October 9 - Tampa!

Our Own "Michael"

Our own Michael Jordan - he may play in Dade County, but those who watch call it Wade County baby! Last week saw a thrilling double OT victory over the Chicago Bulls.

MIAMI(AP) Dwyane Wade's 3-pointer at the end of the first half was desperation.

The one in the final seconds of regulation, dramatic.

And the one that finally ended the game, unbelievable.

Miami's MVP candidate stole the ball from John Salmons with 3 seconds left, then made a running 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Heat to a wild 130-127 double-overtime win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.

Sorry Zane - this one's for you!!!

Bill Maher - New Rule for Republicans

Bill Maher, is back on television, always "keeping it real" and a breath of fresh air. He's brought back his "New Rules" segment to finish each show. This week was a classic:

"And finally, New Rule: Republicans must stop pitting the American people against the government."

Well worth your 4 minutes and 22 seconds ...

U2 - TV Blitz Concluded; "U2 360" Tour Dates and More Announced

OK, then 2 weeks went by :-)

U2 came back on Thursday and did Beautiful Day, which was great, but a let down for those of us hoping to hear another one off the new disc. Any one of No line on the horizon [title track], Moment of Surrender, Stand Up Comedy, Unknown Caller would have been phenomenal and equally thrilling to hear. Alas, they are playing to some of the less dedicated and stoking the popularity fire pre tour.

Friday morning was the Good Morning America appearance and the predictably horrible interview. The best thing I ever heard on GMA was when Springsteen did that show. Taking the microphone with the E Street Band assembled and ready to Rock ... The Boss looked out at the audience and cameras, a little bleary eyed, and without missing a beat said into the microphone: "wow, you gotta want to sell records bad to get up this early in the morning!" ROTFL...

Anyway, they did the same songs here as on the week of Letterman, Magnificent, "Boots," I'll Go Crazy if I dont' go Crazy Tonight, Beautiful Day, and finally Breathe for the audience only (as the camera cut away).

The songs and performances were great, but maybe the coolest thing was that it was at Fordham University, and it was so neat to see these guys, pushing 50 just like moi now, play to these college kids just like they were 18 years old themselves.

Following the week of television, they came back this Monday, and announced not only their first tour dates, but gave some details on the stage layout and architecture. Being hosted by Blackberry, and titled "U2 360," it was immediately clear that just as the All That You Can't Leave Behind tour changed the whole touring industry with the intimacy of "the heart" and the inner circle concept (subsequently adopted by numerous artists of all stripes) -- they are looking to reinvent the live experience yet again.

Set designer Willie Williams is back, and working with architects and engineers ... well, see for yourself!


Holy Smokes!

They open up in Barcelona on June 30. The first US date will be in Chicago at Soldier Field on September 12. Beyond that:

In September and October, U2 360° Tour will also visit: Atlanta, GA; Charlottesville, VA; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Norman, OK; Phoenix, AZ; Tampa, FL; Washington, DC and Vancouver, BC. Complete Tour and ticketing information to follow.

Magnificent!

U2 on Letterman - Wednesday

The debut of "Crazy" -- Wow! This is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the disc, but again - they've translated this thing live in a huge way (I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight). This one feels like "Streets 2009," which of course is a stupid analogy because this is a new sound and a different song -- but it's got that kind of energy to it, and there will be more to follow I'm sure.

"It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Listen for me, I'll be shouting
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But you know I'll go crazy
If I don't go crazy tonight ..."

He's got them on their feet again in New York! As I'm on the road and sans TiVo and external hard drive, here's the embed -- plug in some headphones and enjoy:

Tesla Roadster

Imagine going from 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. Now imagine total silence. Now, imagine them together: meet the Tesla Roadster.



I guess I don't need to say this is a gorgeous automobile anymore. And if you think this is "in the future" or "someday" stuff. Think again. Running on a lithium ion battery, and nothing else, the car has a range of 240 miles on a single charge. There are 150 of these babies on the road already, and they are currently putting out 20 per week and are sold out through the fall.

The car shown here and featured in the video below (ABC News, 3/3/2009), sells for $109,000, so it's obviously not for everyone. But in 2 years, Tesla will sell a full size sedan for half that price that will have a 230 mile range, charge fully from any outlet in 45 minutes, consuming about $5 worth of electricity.

And that's with one company making them. Imagine an entire industry competing for this market. Imagine filling up your car for $5.

Check it out:

U2 on Letterman - Tuesday

Magnificent!

You're Welcome America - A Final Night with George Bush

Check out Will Ferrell doing "two Bushes" in a preview of his upcoming HBO special: You're Welcome America -- A Final Night with George Bush. Saturday, March 14 ...

U2 on Letterman - Monday -

A week of U2 on Letterman - wow, let me in the sound, sound let me in the sound!

Check out Letterman paying homage, and spoofing a bit as the Irishmen play along ...



Of course, "Boots" has been everywhere. So it was nice to see them venture out a bit and leave that one behind for something else. It's also interesting to see them get the songs in "live shape." I would never have predicted Breathe to be a big number, but they are clearly loving this one live and it translates better than I would have thought. This is quite the spirited version, and Bono really whips up the crowd.

One quick news flash first -- tour date announcement coming on March 9!

"We are people borne of sound
The songs are in our eyes
Gonna wear them like a crown
Walk out, into the sunburst street
Sing your heart out, sing my heart out
I've found grace inside a sound
I found grace, it's all that I found
And I can breathe
Breathe now"

Moment of Surrender

Heads Up - If you haven't seen the post below this yet - check it out!

While a review of the entire album is clearly needed, sharing a U2 experience, ultimately, is far more important. And while describing music with words may be just plainly stupid, press on we must!

Brian Eno, a long time U2 producer and collaborator, tells the story in a U2.com video, but I hadn't heard it yet when I first heard Moment of Surrender. It was my very first time through the new songs. It is the 3rd song on the collection.

The very first time you hear 11 new songs, it is unusual to really get stuck on one tune. But from the outset, I found myself needing to play this again and search on the lyrics. So melancholy; so U2, but so new and different.

Then I saw the Brian Eno video; he called it "the most magical experience I've ever had in a studio." He was laying down a new loop for the band to play with. It wasn't quite right and as he was still trying to "fix it" ... Larry walked in to the studio, sat down at the drum kit and started playing along. Shortly thereafter, Adam then Edge and Bono showed up. They immediately picked up on the funky loop and Larry's drums.

9 minutes later they had Moment of Surrender.

There were others in the room. Engineers. Other support staff. A couple visitors were present. As the band finished the first, and what would be the last take, Eno describes the moment, as nothing but silence. Everyone in the room new something amazing had just taken place, that they had just witnessed what was surely going to be a new U2 tune.

Finally Bono broke the silence with (paraphrasing) ... "we come here to find the music ... I think that time it found us." ...

At seven minutes and twenty four seconds it is the longest song on the album. I'm confident it will never make radio. They may never even do it live. I fell in love with "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" on Pop and I don't think they ever played it. So I certainly don't wanna get my hopes up ... but this is my new "Streets" for sure ... the next "One" ... this lame description can't come close, nor can a reprint of the lyrics possibly convey the emotion and force of the song itself, and yet ...

I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down ’til the pain would stop

At the moment of surrender
Of vision of over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

Of course they'll open with "Boots." But my ultimate fantasy would be to have them end the night with this. The new 40: Moment of Surrender.

No Line on the Horizon - US Release / TV Appearances

How time flies ... Tuesday, the US release of No Line on the Horizon is official! Let the downloads commence (er ... continue ;-) Yes, I'll be completing my itunes preorder. Of course I've been listening to the album for well over a week now, streaming from u2.com. But with the Irish release last week, it's no wonder it hit gnutella as high quality mp3's so it's been a rocking weekend!

There is a lot of stuff! So on to it ...

Bono is going to be writing some more for the NY Times. Safe and happy to say, there's a relationship here ... and here was the Sunday piece, covering them at the Brit Awards last week - the last huge Rock band that matters, "Last Gang in Town."

The band are going to be on David Letterman every night this week. Bono and Edge did something similar last time around (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) and it was a riot, appearing in sketches, as well as doing some great jams. Should be great; set your DVR's!

This Friday, crank it up again as the Last Gang does Good Morning America. Let's hope they do 2 maybe 3 numbers for this one -- could be a killer set. Clear out some space on the DVR!

It's been a hugely busy 2 weeks leading up to the US debut. When you've been around as long as U2, radio time doesn't come easy. When it's your 12th studio albumn and you've literally set the standard in stadium rock and live shows of all sizes ... well, it's kind of tough to be "the next hot thing" a la pop media ...

Which is just a long way of saying, the boys knew they'd need a television media blitz to show up on the radar, and get the new stuff out there. They've done it for sure - and they've also been busy this past week "across the pond."

Check out this video of Get on Your Boots from a 7th floor balcony in London -- they are really starting to get comfortable playing this one ... and looking tuned ... can you say "summer tour" boys and girls???

And there was this performance of a song deeper into the album, Breathe ... an interesting choice for sure ... so neat to see their sets evolve ... this if from French television, Le Grand Journal; 2-24-09 - enjoy!



"I don't wanna talk about wars between nations
--not right now!"

Obama Speech to Congress - Leadership Again

Barack Obama's speech to Congress was truly brilliant tonight. It is almost surreal to see true leadership -- it's been so long.

Calling for bold, decisive action not just on the economy, banks and housing, The President "connected the dots" and spoke about transforming Energy, health care, and our education system as well. These things are all inextricably linked -- particularly so with Energy.

If you didn't see it, you can read the transcript or watch here.

(I was streaming the new U2 album all day via the website -- review coming soon :-)

Governors Scramble for Stimulus Aid

As posted last Sunday, our nation's governors have less opportunity to "play politics" with the stimulus bill, since they are actually charged with the responsibility of taking care of people. They balance budgets, ensure garbage is collected, someone answers the phone at 911, police patrol the streets, courthouses hear cases, etc, etc. So when this reality hit:

The Senate version of the bill, to satisfy the demands of a group of centrist senators, cuts tens of billions of dollars in aid to the states from the measure passed by the House late last month. The single biggest of those cuts was a $40 billion reduction to a state stabilization fund, which angered many governors and state legislatures.

... the folks who feel the pain along with the people, put politics aside and got into the action.

Facing rapidly declining revenues and mounting cuts to state services, governors around the nation scrambled Monday to influence senators to change their positions on the Senate’s economic stimulus bill, which is less generous to state governments than the one approved by the House.

As the bill headed toward final passage in the Senate on Tuesday, state leaders made frantic calls to Congressional committee leaders and amply exercised their thumbs, sending BlackBerry messages from the back seats of cars between appointments, all in the hopes of averting cuts and shoring up their ailing budgets. Though no changes could be made to the bill on Monday, House and Senate representatives still must sit down to reconcile the differences between the measures.

The Senate version of the bill, to satisfy the demands of a group of centrist senators, cuts tens of billions of dollars in aid to the states from the measure passed by the House late last month. The single biggest of those cuts was a $40 billion reduction to a state stabilization fund, which angered many governors and state legislatures...

Read the full story here.

It's Boss Time!

Step back from the guacamole dip and put those chicken fingers down -- it's Boss Time!

Super Bowl shows don't get any better than this ... Although he doesn't play it, catch the reference to Radio Nowhere as he jumps up on the piano introducing "10th Ave" ...

"Is there anybody alive out there?!"

Get On Your Boots

Get On Your Boots is the first single release from the much anticipated No Line on the Horizon, the first studio release from U2 in about 5 years. NLOTH will release March 2nd (as reported below). GOYB was released as a digital download January 23rd, which was the day I had it :-)

"Boots" is a big sound and kicks ~ss from note one. It's tempting to say it's an outgrowth/continuation of Vertigo, but the sound is different enough that this would be inaccurate. The dominant thread in the tune is a powerful bass riff that really carries the song the bulk of the distance, and a killer Edge riff that comes and goes - and makes for a strong finish. But at 2:30, they transition to a new tempo / refrain with a percussion line strongly reminiscent of Zeppelin's When The Levee Breaks, with Edge and Bono belting out a pleading "let me in the sound" lyric that repeats with some Bono ad libs. This melds back to the Edge riff and Adam's rumbling bass line, closing in an absolute spanking of 3.5 minutes of hard core U2 -- wow!

The first new U2 sound in 5 years was, of course, an inspiration that gave way to the artwork at left. The cover artwork for the album is a minimalist photo of a horizon over water. Not long after the release of Boots, U2.com had as their entry photo an amazing, intimate shot of the band's studio jam session. The gorgeous rich color of this image laid over the stark NLOTH cover with a selection of "Boots" lyrics was something I put together one night after listening to the song ... it was about a 5 minute inspiration that I really like. You can also check it out and download a larger, high quality bmp at my google images... meanwhile, as the stimulus package reality show played on ... the Boots video released, and U2 hit the Grammys.

All day Sunday I looked forward to seeing the boys live for the first time in aeons. Finishing dinner a couple minutes after 8 I flipped on the TV "just in case they came on early" ... and to my total horror ... saw them 2/3rds of the way though Boots. Horror or horrors ... I missed most of it. But, through the miracle of TiVo and some video editing software I'm playing around with, here's the minute or so I did catch:



The Grammys has had YouTube take down the full version. Although the full video has embedding disabled, you can still catch the (official video) here :

If you just want to sample the new tune, check it out here - the image is the album cover described above:



Alright ... tomorrow I'll post some more on the stimulus package ... there's a part two that needs to be told ... as well as the Boss from the Super Bowl. Know right now if you missed that performance, you're hardly worthy of being --at all. Period. Thankfully, ATYCLB will give you a second shot at worthiness. For now, since it's Saturday night ...

"I don't wanna talk about wars between nations -- not right now..."

Stimulus Package Debate

It was a true "reality show" last week as the stimulus package debate unfolded in the US Senate, and the same old tired politics played itself out. But this was not a meaningless television show. Americans continue to lose jobs in the 100's of thousands by the month. Since the downturn began, the economy has shed more jobs than the entire population of Chicago.

Meanwhile, despite the unanimous consensus by economists that massive government spending is a necessary component of the economic recovery bill, the Republicans again chose to put politics over country, attempting to re-cast the bill as "a spending bill, not a recovery bill." Could they possibly be more disingenuous?

The Senate’s proposed cuts took aim at an array of popular spending programs that critics said should not be part of a fiscal recovery bill, even if they represent laudable policy goals, because they would not deliver a quick enough jolt to the economy.

That's a quote from the NY Times, and became tactic #2: paint necessary items and services as "not quick enough." This, despite the fact, that the stimulus requires moderate to long range elements as well as immediate stimulus, as Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman recently pointed out.

But it's more instructive to look at the specific sections of the bill they objected to and where Obama felt compelled to make concessions. It's telling, consider (continuing from the NY Times):

Even Mr. Obama’s signature tax cut for middle-class Americans was scaled back as part of the deal. Under the new plan, tax credits of up to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples would begin to phase out at lower income levels than first proposed, saving the government $2billion.

That's phase out "at lower income levels" .... in other words, those among us who need it the most ... the article continues on:

The biggest cut, roughly $40 billion in aid to states, was likely to spur a fierce fight in negotiations with the House over the final bill. Many states, hit hard by the recession, face wrenching cuts in services and layoffs of public employees as they struggle to comply with laws requiring them to balance their budgets.

Question: why do Republican governors overwhelmingly favor the stimulus plan that Obama put forth? Answer: because it gives them the money and the means to continue to provide services to their people! A tax cut doesn't keep Police on the street. A tax cut cannot rebuild a decrepit bridge. A tax cut cannot pay employees to keep a court house functioning -- these critical services require direct funds -- otherwise known as government spending.

Eight years of irresponsible fiscal policy, to include $10 billion per week funneled out of our country and into Iraq, has left the states literally -- in a state of emergency. Here in our own state of Florida, parents who took comfort in knowing their children were in a top flight special arm of the public school system known as "the magnet program" ... are now organizing in protest to that program's cancellation. And that's but one tiny example.

In addition to the large cut in state aid, the Senate agreement would cut nearly $20 billion proposed for school construction; $8 billion to refurbish federal buildings and make them more energy efficient; $1 billion for the early childhood program Head Start; and $2 billion from a plan to expand broadband data networks in rural and underserved areas.

"Underserved areas" ... tax cuts for "middle class Americans" ... "school construction ... energy efficiency ... early childhood programs" long proven to work ... these are the things Republicans want to cut -- benefits for the most needy among us.

Denying the most needy among us, placing politics ahead of country -- this has become the modus operandi of this morally bankrupt organization. All Hail their new Prince, Vicodin junkie Rush Limbaugh.

Let history judge them accordingly.

Obama Signs Children’s Health Insurance Bill

Today was a great day for the Obama administration, the Democratic leadership, and for America, as the House gave final approval and President Obama signed into law Children's Health Insurance Legislation.

"S-CHIP" or state children's health insurance program, provides health insurance coverage to children who come from low income homes that are above what Medicaid would cover -- the working poor.

President Bush, the "good man," the "fine Christian" that I was constantly told he is, had led the charge against the bill. He was successful, and for two years, millions of children needing health services didn't get them.

The plan was created in 1997 and has generally enjoyed bipartisan support. By every measure over the years it has been a success. This program will immediately provide health care to over 7 million children, the overwhelming majority of whom would otherwise not have had it.

Today, a decent man did the God-fearing thing. Today, America took care of its children. It didn't even make the nightly news (ABC, at least), but for 7 million children, I guarantee you, it was the most important thing that happened.

Obama Signs Children’s Health Insurance Bill

King of Beers

Never actually saw this add, but playing around on Hulu tonight when I needed to catch the end of the Office episode from last night, I started perusing the Super Bowl Ads and found this ... So stupid you gotta laugh ...

The Eagles come to South Florida

The Eagles came to south Florida last Monday evening, the 26th of January, for what Glenn Frey joked was "The Eagles Assisted Living Tour." On their rocking chairs these guys are not.

I was there not because I love the Eagles (which I do), one of the all time great classic folk Rock bands, but because of the strength of their 20 track new release, Long Road Out of Eden. I've got a lot of old bands I love, but my rule is: you gotta have a great new release to make the show worthwhile. Call it my secret fountain of youth.

So after hearing the new album (and watching some footage from Hell Freezes Over, their last tour) I knew they were going to be in top form -- and they were. It was the full lineup - Henley, Frey, Felder, Schmitt and Joe Walsh - plus a whole rhythm section on horns, some of which is below.

One of my favorite tunes from LROE is How Long - a beautiful up tempo rocker reminiscent of Already Gone from On The Border. It's a real Eagles classic with strong solo vocals from both Henley and Frey, beautiful harmonies and a nice guitar solo: the complete package.

There was no back up band and the show was listed as starting at 8:00 PM. It was about 8:20 when the lights went down and the stage darkened. The audience screamed in anticipation, as the silhouettes one by one strode on stage. About 30 seconds of tortured anticipatory silence followed, still dark, until dead on queue -- the stage lit up in blue splendor as each bolted out of darkness, all dead on queue from note one, and into How Long: (super short clip, but the camera nazis were everywhere for the first 30 minutes)



Another great one from LROE is the caustic Henley ballad Too Busy Being Fabulous (man, these guys have had their share of rough west coast chicks!). I think we've all known the type ... and they wasted no time launching into the 3rd song from LROE with the 2nd song of the night (a tad longer, but still a tiny morsel):



They went into Hotel California with only the 3rd song of the evening, a bit surprising, but no disappointment to me. I loved the way they shifted through time throughout the whole evening. You never knew which decade was coming up next.



And on and on they went for hours. In The City was a particularly strong rocker/Joe Walsh performance on a gorgeous electric. This grainy video where auto focus seems to have gone haywire doesn't really come close to approaching justice of course, but you can barely make out Joe in action on the big screen, and the audio gives you a hint:



The only disappointment was what they didn't do, most notably, from LROE, the 2nd Joe Walsh tune Last Good Time in Town, and the Glenn Frey What Would I do with my Heart, and from the "reaching back" department, Tequila Sunrise would have been a real treat. Nevertheless, they ended the night with Desperado (alas, my disc had long since been full), and from the first to last notes ... it was one to remember ...

Thanks Zo - We'll Miss You!

A class act says goodbye ...