eddie vedder, albany, night 1

so ive never been to an opening night of a tour, ever. when i was able to score a ticket to the opening night of eddie vedder's tour i was pretty stoked. when i only paid half price for the ticket, i was even more stoked.

since im tired and sorta want to go to sleep, ill just make this simple and sweet...

liked: venue (palace theater is intimate, good acoustics, great views everywhere); liam finn and ej (still rock out - like the carpenters on acid, as ed said); watching ed forget lyrics to multiple songs, including the same verse of guaranteed 3 times; ed's voice for all songs including and after far behind; story about girl pissing in the parking lot; quote of the year: i just feel lazy and drunk; song for albany; elderly woman, porch, hide your love away, lukin, forever young; *very* well behaved crowd; guy in a #10 cubs jersey, vedder on the back, not from chicago (let's call him tim).

dislikes: aforementioned tim passing out after liams set, only to wake up during porch, then puke between his legs during the encore break; ed's voice before far behind (see below); lots of chatting and stories ate away at the setlist, sort of.

ed's voice - there has been a lot of chatter on the boards that something is up with his voice. he sounded sorta weird during the tonight show performance, and people were worried his voice was finally being affected by all his smoking and drinking. well for the first 1/3 of the show it really seemed like it - he couldnt hit the notes he usually hits in sometimes and im open and no ceiling. then something happened and he rocked far behind and was fine thereafter. we'll see if the same thing happens tomorrow night, or if he got his voice back for good.

looking forward to tomorrow night, but really looking forward to some sleep.

Set list: Walking the Cow, Sometimes, Around The Bend, I am Mine, I'm Open, Man of the Hour, No Ceiling, Guaranteed, Rise, Far Behind, Mr. State Trooper, Girl from the North Country, Driftin', You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, Soon Forget, You're True, Small Town, NEW Song (Just for Albany), LUKIN, Porch

1st Encore: Society (w/ Liam) , Forever Young, Arc, Hard Sun (w/ Liam & EJ)

Magic 8 Ball says: Signs point to yes!

After Saturday's Birthday Tasting, virtually everyone has said Batch 1 was too hoppy. As a hop-head, my instinctual refrain is "Really, it can be too hoppy?" In any event, Brew Deux is getting far better reviews. Despite the fact it was crafted to be an Oberon clone, neither I nor the 3 testers thought it tasted remotely similar. It does, however, both taste good and contain alcohol. As expected, Brew Deux wasn't fully carbonated after only 10 days, but I'd rather have a beer that's somewhat flat and tastes good than a foamy skunker...

As a side note, we finally visited our local brewpub Emmett's. I started off with a 1 A.M. Ale, and then moved on to the Victory Pale Ale. The 1 A.M. was decent, but the Victory was bar far my preferred brew. It was both exciting and scary to recognize the finishing hops used just by smell. My fellow diners were more scared than impressed. Amateurs I tell ya... I was disappointed to find their seasonal summer had already been emptied - if it's that good they really need to brew a larger quantity - it's only mid-July! In any event, Jen and I will defininely be returning to Emmett's for some tasty beers and curds (can't forget the curds)...

Bubble bubble bubble

Unlike the first batch, after 5 full days I still have a little bubble action happening, which means sugar is still being turned into alcohol. As I mentioned before, I think I killed most of the yeast in the first batch by adding it to the wort when the wort was way too hot. And I've also implemented a new strategy for keeping the bucket cool. Instead of leaving it in the spare bedroom, it now rests in a bathtub , with water filled up to the 3 gal line. Aside from toasting the yeast initially, I also think the fermentation temperature was both too high and too variable in batch 1. Brew Deux has been at a constant 70-73. When the water temperature reaches 73, I add a tray of ice cubes and/or add some fresh cold water. Both seem to do the job and bring the temp back down around 71.

In any event, she's still bubblin', and that's a good thing.

Annnnd...I'm back!

Inspired by Sarah and Brian, I've decided to give this blogging thing a whirl again. Upon reflection, I realize the problem with this blog in its initial run was that it lacked purpose. Effective immediately, can i make a suggestion? is now (mostly) about home brewing, and partially about sports, and partially about nothing. I have no delusions about competing with a nationally recognized work of art, but I hope regain at least a little readership and help at least one person avoid a home brewing mistake.

A little background - I began home brewing when Brian left on his cycling adventure about a month and a half ago. So far I've brewed one batch, to mostly positive reviews. I just finished Batch 2, or Deux Brew as Jen dubbed it, as we speak. Batch 1 was very flavorful, but I'm pretty sure I boiled most of my yeast because I didn't let the wort cool to the proper temperature. As a result, I have a very tasty non-alcoholic beer. I suppose that's better than a sour or skunked high alcohol beer, but not exactly what I wanted.

Deux Brew was made with select grains, Northwestern Weizen malt extract and 2 doses of Hallertau and Saaz hops. Unlike last time, I'm pretty sure I sufficiently reduced the temperature of the wort before adding the yeast. Moreover, I got a little wort on my hand and it's awfully sticky - that should make for a decent ABV. In any event, the hard part is over. If all goes according to plan I'll bottle before we go to Nashville in a week and a half. I let the first batch ferment a full 2 weeks, but I won't have that luxury this time. My friends at Perfect Brewing, namely Billy and John, assured me 10-12 days ought to be sufficient. I trust them. Mostly.

I'm also currently watching the first Cubs/Sox game of the season (on delay). I'm more optimistic and less cautious about the Cubs' chances than I have been at any time since I moved to Chicago. If the Cubs can go into the all-star break with a decent lead, I think they'll be ok once they get everyone back. This, of course, assumes Big Z isn't on the shelf for more than a couple weeks (which according to ESPN seems like a reasonable assumption for now). In any event, a strong finish into the break would be nice...

MO

lolla who???

so it's official - we're on the backside of summer. no, not summer's ass. summer is coming to an end. lollapalooza concluded last night, and with its end i can finally look forward to football and fall, my favorite season. over the course of the past 3 days i spent approximately 26 hours in grant park seeing sets from 31 bands. the highlights, and lowlights, follow...

note: this post turned kind of ridiculous about halfway through friday. for a synopsis, check out an email i sent to dan. he also posted some links to pics and vids i posted on flickr and youtube, respectively. warning: the vids are not high quality - they were shot with my little digital camera and the sound is somewhat distorted. its not as good as some youtube postings, especially of daft punk, but it's still pretty cool...

friday highlights summary: ghostland observatory, polyphonic spree, black keys, ben harper (specifically ground on down, with my own two hands, burn one down, and forgiven).

jen and i arrived on a picture perfect day to start the fest. first band we saw was the fratellis. she had heard about them, and they delivered. not the best band ive ever seen, but they reminded me of oasis without the irritating attitude (i know, it's hard to imagine). when they were through we started heading to the north stages to see soulive when we heard this crazy ruckus coming from the southern-most stage. we couldnt tell what was being said, or who was saying it, but we had to check it out. turns out it was ghostland observatory doing what they do best - ripping shit up. we only stayed for a few songs as i wanted to see soulive (stoopid mike, STOOPID), but ghostland is one of 3 or 4 bands whose bandwagon i'm definitely on - they were really really good. soulive - terrible. we wandered around a bit and checked out the tents, and then settled in for polyphonic spree. they were nothing short of amazing. super high energy, great hooks, and a very eclectic and diverse makeup. they covered nirvana's lithium - one of the highlights of day 1. next came the first real dilemma - electric six or slightly stoopid. for logistical reasons we went for stoopid first. they sounded like a bad version of sublime. i didnt not like them, but it sounded more like noise and less like music. definitely influenced by and from the same school as sublime, but not nearly as good. electric six were solid if not spectacular. from there it was on to m.i.a. she started off really well and i, and most of the crowd, was really into it. at some point the energy kind of dropped and it became a mediocre set. g love followed m.i.a. and he didnt disappoint. i always love some good g love. the black keys were the next stop and they tore the joint up. tots really loves the black keys, and they came through. band #2 im all about after this weekend. next femi kuti, son of fela kuti, and his band/group came on. they were good, but not what i was looking for, so we went down and checked out lcd soundsystem. i really liked them - somewhat outside the box for me, but i was feeling them friday night. finally we headed back for ben harper. i feel like sometimes he plays too many of his slower, softer songs. friday night was not one of those nights. he was great from start to finish. to cap it off, eddie vedder (hereinafter "eddie") came out and played masters of war with BH. pretty sweet, and a nice cap to the day. big miss #1: upon reflection, i really wish i had skipped part of ben harper to see daft punk. nothing but raves for their set, and after seeing a few clips on youtube i think i would have really liked them...

saturday highlights summary: tapes n tapes, the roots, snow patrol, patti smith

jen was off doing bachelorette things, so i headed down by myself around noon. i caught the end of sherwood - relatively new band, pretty good though. as i was watching them i noticed streams of people walking past them toward the main at&t stage, so i headed down there too. tokyo police club was the reason - canadian band with a rabid following. im not sure they were ready for the biggest stage at lolla, but they were definitely solid - theyd be great to see in a small club. tapes n tapes was next, another band recommended by tots. and tots came through again - band #3 im all about. even though it was early afternoon and much of the crowd was still hungover, they tore it up. ive since listened to some studio stuff and while it's good, it doesnt come close to the live show energy-wise. definitely check them out if you get a chance. silverchair was next on the list. i never really got into them back in the day, but theyre very solid and polished. it's hard to believe they were teenagers when they made it big. after a few songs we headed to see this artist named lady gaga, as in the sound a baby makes. when the program describes someone like this, you just have to see them: "together with her DJ/go-go dancer, lady starlight, lady gaga is a retro-pop-rock tour de force. in fishnets." she was pretty decent, but lady starlight was terrible - she seemed incapable of flowing seamlessly from one song to another, and every record she put on skipped. cold war kids and rhymefest were next, playing simulaneously. i knew nothing of cold war kids, and they did nothing to keep me entertained. i knew next to nothing about rhymefest, but he kept me entertained. we would have stayed longer but for the smell of tasty foods and the grumbling of our stomachs. after a quick bite we settled in for the roots. i last saw them in the fall of '96 at tufts. they were good then, and theyre great now. no weak spots in the set. one of the highlights for me was the old school medley they broke into (just a friend by biz markie into shimmy shimmy ya by odb into this is why im hot into 2 other songs that escape me). they were polished and great showmen - love black thought and questlove - they rule. regina speckor went on next and was, in a word, bad. snow patrol is band that friends have been telling me for years i'd like, but i never gave them a listen. turns out my friends were right - i do like them! they're sort of pre-packaged cheesy pop from , in this case scotland, but im all about pre-packaged pop (see: my unnatural love for john mayer, justin timberlake, etc). at least 2 of their songs sounded familiar to me, from the radio i suppose, and at least 3 of their songs sounded like songs they'd already played. nonetheless, band #4 im all about. good times. i planned on bailing after snow patrol, but had to walk past patti smith to exit. to my surprise, she was awesome. she's definitely old, definitely quirky, and definitely an icon. she put on as good a show as anyone. unfortunately, it started raining and im made of sugar so i hightailed it out of there. i passed on muse and interpol as neither of those bands intrigues me in the least.

sunday highlights summary: rodrigo y gabriela, my morning jacket, pearl jam

we got down there a little late after we discovered our front passenger tire was flat. and we were moving a little slower than normal because the dew point was 74 (for you non-weather geeks, anything above 68 is considered "oppressive" - 74 is "damn, it's sticky!"). when we arrived jen and i immediately headed south to check out the crowds and see if anyone was already camping for PJ. naturally, there were a few hundred people who already staked out spots (at 1pm, a full 7 hours before the show). aware, but unconcerned, we set off for food and then rodrigo y gabriela. again, i never heard of r y g, but they were great. i spent part of their set sitting under my umbrella, and the second part standing and clapping. im always amazed at what 2 acoustics can do with nothing else. after a 10 min delay, amy winehouse made her way to the stage. jen thought for sure she'd bail, but i knew if she valued her future as an american star she'd be there. the girl can sing, coked up or not, but it seemed like her manager or whomever forced her on stage. her energy was hit or miss, mostly miss. this, together with a text message that read "this show's good", i headed down to lupe fiasco. i only caught the last 2 songs, but he was as advertised. as the crowd dispersed, i became slightly concerned and decided to forego the rest of my plans (iggy and the stooges, yo la tengo, !!! and tv on the radio) in favor of camping for pearl jam. jen, sarah and beth joined me shortly before kings of leon came on, and by then it was officially crowded. kings of leon were ok, not as bad as sarah and beth had advertised, nor as good as iggy and the stooges were on the other end of the fest. the highlight was when eddie came on to play a song with the KOL, as the shirts say. big miss #2 - apparently while KOL were playing, iggy was playing an amazing set. word on the street is about 300 fans rushed the stage, at his urging, during the second to last song. after KOL wrapped up, the real crowd arrived. apparently my morning jacket is huge. i saw them open for PJ last year and wasnt impressed. they were awesome yesterday though. part rock part jam band, i thought they were pretty solid throughout. it was during this set, however, that i first realized i was old. not only do i not want to be drunk all day, but i dont like being around people who are drunk all day - it's past the point of amusing and moved into annoying. so after mmj was done, people methodically moved their way toward the front of the stage. by the time PJ came on, it was simply packed. we had a great spot, but it came with a price - we had to keep people from standing in front of us and tripping over our bags all night, and we had to keep our heads on a swivel after a crowd surfer landed on sarah and i. pearl jam's set was good, but not great. the only songs that arent usually played every show were state of love and trust and lukin, two of my all time favorites. i was sadder that they didnt play songs i wanted to hear (down, leash, black, footsteps, baba o'riley) than i was psyched about songs they did play. for this reason, and the annoying crowd, i only gave them a b+. they sounded great, and eddie had as much energy and zeal as ive ever seen, but the set was just unspectacular. for the final encore set ben harper came out and he and eddie sang no more, followed by a vicious rockin in the free world (which included appearances by dennis rodman and, ive heard, lance armstrong (saw dennis, didnt see lance)).

all in all it was a great weekend, definitely worth the price of admission. if i could do it all over again, i would have seen at least part of daft punk and iggy and the stooges, and i wouldnt have camped out so early or close for PJ. lesson learned. and this is officially the longest blog ever. sorry.

MO

there's snow on the roof...

...but there's fire in the cellar!!!! that might be the funniest thing i've ever heard. i hearby declare the last week of june dan pashman week. not only did he provide us with that great youtube video, but he also does real work - for npr. check out his latest report on the 80th birthday of the cyclone, the old wooden roller coaster at coney island. if you have the time, and who doesnt have 2+ min, watch the video and listen for the laughing - that's dan. he also let's out a "wow" as the coaster is rising and a "holy..." as it peaks. im happy to say that after 12 years id recognise that laugh ANYWHERE. good times...

cubs - wow. monday night's game and this afternoon's game make me think something special is unfolding right in front of us. that's 3 comeback wins in the past week - pretty remarkable for a team that looked lifeless just 3 weeks ago. they need to take at least 1 of the next 2, though a sweep would really help the cause.

celtics - im speechless. danny ainge is retarded. i realize that's an insult to anyone who's retarded, but i dont know what else to say. he has single handedly put that franchise in a helpless position for 15 years (the past 5 years and the next decade). he is just awful, his decisions defy logic and you'd think that he's never seen a team play basketball despite the fact he was a STARTER on one of the greatest teams ever. unbelievable. thank god im not living in boston any more - weei must be short circuiting with irate townies...

MO

clip of the week

thanks to dan for finding this clip... why didnt we think of this for OUR wedding...

wha wha WHAT!?!?!?

cubs - cubs enter the 9th up 8-3. eyre does his best to screw it up, ends up giving up a run, second and third no outs and lou yanks him, in comes de facto closer howry. first pitch base hit to left, run scores. second pitch base hit to right, run scores. now it's 8-6, first and second, no outs. len kasper, who might be one of the worst announcers in the history of announcing, describes what just happened as this: boy, bob howry doing what he can to stop this rockies freight-train in the 9th inning - the first 5 have gotten on base. WHAT!?!?!? he's not stopping anything. oh, by the way, next pitch - 3 run homer to troy tulowitzki. 9-8 rockies, 6 runs in the 9th, NO OUTS. un-freaking-believable... and now some stupid fan runs out to the mound with his arms out stretched as if he's asking bob howry "can you PLEASE get ONE OUT?!!?!?". and now he's being led off by the neck - awesome...

celtics - danny ainge is apparently considering trading their second best player AND the number 5 pick, in one of the deepest drafts in years, for a washed up locker room cancer jermaine o'neal?!?!!? the same jermaine o'neal who hasnt really played a full season in over 3 years? the same jermaine o'neal who has "potential" but is just an average center in the worst conference in sports??? unbelievable. can someone tell me how ainge has a job? seriously, he has absolutely run the proudest franchise into the ground. the only GM who's done a worse job during his tenure is matt millen. that might be the only time you ever hear the celtics and lions compared in the same sentence. ever. will someone please fire ainge? please. what he's doing is not working, and if you fire him today, it will still take 4 years to overcome what he's done.

cubs update - after the first 6 rockies come to the plate and score, howry retires the next 3 in order. way to be there when it counts bob...

update - holy sh!t - cubs score 2 with 2 outs in the 9th to win. one of the most unbelieveable innings ive ever seen... how im going to sleep now i have no idea...

MO