The Greatest Music Video Ever Made  -  Mar 23rd, 2009 5:56pm

I have found a recent affliction for a band called "No More Kings".  To put them into context, they are alternative, rock, punk, comedy and though they are not mainstream they have managed to pull off one of the greatest music videos I've ever seen.

...well maybe that deserves some context too.  If you grew up during the time of the Karate Kid you'll understand.  Just don't ask me what the heck is going on before about the 2 minute mark.

Death Cab Concert  -  Jun 20th, 2008 5:12pm

I should have captured a picture of the sign just outside of the Death Cab for Cutie concert that Kristin and I attended last night.  It happily described what you could not take in "for your safety" and listed such dangerous items as:

• Blankets
• Cameras
• Soda

Oh yeah, it had knives and guns too, but what they were really protecting us from that night were bottle caps!

Kristin had seen on the venue's website that you could bring one sealed bottle of water per person.  Its been 110 out so we figured this would be a good idea.  We definitely weren't alone and everyone must have read the same thing because when we got in line they all had water bottles too.

What everyone wasn't prepared for was that they would have to unscrew and take your cap when you came in leaving you with an open water bottle [for our safety of course].  When someone first said this to me I ignored it as anything this silly must have been a mistake but no - they were serious and showed quite the attempt at Command Presence threatening and yelling angrily at people requiring their caps permanent removal.  This left me and everyone else with the obvious question - What the Hell?

Security guards threatening to beat people up over keeping a lid on their beverage is one of the strangest and saddest things I have ever seen.  The only reason I heard in the few minutes I was caught up in this maelstrom of dumbfuckery was "I'm sorry, I don't know why but I have to do it".  I guess I can respect that in the same way I would respect someone who was told to spit in my burger by their boss.

Admittedly this is the most mundane of mundane incidents in the long run of life and didn't really have a negative impact on my evening.  Yet I can't help but feel some tiny little piece of me die every time the fun nazi's ban some new pointless item at events.  At some point I feel like we will have to come in naked, dress in T-shirts and shorts sold there, then watch the band from within the confines of a plexiglass cage.

The dangers of bottle-caps aside, the concert truly was amazing.  DC is a genuinely unique band and for whatever reason their music has always been able to emotionally broadside me.  Their last 3 albums have all been fantastic but based on their playlist for this concert even they are aware that their last record "Plans" was probably their best work.  So if you haven't heard it in a while go grab it, and if you don't own it then by all means stop what your doing and head to the record store

Weird Al Concert  -  Oct 29th, 2007 3:52am

Weird Al Rules.  Thats the thought that kept going through my head last week when my wife and I went to his concert at the Arizona State Fair.  For my $12 fair admission and those of my fellow dementoids, he pounded out a 2 1/2 hour set complete with an encore of Albuquerque (a 14 minute non-stop song)

I've seen him in concert before but he just gets funnier every time I go.  I don't think I can explain some of the stranger things like the choreographed chanting that the entire band broke out of in the middle of a song but I did manage to find a clip on the tube of one of his between song interviews that was absolutely ruthless.




And for anyone who still hasn't seen it - here is the video for White and Nerdy.  When he did this live he brought out the Segway on stage and did part of the song while tooling around on it - classy!