I Went In With A Naked Lady And Left With A Linkin

 This has been the summer of concerts for me and the chef. We have attended a lot of shows with several more having been added recently. Those shows being Fiona Apple, Jay-Z, All-American Rejects, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals all coming up in the near future. But we recently did something we have never
done in all our concert goings which is go to two concerts two days in a row at the same venue. The venue in question was the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach. For those who have never been there it is an air amphitheater that seats about 15,000 and has water on either side of it. It really is a beautiful venue to watch a show at.

Welcome to the nosebleeds...

 The first show which was part of the Last Summer On Earth Tour. This show was headlined by Barenaked Ladies, and Blues Traveler.  Usually we go to a show early cause there is usually a pretty large crowd and it takes awhile to get into the venue, get our swag, etc. Well to say there was no crowd would be an insult to the idea of a crowd. There were more workers at the venue when they opened the gates then people going to the show. It was really different from any show I have ever been too. Almost every show I have ever been to has tons of people and this was the complete opposite. When they opened the gates I thought there is no way they will get this place half full. It seemed like nobody was going. In the end it turned out this was a super late arriving crowd and by the end there was a pretty full venue.

Umm...does anyone know if there is a show today?

 So most shows we attend have a great surprise in some of the opening bands who we have never heard of. Most recently at the Counting Crows show in Brooklyn it was a band called We Are Augustines that completely rocked. This show was marked by the pleasant surprise of Big Head Todd and the Monsters. This group was a blues rock band with a very southern sound to them . Most interesting part about the band was that the lead singer was Asian and that he could really sing the blues. I mean this guy could SING THE BLUES. He would not be out of place at a New Orleans delta bar singing into the wee hours of the morning. And for me my show highlight was their cover of the blues classic, “When The Levee Breaks”. They did a rendition similar the the famous Led Zeppelin and they did the song justice by copying it while giving it some of their own flavor.

This guy paid $65 to sleep through Blues Traveler

 I’m not much a fan of Blues Traveler so I’ll skip them. For me the reason I wanted to see this show was so that I could see the Barenaked Ladies live. I have always heard legends of the Ladies live being one of the most fun shows in person to see. And having heard their legendary live album “Rock Spectacle” almost a hundred times (I have the whole thing memorized it’s that good) I could not wait to see a little bit of that magic on stage. 

One of my favorite live albums ever

 And the BNL definitely did not disappoint. They put on an hour long set that was fun, full of energy, and just a great time. It seemed half the time they were having as much fun on stage as we were watching. They have the reputation of being jokesters and they lived up to that billing. Constantly they made fun of each other, probably most noticeable when bassist Jim Creeggan tripped and fell onstage while goofing around. It was a pretty hilarious moment when you trip in front of thousands of people. 

Naked Ladies never looked so Canadian

 Other highlights included, “If I Had A Million Dollars” and what can be called the “Barenaked Rap”. The rap being a medley of current radio hits like, “Somebody That I Used To Know”, and fellow Canadian Carly Rae Jepsen ‘s “Call Me Maybe”. You should check out the link below its really quite awesome. And you can never be mad at white guys trying to dance badly together.

 This was a very fun night one but for me I was most looking forward to night two which was Incubus and Linkin Park. Now the crowd for this show was the exact opposite of the crowd from the night before. While that crowd was late arriving this crowd was in their seats before Incubus came onstage. They were ready and there was a buzz in the air. The BNL show most of the crowd sat on their hands till the two main acts came out.

Now I’m not much of an Incubus fan but they are pretty cool. I like a couple of songs like, “Drive” but beyond that I don’t know much of there stuff. But the crowd (who weathered a rainstorm to catch the show) was far more into it then I was. Some of them were just rocking out like crazy. They actually wound up doing a longer set then Linkin Park put on which went about 90+ minutes.

This picture is blurry cause these guys were head banging way too much

 Then after a short intermission the opening cords of “Tinfoil” leading to DJ Han giving us the finger which everyone cheered.  Then they began to play, “Faint” and it was like a rollercoaster for the rest of the set. They played everyone of there hits that you all know by heart (Numb, Crawling, Somewhere I Belong, In The End, etc) with the crowd eating every single song up. 

You can see Chester sweating even from up here.

I contend that I love going to see live music for one reason. It is that communal feeling of sharing something with the people who only attend that show. And nothing gives me greater goose bumps then when a crowd of 10,000 sings a song in unison word for word along with the band. That is what this whole show was. The crowd knew every song and every word and we could not get enough. Probably the best example of this was LP’s first hit, “One Step Closer” which the crowd sand perfectly in league with Chester as blasted out the famous lines, “everything you say to me…”.

 Linkin Park put on an awesome show live. They bring an energy that is infectious to the crowd they are playing for. Part of it is also the crowd who know all their songs and that certainly helps that they know all the material. In the end the result is the best show I have been to live this year. I liked Radiohead a lot, and Counting Crows always brings the energy when they are on stage. But Linkin Park live was then one show I was most looking forward to. And they did not disappoint. I cannot wait to see them again.

My turn already? I slept at the airport in Seattle and just barely made the first flight back to NY the next morning- the same day of the BNL concert. I barely slept. My body ached something fierce, but I'd be damned if I missed this concert.

Unlike J, I wanted to go to this show to see Blues Traveler. Something about a fat man with shades and a hat singing the blues while blowing through a harmonica just something for me. And why the fuck doesn't remember and love "Run Around"??? Don't lie. You know you catch yourself singing along when you accidentally hit the "oldies" station in the car.

I barely made it home before J came by to pick me up. We both worried we were late and wouldn't find parking and miss the openers....alas. We were wrong. Great parking spot. Barely any people waiting, and they hadn't even let anyone in yet. There were no crowds.  We had a leisurely time picking out swag. Wait...did I even buy anything that night? Hmm....actually, I don't think I did. I wasn't overly blown away by any of the merchandise, and paying $40 for a mediocre tee shirt was not sitting well with me. Having just dropped serious cash in Seattle, and knowing I had another concert the next evening made me stingy with my money.

The money I saved on merch, I was more than willing to spend on food. I was starving. After a lackluster browse around, I settled on a pulled pork sandwich and a Coke. For some strange reason there was no beer being sold. WTF??? The sandwich was not all I had hoped it would be.

We made it to our awesome seats not too far from the stage. AWESOME seats!!

Fucking cows.

And then it went downhill. There must be some weird radar on these Long Island crowds because they all stay away until the music is just about to start, and as it did, three of the most annoying girls in the world wound up sitting in front of us. Not only did their shenanigans block my view of the stage, but their annoying antics were distracting. Already cranky and tired, I didn't do my usually bounce up to my feet, rocking out to the jams. I stayed seated and sullen.

That is, until Bare Naked Ladies came out. I didn't realize how many of their songs I knew. It was amazing and fun. There are some bands that come and do their songs and then thank the crowd and then they go. Bare Naked Ladies come out and engage the crowd and do their songs in a seamless  entertaining flow. I gotta say, I walked in a spectator and left a true fan. They have my respect.

Blues Traveler was good. Not great or exciting. They did their set and it was ok. Perhaps I would have enjoyed them more had these fucking cows not parked their asses right in my line of vision.

Blues Traveler

Bare Naked Ladies

J and I were talking about grabbing a bite to eat after. Maybe a midnight diner run. However, we were poopied. We actually ended up (please don't judge me!!!!!) hitting the McD's drive through. I not only got a Big Mac, but I also got the fries and Coke that came with it. I ate like someone starved me for three days. It was shameless.

Now, after having been out of work for three work days, I should have gone to work that Tuesday.  I decided around 9am that it wasn't going to happen.

Let me take a second to rant on a little bit. J and I go to a lot of concerts. We both get alerts months ahead of time and we discuss what we want to do. Who do we want to see? When is it? How much are the tickets? Do we have the cash to go? Is the act worth it? We gave up a lot of our nights hanging out and drinking so that we can go to these concerts. I work a lot harder when concert season rolls around. I take ANY cake order, no matter how small or what kind of pain in the ass it is. I know that the $20 cupcake order will pay for my food. The $40 8" red velvet cake that I've done only about a billion and one times, will buy me a concert shirt.

My point is that we work hard and sacrifice plenty so we can afford to do this. I don't appreciate snarky comments when they see our expeditions out on Social Network Unknown.

"Wow, you guys go to a lot of concerts. You must be rich!"
"I wish I could go!"
"Why didn't I get an invite?"
"How much money do you guys make?"

You know what? That's fucking rude. I bring a sandwich and a can of Coke to work for a month so I can afford my concert tickets. I stay home and watch Fringe reruns on Fridays when everyone else is out drinking. Besides Seattle, I have not jetted ANYWHERE in years.

Do you really want to know how I can afford to go to these concerts?

I WORK. Not just 1 job; 2 mother-fucking-tiring JOBS. I'm tired all the time and my body is wrecked, but I have money to go to my concerts. End of story. Stop being rude. Do you want to go to concerts, too? Get a job, save your money, and buy yourself a ticket. I don't know have many times I've "covered" someone's ticket only to have them forget to pay me for it. Not cool. And that shit is not happening anymore. If you don't get an invite; you probably have made it clear that you don't have the money to go or you've burned me in the past so I will no longer front you the money to go, and that gets you kicked off The List. The End.

**End Rant Here**

So, if Bare Naked Ladies and Blues Traveler was a ghost town, Linkin Park was INSANE. We parked in no man's land. we waited in line just to get inside. While everyone else waited on the first merch line, I knew better and walked to the second booth were there was NO LINE. I bought my shirt and walked back to find the group still waiting in line. I don't know why people insist on being sheeple? If someone tells you there is NO LINE just a few feet down, why do people insist on standing on a long-ass line??? That's what's wrong in this world: Sheeple. Anyway, I think I bought a pretzel. I don't remember anymore, but it was a long climb UP to our seats. Nosebleed.

But, since it was raining like a mofo, we were lucky enough to be seated under the overhang. Dry seats were had by all! Well, maybe not all...just all of us.

The concert was everything J said it was and more.

What didn't I like? I really fucking hate watching shows in Long Island. The crowd blows. It's a bunch of Long Islanders in Affliction wear and backwards baseball caps, gorilla'd out because of the 'roids, chugging bad beer (yes, they sold beer on this night), and acting douchetastic. Linkin Park draws a pretty eclectic crowd, but out on the Island, the majority is Affliction hoodies and Tap Out tees. Sorta like the Jersey Shore.

I was surrounded by Douchetasticness. Beside me, behind me, and in front of me. Again, my vision was impaired, but I can't really do anything about that. It comes with the territory when you're short.

Incubus was good, but Linkin Park was AMAZING!!! I can understand the following they have now. I'm going to go as far as to say that I liked them BETTER than Radiohead.

There. I said it. Now what???

Different strokes for different folks. Linkin Park wrapped up the Summer Concert Series J and I have attended. I know which shows I want to see next year, regardless who comes with me. I have a small show at Webster Hall this Thursday to see Maxïmo Park, Zambri / Stagnant Pools. 

This kicks off my Fall Concert Series. All American Rejects is on the 21st and I have a date with the Foo Fighters on the 29th in Central Park!!!

What I learned about going to concerts this year:

• Wear comfortable shoes.
• Bring cash in case they don't take credit cards.
• Get a good night's rest the night before. 
• Ignore the haters. There are always going to be jealous people out there. Guess what? You're out enjoying some live music, and they are sitting at home hating you for it. Life goes on. Let it go.
• Eat before you go! Food is expensive and limited at these venues. Eat what you want to eat at a much cheaper rate before you head into the venue. Your stomach and your wallet will thank you for it.
• Look around before you buy. More often than not, there are multiple places to buy merchandise and food. Some stands have different things. Look at everything before you commit to the first stand you see. That's where all the Sheeple go; the first stand you see. There is often a duplicate stand a little further in with no line, or there may be different kinds of merchandise available. Don't be fucking SHEEPLE, people! Make yourself aware of what's available. You'll save time, and maybe some money.
• If possible, bring your own ride. I'm unlicensed and car-less. I can't begin to tell you how powerless it is to be at the whim of someone else. When you can get yourself there and home without relying on anyone else, you control what time to leave, where you want to go before the concert, and where you want to go after. If you have your own ride then you can do what you want at your own pace and not have to be at someone elses mercy. Take it from me: Get your license and get your ride!!!