Punk Rock Bowling @ Downtown Events Center

After a lazy day driving round to the old haunts, Erik and I land at Punk Rock Bowling at about 5pm and meet up with Dave in a spot not far from the front of the stage to the right.  The festival has come a long way since I was here in 2012, when it was a one stage show in a parking lot off 6th Street.  It has now taken over the Downtown Events Center (which wasn't even here when I left), has 2 stages and is shaded by the Golden Nugget across the street.

After a quick look around at merchandise and food trucks we find our spot for Fear.  I'm not sure how well this set translated on a big stage in the sunny climes of Vegas.  While Lee Ving was in full joke mode, and the band played their heart out, you get the feeling this would've been better at midnight at the Double Down, instead of mid-afternoon in a vast venue.  Regardless, the beer-themed songs were great, Beef Bologna killed it, and an Aquabat playing on New York's Alright If You Like Saxaphones, was a great way to kick off the festival.

The Damned were a drawcard for me.  Having never seen them before, and although I know only a handful of songs, the opportunity to see these punk legends.  So today we get the whole Machine Gun Etiquette album from start to finish.  Dave Vanian stalked and ruled the stage, with Captain Sensible providing the energy, and Monty Oxymoron the fun.  The set got better and better as it went along and the last 5 songs would have been enough to call Punk Rock Bowling a success.  The MC5 Looking At You cover was blistering.  It was an honor to hear Smash It Up live after being introduced to it many years ago the golden years of JJJ's Hottest 100's.  New Rose was as good as I thought it would be and Neat, Neat, Neat to finish was just fantastic.  Now I have to hope that one day they'll play close to Charlotte so I can see them again.

Yeah, I've seen FLAG before, but this has to be a punk's ultimate band for this festival.  4 ex-members of Black Flag and a Descendent playing nothing but Black Flag songs with a ferocity that would have matched back in the day.  From the moment Keith Morris screamed "It's not my imagination...I've got a gun in in my back" FLAG were on fire.  FLAGs' passion and intensity for these 30 plus year old songs translates to a crowd, who are left in a frenzy.  Great song consistently followed great song and for those of us who weren't old enough to see Black Flag the first time this is definitely a show for the ages.  23 songs in a 45 minute set is what you want and all your favorites will be played.  Gimme Gimme Gimme, Rise Above, Dez singing Thirsty & Miserable & Six Pack, and Keith's return to stage for Nervous Breakdown was phenomenal.  I just read recently that Greg Ginn is doing a Black Flag tour this Fall, but given when I saw them in Charlotte in 2013 - they will have their work cut out for them to match FLAG.  And what about a real Black Flag reunion? Given Keith Morris' "Fuck you Gregg Ginn" chant at the end of a song, I find that highly unlikely.

When you think that Fear, The Damned and FLAG were great, you realize there is no such thing as a bad Rancid show.  The crowd is bouncing from the first notes of Roots Radicals and don't stop for the rest of the evening.  Rancid are in fine form, as Pirates of the Caribbean outcast Tim Armstrong makes his moves across the stage, while Lars engages the crowd between songs.  Tons of a great songs including Old Friend, Olympia WA, and Fall Back Down to finish the set.  Of course the encore ended with Time Bomb and Ruby Soho, which left the crowd buzzing.  I know I'm old and left for home after the show, but I bet downtown Vegas was a buzz once that crowd spread out for the night.  A great first night for the festival.  Looking forward to coming back tomorrow. 

The Crap Facts:

This is my 451st concert.
This is my 2nd concert at the Downtown Events Center.

This is my 148th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 148th concert in Nevada.

This is my 254th concert in the USA.
Fear are the 518th band I've seen
The Damned are the 519th band I've seen.
This is my 2nd Flag concert.
This is my 6th Rancid concert.

Pennywise & Sick Of It All @ Downtown Events Center

I'm back in Vegas.  6 years after moving away (after 10 years of living there) I'm back for the first time.  Drawn in by Punk Rock Bowling.  It's good to be back!

I landed mid afternoon and went to the Mirage and Caesars Palace to catch up with some friends before heading out to Erik's to settle in for the afternoon.  With so many good restaurants to chose from, we decided to meet Dave at India Palace for dinner.  This is the original favorite Las Vegas restaurant as Dave took Amy & I there on our first night in Vegas back in 2003.  Food was as good as I remembered.  It's definitely worth risking your life to go into this neighborhood to eat here.

With the festival came a bunch of side shows.  Pennywise and Sick Of It All being one of them.  Originally scheduled for the Bunkhouse, the response was so overwhelming they moved the show to PRB's 2nd stage and replaced the Bunkhouse show with Flipper & Killing Joke - where Dave went.  Good for us as we were able to now get tickets.

We arrived just before 11pm (2am my time) as Sick Of It All hit the stage.  Hard, fast and loud is how I remembered SOIA at The Cockpit, a small club in Leeds 18 years ago, and while the atmosphere is never the same from a bigger stage, the intensity was the same.  The crowd were in a frenzy from start to finish but for me it was all about Step Down, the last song.  It's a personal favorite and a great finisher.  It also set a high standard for Pennywise to follow.

Pennywise made it clear that being in Las Vegas....for Punk Rock Bowling...that they were ready to party.  Actually it seemed as though they had already started.  Ironically the last time I saw Pennywise was when they headlined Punk Rock Bowling in 2012.  Back when Jim was on hiatus, so it was good to have him back up front.  It wasn't long before they played Same Old Story.  This song is in my top 30 and is a killer live song, and a good way to get the crowd fired up for the rest of the set.  The band seemed loose (or lubed maybe) and we heard plenty of bits of their favorite songs - TNT, Same In The End, Wild In The Streets.  But still it was the great So-Cal surf/skate punk sound that makes them crowd favorites.  Society was great, as was Perfect People and Fuck Authority and even at 1.30am when it was all winding down (and I couldn't stop yawning - it sucks to be old), Bro Hymn had the crowd in a raucous sing along, invading the stage, as though they were just getting their night started.  Bro Hymn is easily the best final song to any set of any band, and it was an honor to see it for the 8th time.

Really looking forward to the rest of the weekend.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 450th concert.
Downtown Events Center is the 124th venue I've seen a concert.

This is my 147th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 147th concert in Nevada.

This is my 253rd concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd Sick Of It All concert.
Sick Of It All are the 50th band I've seen in 2 different countries.
This is my 8th Pennywise concert

Greta Van Fleet @ CMCU Amphitheater

So Erik has come in to town so we could see this show and we were supposed to go to Tool at Epicenter Festival in Rockingham on the weekend.  But the weather put the kibosh on that.  He's a fan of Greta Van Fleet, but by the time I realized there were only General Admission tickets left.  So we were lumped up the back - not where I like to be for this venue.

We walked in as Ida May were finishing their set.  What I heard from the 2 piece sounded good.  Should've got there earlier!  Especially after what was to follow.  When we bought the tickets, we got a copy of Greta Van Fleet's CD, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, which I couldn't get into at all.  But here I was surrounded by a LOT of die hard fans.  As expected the crowd went nuts when they came on but because I'm old and the eye's aren't what they used to be, the band started and it looked and sounded like I was seeing a Led Zeppelin cover band - except they were only playing the Zep's rarities and I knew none of the songs.  For 10 songs that lasted over an hour and a half (when the CD barely scrapes 45 minutes) it was a long night for me.

I won't be racing back to see them, but again with shows I don't like, there were a lot of people there that had a great night and getting into the band.  Just not for me.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 449th concert.

This is my 11th concert at the CMCU Amphitheater.

This is my 79th concert in Charlotte.

This is my 89th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 252nd concert in the USA.
Greta Van Fleet are the 517th band I've seen

Navarre, FL

Road trip to Carla & Tammy's for Spring Break with the whole family from 13 - 19 April 2014.  Included trips to Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA, a fishing trip with Captain Mike on Pensacola Bay, FL, and a day at the Air Force Armament Museum in Elgin, FL and plenty of pool time and good company at Carla & Tammy's in Navarre, FL

L, Me, B & A @ Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA

B's first fish - Pensacola Bay, FL

L's first fish - Pensacola Bay, FL

Blue Angel practice while we fish in Pensacola Bay, FL

A, B, Tammy, L, Carla & Captain Mike @ Navarre, FL

A & L @ Elgin Air Force Armament, FL

Los Straitjackets & Aqualads @ Free Range Brewing

What a great night!

I knew nothing about Los Straitjackets except that they played surf music.  I had never been to Free Range Brewing, even though I've driven past it a million times, let alone seen a show there.  But I talked Mike into checking in out, and we were glad we did.

Aqualads kicked off the night at 9pm.  It's been 17 years since I saw them open for Reverend Horton Heat at the Visulite (the first time we lived in Charlotte).  I remember liking them then, and tonight was no different.  They put their spin on the surf-rock sound and were a good warm up for Los Straitjackets.

Free Range Brewing use a back room for the bands, with a 6 inch raised stage.  Nice and intimate - which worked out well with the crowd size.  The dressing room is a curtained off area next to the floor, which Los Straitjackets came bursting out of.  They greeted and high-fived the crowd before getting on stage and demanding applause.  Which the crowd were happy to oblige.  I don't know if it was the sharp black suits, the uniform guitars or the Mexican wrestling masks, but the band were a step above from the very first note.  Really simple choreography during Casbah early in the set, broken Spanish audience interaction and a sense of fun the band were having infected the crowd.  Each song saw everyone inch closer to the stage to feed off the energy and fun that the band were having.  The end of each song saw the band bow and congratulate each other and command applause, and when an audience member shouted a request (I think the song was called "Champagne"), the band were more than happy to oblige.  Space Mosquito and the Game of Thrones theme were 2 other highlights. When Los Straitjackets finally left the stage, after an hour and a half, Mike and I decided we hadn't had that much fun at a show in years.

But it wasn't over.  A 2 song encore of The Batman Theme and Tequila sent everyone into a frenzy.  An awesome way to finish a great show.  Can't wait til Los Straitjackets come back again.

Los Straitjackets

The Crap Facts:
This is my 448th concert.
Free Range Brewing is my 123rd venue I've seen a concert in.

This is my 78th concert in Charlotte.

This is my 88th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 251st concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd Aqualads concert.
Los Straitjackets are the 516th band I've seen.

Elizabeth 8k Road Race

So the theory was to use this race to get me back into shape again.  That did not quite go as planned.  While I trained a few times, it was not nearly as much as when I ran this race 3 years ago.  Actually it was not as much as needed to cover 8 kilometers.

As usual, I took off too quickly and by mile 1 I had to slow down to walk.  I then spent the next 4 miles running on the flat and downhill and walking up the hills.  I ran without using a tracker I didn't know what sort of pace I was running (wish I had now) but at the 4 mile mark I looked my phone to see that I was on pace to get under an hour, which was my target from the limited training I did.  This was enough to power me through the last hour and finish in 55:34.

In hindsight I was disappointed that I didn't train more, but am happy with the time.  My lack of training really showed in the week following where my back caused me so much grief.  Next time I'll be better prepared.

Placed 601 out of 713 (compared to 418 out of 804 in 2016) and 30th of 32 in my age division (45-49).  

I'll try again next year?????

John Mellencamp @ Ovens Auditorium

I think this was A & I's first night out alone since before Christmas.  And what a good one it turned out to be.

The night started with an early dinner at Aix-en-Provence.  We'd eaten there once before and it was as great as I remembered.  You can't eat there and not get the mussels.

We walked into Ovens while a short film about Mellencamp was being played.  This did a great job of hyping up the crowd for what was to come.  After about 15 minutes, Mellencamp and his band arrived to thunderous applause.

The show was an up and down night to start.  Some songs you knew, Minutes to Memories & Small Town, and you were out of your seat and ready to dance.  But they were interspersed with unfamiliar or slower songs that let you sit down.  After a version of Robert Johnsons' Stones In My Passway, Mellencamp told a story and broke into We Are The People, and crowd was on its feet for the rest of the night.  I was having some trouble recognizing the opening of some songs, but once you got it, you knew every word to the song.  Lonely Ol' Night & Check It Out were great, but Jack & Diane gave me me a spine tingling moment.  Rain On The Scarecrow & Paper In Fire were played consecutively and were incredible - the audience reacting accordingly.  A got to here her favorite Authority Song before Pink Houses finished the set (technically).  Instead of leaving and coming back for an encore, Mellencamp introduced his band, told a great story about his long time guitarist, Mike Wanchic, before raising the roof with Cherry Bomb.  It was hard to hear him with the singing from the crowd.  Humbly he reprised Louis Armstrong's Long Gone, acapella, and left the stage.

You'd never believe Mellencamp was 67 years old and been doing this for over 40 years.  He has energy to burn and a voice that hasn't faded over time.  This was our second concert of his - the first when he put Bob Dylan to shame in Vegas in 2010.  Hard to believe that his show could be better - but it certainly was.  I'd go again any time.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 447th concert.
This is my 3rd concert at the Ovens Auditorium.

This is my 77th concert in Charlotte.

This is my 87th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 250th concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd John Mellencamp concert.

Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets & Charlotte Symphony Orchestra @ Ovens Auditorium

One of the joys of parenthood is seeing what your kids get into.  Of the boys,both started reading Harry Potter, but B has taken his interest into an obsession which rivals their love of all sports.  So when Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets was to play with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, it seemed logical to get tickets for the family for Christmas.

We originally planned to go on Friday night, and had tickets for it, but an 8pm start would've seen the boys not last the night.  Luckily we sold them to neighbors and ended up with better tickets on the Saturday.  

Barry Potter

B had to be dressed as Harry Potter, and while only a few kids were dressed up, there were plenty of adults wearing scarves or shirts to show their allegiance to houses.  L was too cool to do such fun stuff.  The matinee show was announced after the Friday show sold out, so I'm not sure if people knew about it, but Ovens wasn't 2/3 full.

We have a deal with the boys that they must read the book before they get to watch the movie.  We are currently reading the Prisoner of Azkaban and have already seen  Chamber of Secrets.  The full orchestra sat under the screen and played the John Williams score.  It was definitely a fun concept, but so many times I was so taken by the movie I completely forgot about the live music right in front of me.

I have enjoyed the movies so far.  (Have yet to read the books myself.)  But the joy the boys got out of it was purely magic.  Will keep an eye out for future movies with live orchestras. 

Charlotte Hornets v Portland Trailblazers @ Spectrum Center

So a good friend of A's gave us tickets for the game.  As a writer for the Oregonian, he was in town to cover the Trailblazers and a chance for he and A to catch up.  We sat in the 2nd level behind one of the baskets - a much better spot than last years' 76ers nosebleed seats.

Hornets got off to a poor start and by the end of the first quarter it felt like the game was over.  Charlotte bought it's infamous non-atmosphere (our host said it is the funeral home of basketball stadiums in the country).  I sometimes wonder if the Hornets would do better with a decent crowd behind them.  infected by the crowd, L and I went in search of food, and wasted a whole quarter getting it.  But by the time we got back, the Hornets were back in the game.  3rd quarter ebbed and flowed, but the Hornets were never able to get their noses in front.  Eventually the Trailblazers ran out 10 point winners, although with some better shooting the Hornets could've made a better game of it.

Our personal commentators (B&L) seemed to have a good time, but I feel they are still at the age where the concept of going to a game, whatever the sport, is more exciting than the game itself.  I'm sure they'll grow into it more.

Portland Trailblazers 118 (R. Hood 27, J.Nurkic 26, D. Lillard 23) beat Charlotte Hornets 108 (J. Lamb 23, F. Kaminsky 18, K. Walker 18)

Crowd: 18,355

Jon Spencer & The Hitmakers & Dex Romweber Duo @ Neighborhood Theater

Hey, it's not the Blues Explosion.....but it's still Jon Spencer, so I have to check out his new band.  And with Dex Romweber to open..well there was never a doubt.  While I'm sad about the relatively small crowd, I'm happy to see the show on the small stage at the Neighborhood Theater.  And my neighbor Eric came along to his first gig at this venue.

Romweber has a new drummer, an older, more even tempo than when I saw him open for the Sonics.  While this bought the energy level down, the duo still rocked some great blues.  Whether it's Romweber attacking his guitar, or belting out a song in a voice so deep it seems like it couldn't possibly come out of the man on stage, this was another great set - and a perfect match for Jon Spencer.

Spencer's new band sees a keyboardist, drummer and trash-can percussionist join the upbeat Spencer in an intensity to rival the Blues Explosion.  While I knew none of the songs, the energy alone was enough to ensure a good night for all.  Spencer has lost none of his swagger and still loves to perform.  This was amplified being in a small venue with a good sized crowd - everyone to see what Spencer was up to now.  

The Crap Facts:

This is my 446th concert.
This is my 5th concert at the Neighborhood Theater.

This is my 76th concert in Charlotte.

This is my 86th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 249th concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd Dex Romweber Duo concert.
Jon Spencer & The Hitmakers are the 515th band I've seen.

The Wizard Of Oz @ Ovens Auditorium

So in complete contrast to Charlie Brown last weekend, The Wizard of Oz was fantastic.  Yet only played to a half full Oven's - where are you Charlotte?

The cast was fantastic and the show did a great service to the movie.  I didn't know if the boys would follow, but apparently they had seen the movie at school before, so they were on the edge of their seats.    While special effects were at a minimum, nothing looked cheap or half-arsed.  The cast seemed to be enjoying themselves, even to a empty-ish theater.  The live dog was a definite crowd pleaser, and he seemed quite at ease under the bright lights.

At intermission, the boys freely talked about what they liked and asked questions, so much more than the standard "Good." response you get from them when you normally ask them a question.

Too often these days a standing ovation is given to a cast just for completing the show.  I don't like that it cheapens it for those that do deserve it.  Like tonight.  A great family show, very well done.

The boys seem to enjoy shows the more we go to, but when I ask if they'd ever like to try and sing / dance / act on stage the answer is a convincing "No!".  Not sure what will be next in the live theatre realm, as we have no tickets to anything upcoming.

I'm glad the boys don't have school tomorrow as 10 pm is a late one for them, (and us for that matter) and they were falling apart by the time we got home.

A Charlie Brown Christmas @ Ovens Auditorium

Well, we've finally hit a show that we didn't like.  But at least the boys did.

A Sunday afternoon at a packed Ovens with families in the midst of Christmas spirit saw, in my eyes, an amateur performance of the cartoon classic.  While a 3 piece band played on stage, even they became droll after the 3rd version of the Charlie Brown theme song.  At intermission A and I looked at each other, knowingly, and offered the boys an out.  We could leave now, or stay for the rest of the show.  I was sure we were out the door, but to my surprise the boys wanted to stay - so we did.  It has been a while since we've seen the cartoon, but it seems it bought back some good memories for the boys and they had a great time (I thought it may have been too young for them).

Maybe A & I will enjoy The Wizard Of Oz more on Thursday.

Celeste Barber @ McGlohon Theater

I am an old man who wastes a lot of time on Facebook.  In order to speak to my family I am not on Instagram, but I am aware of Aussie sensation Celeste Barber, but mostly because she is married to a guy a went to high school with - now known as Hot Husband.  But when an Aussie comes to perform in my adopted town, I'm up for it.  And if it's funny - all the better.

Because A booked a trip for work, I took gig mate Mike with me.  We met up at Malabar for dinner beforehand.  As always, this tapas restaurant was awesome.  Every bite was better than the last.  And not being with a vegetarian meant there was a wider choice of meals for me to have.  Hooray!

A near full McGlohon Theater was all checking Instagram while waiting for Barber to take the stage.  When Hot Husband came out to place her drink on the stool, the 80% female crowd went nuts.  And similarly when Celeste took to the stage.  From the get go you knew we were in for a fun night.  I think the novelty of an Australian was good for the Charlotte crowd, and the shock of her unfiltered love of taking the piss out of everyone, and herself, made for an awesome night.  The "routine" centered around how she got to where she was through the irony of her Instagram fame, it also touched on some funny stories about bullying, childbirth, double standards and insecurities of life.  We loved it.  From the 2nd last row, I could see the crowd physically moving in their seats from laughter.  Sadly she touched on Australia's tall poppy syndrome, but I love that she can rise above that and enjoy the success by being as Aussie as possible.

Poor Mike didn't know what he was in for.  But he had a great laugh and was more than glad he came along.  I probably did the wrong thing by not reaching out to Api before the show, but it has been nearly 30 years since we sat in Mr Hoddinot's Economics class and I didn't want to seem like the guy who was only reaching out because success and fame had found his family.  That's my regret for the night.  Maybe next time, because I'd surely see her show again.  Like Celeste says: the show was the Dolphin's Earrings.

Bateau Bay, NSW

On 13 November I flew back to Australia to attend Nanna F's funeral.  As awful reason to go home, but glad I got the chance, after missing the last 2 funerals of my grandparents.  Didn't spend a lot of times with friends, but got to be with family when it was needed.

Nanna F

L, Me, B, Nanna F & Nanny - August 2018

b 23 March 1926
Paddington, New South Wales, Australia

d 7 November 2018
Killarney Vale, New South Wales, Australia
Aged 92

Preceded in death, in 2014, by husband of 66 years, Ivan 

Survived by her children

Garry (d 2009), Suzanne, Lindsay & Margaret

her grandchildren

Joanne, Michael, Shayne, Grant, Luke, Kelly & Holly

her great-grandchildren

Erin, Brooke, Hayley, Daniel, Kody, Dylan, Ethan, Riley, Leila, Indiana, Lucy, Jayden, Barrett, Leland,  & Max

and her great-great grandchildren

Oliver, & Jonathan

A beautiful memorial was held for Nan on 16 November 2018 at Palmdale, where family and friends gathered to celebrate life Nan's life.  I made the trip home to join the celebtrations, and so glad I did.  I will never forget the childhood summers we spent with Nan & Granddad at Long Jetty.  The teenage years where she would visit me on every shift at Best & Less, and know every teenage girl's grandparents from the Bateau Bay Bowling Club.  The adult years of dinners and pokies waiting for Granddad and Col on Anzac Day.  And the joy of seeing my twin boys be with Nan and her twin Aunty Vi.  I'm so glad  we came home last summer to see you.

Central Coast Advocate Obituary - 22 November 2018