @ The Joint

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with A.

Really enjoyed Hot Hot Heat.  Had never heard of them before.

Fun Weezer show.  The encore started with the chords of Islands In The Sun on an acoustic, but no one on stage.  It took a few moments before everyone found Rivers standing at the back of the venue, under a spotlight, on a milk crate, doing the song solo.  As he finished the song, the rest of the band started on a long intro to Undone - The Sweater Song.  The band were all in Halloween costumes.  Rivers eventually joined then (in costume) to finish out the show.

The Crap Facts

This is my 228th concert.

This is my 13th concert at The Joint.

This is my 34th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 34th concert in Nevada.

This is my 39th concert in the USA.
Hot Hot Heat are the 281st band I've seen.
Weezer are the 282nd band I've seen.

Danzig & Chimaira @ The Joint

The Crap Facts

This is my 227th concert.

This is my 12th concert at The Joint.

This is my 33rd concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 33rd concert in Nevada.

This is my 38th concert in the USA.
Chimaira are the 281st band I've seen.
This is my 2nd Danzig concert.
Danzig are the 50th time I've seen a band in Las Vegas.

Unwritten Law @ House Of Blues

The Crap Facts

This is my 226th concert.

This is my 14th concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 32nd concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 32nd concert in Nevada.

This is my 37th concert in the USA.

This is my 5th Unwritten Law concert.

Avenue Q @ Wynn Hotel

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with A.

Comp through SNHCA.

Absolute hilarious show, done with puppets.  I honestly loved it, but didn't think it would last long in Vegas.  (I ended up being right.  It finished in May 2006).

Dinosaur Jr & Alaska @ House Of Blues

What I remember (in 2024)

Went on my own.

Was elated to see Dinosaur Jr again. After seeing them at Livid in 1997, I didn't think they'd still be around.

The Crap Facts

This is my 225th concert.

This is my 13th concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 31st concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 31st concert in Nevada.

This is my 36th concert in the USA.

Alaska! are the 280th band I've seen.
This is my 4th Dinosaur Jr concert.

Violent Femmes @ House Of Blues

What I remember (in 2024)

A & I went with Steve (from work) and Jenny.

This was the first time I felt old at a concert.  Told Steve I saw the Femmes in 1992.  He told me he was 8 then.

The Crap Facts

This is my 22th concert.

This is my 12th concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 30th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 30th concert in Nevada.

This is my 35th concert in the USA.

This is my 6th Violent Femmes concert.

Stevie Nicks @ Caesars Colosseum

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with A.

This was a comp from work.  These were warm up shows for a new, small residency at Caesars.  We were invited through the Southern Nevada Hotels Concierge Association.

BEtter than I thought it would be, and I was surprised by how many Fleetwood Mac songs I knew.

The Crap Facts

This is my 223rd concert.

Caesars Colosseum is the 60th venue I've seen a concert.

This is my 29th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 29th concert in Nevada.

This is my 34th concert in the USA.

Stevie Nicks is the 279th band I've seen.

Ben Harper & Avion @ The Joint

What I remember (in 2024)
A & I went with Quinn and Megan.

We expected it just to be a concert, but it was a benefit, and tables were set up down the front, where people were having dinner during the show.  We were stuck at the back and could barely here the show over the noise of people talking and having dinner, and showing no interest, down the front.

The Crap Facts

This is my 222nd concert.

This is my 11th concert at The Joint.

This is my 28th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 28th concert in Nevada.

This is my 33rd concert in the USA.

This is my 2nd Avion concert.
Ben Harper is the 278th band I've seen.

Mystere @ Treasure Island

What I remember (2014)

Went with A, K & J.

The original Vegas Cirque.  This was miles better than Zumanity last year.

Motorhead, Corrosion Of Conformity & Zeke @ House Of Blues

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with Dave.

Was pumped to see Zeke, but their show didn't suit the venue.  They're a band you want to be on the same level as, and close to, so you can feed off their energy.

I knew of Corrosion of Conformity from old punk documentaries.  Now more of a heavier rock than punk.

Motorhead, and yes I should just say Lemmy, was everything I thought they'd be.  Four on the floor, straightforward, brutal rock and roll.  Great show!

The Crap Facts

This is my 221st concert.

This is my 11th concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 27th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 27th concert in Nevada.

This is my 32nd concert in the USA.

Zeke are the 275th band I've seen.
Corrosion Of Conformity are the 276th band I've seen.
Corrosion Of Conformity are the 100th different American band I've seen.
Motorhead are the 277th band I've seen.
Motorhead are the 50th time I've seen a band in the USA.

Seattle, WA

What I remember (in 2024)

Went to Seattle on the 5th to catch up with Robbie.  He is over here to attend a Microsoft conference.

We had a day at the Experience Music Project.  Spent hours in the museum that focused mainly on the music of the Pacific North West.  The Frank Gehry designed building is a piece of art in of its own.

We had dinner at El Gaucho one night.  We were seated downstairs, and the restaurant eventually turned into a club, with mostly modern, live swing music.

G Love & Special Sauce @ House Of Blues

The Crap Facts

This is my 220th concert.

This is my 10th concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 26th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 26th concert in Nevada.

This is my 31st concert in the USA.

G. Love & Special Sauce are the 274th band I've seen.

The Hives @ The Joint

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with A.

High energy show.  Easily one of the best 10 shows I've ever seen.  Howlin' Pelle is a showman of the highest order.

Loved the pause an statue work during Hate To Say I Told You So.

The Crap Facts

This is my 219th concert.

This is my 10th concert at The Joint.

This is my 25th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 25th concert in Nevada.

This is my 30th concert in the USA.

The Hives are the 273rd band I've seen.