Van Halen Improvises Way Through Set

Today’s Van Halen seems more like a cast of characters promptly thrown on stage to see if they can make music together. They certainly look the part and musically it often seemed that way on Saturday night’s performance at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington.  

The two-hour, 24 song set, which included a guitar and drum solo, was at times the ultimate in hard rock but it often dragged. The band blazed through the first five songs featuring two of their latest “She’s the Woman” and the single “Tattoo” from the album A Different Kind of Truth, released in February, but after that it felt more like watching the band rehearse through songs in preparation for a concert.

Van Halen is on its second go-around with original and iconic singer David Lee Roth who departed the band way back in the 80s. This is also the second time out with Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang who is the ripe old age of 21. Long gone are the hair days of 30 years ago, now gracing the stage for Van Halen is a kid on bass (who was 16 on the last tour), his dad on guitar, his uncle Alex behind drums, and a lead singer who looks more like Liberace.

When Van Halen played in sync they sounded solid and Eddie’s guitar was monstrous. All too often though the band interrupted the flow of music to do what seemed to be an improvised guitar solo for Eddie or Roth simply wanting to slow down the pace and banter with his band mates or the fans. He didn’t pay too much attention to the younger Van Halen nor did the cameras that beamed the stage antics to the crowd on the super-sized viewing screen.

Van Halen started things off with their classic “Unchained” followed by “Runnin’ With the Devil.” Four tracks from Truth made the set list but clearly the majority of the fans were not only there to hear the old stuff but hadn’t even picked up the album.  This truth was evident by the decline in audience participation when the new songs were played and the shameless super-sized advertisement that popped up declaring the album was available at Best Buy.

The show started to unravel with “Everybody Wants Some” as the only lyrics I remember being sung were “Everybody wants some” over and over and over with Eddie seemingly practicing new chords and riffs. Roth forgot his lyrics at one point during the show and let everyone know he had but for the most part he danced the night away.

Alex Van Halen showed his mad skills behind the drums half way through the show with a drum solo that wasn’t overly technical but clearly showed he’s a master of his craft. Eddie launched into his guitar solo arranged around “Eruption” near the end of the evening and even he seemed impressed by his finger-tapping, at one point mouthing “WOW” several times.

Van Halen closed the night with audience favorite “Jump” and, perhaps I’m just a purist, but the keyboards were piped in just like the last tour and that comes across as artificial. Is there no one in the band who can play keyboards? The rhythm is not that hard but, truth be told, except for the big screen and some lighting effects, the band plays with minimal props and little accessories.

Set List:

Unchained
Runnin’ With the Devil
She’s the Woman
The Full Bug
Tattoo
Everybody Wants Some
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
China Town
Hear About it Later
Oh, Pretty Woman
Drum Solo
You Really Got Me
The Trouble With Never
Dance the Night Away
I’ll Wait
Hot for Teacher
Women in Love
Outta Love Again
Beautiful Girls
Ice Cream Man
Panama
Guitar Solo
Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
Jump

Coldplay Triumphant in Return to Portland

Everyone needs a second chance…including Coldplay.

Three years ago the band played the Clark County Amphitheater and it was clear that large, outdoor amphitheaters are not a fit with this band. It was a lackluster performance to put it mildly and by the third song I sat down from boredom.  Coldplay’s intimate songs demand an intimate venue but perhaps by the time they got around to the Pacific Northwest they were bored too.

But on Tuesday at the Rose Garden in Portland singer Chris Martin was sweating through his shirt by the third song providing proof to his comments that unless he’s sweating he’s not giving the audience his best. Coldplay not only gave their best, the show was one of most memorable concerts I’ve been too. These guys are a legitimate rock band.

Forget the rain of confetti, the bouncing beach balls and the dazzling light show that incorporated blinking wrist bands given to the audience, Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion played a tight set that proved why they are one of the world’s best-selling acts.

Whatever criticism is laid on the band be it the whiny songs, the overly slow and sad songs, and similar sounding songs, the genius behind Coldplay is they know how to tap into the brain’s emotional center more than any top selling band today.  From the melancholy, “Warning Sign,” to the gut-wrencher, “Fix You,” to the crowd pleaser “Paradise” Coldplay’s songs backed by Martin’s intensity can make you sit and reflect on a lost love or ponder the excitement of the future.

Coldplay’s sound can be directly attributed to Buckland’s guitar playing which helps fit the band in nearly its own genre just like what The Edge does for U2 and Alex Lifeson does for Rush. And, Champion is far from a one-two puncher time keeper behind the drums. Watching him pound the sticks is just as entertaining as Martin’s twirling  and running about.

The overhyped Viva La Vida (it certainly didn’t help when Martin claimed it to be the greatest piece of music ever – it wasn’t) may have sold better, thus far, than Mylo Xyloto, the album the band is currently touring, but Mylo shows a gradual shift towards a more upbeat approach and is a far superior album than Viva. The album is much stronger as a whole and production wise each song has its own flavor. Paradise brought the entire audience, even those in the rafters, to their feet and no one sat down until the show was over four songs later. The band performed 10 of the 14 songs from Mylo.

What clearly is not lost on Coldplay is the adoration of its fans. Martin thanked the crowd no less than three times for spending their money and their time on a Tuesday to see the band. The Coldplay faithful would likely brave any conditions to see their heroes but Martin’s comments were far from self-indulgent.  The world is living in trying times and concert tickets are not cheap. With a nod to this fact Martin promised to deliver a worthy show.

And they did.

 

Set List:

1. Mylo Xyloto
2. Hurts Like Heaven
3. Major Minus
4. Lovers in japan
5. The Scientist
6. Yellow
7. Violet Hill
8. God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
9. Princess of China
10. Up in Flames
11. Warning Sign
12. Don’t Let it Break Your Heart
13. Viva La Vida
14. Charlie Brown
15. Paradise
16. Us Against the World
17. Clocks
18. Fix You
19. Every Tear Drop is a Waterfall

Eutrophication of America

In nature, eutrophication is the result of artificial or natural substances into an aquatic system that results in a bloom of phytoplankton in a body of water. This bloom sucks the oxygen out of the water and kills off fish and other species making the body of water uninhabitable. 

Consider the following headlines:

Americans on food stamps reaches all time high – Huffington Post
Record Number of Americans on Unemployment – CNN
Record Number in Government Anti-poverty programs – USAToday
Medicaid Now Covers a Record Number of Americans – Philly.com

America is blooming. Unfortunately, the bloom of debt now more than $15 trillion is slowly sucking whatever oxygen is left keeping the United States alive. The CATO Institute recently released the following alarming figures:

• 126 anti-poverty programs in the United States
• $1 trillion spent on entitlements a year
• 41 percent increase in welfare spending in the last three years

According to the government’s own website, USGS.gov, “eutrophication is a natural, slow-aging process for a water body…” Eutrophication is a process whereby a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients, like phosphates and nitrates, causing this growth of algae. Ironically, the USGS added this to its definition “…but human activity greatly speeds up the process.”

By many respects government handouts are a form of nutrients via human activity. Welfare, food stamps, Medicaid and any one of the 126 programs designed to give life to the poor is nutrition. On the surface, a lake full of nutrients seems like a good thing but too much of a good thing clearly has fatal consequences for other organisms like fish, the natural inhabitants of the lake. And, on the surface, government handouts seem like a good thing too. But just like algae, the higher concentration of financial nutrients that are available the bigger the bloom suffocating that out which keeps the lake, or in this case, a country full of life.

In America, government has not only replaced God as a source of nutrition but also the family. It’s interesting to note, according to the USGS, that eutrophication is particularly evident in slow-moving rivers and shallow lakes. In a slow moving and shallow economy it seems as though government is the go-to for nutrition. To save the lake, the only way to reduce eutrophication is to remove the influx of nutrients.

Consider these statistics aired on NRB Network and see what they all have in common:

• 60 percent of America’s rapists
• 63 percent of American’s youth suicides
• 70 percent of America’s long-term prison inmates
• 70 percent of America’s reform school attendees
• 71 percent of teenage pregnancies
• 71 percent of high school drop outs
• 72 percent of adolescent murderers
• 85 percent of youth prisoners
• 85 percent of youths with behavior disorders
• 90 percent of runaways.

Fatherless homes. That’s the link. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a report on the importance of married two-parent families in 2006. Even the government recognizes how important the role of the father is but with 126 anti-poverty programs there really is no reason for a man to stick around when government steps in as the Father.

According to an article on DeseretNews.com, a third of children in the United States grow up in fatherless homes. And, in the past 50 years the percentage of children who live with two married parents has dropped 22 points and the number of babies born to unwed mothers jumped from five percent to 40 percent. Meanwhile, the United States has 126 anti-poverty programs in place. And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor.

Eutrophic means “well-nourished.” And, Americans are certainly well nourished. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the masses, the body of water that is the United States is slowly becoming uninhabitable because of the bloom of government.

If you want your life to count for Christ then never, never, never stop developing an intimate loving relationship with your spouse and spending time with your kids. ~ Josh McDowell

If you want to live in poverty then never, never, never stop developing an intimate loving relationship with your government.

Procrastinating Death

Another cat.

It seems as though we can’t get through one year with losing a pet. This time it was my mom’s cat. It never gets any easier though. The brother of this cat, Freddie, died in October 2009. Both were given to my parents by my wife when they were kittens – hence the attachment. We kept the third brother, Oliver, who took off for greener pastures in 2005. All three are together now since the runaway would, if he survived, be 15 now.

Hannibal died at 1:43 p.m. April 17^th. Last year my wife and I personally lost two cats, the year before a dog. Now we have two eight-month old kittens and three 14 year old cats. With all this death happening I wonder every day how much longer I have with the three older ones.

My parents are now experiencing the empty house syndrome after losing their sole pet. I know the feeling well. They are simply not there. Not in the closet. Not under the bed. Not at the food bowl. Nowhere.

It does help to believe your pets are waiting for you just like human loved ones. The Bible says little about the destination of animals a fact that so distraught me that I went and talked with a pastor after my childhood dog Max died. I could not fathom that a dog, a cat or any animal that gives so much love and companionship is not heaven bound. Animals are after all sinless; it was man who screwed it all up. I got the answer I was looking for and it wasn’t simply a salve.

Dealing with pet deaths is different when you’re older. It’s so present. The ability to capture the moment so to speak is almost nonexistent as a child. Moments merely pass as a youngster but as an adult, moments can take a life of their own.

The decision on Hannibal likely would have come yesterday but it was my mom’s birthday. Regardless we kept hoping for some sign of recovery, from the diagnosed kidney disease, all with the intention of procrastinating death. This morning however it was decided that waiting until 5:30 this afternoon was not in the best interest of Hannibal. 

I’ve never handled my pet’s deaths well. February last year when my cat Sweetcheeks died in front of me I was able to empathize with atheists but also concluded that atheists are merely God-haters. They don’t really not believe in God they just vocalize their unbelief to get back at God for whatever pain ails them. Then I questioned whether God really answers prayer after the death of Tigger in May.

After our dog Sassy died in 2009 it was so odd to not have her at home I remarked to my wife that I wanted to be where Sassy was. It was similar to when a loved one leaves for an extended time to a faraway place and even though you can’t just drop everything and go, the only way to comfort your loss is to imagine being where they are.

Thus, it occurred to me that perhaps loving and losing pets is God’s way of preparing us for our loved one’s deaths and even our own death. Other than my grandparents, I have not lost anyone close to me and I cannot fathom the possibility. It’s unacceptable to me. But so was losing every one of my pets.

I also know (from what I hear as I cannot attest to this) that at some point in life it’s no longer desirable to procrastinate death. Reflecting forwards thereby looking back on all the pets that have gone before me and then at some point in life knowing friends and family have all gone, I can see now why older people are ready to go. It’s as if everyone in their lives have taken that long far away trip but there’s only one way to join them. And they are ready to pack their bags and get on that flight.

But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. ~ 2 Samuel 12:23

Red Sox’s Woes Continue

The Boston Red Sox returned to classic form and continued their losing ways to start the 2012 season at 2-5. Their fall from grace at the end of last season is likely to stick with the team for some time. Boston’s expectations for 2011 were so high it was nearly a foregone conclusion for many pundits that the team would win the World Series – rarely a good thing. However, considering all the controversy and reports about in-house disgruntlement between teammates perhaps Boston should have shed all of its players.

For a Major League baseball team to fully clean house I suppose is unheard of but it is something I suggested long before September 2011’s downward spiral. I also felt Terry Francona’s tenure had run its course after the 2010 season and it was time for some new blood in the manager’s department. At any rate, after a historic losing streak, immense controversy and so much background bitterness why bother keeping anyone from the 2011 team?

Sure there are contracts and clauses but trades are not out of the question and for someone like Josh Beckett a change in scenery is probably a good thing. Jonathan Papelbon got the heck out of dodge and both Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek likely weighed the pros and cons of returning at their age to such a dysfunctional team before deciding on retirement. Losing Varitek’s leadership cannot bode well for the 2012 season.

In just eight years the Red Sox went from lovable losers to World Series champions (twice) and now laughing stock of the league. Last year they spent $20 million (a first for Boston) each on Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. Gonzalez proved to be worth his mettle, but Crawford was a bust and looks to continue that streak as he has yet to play a game this season because of a wrist injury and reportedly now has an elbow strain. He looks more and more like the second coming of Edgar Renteria.

Jacoby Ellsbury broke again yesterday simply by sliding into second base.

The good news for Boston is Beckett looked vintage in his second start (awful in his first) and David Ortiz continues to silence critics from year’s past that he’s past his prime. Gonzalez is performing as advertised and second baseman Dustin Pedroia is doing pretty much what he’s done since his breakout 2007 season which is play baseball really well.

Gone is any talk of even a playoff run for Boston and whether Manager Bobby Valentine is a temporary fix to a volatile situation is anyone’s guess. (He was booed by fans during the team’s home opener. Not sure why.) A last place finish for Boston would not be surprising and competing for a playoff spot would surpass all expectations – sometimes a good thing.

Like last year, Boston is a good team on paper. For his part, Valentine is a foster parent and to translate the paper skill to the field Valentine cannot merely come in and bust heads. Discipline and effort were an issue under the player friendly Francona and the clubhouse was run amuck. Like children, overpaid baseball players (whether they want it or not) need direction and guidance but an overly firm hand may further whatever discord is bubbling at the top.

Boston turned last year’s slow start around and had some of the best winning months in baseball history. If Boston has a historic losing season it’s hard to imagine seeing any holdovers from the 2011 team on the 2013 team.

 

Social Distortion Delivers Memorable Yet Paced Show

Iconic rockers Social Distortion brought their brand of Punk N Roll to a sold out show in Portland on Tuesday at the Roseland Theater and took their time doing it.

Witnessing the first show of any tour, which this was, provides little more than a mental souvenir for the fan but also requires some patience on those in attendance as the kinks are worked out. The band, led by Mike Ness, did not reach the stage until after 10 p.m., more than 30 minutes after the second opening act left, and paced their way through a 16-song set.

Ness looked winded at times taking frequent breaks between songs, chatted up the audience more than I can remember and even joked at one point about needing to get some oxygen.  Perhaps more than 30 years of underground Rock N Roll will do that, especially for Ness who eclipsed 50 last week. However the playing did not suffer at all.

This was perhaps not only the strongest set of songs I can remember but Social Distortion is playing at a very high level. Ness, who founded Social Distortion with (more or less)the late Dennis Danell, has made brilliant decisions in keeping what is rightfully his band together after the exits of so many previous members.  Brent Harding is entertaining to watch on bass and how can you go wrong with veteran guitarist Jonny Wickersham, who joined after Danell passed in 2000.

The band started the show with “Bad Luck,” “So Far Away” and “Story of my Life” before ripping into “Machine Gun Blues” off their latest album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes which is already almost a year and a half old. At this point any frustration with the band for taking so long to start had melted away and after “Telling Them” all was forgiven.

Shockingly, after 10 songs (just an hour) the band left the stage. The typical encore is usually two or three songs, however Social Distortion added five and another 30 minutes including two of their best songs “Winners and Losers” and “Far Behind.” “Reach for the Sky” was also in the encore set and relaxed a bit with more of a bluegrass flavor. It worked and I applaud the band for trying a new approach however perhaps more effective would be for Ness to sing the first few bars acapella before the band comes in hard and fast.

Social Distortion has come a long way musically and professionally in the last three decades. The band is pretty much the only surviving member of 80’s punk rock and they are so much better than the Crawford Hall days at UC Irvine. However, 20 years ago Social Distortion opened for the Ramones at the Roseland and today they still play there. Thankfully, they passed up (whether intentional or not) playing at the Crystal Ballroom but after more than 30 years and such a loyal following the band deserves a larger venue.  

Hard Times may also not be as punk rock as some would like but as Ness said during the show he’s not angry anymore. Though after pausing, he said he was angry about different problems. Anger makes for good records, Mommy’s Little Monster, but an angry and bitter teenager cannot stand the test of time . The reality is had Ness not grown up like the rest of us both he and Social Distortion would have washed out before 1990 ever happened.

Every album by Social Distortion is a testament to Ness’ life phases. The angry me against the world at the beginning, a little melancholy after spending time in prison and then reflective with how fast life moves.  From there Social Distortion, or rather Ness, gets down on himself before realizing, as all of us do eventually, that he was wrong.

Perhaps, now liberated from his personal pain, Ness is focusing on enjoying himself, the music and playing. Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll is a testament to that and is one of the band’s best albums. Hard Times simply continues with what all musicians should do: Grow in their music and writing.  Ness has indicated he doesn’t want to wait another six to seven years before releasing a new album and we can only hope he sticks to that plan.

Social Distortion plays a second show Thursday at the Roseland.

Set List:

Bad Luck
So Far Away
Story of my Life
Machine Gun Blues
Sick Boys
Telling Them
Bakersfield
Gimme the Sweet and Low Down
Dear Lover
Sometimes I do
Nickels and Dimes
Winners and Losers
Let the Jukebox Keep Playing
Reach for the Sky
Far behind
Ring of Fire

A Literary Roller Coaster

I’ve read a number of books over the years and especially in the last few months. Recently, I’ve dived into biographies or memoirs of people. Thanks to the Goodreads application on Facebook which provides recommendations based on the books I catalogue I discovered Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton.

I know who Hamilton is and about his faith and that he struggled with substance abuse, almost lost his gift of playing baseball and then his rise from the ashes. Always a sap for feel good stories especially in pro sports, I can remember pulling for him in the 2008 All Star Home Run Derby and last year I rooted for the Texas Rangers in the playoffs primarily because of Hamilton. What I didn’t know was his story and exactly how far down the road of drugs he went.   

Beyond Belief is as close to a literary roller coaster as I have ever read. The first 50 pages or so is like the long slow climb up a steep grade. It’s as if you can hear the chink-chink-chink of the chains carrying you to the top. At one point it does take a while as the book outlines more or less just how great of an athlete Hamilton was as a kid and how he was nearly groomed from the start to play professional baseball. A little bit of tediousness sets in and much like the slow ascent on a roller coaster you start to get a little impatient for the ride to take off. Then the subtle “here-we-go” pause at the top…

That’s when Hamilton tries cocaine for the first time and then the insane drops, bottoming-out, unforgiving sharp turns and loops, screaming to get off until finally the last sharp turn and the slow take-a-breath pace back to safety. At times I openly yelled at Hamilton and there was a point I might have stopped reading had I not known the eventual outcome. By all accounts, Josh Hamilton should not be alive.

                I used so much the cocaine tore through my sinuses. I would sit in that room with
                a T-shirt in my hands, blowing six- to eight-inch-long strings of tissue out of my nose
                and into the shirt. I could feel them hanging loose behind the bridge of my nose and I
                would blow and blow until they came out. The T-shirts were covered in blood and
                the meaty flesh of my sinuses. – Page 114

The book is not for the weak hearted. It is a raw and authentic account of drug addiction and how far a person will go to feed that addiction. Beyond Belief is four years old now so the reader can venture forth knowing Hamilton is playing ball and living up to his childhood expectations. Pray for him.

It’s clear that Hamilton will never shake his addiction image and likely will always be answering questions about his past and of course his future. So I’d like to point out a subtle fact in the book that I believe is often overlooked. It is certainly one I did not know and since the media likes to focus so much on the negative I have to wonder if anyone has ever asked Hamilton about his role as a step-father.

A fast reader may gloss over the first mention of his daughter Julia. Only once does Hamilton mention his wife, upon dating her, as a single mother. The rest of the book Hamilton refers to Julia as his daughter and when Hamilton’s first biological daughter is born the two are referred to as daughters.  I am a step-dad so perhaps that’s why it stood out to me. In 11 years of marriage only one person, who is not even a “close” friend, has asked me about my role as a step-dad. I can testify it is not easy.

The big picture with Hamilton is of course his addiction, the road to recovery and how his faith in Christ led him to sobriety. The name of the book is absolutely fitting because the fact that Hamilton is not only alive but playing for the Texas Rangers at such a high level is indeed beyond belief. As with all good dramas there is the larger plot that drives the story but there is always a background narrative that often goes unnoticed.

For Hamilton, his role as a step-father has taken the backseat to the much larger plot. Clearly it should as it’s a testimony to Christ’s love, forgiveness and redemption. But I wonder how he’s handling being a step-dad?  Maybe someone should ask him.