rusty_halo

* New White Collar promo. It’s mostly old footage but it sure does make the show look sexy. (Where’s Elizabeth, though?)

* I GOT A SECOND ROW TICKET TO SEE JOHN SIMM IN HAMLET! :)

Now I just have to figure out how the hell I’m going to make a detour to Sheffield on my way from NYC to Paris (for the Lymond thing). It’s looking like I can fly from JFK to Manchester and take a train to Sheffield, see the play, take a train to London and spend a day there, then take a train to Paris. Icelandair is currently showing round trips from JFK to Manchester with a return from Paris to JFK for about $700 total–that’s a better price than I expected, although I’m a little iffy about the stopover in Reykjavik.

(Does anyone out there have experience with any of this–is that a sane plan or would you recommend something else?)

* jaydk and I went to see Metropolis at Film Forum. The restored footage was way cool, but the image would’ve been better if we’d waited for the DVD. Movie theaters have pretty much lost their allure now that I have a giant television.

* We also got tickets to see Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which is um, a political satire in the form of an emo rock musical? I don’t know, but it looks fun.

* Stone Temple Pilots are touring, but they’re not playing NYC proper. I don’t want to go out to Jones Beach, but maybe I’ll go to the Borgata in Atlantic City. Apparently there’s now a train that goes there from NYC, and the Borgata is a good venue–it’s small and GA and half the crowd leaves in the middle to gamble, which means I can usually get right up front (I saw Depeche Mode standing in the third row there). But on the minus side it’s a long trip, it’s expensive, and they have a new album which means I’d have to stand through a bunch of new songs that I don’t care about. Hmmm.

* I did get a ticket to see “BlackDiamondSkye” at Madison Square Garden, which is Alice in Chains and the Deftones apparently? I dunno, I couldn’t resist seeing AIC at MSG, even though this is probably too much dude music for me, and I really don’t like the new AIC songs.

* rm has been posting interesting thoughts on season six of BtVS and, man, thinking about that era brought back all these unhappy emotions from seven years ago that I didn’t even know I still had. I reassert my vow never to become so negatively emotionally involved in a fandom again. (Note my complete lack of posts about Moffat’s Who.)

Originally published at rusty-halo.com. You can comment here or there.

http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2537

I went to this benefit at the Nokia Theater in Times Square last night. It was for some kind of drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization for musicians… headlined by Slash and Jerry Cantrell. (Yeah, I don’t quite follow that either.)

( Road Recovery Benefit Concert with Slash, Jerry Cantrell, Tom Morello, Perry Farrell, Jakob Dylan, and a bunch more )

Originally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.

I was in The New York Times!

Okay, not really. But a blog post I wrote was linked from one of the New York Times blogs. And from Brooklyn Vegan, too.

*feels cool*

What else? I haven't been posting much. I've been busy, and traveling, and tired.

My office moved to Brooklyn. It sucks. I don't even have the energy to rant about it right now.

I went to Austin last weekend, for an insane mini-vacation. I had less than 24 hours to cram in my first visit to Texas, a meal, some sleep, and an Alice in Chains concert.

( Laura's Austin Adventure )

[Cross-posted to my InsaneJournal]

I saw that Gonzales is resigning and almost jumped for joy. Thank god.

I'm in a weird state. First, the good. I read a GREAT book: "A Game of Kings," the first in Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. I've been seeing this series referenced throughout fandom for years, and so I finally gave in and bought it (during one of the most recent "Why do [we/you freaks] like hurt/comfort?" memes that went around).

It took a little while to get into--I know nothing about 16th century Scottish history, and I know very little Latin or French, and I know nothing about chess (except how to lose spectacularly quickly). And she has a writing style that definitely takes a little getting used to. But there were so many clever turns of phrase, and Lymond was instantly intriguing, and I knew fandom couldn't be wrong, so I persevered and soon enough I was riveted.

I took this book with me on the bus to Atlantic City (yes, I survived), read it in line at the concert, read it for the three hour bus ride home, got home at 4am, helped my idiot roommate shovel water out of our clogged bathtub (more on that later), and then continued reading straight until 2pm the next day, when I finally finished. I realize I was awake 26 hours straight and didn't eat for 30 hours (well, except for cough drops and throat comfort tea). I took a dose of Nyquil and passed out until 8pm. What a weird day.

But, anyway, the book was that good. It's that irresistible combination of excellent writing and total hurt/comfort crack. Plus Lymond is a great character; like a combination of Methos and Jaime Lannister (although he never sinks to the rotten depths of those two). ( spoilers for Dunnett's 'A Game of Kings' and Martin's 'A Storm of Swords' )

Okay, and the concert. ( First, I rant about how I despise the soulless predatory pathetic evil of Atlantic City )

( And then I rave about the brilliant spiritual experience of an Alice in Chains concert )

( The latest evil roommate, apartment woes, and me about to lose my mind )

[Cross-posted to my InsaneJournal]

They put up the Layne Staley tribute video on the Alice in Chains site today. AIC played this video on their last tour during the switch from electric to acoustic sets. It's awesome.

Watch it here.

[Cross-posted to my InsaneJournal]

Um, wow. Last night was amazing.

I was in the front row of the pit, holding on to the barrier, right in front of Jerry Cantrell. I was, of course, singing along with every word of every song, and during "Down in a Hole" Jerry looked straight at me, saw me singing, grinned, kept eye contact, and sang a line of the song to me.

Yeah, I can totally die happy now. It was like the perfect moment, because "Down in a Hole" is one of the most beautiful songs ever, and I wasn't trying to get his attention, I was just watching him sing, and he just happened to look at me and was pleased that I was singing along.

And it was an *amazing* show. It was better than the previous two; the crowd was way more into it, possibly because there was a mosh pit. Have I mentioned I hate shows with no pit? I hate seating in general; no one should be sitting during a rock show unless they are physically incapable of standing.

AIC was just so obviously having fun, grinning at each other, and Jerry and William have great chemistry, the way that they sing together and seem to really enjoy each other's stage presence. At one moment Jerry was playing guitar out on this extended platform, and he was supposed to step back to the mic to sing an upcoming part, but instead William walked out on the platform with him and they shared the mic. Stuff like that happened all night--the members of AIC just look they're having so much fun, and are so happy to be onstage together. Their performance feels so real and organic, unlike Velvet Revolver's which is all staged.

They've been playing the same set at every show, but changing the order of the middle songs, and having one song that changes. Last night it was "Dirt"; previously it was "Love Hate Love" and "Dam That River." (I really wish they'd swap their opener, "Again," for "It Ain't Like That." The show doesn't really get going until the second song, "Grind," and then starts completely KILLING with the next, "We Die Young," which is why I think "It Ain't Like That" would make a stronger opener--who can NOT rock out to that one? I just unfortunately don't really think "Again" is a particularly strong song--they have so many better to choose from.)

Jerry made eye contact with me again one more time, as I was rocking out to something-or-other. The crowd seemed to be a mix of AIC and VR fans; several of the people in the front row seemed to just be tolerating AIC. Which, y'know, offends me on so many levels, but I won't go into it. But a LOT of people were into AIC--after their set finished the crowd was screaming for an encore. And a couple of times the crowd started up a chant of "Jerry! Jerry!" I heard plenty of people grumbling that they should have split the bill. Yeah, I liked this crowd! (It also started up a chant of "Fuck Axl!" which I found very amusing.)

Velvet Revolver played a much better show last night compared to the previous two shows. Scott was far more chatty with the audience (and most of what he said made sense!) and his voice sounded better than Saturday, although still a bit strained. Slash was amazing--ooh, I got a Slash guitar pick! He threw it to the crowd right after finishing an awesome rendition of "It's So Easy." The girl next to me also got a guitar pick, and the guy next to me caught Weiland's Gatorade that he tossed to the crowd.

I was thinking of leaving early to get back to the train station (the last train back to New York was at 12:15 and the band played until 11:30) but it was so good that I couldn't leave. I had to see the encore of "Wish You Were Here" (so beautiful the way the whole crowd sings along) and "Slither."

(Incidentally, I was in the front row mainly because this nice fellow scooted aside to squeeze me in. [I left work at 3:45 and arrived at the venue around 6:45, thanks to a slow Amtrak train, rush hour traffic, and a very slow ferry. Oh and lots of rain.] We ended up talking for most of the show [I mean when the bands weren't playing]--he's a guitar tech who has his own band. You meet the coolest people at shows, seriously. And it's like since you're all sharing this love of music, people go out of their way to be cool even to strangers. [I mean aside from the drunk assholes and crowd surfers who kick you in the face, but there weren't too many drunks and I've gotten very good at ducking crowd surfers--of which there were MANY during "Rooster" and the whole VR set.])

I was very lucky to make it back to New York--I was going to take the ferry over the river to Philadelphia and then take a cab to the train station, but I got lost trying to find the ferry and found a cab on the Camden side instead. Actually me and two other people were racing for it, and then when we got there we realized that we were all going to the same place, so we shared it. How awesome--and random--is that? This was probably a lot faster--I made it to the train station at midnight, and then found out the train was delayed by a half hour anyway. SO glad that I didn't leave the show early.

I slept on the train and got back to New York around 2:30am--can you tell I'm totally exhausted today? But JERRY CANTRELL SANG TO ME DURING "DOWN IN A HOLE" so really, nothing can bring me down today.

[Cross-posted to my InsaneJournal]

I'm listening to the new Velvet Revolver album.

(It reminds me disturbingly of Law and Order.)

I always wished I'd been around during the 80s metal heyday. Clearly this is my second chance.

There is something appealing about music that is just dumb and fun and sincere in its simplicity. Scott Weiland's never going to win awards for the quality of his lyrics, but the emotion is there. Take "The Last Fight": not intellectually stimulating, but a great song in its rock epic way. There are plenty of good, satisfying songs on this album.

*is so excited about the upcoming VR/AIC tour*

I couldn't listen to this kind of music all the time, but for a big summer rock tour, it's perfect.

(I mean, it's still grotesquely offensive that Alice in Chains is opening for them, but whatever, I'm going to enjoy myself.)

Just got this email from AliceinChains.com:

Alice To Tour This Fall

The rumours are true - Alice in Chains will be embarking on another major tour this fall. The guys will be joined by Velvet Revolver and together the two bands will rock their way across North America.

Chatter about the new tour has already started over on the AliceInChains.com Discussion Board so if you're not yet a member of the site, sign up and then head to the Board to get excited about this fall's biggest tour. Being a member of AliceInChains.com will also give you access to the site's ticket presales, the best way to make sure that you get your tickets first. More details on those presales and the tour, including a list of show dates, will be released soon so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for your next news-packed edition of Dirt.

Um... do you think it would be a bad idea to quit my job and use my life savings to follow this tour?


Okay, I probably won't. But if this really happens I am going to do some serious traveling and attend as many of these as I possibly can.

(Hmmm, wonder if there will be any cash left over to hire that slightly psychopathic bodyguard...)

SQUEE!!!!!

*so very tired*

Alice in Chains was amazing last night. For the first time, I didn't cry. Instead I felt this overwhelming sense of euphoria. I think it came from the crowd--this was the most unbelievably excited crowd. People were ecstatic. It was like being with a room full of people whose dreamed of seeing Alice in Chains when we were children, and now together our childhood dream was coming true.

Yes, I know how goofy that sounds. But looking around, it was like having a time machine, being able to go back and experience that time again. Except better, because we weren't going backwards--we were all together, now, celebrating our era and knowing that it wasn't dead.

I met a really nice couple from Jersey and hung out with them, front row, on the far left (Mike Inez side). People around me were talking about how much they'd loved AIC from childhood, how it got them through so much. I don't know how such dark, honest, painful music can save you and show you such beauty, but it does. You wouldn't believe the hush that came over the crowd when they played "Nutshell"; I looked around and other people were crying. When they played "Man in the Box," I was so overwhelmed I couldn't believe that actual human beings could be responsible for creating such an amazing sound. I don't know what my favorite was--I suppose I was most excited during "Dam That River," "Got Me Wrong," "Down in a Hole," "We Die Young," "Angry Chair," "Man in the Box," "Would?" ... how does one band have so many mind-blowingly-awesome songs?

The crowd surfers were amazing. There was literally a non-stop stream of people surfing over the crowd and coming to the front. I saw several of the same people go through repeatedly, nearly as many women as men. (I'm debating whether to try for the Jerry side tonight, because I don't want to spend the whole evening distracted by crowd surfers.) The audience chanted mostly for Jerry, but someone also started a chant for Sean (yay!). And someone threw a full can of beer onstage; Jerry offered to kick their ass, and Sean couldn't believe that someone in NYC would waste a $12 beer. It was so good to see them all interacting together, and I even liked seeing Jerry and William goofing around together when they were performing.

I didn't cry, but I got a little teary eyed during "Down in a Hole." I think maybe the most beautiful thing I've ever heard is the way that Layne and Jerry sing that song on AIC Unplugged. When they play it now, Jerry and William sing the Jerry part, and the audience sings Layne's part. It's not just seeing a band perform--it's everyone, together, celebrating Layne Staley, celebrating Alice in Chains, celebrating the art that means so much to us, celebrating our era in time, celebrating the moment we're all sharing together.

In brief:

Saturday I went to Atlantic City to see Alice in Chains. I took the train to my parents' house and then my mom drove me down to Atlantic City. In return I gave her a free ticket to the show. (I *really* didn't want to take the bus again.)

I got us a great spot, front row on the far right. Perfect view of Jerry, and no one pushing us. Mom kept sneaking off to gamble, though. I'd say she's developing a serious problem, but she gambles such tiny amounts that it probably doesn't matter much. Still, after spending time in Atlantic City and in Las Vegas, I've come to realize that I really, really hate gambling. (I hate that people spend so much time on something so ugly and wasteful and pointless when they could be doing something interesting or creative or thoughtful. And I hate the culture that springs up around exploiting them. And I hate the garish loud smoke-ridden casinos. On and on.)

Anyway. But I got us a great spot and she stayed for most of the show. (She skipped the encore to gamble again though!) She claims she really enjoyed it, and I believe her; she was singing "Man in the Box" all the next day. My mom is so weird. (She knows all about Alice in Chains because I've talked about them incessantly since I was eleven.)

The show was good. Amazing, actually. I was really into it and actually managed to not cry for the whole beginning part. But then they caught me off guard with a video tribute to Layne Staley and then an unplugged set, so I spent the whole middle part crying like I haven't cried since ... oh, since the last time I saw Alice in Chains. Then at the end they came back playing heavier songs, and my mom had left by then, so I was jumping up and down and screaming and feeling annoyed that the Atlantic City crowd was so lame that not everyone around me was doing the same.

AIC is my favorite band, my music, in a way that nothing else is. I don't know exactly how to describe it; I like a lot of goth music, but have never really felt quite at home in that scene. I don't even dance, which makes me constantly out of place. But at Alice in Chains, you don't dance, you jump around and headbang, and that makes sense to me.

Anyway, it's hard to describe, and I'm sort of embarrassed at how emotional I get over it, but it is what it is. And I'm seeing them twice more (Wednesday and Thursday), so hopefully my sore neck and banged up knee will recover by then.

(They played "Don't Follow!" And "Got Me Wrong"!! And "Rotten Apple"!!!!!!!! They had the crowd sing the Layne part of "Down in a Hole" and they turned on the house lights and had the crowd sing the "I haven't felt like this in so long" in "Got Me Wrong" and they were perfect, unbelievable.)


And today I had jury duty. I had to sit in a jury box and answer a bunch of questions, and it was somewhat terrifying, but then I didn't get selected. Yay! I have to go back tomorrow, and if I get out of it again, then I'm free. *fingers crossed*

And now I'm at work, because deadlines don't care that I have jury duty. :P


But tomorrow: Halloween! And Courtney Love is signing books at the Astor Place Barnes & Noble, and then I'm seeing Evil Dead: The Musical, and then the next two nights I'm seeing Alice in Chains.


And are the Daily Show and Colbert Report back? They'd better be, because I need my Stephen Colbert fix tonight.