Concert Review--Deepfield, Saliva, Puddle of Mudd At Irving Plaza--10/23/07

A good bud Jeff and I saw a (loud) show at Irving Plaza (now called "The Fillmore") right here in NYC. It was a great concert. Deepfield was the opening act. Deepfield is an up-and-coming band from South Carolina that just released their first album, Archetypes and Repetition. The drummer for Deepfield (Russell Lee) reminded me of Led Zeppelin's legendary John Bonham as he pounded the drums with tremendous energy. His beard also makes him look somewhat like a young Bonzo. More power to Deepfield, I hope you do well! Here is a (pretty low quality) pic of them in action at Irving Plaza:

Next up was Saliva, a band that Jeff particularly likes. Saliva hails from Memphis, Tennessee, and they put out a lot of riotous sound. I actually found out about the band from the film The 51st State, where the band's song "Doperide" is featured during a scene where hooligans trash a medical lab. They played a great set, featuring not only Doperide, but their other hits "Always," "Your Disease," and that tribute to the second amendment "Click, Click, Boom." The lead guitarist lived up to the band's name by occasionally spitting water into the crowd. Here are a few shots of Saliva from the show:
The final act was Puddle Of Mudd. All three bands were great, but Wes Scantlin (lead guitar and vocals) and company really raised the roof on this particular night. They played hits "Control," "Blurry" as well as some songs that I was less familiar with, and finished up with a rocking encore of the rather amusing "She Hates Me."

This is the full set list:

AWAY FROM ME
CONTROL
OUTTA MY HEAD
LIVIN ON BORROWED TIME
PSYCHO (spelled PYSCHO on set list)
DRIFT & DIE (DEDICATED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FIRE VICTIMS AND NEW ORLEANS RECENT FLOODING)
BRING ME DOWN
NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE
MERRY GO ROUND
NOBODY TOLD ME
BREED (NIRVANA COVER F***ING INCREDIBLE)
SPIN YOU AROUND
BLURRY
FAMOUS
SHE HATES ME

Here is a pic of Puddle of Mudd from the show:

Alex Has A Brand New Bag...

Get it? Sort of like James Brown's Papa's Got a Brand New Bag? well, whatever...

A year ago I decided I wanted a “status bag”. Then the odyssey began. When you have just one, it says so much about you…so what would it be? Burberry? LV? Ferragamo?

In truth – it wouldn’t be my first. John got me a Car Shoe in Zurich and I love it. I loved how the name wasn't that well known in the US... if you've never heard of it, take a look... it's owned by Prada. It was right after we got engaged and it holds a great deal of sentimental value for me. But after a year of the Car Shoe, the buzz was beginning to wear off and I was in need of another fix. I started to look in the spring – but nothing was as nice as the one I had. I also began to seriously question myself – was I really the type of person who could spend thousands of dollars on an accessory? It was just a bag after all – something I stuffed my lunch and shoes into when I went to work.

Then I began to notice how women in New York carry bags. They hold them in front of their bodies, label facing out, almost like a shield. Armor against the world, logos emblazoned for all to see and bow before. The houses of Fendi, Gucci, Dior. I wanted no part of this.

I found a perfect summer white leather and straw Adrienne Vittadini bag that didn’t cost a month's rent and decided to back burner the whole “status bag” idea. Labor Day came, I put away the white bag and the search began again. I had been eyeing a chocolate brown leather bag – it wasn’t perfect, but it was rather nice. I took a friend over to get a second opinion and there in its place was IT. The perfect bag. Antique chocolate brown, handles that went around my shoulder leaving my hands free for the all important morning coffee. I walked away from it, I had to think. Was I ready to enter this world? Did I want to become a shield-carrying-Im better-than-you-because-my-bag-rocks kind of a girl?

I went back at the end of the day for it and almost had to beat off a lady-who-does-lunch who clearly would not have coveted this bag in the way that I do. She would have taken it out for all her friends to envy, and then tossed it on a back shelf in her handbag graveyard.

Its been three weeks since I’ve been carrying it around. Its amazing – people are treating me differently. I’ve had at least a dozen women on the street tell me its beautiful or ask where I got it from. I’m trying to perfect saying “It's Prada” without sounding like a total bitch. I walked into Saks yesterday and the women behind the counter strained to see what kind of bag I had before talking to me. I’m sure the sweetness in her voice and the apologetic tone when she explained I'd have to go down a flight of steps to get to the ladies room, had nothing to do with the price tag associated with my arm candy.

ZZ Top (a.k.a. Billy Gibbons and Company) Plays The Blues RIGHT

September 27th, 2007

John and a good bud saw ZZ Top at the Beacon Theatre right here in New York City, amazing show. It was the first time I have ever seen them and I was blown away. Thankfully they limited their use of the more commercialized and overplayed songs (imho) such as Legs and Sharp Dressed man, and we got an amazing display from one of the best blues guitar players I have ever seen--Billy Gibbons. His fretwork absolutely jammed, with incredible tone and flair, particularly on songs such as "Just Got Paid," "Jesus Just Left Chicago," "Waiting for the Bus," and "LaGrange." Here are a couple of pics from the show:
If you get a chance to see them I would absolutely not pass it up. Check out the very positive review of the Buffalo show on September 20th Buffalo show here.