jeserai

Review: U2/Muse in DC - 9/29

2009-10-01T20:14:00.000-04:00

On Tuessday September 29th I fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine to see U2 in concert. Muse was the opening act. I am not a huge U2 fan. I only own their 1980-90 greatest hits album. It has been VERY recently that I've gotten down which one is Adam Clayton and which one is Larry Mullen. I even skip their songs a lot when they come on the radio or my shuffled playlist.

I have been trying to see them for 10 years though. I have always tried to avoid spending the money it would cost to see them. I didn't want to join the fanclub to get in on the presale and I wouldn't fork it over on eBay. This time though I sucked it up and pulled the trigger. $50 for the fanclub membership, $95 face value of ticket, $30 in other fees added to the ticket, gas to the show, etc...I estimate the evening cost me $200. I went by myself.

It was worth every penny. The experience is something I will never forget because U2 has such mystique. These 4 guys started a band when they were in high school and here we are....almost 35 years later still seeing those same 4 guys play.

The concert itself was about what I expected. I try not to hype stuff up too much because...I'll be disappointed.

The stage setup is getting a lot of press because it is insane. Ridiculously insane
Seeing that in person is pretty incredible. Humbling really. I knew where a lot of my $200 had gone.

When the lights went out the place got up and cheered but it wasn't nearly as deafening as I expected and when U2 hit the stage it was one of the most anticlimactic moments of any concert I'd been to. I don't know what I was expecting and the lame DC crowd wasn't helping. Seriously. 80,000 people never sounded so underwhelming.

The setlist was fine. I actually REALLY enjoyed their newer stuff. They seemed to enjoy playing it too. "Breathe" and "I'll Go Crazy" especially. Though when the opening riff to "Mysterious Ways" rang out it was exhilarating. They played a lot of the oldies too. "One" was especially well received. Edge and Bono played an acoustic version of "Stuck In a Moment" that really was moving (especially Edge's falsetto part at the end). Those guys have a really beautiful friendship. Before "Sunday Bloody Sunday" they showed a video that talked about Iran and Democracy there. It really hit me when they would sing "How long must we sing this song? How loooong?" and realizing they have been singing it for 25 years and will perhaps ALWAY have to sing it. Moving

The sound in the venue was alright. I haven't been to a stadium show since my parents took me to see the Rolling Stones in '94 so I'm kinda of used to being beaten down by the sound at clubs and arenas. Bono's voice sounded much better than I expected and Edge and Larry harmonize very well (I didn't even know the drummer sang!). It was kind of hard to understand anything that was plainspoken though. Oh well.

The stage was beautiful to look at but felt underutilized. Seeing what Muse did with the lights and video screen I really thought U2 would take it to the next level but they didn't. The whole "360" aspect was not taken advantage of. They barely played to their back side and the really didn't use the outer ring of the stage much at all.

The Crowd....I'll just say this. Bono is an activist and he makes as much news for DATA, the One Campaign, and Red as he does with his music. Hell, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize wasn't he? He talks about this stuff. He's ALWAYS talked about this stuff. Here he is 20 years ago (go to 3:40 to hear him slay the crowd).

So I was shocked when in the middle of talking about how much the US has done to help millions of people with AIDS in Africa I heard this shouted from behind me: "Stop with the politics!! Sing a song!!" Really? You thought BONO wasn't going to mention anything about social issues? It's BONO! I was seriously shocked. He was apolitical. He thanked George W Bush & dedicated a song to Ted Kennedy. Blew my mind. What were they expecting?

Opening Act: Muse was pretty good but for some reason they grated on me and the more I think about their performance the less I like it. It was completely emotionless and heartless. I loved every song they did but....it was almost too perfect. Like robots or something. The singer really loved the sound of his singing voice and the bass player left no space between his notes. It reminded me of when I saw Journey a few years back. I go "Yeah, I recognize this song!" and then would get tired of it very quickly. The drummer was incredible though. Such a natural sense of rythym. Kept the beat, kept it interesting, and never got excessive. Oh well, I will admit when it comes to opening in stadiums for the world's biggest band they are actually a great choice. I just thought they had no heart or meaning.

Verdict: Everyone should see U2 once in their life. I might see them again. I really wish I had another show of theirs to compare it to but I don't (especially since they played 30 miles from my house in '97 with openers rage against the machine). It definitely sparked an intense interest in them since then for me. I had a great time and I think everyone with an open mind would too. Though I do wonder how much this would have cost without the gigantic glowing space crab that cost a reported $40 million to build.

Michael Costa Photography: Plug My Friends #2

2009-06-25T22:00:00.001-04:00

Michael Costa is not only one of my best friends and the most consistent commenters on this blog: He's also a douchebag. And a photographer.

www.michaelcosta.net
&
www.costaphotography.net

Here's a picture he took of the group MUTEMATH

Costa and I were college roomates and he would often bug me to help him make a fool of myself for his photo projects and this led to him taking pictures of me pretending not to notice his camera over the past few years. Click on pictures to view larger version.

Here are a bunch of random pictures used without permission.

He is available for gigs in the Charleston, SC area. Contact him at michael@michaelcosta.net

Danielson: Guilty Pleasure #2

2009-04-09T20:00:00.002-04:00

Brandon Ebel, the president of Tooth & Nail (Danielson's first label) said:

"We received their cassette tape demo in the mail one day and took a listen. At first we thought it was bad, then we thought it was a joke, but the more we listened to it we realized it was brilliant"

That about sums it up for me. I was in the car of a friend of a friend when I first heard this.

I thought it was laughably stupid. BUT it would not get out of my head. I couldn't stop thinking about it and eventually downloaded some stuff and listened to it because it was quirky.

I now love Danielson in a way that is completely not ironic. I genuinely think he's a genius. His compositions move me and his lyrics touch me. I now have their entire catalogue.

I think the reason they are a "guilty pleasure" is because I would never sit someone down and say "listen to this" 'cause almost no one likes them immediately. They require repeat listens and focus. You also need to get past Daniel Smith's high pitched squeal...

What really makes me love Danielson in all of their incarnations (Danielson Famile, Danielson Family, Tri-Danielson, Danielson Starship, Brother Danielson, and Danielson) is this: Uncompromising Artistic Integrity. Have you ever heard a musical genius convey his vision without a hint of compromise? It's invigorating.

They are so interesting they even had a documentary made about them. If you are not disgusted by the singing voice they will probably grow on you. Also, if you are familiar with Sufjan Stevens, he got his start with this group and most of the band plays on his Illinois album.

***UPDATED 4/29/09!***
I had to include this. Terrible dancing. Unnecessary lipsynching. Danielson's wife Elin saying "Ve'll dance vit you" in her Eastern European accent. The awesomely awkward zoomin on the keyboard player Chris. The freakishly long close up of the big dude dancing. The song is one of my favs though....

Dodge Caliber: Things I Hate #1

2009-03-31T16:00:00.002-04:00

The other weekend I flew to the midwest to attend the wedding of a friend. The flight was great. The wedding was great. The hotel was great. Everything went perfect. Except for THIS:

Looks harmless enough right? It actually looks pretty cool. I am not a car guy by any means. I was probably 17 when I learned to even pop the hood on my car. I was in my 20's when I first changed a tire. I don't know anything about cars. With that being said, the Caliber was the worst driving experience of my life. For two reasons:

1. The engine sounds like it is going to explode.

2. The noise inside of the car is unbearable.

I kept trying to turn the music up so loud that I wouldn't have to hear the deafening sound of gusting wind outside but then the engine would rev so high I'd get terrified and turn down the music to listen to it.

I had enough trouble driving on the horrendous Michigan & Ohio roads already. I really didn't need this. I guess that's what I get for $22 a day...

Grace Family - February 2009

2009-02-28T08:16:00.004-05:00

Taking some advice, I'll put up this update AND make it family related. The following video perfectly captures what our life is like right now in February 2009.

Yes, we do now have TWO Toy Poodles. Duncan the poodle joined our family 4 weeks ago. He's going to be Poodle Girl Raisin's boyfriend.

Matt Green: Plug My Friends (and Family) #1

2009-01-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

The above picture is my brother Matt Green playing drums for his late 90's hard rock group wormwood. Like most bands, they broke up before really playing much outside of their home town. In this case it was the upstate of South Carolina.

He made a decision sometime in 2002 after taking 2 years of jazz drum lessons in the wake of wormwood's breakup: He was going to move to Nashville, go to audio recording school, and make an album entirely by himself.

So he moved there in March of 2003 and finished his intensive program at SAE about 9 months later. He bought a Pro Tools rig and started tinkering in the various basements and garages he lived in for the next several years.

Pretty much every conversation I've had with him in the past 6 years has been about this album he's been working on. He'd play me a riff or a keyboard line that he was superproud of and try to convince me that it was a #1 hit in the making.

He obsessed over this stuff so much I even wrote an article about him for my feature writing class back in college (for the life of me I could not find a copy of when writing this post). In that piece I straight up asked Matt if he had mental problems:

"I've got mental solutions. The only difference between genius and insanity is the amount of success you have. I guess we'll find out."

This past month my brother finally had his album Patterns of the Humans mixed, mastered, and duplicated. It's for sale online through most available digital retailers but he prefers people use Digstation.

Yes that is my father and my son Elijah on the cover horrifically altered.

I made a facebook page for him. He also recently told me he'd done a HUGE concert for the 30,000 invisible people that live in his basement. He said it went really well.

You can download one his songs for free here.

I know this music will not be for everyone but give it a shot. After all, 30,000 invisible people can't be wrong.

Jerry D. Morris 1935-2008

2008-12-16T20:31:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday (12/11/08) my wife's grandfather passed away. We spent Friday figuring out whether to drive or fly to Cotter, AR. We flew there on Saturday for the service on Sunday and back last nignt (Monday).

Today I've been thinking a lot about his life and legacy. Jerry was affectionately known as "Pa" by his family and though he gave me permission to call him that....I never felt entitled to. Jerry was a true patriarch. He and his wife Marilyn had four children. Those children had 6 grandchildren. And 3 great grandsons (with another grandson/granddaughter on the way).

At the service yesterday I felt a justified sense of pride telling a stranger at the funeral that the unruly child I as dealing with was "Jerry's great grandson." The stranger perked up and said to Elijah "Oh, I am your great-grandfather's neighbor."

I think this would have pleased Jerry. He did many things with his life (see here and here) but he would be the first to tell you that his family was his greatest treasure and accomplishment. The day after he passed away an article was published in the local paper about family holidays and conversation that happened to quote him:

"For many, many years," Jerry Morris said, "Marilyn's grandfather, Clarence Hopkins, gave the same blessing. Now, we ask various members of the family if they can
remember it, and many of them can still recite it."

Morris believes that telling stories about the character of grandparents and, as his
family calls them, "greats," encourages support of one another and results in a
strong family.

"There's so much value," he said, "in simple human interaction."

I'll leave you with a poem he wrote and gave us copies of last Christmas that at the time was about his parents but now means so much more.

Maude and Jim Morris

They gave us a good name

Our mama and dad,

That's a fine garment in which to be clad

We had no idea what wealth we had

That good name from mama and dad

They worked as farmers in the Ozark hills

Toiling and tilling the land for its yield

Feeding their children with the food from the field

Loving and laughing and teaching

As bells of time pealed

They raised twelve children with their work and

their love

And never complained that any of us heard

We had lots of warmth, even when it was cold

And ate great food, all bountiful and bold

They sent us to school, all scrubbed and clean

And told us to remember our name

'cause that was the best path to fame

A good name, our dad always said,

Was the best possession anyone ever had

And truth was the way to be trusted and revered

And we were to speak it whatever occured

They died, as all people do

But they left us their good name

And that is most true

by Jerry Morris

The Twelfth Child

Here is my wife and I leaving our wedding as Pa (far right) looked on......

(Click on Pictures to Enlarge)

What Have I Done?

2008-12-09T20:17:00.001-05:00

I am already regretting this whole Blog thing. When I started it I thought I had things to say and time to say them. Turns out I was wrong.

I originally wanted to do one entry a week. Then that got relaxed and I am afraid the next posting will be something like:

"August 11 2010

MAN I haven't posted on here in forever. Internet use is limited here in prison. Also, typing with only one arm is not easy! Have I got an update for you....."

These blogs are such a humbling exercise in vanity. I don't think I need to build up that muscle.

I'll keep trying though.

Myth of the Cool Dad

2008-11-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

By most accounts I am still a young man. When I tell people I'm 26 I feel the weight of that immaturity. I still have the vanity of a young man. I have a situation that makes me struggle with my that vanity though: Babies.

The young man vanity dies hard. I can try to dress like a young man. I can work on all the hottest slang. I can go to a bar or a concert and sometimes slip in with the undergrads unnoticed. I can even try my damndest to have adult conversation with someone. All of that is merely temporary because I'm a father. And part of being a father is being degraded by and for my children.

Before I had kids I Loved Halloween because I could dress up as Zutroy the Vampire Clown. I'd put on a cloak, a cape, fangs, and clown makeup. It was awesome. May I present you with my last 3 halloweens.

Halloween 2008

101 Dalmations (Melissa was Cruella DeVille)

Halloween 2007

The Rubbles -Barney, Betty, and BamBam

Halloween 2006

Peanuts -Lucy, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy

Folks, welcome to the world of theme costumes. Goodbye Vanity. At least I still have more dignity than these babies.

Jason Mraz: Guilty Pleasure #1

2008-11-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Jason Mraz. Man I hate that guy. I hate how I turn up his music and sing along with it when I'm in the car. I REALLY hate that I spent an hour the other night watching live clips of his on Youtube. Why is he able to write such clever quicky lyrics and sing them with a sincerely beautiful voice? I want to punch him in the face.

Jason Mraz reminds me of Justin Timberlake in the way that you will NEVER see a (straight) guy put him in the "favorite music" section of their profile but you'll find his mp3's in their playlists. Plus, I'm sure that either of those guys would be totally cool if they met some regular dude that is a fan since they are used to girls just fawning over them. They'd be thrilled to talk me about seasonal beers and college football.

Other things I hate about Jason Mraz:

1. Association w/Trucker Hat movement a few years back

2. Self Reference in every song (Usually about his rhyming ability)

3. Fact that my wife wishes I'd dress like him

I saw Jason Mraz live back in 2004. He played Freedom Weekend Aloft. FWA is a festival in South Carolina centered around hot air balloons and usually a radio station will spend their entire years worth of marketing budget on trying to book a band someone has heard of. Mraz went on before Fuel and Live. He came out to a crowd that wanted to hate him.....and owned it. Just him and some gigantic dude playing djembe playing in front of 5,000 people. He earned my respect but not any of my money.....yet.

Local Celebrities: Charm City Love Letter #1

2008-11-03T19:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Baltimore,

Oh how I love thee! Just today I was thinking of how many famous and super important people call you home or at least did before they became notable. There are famous politicians like Spiro Agnew, Nancy Pelosi, and Thurgood Marshall. Musical artists like Frank Zappa, Billie Holliday, and David Byrne. Atheletes like Cal Ripken Jr and Babe Ruth. Writers like HL Mencken, Edgar Allan Poe, and Upton Sinclair. Entertainers like Barry Levinson, Anna Faris, and Pat Sajak. Even people not worth mentioning like David Hasselhoff, Stacy Kiebler, and Montel Williams have lived in/been born in Baltimore!

All of those people get props for having done time in Charm City but people who live here mainly talk about the holy trifecta of famous people: John Waters (the director), Michael Phelps (the olympian), and Jenna Bush (the 1st Daughter). In my head...I wonder what they would talk about if they ever got together.

John: Thanks for coming for tea you guys!

Michael: Uh, thanks.

Jenna: It was so sweet of you to invite us over. I hope the secret service guys weren't too rough.

John: Are you kidding?! I've paid for worse. That reminds me. Michael, have you ever...

Michael: No I haven't met Ms. Bush before! It's nice to meet you. Would you like to feel my abs?

Jenna:Um, no thanks. I just got married.

Michael: Oh yeah! To that Willy Wonka lookin' dude right?

John: What's his name again? No matter how many times I read it I can never remember it.

Jenna: You know John...I'm not sure what his first name is and everyone still calls me Jenna Bush. I think my husbands name is something whitebread like...John or Michael! haha, Anyway I just call him 'honey.'

John: I can never remember the names of the men in my life either sweetie.

Michael: I don't really think about names to much. With one exception: Michael F*cking Phelps!

John: Can I touch your abs?

Michael: Ummmmm, so Jenna why did you pick Federal Hill to live in? I picked Fell's Point because that's where the new condo's are being built and several Ravens cheerleaders live nearby.

Jenna: I really like all the history of Federal Hill..

John: History of hating your family! Sorry, I thought that was the obvious joke.

Jenna: It's ok John. Anyways I better get going. Honey will be home and wanting dinner so I need to go let the chef in our house.

Michael: Yeah. I better get going too. I have to film a commercial for Armor All. They want me to lay on a car in my LZ1 and get upholstry cleaner shot on me. Thanks for the tea and brownies.

John: Those weren't brownies......

I promise I tried to find a picture of Michael Phelps with a shirt on. Such a thing does not exist.

My Vote For Prez....

2008-10-27T21:30:00.000-04:00

I'm not a rock star or actor or anything so that must mean my opinion matters. I feel the need to express myself. I need to tell you why I am going to vote for Barack Obama.

Back in 2003 I remember being on a Spring Break Retreat with Campus Crusade for Christ when the news broke that we had invaded Iraq. I remember watching the footage of Baghdad basically being annihilated. I also remember how I felt: Ecstatic. It was exhilarating to see that we were finally teaching Iraq a lesson about respect. We were proving to them that they couldn't keep jerking us around and being disobedient.

During the day during this retreat we'd study the bible, pray, worship, and do ministry. Then at night I'd wait with anticipation for the fall of Baghdad and the fate of Saddam Hussein. I did not see the disconnect in being a Christian and being aroused by War.

I got caught up in thinking the same thing about Jesus most 1st Century Jews who followed him thought: He has come to set up an earthly kingdom. A force that will FINALLY put our team in the place of power. I have learned that this "Us vs Them" mentality has basically destroyed the Church in Western Civilization. As Christians we should go out into the world as servants: Us FOR Them.

I had gotten caught up in a politicized faith. A national religion. A lie.

I voted for 'W' in 2000 and wanted to do a jig when he won. I remember thinking my parents were stupid for voting for Clinton in '96. By 2004 I really started thinking about what it means to be a Christian in a Democracy. I couldn't vote for more war. More carelessly destructive environmental policies. More ignoring of the needy. More.....intentional indifference.

If you look at the words of Christ he seems to really care about taking care of the poor, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, turning your cheek, and "loving your neighbor as yourself." I voted for Kerry in 2004 more out of spite than anything. If 'W' says he is a Christian than why does he not care about these things? That election was a joke anyway. Two fraternity brothers funded by the same people running against each other......don't get me started.

I used to really like John McCain but at this point I can't remember why. Barack Obama to me seems to be serious about helping the sick and poor, being a good steward for the environment, making the difficult and unpopular decisions regarding energy policy and weighing the full cost of sending us into War. These are the things are the most important to me in this election.

There are some arguments that Christians should be disengaged from the political process since it is in effect an endorsement of the kingdom of Man. At the very least I can cast my vote for someone who will bring less death. With all that said, my vote doesn't really matter as long as the Electoral College is in place. The Democratic candidate has won my state by double digit percentage points in the past 4 elections.....

I Will Be......

2008-10-22T20:43:00.000-04:00

I've been obsessed with this phrase --"Je serai"-- since high school French class. For some reason it sounded so beautiful and mystical. I always imagined I would name my expanisive family estate 'Jeserai.' It would be my Monticello.

I've also always looked to the future with a foolhardy daydreamer mentality. I've never thought about what 'I am' and been content. I want more more more!

Even now I think about what this 'blog' 'will be.' I imagine it will be a vain experiment that I eventually delete due to lack of interest. I imagine most blogs turn out like that.