Video: Boston - More Than A Feeling

Oh man, in a classic recording from the 70's, Boston rocks out to their smash hit "More than a feeling."

With out a doubt, Tom Scholz is rockin, but what's up with the bass player? I'm certainly hoping they sound this good come August.

Still waiting to find the first review from the summer tour, I'll share it as soon as I find one.

"Its more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)"

So many times I partied to that tune! Now those lyrics mean even more.

Boston Kicks Off Summer Tour

In probably the coolest thing that has happened here at Dondequiera, it turns out team Don Dees will be attending the upcoming Boston concert at the Choliseo. After I wrote my initial reactions to the announcement of Boston coming to Puerto Rico, I was contacted by the publicist for the band and invited to attend the concert. In exchange for the invitation, I'll be writing a review of the concert.

In the meantime, since I had such a good time catching up on Rush when they came to Puerto Rico and since we were feeling such a positive vibe coming from the band, I decided to follow them on their tour and try to get everyone excited for the local show.

Live at Marina Park

So last Friday night was the debut show for the new line-up of Boston, featuring new lead singer Tommy DeCarlo (whose story is so cool, I'll be sharing his story with you next). The initial concert was at the "The Great Race 2008" in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada as part of the outdoor music festival at Marina Park.

Well it looks like it was a tough initiation concert for DeCarlo. The band took the stage at 10:00 p.m. as the headliner for the festival, but instead of a roaring crowd, it seems that they were met by roaring wind and howling rain. Which can happen in Canada, which has summer for like two days out of the year.

“We had a long delay today and it was not looking like it was going to happen because of the weather,” said Thunder Bay Community Auditorium general manager Bob Halvorsen. However, the show (as they say...) had to go on, said events chairman Tom Speer.

According to an article from the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, since Speer had been on the site all day long, he did not know how many tickets had been sold, but he did say it was “lots” when asked. He also noted that none of the equipment was damaged by the rain, which I'm sure was a big relief to the band.

I've been unsuccessful in finding any reviews of the concert or the following night's show in Winnipeg, Manitoba (I've only been to Canada once in Toronto, but it facinates and intrigues me. With it's strong native indian cultural heritage it shares a lot with Puerto Rico). So as they head south through the U.S. of A., hopefully I'll be able to share more about how the tour is going.

Burn it up at Crash Boat Beach

Primera Hora and Coor's Light are teaming up to bring "burn it up 2008" to Aguadilla. On Sunday, July 20th, Crash Boat Beach will be bumping to one of the most exciting events I've heard of yet for this newly started summer. The party starts at 11:00 a.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 6:00 p.m., but I'm sure the partying goes on well past that.

Featuring a full line-up of top artists, "burn it up" will also feature kiosks, games, gifts, and, wait for it, many surprises. In an environment of maximum security, the event offers something for everyone.

burn it up 2008

The line-up of artists for "burn it up 2008" includes:

• Cultura Profética
• Melina Leon
• Limite 21
• Cheka
• Zorro Viejo
• Los Jetzons
• Baby Rasta & Gringo.

Coolers are not permitted inside the event and neither are glass bottles. Hmm, if you can;t take a cooler, how are you going to take anything that you would want to drink cold. I don;t know too many Puerto Ricans who are into the whole room temperature beer thing the Germans love so much. Anyway, for more information call (787) 255-1489. The event is produced by SparkOf Entertainment Group.

Review: Pat Metheny Heineken JazzFest

Before it slips away into the dusty confines of faded memory, I wanted to share with you my experience last weekend. I have a brother-in-law who is a big Pat Metheny fan, so after blogging about the JazzFest, I called him up to let him know about the show. He already knew about it and we both lamented at how expensive the tickets were and being flat broke. Oh well we thought.

The next week he calls me and tells me one of his long time friends had invited us to the concert and had bought us both tickets. Sweet. So on Saturday night we headed over to the Tito Puente Amphitheater to see Pat Metheny. As I mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of Jazz, but I am a fanatic for excellent guitar playing, and I've appreciated Pat Metheny since I saw him back in 1984, for $6.00.

The Pat Metheny Trio

After witnessing three masterful performances by the members of Rush back in April, I was not expecting something that would beat that show. I'm not going to say I was wrong, because it is awkward to even compare the two shows, but I was totally blown away by the Path Metheny Trio, which consisted of Metheny, Christian McBride on the bass and Antonio Sánchez on the drums.

To begin the show, Metheny played three songs solo. The first of which he used a baritone guitar, in which, according to my friends he did some crazy stuff, that escaped my poor eyes. In the third song he used an instrument that I have never seen before. It is a 42 string guitar with four necks, It is called a Pikasso I, and it is a custom-made instrument created by Canadian luthier Linda Manzer. The crazy thing about this guitar is that Metheny plays multiple necks at the same time as well as the autoharp located on the bottom lower left of the instrument. Totally amazing, is all I can say. If you'd like to learn more about this instrument, the creator has a nice page explaining how he built it.

After those first three songs, then the rest of the trio joined him on stage and together, including the first three songs, they played for nearly two hours, including one encore. Throughout the rest of the concert, each of the musicians supported each other while playing together as well as sat back in amazement with the rest of the audience during frequent solos by the other trio members. To end the show, the trio played a rock jazz fusion jam that was simply incredible.

It almost goes without saying, but obviously Pat Metheny was awesome. He is most definitely one of the best musicians to ever play the guitar. His speed, clarity, and finesse is apparent in every note he plays. Interestingly enough, while most everyone in the audience was in awe of Metheny, he confessed that it was his honor to be playing with Sánchez and McBride, who according to Metheny, currently represent the best Jazz musicians in their respective instruments; which is a lot coming from a 17-time Grammy winner.

Antonio Sanchez, is no Neil Peart, but that's an unfair comparison. His passion, rhythm, and ability to convey emotion in his music is amazing. While his solo's where not overwhelming, they were smooth and expressive as I guess a good jazz drummer should be. There is definitely one thing you can say about Sánchez, with him, you definitely don't need more cowbell. He uses a cowbell attached to a foot pedal that he occasionally uses with expertise.

However, for me, the great surprise and delight of the concert was witnessing Christian McBride. Man can this dude play bass. I've seen three of the best bass rock bass guitarists to ever pick up the instrument (Lee, Entwhistle, and Squire), but this guy may be better than all of them. The speed, agility, and clearness he plays with are simply unbelievable. I was giving McBride a standing ovation at the conclusion of each of his solos.

Tito Puente Amphitheater

This was my first time attending a concert at the amphitheater. I've always enjoyed seeing a good show outside, so I was expecting a good time. While we were waiting in line to get in I was wondering why so many people were carrying chairs. I knew from the aerial satellite photos that the amphitheater was made of cement, but I didn't put the two together until we got inside. Now I know why. Let me tell you, sitting on the concrete for nearly three hours starts to get pretty old.

It's kind of awkward the system they have to buy beer and snacks. You first have to buy these packets of Heineken dollars and then you use those to pay for what you want. The problem is that they only had two places to buy the darn funny money, but about 20 places to spend them. So the line to actually get a beer was short, but the line to buy your Heine-dollars was like a large male goat.

One other stupid thing was the policy for cameras and taking photographs. While it was not prohibited to bring cameras, it was prohibited to use them. While I do remember them making an announcement for the photojournalists when they could take pictures, I didn't think it applied to the audience. After about five or so songs, if you tried to take a picture, the camera nazis would come over and ask you to put away the camera. I could understand that policy if you were using a flash, but I wasn't so I didn't real see the harm. Anyway, before they got really aggressive, I did happen to snap a few nice ones, so I hope you enjoy them. I'm still traumatized by their harassment, sniff, sniff.

Conclusion

In a way that was so completely different than the Rush show, the Pat Metheny Trio was an exceptional concert. For me, there is nothing better than seeing artists expressing their passion for music while having fun at the same time. So if there is a similarity between the two shows it is that all six of these musicians are masters on their instruments, display deep passion while performing, and are incredibly humble in their understanding of how much the fans appreciate their perfromance.

Boston Concert at the Puerto Rico Coliseum?

Well I guess it's kind of official, I've heard it a couple of times now on Alfa Rock that the legendary classic rock band Boston, will be giving a concert in Puerto Rico. According to the advertisement, Boston will appear in concert at the Puerto Rico Coliseum on August 31st. Snooping around I've confirmed that the band's web site lists Puerto Rico as the last show on the summer tour.

The Good O'le Days

Man, those first two albums from Boston are classics. The self titled debut album and the follow-up Don't Look Back were extremely well written, performed and engineered and back in the day, they were usually on somebodies turntable when we were partying (I mean who hasn't partied to Party):

" Just meet some friends and have a toke or two
In a place where they can never play the music too loud".

Yeah baby, rock and roll! That pretty much describes my mis-spent youth. But I have to confess, I've never seen them in concert. After those first two albums most of the music they produced didn't move me like those first two, so I never really paid much attention after that.

Part of the reason for that was they pretty much lost their mojo after the second album and then between inner fighting and band member changes, never really were the same again. I can remember having opportunities to see them, but I was disinterested because it wasn't the original band line-up. I'm always afraid to go see a group I really like when one of the key members has been replaced. I'm always afraid that they'll be too different and I'll be dis-satisfied.

Is Nostalgia Enough?

I'm going to assume that this concert is being promoted by the same duo of Larry Stein and Jose Dueño, that has brought Iron Maiden, Rush, and Billy Joel to Puerto Rico this year. From what I've heard and seen (Rush), I think these were all very successful concerts. However, I think they've missed their mark this time. While there is some renewed interest in Boston since the ex-lead singer Brad Delp's suicide last year, I really don't think there is going to be that much demand for Boston. With Tom Scholz as the only original member, except for nostalgia, I don't really see what's the point. It's almost like paying top dollar to see a Boston tribute band play in the Choliseo. I guess it will all depend on the pricing of the tickets, if they are dirt cheap, then maybe folks will say what the hey why not, but if they go with average ticket prices, I believe they will cancel the show due to lack of demand.

Heineken JazzFest 2008

This year's edition of the much anticipated Heineken JazzFest 2008 is almost here. On May 29th through May 31st Tito Puente Ampitheater will host some of the coolest jazz players in the world, this year the Heineken JazzFest celebrates the music of Andy and Jerry González.

Before turning 20, Jerry was already playing trumpet and congas with Dizzy Gillespie. His brother Andy is one of the the most important Latin bassists in the world today. Put them together and throw in Steve Berrios, Larry Willis, and Joe Ford, and you get the Fort Apache Band, arguably one of the most electrifying ensemble Latin Jazz has ever seen. Well at least according to the website.

For many Jazz fans, perhaps equally anticipated is Pat Methany's first appearance in Puerto Rico. I remember vaguely seeing Pat Methany back in college. He performed in the theater of the university, but we were in the starving college student nose bleed sections, and for "other reasons" I can't say I remember much. If your not familiar with Methany's accomplishments I think you'll be impressed. Give a quick read through his biography over at the Heineken JazzFest website but play this video while you read it to get into the mood.

Pat Methany Trio, "Lone Jack":


This year's line-up and schedule for the three days of jazz is (all events are at Tito Puente Ampitheater):

• Thursday, May 29th
• 08:00 Andy González & Rumbajazz
• 09:30 Dave Valentin Quintet
• Friday, May 30th
• 08:00 Marco Pignataro with special guest Matt Marvuglio
• 09:30 Ahmad Jamal
• 11:00 Jerry González Y Los Pirates del Flamenco
• Saturday, May 31st
• 08:00 Pat Methany Trio with Christian McBride & Antonio Sánchez
• 10:00 Jerry González & The Fort Apache Band

Oh, I almost forgot, tickets are for sale through TicketPop, Thursday and Friday night's show is $30. The grand finale on Saturday will set you back $45. That excludes IVU and service charges.

Mike Portnoy to Make In-Store Appearance

On June 4th, progressive metal band Dream Theater is scheduled to play the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseo de Puerto Rico. This is the second time the band will play in Puerto Rico, the first time was back in 2006. The band will stop in Puerto Rico after kicking off the tour in Milan, Italy on June 3rd. The band will support their new greatest hits production, "Greatest Hit (…& 21 Other Pretty Songs)", which was released in April of this year.

While in Puerto Rico, Mike Portnoy, one of the original founding members of Dream Theather will stop by the The Music Store, which is located on Calaf Street in the Montemar Plaza, for an in-store appearance. Portnoy will be there at 2:00 p.m. and then head down the street to take the stage later that evening at the Cholieso.

Courtesy of the heavy metal news web site, Blabbermouth.net.

Revive la Musica is accepting applications

Does your school, organization, or community have a program to teach children how to play musical instruments? If so, you might be able to qualify to receive newly restored instruments to continue your efforts. The "Revive la Musica" program, which was started some two years ago by the Fundación Luis A. Ferré, Fundación Banco Popular, and Villa Music, is currently accepting applications to award musical instruments to deserving programs. The musical instruments are the result of a campaign during 2007 to collect un-used instruments, refurbish them, and then donate them to programs that support teaching music.

They will be accepting applications until May 11th, so you'd better hurry if you want your application considered. The application is available at the "Revive la Musica" web site. The application contains the eligibility rules, so before applying make sure your organization qualifies. Don't get confused if you see outdated information on the web site and the application, apparently the coordinators of the web site believe that it will be automagically get updated without any effort on their part. Hmm, go figure....

The applications will be evaluated by a committee and selections will be made by the need and by the availability of the instruments. The groups selected to receive instruments will be notified in late May, and the instruments will be delivered in August.

If you have an instrument hanging around in your house that you could part with, the "Revive la Musica" organization is always accepting donations. To donate an instrument, call (787)722-7388 or (787) 793-4040.

Festival Internacional de Artesanía

Starting tomorrow, and running through next Sunday, Old San Juan is hosting an international festival of arts and crafts. With participation from 24 countries, including Puerto Rico, the plazas of old San Juan will be filled with color and unfamiliar smells, and I'm not just talking about the homeless who inhabit them. No, with the participation of exotic locales such as Africa, Brazil, France, and Peru, to name a few, visitors will be able to see a slightly different set of arts and crafts than what we've become accustomed to, you know like 55 different varieties of Don Quixote.

The fair will run from Saturday, the 26th of April through May 4th, and be open daily from 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. In addition to kiosks of artesians, there will also be daily musical entertainment. The music starts at 4:00 p.m. The majority of the fair will take place in Plaza Cristobal Colón and the Plaza Arturo Somohano, but there will also be activities in the Sala Capitular of the Casa Alcaldía, Plaza Salvador Brau, and the Plaza Eugenio Maria De Hostos.

A daily schedule follows:

Saturday, April 26th:

• 3:30 p.m. Actos de apertura
• 4:00 p.m. Al Son del Niño Musical
• 6:00 p.m. Joseph Fonseca
• 8:00 p.m. Los Duques del Vallenato

Sunday, April 27th:

• 2:00 p.m. Taller - "Tejidos", Natalia Pongis, Uruguay
• 3:00 p.m. Taller - "Artesanías in Bambu", Marcelo Fedullo, Uruguay
• 4:00 p.m. Grupo Andante
• 6:00 p.m. Fernando Allende y Mariachis
• 8:00 p.m. Jesse Calderón y Son de Toa

Monday, April 28th

• 8:30 to 12:30 p.m. Seminar - "Propriedad intelectual en la artesanía", Lcdo Marco Marzano, Expert de la OMPI, Ginebra, Suiza
• 2:00 p.m. Taller - "Soplado en vidrio"
• 3:00 p.m. Taller - "El cuatro de concierto"
  
• 4:00 p.m. Banda Sinfónica Juvenil de Villa Palmeras
• 7:00 p.m. San Juan Habana
  

Tuesday, April 29th

• 8:30 to 12:30 p.m. Seminar (Continuation)- "Propriedad intelectual en la artesanía", Lcdo Marco Marzano, Expert de la OMPI, Ginebra, Suiza
• 4:00 p.m. Grupo Ilke
  
• 7:00 p.m. Aníbal de Garcia Batukealo
  

Wednesday, April 30th

• 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Conference - "Sello de excelencia para las artesanías", Denise Bax, UNESCO, Paris, France
  
• 1100 a.m. Ceremonia de dedicatoria, Plaza Colón
• 1:30 p.m. Taller - "Talla de Santos", Luis R. (Pichilio) Nieves, Puerto Rico
  
• 3:00 p.m. Taller - "Insrumentales Musicales", Nicasio Quispe, Bolivia
  
• 4:00 p.m. Zacandela
• 7:00 p.m. Caribe Gitano
  

Thursday, May 1st

• 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Conference - "Estableciento de costos en la producto artsenal", Dra. Cecilia Duque, Colombia
  
• 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Conference - "Deseño artesanal y competitividad", PJ Arañador, Filipinas
  
• 1:00 p.m. Taller - "Ocarines en barro:, Edwin Gerena, Puerto Rico
• 2:00 p.m. Taller - "Retablos de Ayacucho", Donato Ramos, Perú
  
• 4:00 p.m. Erika
• 7:00 p.m. Son de Madre

Friday, May 2nd

• 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Conference - "Programa de comecialización de la artesania Uruguaya", Alberto De Betolaza, Uruguay
  
• 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Conference - "Modelo empresarial artesanal", Oscar Rafael Cortés, El Salvador
  
• 1:00 p.m. Taller - "Tejidos de materias primas variadas", Andreas Moeller, Alemania
  
• 2:00 p.m. Taller - "Decoraciones de barcos", Jorge Andrés Escobar, Chile
• 4:00 p.m. Con Sabor Latino
  
• 7:00 p.m. Victoria Sanabria
  

Saturday, May 3rd

• 1:00 p.m. Taller - "Alfareria", Rafael Vázquez, Puerto Rico
  
• 2:00 p.m. Taller - "Técnica de esmaltado sobre madera", Francisco Coronel Varro, Mejico
  
• 4:00 p.m. Grupo Illari
  
• 7:00 p.m. Grupo Riko
• 9:00 p.m. Pleneros con Chce
  

Sunday, May 4th

• 3:00 p.m. El Guajiro y Su Son
• 4:00 p.m. Palo Nuevo
  
• 6:00 p.m. Billy Van
• 8:00 p.m. Sonora Ponceña

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: tarotastic

La Gran Feria

If you can't make the Feria Porta Caribe next weekend, then how about something a littel closer to the metropolitan area? Well, you're in luck because Claro is sponsoring "la gran feria" at Estadio Hiram Bithorn on May 3rd. The event will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.

Again, you can expect the typical fair sort of arrangement. First, the fair features a a stellar line-up of musical artists, Gilbertito Santa Rosa, Black Guayaba, Plenéalo, Limi-T21, and La Nostra. Second, there will be kiosks of food and an area of games for children. And the best of all, admission is free.

Why is Claro being so generous? Well to tell you the truth, it's not real clear. Get it? But in the announcements for the fair, they indicate that you can go home with a new cellular telephone. So I'm guessing this is a really nice sales promotion. Wow, some one must be pretty desperate! He says in a high falsetto.

Feria Porta Caribe

Next weekend, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and the Municipality of Ponce invite you to celebrate in the Feria Porta Caribe. The feria, which will be held on April 26th and April 27th at La Guancha in Ponce, will feature top name musical artists and the typical tourist attractions for your enjoyment.

There will be two days of popular salsa, plena, merengue, and more as some of the most popular musical groups provide a musical backdrop to typical fair activities. There will be arts and crafts, kiosks with a variety of typical food, and for those wishing to make it a weekend affair, there will be special offers available for local hotels. All of this for the low, low price of free. Yes, indeed, admission is free, so expect a full house.

A complete schedule of the musical entertainment is available here:

Saturday, April 26th

• 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Exhibitions in the Pavillions
• 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Artists from local municipalities
• 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Plenéalo
• 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Andrés Jiménez - El Jibaro
• 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Andy Montañez y Orquesta
• 10:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. Joseph Fonseca

Sunday, April 27th

• 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Exhibitions in the Pavillions
• 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Artists from local municipalities
• 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Orquesta La Clásica
• 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Julio César Sanabria y Grupo Caobaná
• 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Plena Libre
• 9:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. Raphy Levitt y La Selecta

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: Oquendo

2nd International Festival of Tuna

When I first heard that Puerto Rico would be hosting the 2nd International Festival of Tuna. I thought to myself, wow, I never knew tuna fish were so popular! I mean to actually have enough support, and international support at that, to build a conference around me and my family's favorite food during Lent, well there must be more to this fish than meets the mouth. Though, I wonder why they don't use the more grammatically correct Atun, when they talk about it ...

I'm sorry what? It's not about tuna fish? No, it's about what? Singing? No, really? Oops, sorry about that. So for any of you out there who may have gotten confused, like me, the 2nd International Festival of Tuna, which runs from April 24th through the 27th of April, is NOT about one of the most tasty fish swimming in the ocean, but about some funny dressed people singing together. I repeat, funny dressed singing groups not a fish commonly served with mayonnaise or as sushi.

The festival kicked off last night actually, for all you Tuna enthusiasts out there, with the opening of an exposition "TunAmérica: 15 años de Historia" at Sala #5 in the Museo de las Américas in the Cuartel de Ballajá. The exposition, which is sponsored by the local Tuna group, TunAmérica Universitaria de Puerto Rico, features 15 hears of history by Puerto Rican artist Edgardo Moisés. In the exposition, he presents a select collection of prizes, recognition, photographic images, and video documenting the history of TunAmérica. The exposition will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., until the 27th of April.

FIT Caribe 2008

The festival, which is made partly possible by a $25,000 contribution by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña and the Compañía de Turismo de Puerto Rico, will feature the participation of 19 tunas, including some from Colombia, México, Portugal, España, and Islas Canarias. In addition, it will feature 13 tunas from Puerto Rico. Which of course that means only one thing. The majority of the audience will be made up of family members who are completely oblivious of the fact that they are blocking the view for the rest of the audience as they push and shove to get pictures of their loved ones while they are performing.

It has been fourteen years since the first festival was held in the Convento de Los Dominicos in Old San Juan. In that first festival, the tunas performed on the steps of the Capital. This time, the public will have ample opportunity to experience this unique performing art as all of the performances are free of cost. If you would like to catch some of their performances, you have three chances:

Thursday, April 24th (10:00 p.m.)
Noche de Serenatas (Concurso Gánate una Serenata)
Calle Recinto Sur, Old San Juan(in front of the Federal Court)

Friday and Saturday,.April 25th and 26th (8:00 p.m.)
Noches de Competencias
Cuartel de Ballajá, Old San Juan

Saturday, April 26th (3:00 p.m.)
Pasacalle (Parada de tunas)
De la Plaza Colón a la Plaza de Armas, Viejo San Juan

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: maesejose

What a Rush!

Sometimes when you build something up, when you spend too much time thinking about how special something might be, you can sometimes come away disappointed when it's finally over. Friday night's Rush concert in the Puerto Rico Coliseum was not one of those times. While it was not more than I hoped for, it was everything I expected. It was a stunning show that mixed virtuoso performances with a state-of-the-art stage production.

Ever since I heard that Rush was coming to Puerto Rico last Christmas, I've indulged myself and listened to pretty much nothing but Rush. I splurged and purchased a couple of their live DVD's and watched them a couple of times each. I wanted to hit the concert as "ready" as possible. I even studied some of the lyrics to round out my "preparation." Even before the concert arrived, my esteem and appreciation for the band had grown immensely. Being a fan of Rush in the 1980's was an entirely different experience. Between the books, DVDs and now courtesy of the Internet being a fan now, provides such a richer opportunity to appreciate the people behind the music, which, for me, makes the music that much more special.

Zero Hour

As dusk was falling we arrived to the Coliseum and started the walk towards the entrance, I'll have to admit that the adrenaline was starting to flow and I was starting to get excited. With each step the years receded and it could have been 1982 again. After making it through the now obligatory search gauntlet, "no cameras, unless its a phone or a Blackberry", the anticipation was starting to grow. When I finally stepped into the inside of the coliseum and saw the massive light setup, Neil's drums, and Geddy's chicken roasters glowing underneath a black cover, my expectations were confirmed. This concert was going to really be amazing., one to remember, for sure.

After a couple of double scotch on the rocks, and a slight delay for the usually late Puerto Rican audience to find their seats, the lights finally went out and the introductory video started, it was time to rock. Alex launched into Limelight, and it was as sweet as ever. Looking fit and tanned after a week on the island, is it me or did it look like Alex has trimmed off some weight? After that, the local crowd was rocking out hard as the boys nailed Limelight and then Digital Man.

The set continued with the band playing single songs from a number of albums, some classics (Freewill, Red Barchetta, The Trees), and a couple of tunes from the new Snakes And Arrows album (The Larger Bowl and The Main Monkey Business). In my opinion, some of the songs in the first set provided some of the low points for the show. But I don't think I was alone in that sentiment, because the quietest points in the show (IMHO) were during Ghost of a Chance, Mission, Dreamline and Between the Wheels.

The second set kicked off with five straight songs from the new album, but for me, the first three were exceptional. The trio of Far Cry, Working Then Angels and Armor and Sword are a great opening. The other two songs Spindrift and The Way The Wind Blows are, in opinion some of the weaker songs on the new album and also come off weak live as well. With a string of another set of classics (Subdivisions, Natural Science, and Witch Hunt) the band played the new classic Malignant Narcissism, which featured the always popular Neil Peart Drum Solo, and Hope, also from Snakes and Arrows. After that it was nothing but classics, offering a strong closing of The Spirit Of Radio, 2112 (Overture/Temples of Syrinx), and Tom Sawyer.

After coming back for an encore, the guys launched into the fiery "One More Victory", the lone track in the show from Vapor Trails. They finish the show with two classics, guaranteed favorites for any Rush fan, Passage to Bangkok and YYZ. A great encore, that definitely left everyone wanting more.

As Neil jumped up from his drum set and the last notes of YYZ lingered in the air, I had to sit down. After standing for three hours and rocking out pretty hard, I was exhausted. There should be no doubt, this was the best Rush concert I had ever seen. It was a breathtaking assault on the senses that thrilled and entertained beyond anything you could imagine, especially if you haven't seen it for yourself. What an awesome experience!

Finally, it wouldn't do justice to this concert without trying to share my appreciation for the show. Where, I might have said light show, that description just doesn't give enough credit to the creative minds behind the collection of effects used throughout the show. Deployed behind the band were three giant monitors, that displayed a combination of videos, as in the introduction dream sequence, the Bob and Doug Mackenzie brothers intro, the newly added Harry Satchel intro for the second set and the crowd favorite South Park intro for Tom Sawyer. But they were also used to display animated and other photographic image sequences as well as serving as video monitors for various cameras used to capture the band and supersize it for the benefit of all. So throughout every song, there was always something to see besides the guys jamming their hearts out. But that's not all! They also used a computer controlled selection of lights and effects to put everything over the top. At different times they used lasers, explosions, dragon induced flames, and all out infernos to punctuate songs for effect. Standing in the sixth row, the heat was so intense, you had to pity Neil crouched down for protection. And yet, while all of these awesome effects are taking place, synchronized perfectly with the music, you always have the virtuoso performances of three of the greatest musicians to ever play, taking place right before your very eyes. Simply amazing!

For whom the set rocks

The big debate on all of the Rush Internet forums is the "revamped" set list. After a local fan in Puerto Rico leaked the new set list, there has been some extreme opinions shared on all sides of the issue. Some of the more common ones were "too many songs from Snakes and Arrows", "not enough variety to differentiate this tour from previous tours", and "it shouldn't matter what they play, it's Rush!" I think all of these are valid points, and in many ways zero-in on some changing dynamics of the music industry as well as raise the question "for whom the set rocks?"

Back in the late 1970's and 1980's when I fell in love with Rush's music and was lucky enough to see them four times on their "Permanent Waves", Moving Picutres", "Signals", and "Power Windows" tours, the music business formula was simple. A band makes an album and then hits the road to promote that album. And by the way, this is a formula that Rush has never broken in their 30 plus years in the business. The logic, as I always understood it, behind bands touring on a new record was to encourage fans to buy, if they hadn't already, the new production. For it was in the album sales that the band made the majority of their income. Touring was the evil necessary that would make or break the new album. I can even remember tours back in the day that would cost a band money instead of generate money.

However, now that that the music business has changed so significantly, the logic behind the formula is gone. In fact, it's almost completely opposite now. While the cost of a new album has gone from roughly $6 to $17 to $20, concert prices have exploded, going from $12 to $150 and sometimes much, much more. Touring is where the money is now. So it really begins to beg the question, what is the point of, as some fans see it, pushing the new material, when they are probably going to just download the new album instead of buy it? The dilemma becomes even more sharp when you attempt to answer why, in this instance, is Rush touring? There are a few quick answers. First they're artists, and as such they want to perform their art. The guys have frequently said that they enjoy touring, which is something that made them who they are and set them apart from many other musical groups. Second, they want to please their fans, which have enabled them all of these 30 plus years to live the rock star life. But ultimately, it is their job, in that it (as I've established) where they make the money that lets them have the life style they have grown accustomed to.

Yes, we all must remember that you can't please everyone. There will always be some fans who are disappointed that they didn't play their favorite song, but let's also remember that the band also has to be happy performing the songs as well. I think Rush is sincere in their attempts to give the best possible concert every night. Starting back as far as the "Test For Echo" tour, Rush has offered two sets of music leading to a live performance of more than three hours. Which is where I believe they attempt to strike a balance between pleasing the fans and also pleasing themselves. As I have seen it expressed in the forums, this essentially allows them to say, hey since we play for three hours, basically double most other acts, it gives us time to play a lot of favorites, but at the same time some flexibility to play whatever we want.

So while there were seven songs I personally would have switched out for some of my personal favorites, it was still very entertaining none the less. I got to see five songs off of Moving Pictures, my personal favorite, including Witch Hunt. I also got to see 2112 and many other classics, so if it makes Rush happy and keeps them touring to play those other seven songs, I think that is a fair trade off. For while we fans don't like to admit it, Rush tours at their own pleasure. If the entire act of performing didn't please them, I don't believe they would do it. So while not everyone is pleased, a good majority are. As always, it remains my choice to pay the $150 to witness live, three of the best musicians to play their respective instruments and play some of my favorite songs. In fact, I consider it a treat after all these years to have that much fun with my clothes still on, and if your my age you'll know what I mean. My continued gratitude and thanks to Alex, Geddy, and Neil for giving me the opportunity to share in their art.

RUSH in Puerto Rico Conferencia de Prensa 2008

Local website GotoEventPR.com has scored a popular hit video with their compilation of the Rush Snakes and Arrows Live press conference recorded on Wednesday prior to the band's practice show. As I understand the band played their entire show on Wednesday as the final practice prior to kicking off their 2008 tour tonight at the Choliseo. Not only did they play the entire show, but it was also a last chance run through for the visual effects as well. A complete list of the songs from the practice show is available on the awesome site RushIsABand.com if you can't wait until tonight.

It's a pretty cool video, however it would have been nice to hear the questions. As I've pointed out before, Geddy Lee acknowledges the change in the music industry and points out how that it benefits Rush. As you can imagine, I concur totally. Yes $150 is a lot of money, but when you get three hours of an unreproducable experience, it simply can not be matched. And in this particular case, even more so.

Yesterday I caught an interview on Alfa Rock of Pepe Dueño and Larry Stein. They are the duo that is behind the historic appearance of Rush tonight. They both offered some insight into how this concert came to be and hinted at other spectacular show to come. During one point they said that two things were responsible for being able to get Rush to play in Puerto Rico. First, with the advances in air transportation, it was now possible to transport the band's equipment cost effectively and second, since they were able to negotiate the opening show it gave everyone the time necessary to get everything down here, which they mentioned also helped keep costs down.

But probably the most impressive part of the interview was to hear the enthusiasm and excitement they both had when describing the practice concert. They both felt that it was going to be the most impressive concert ever for Puerto Rico. When Larry Stein says that he has never seen anything like the show that Rush will put on, well I think that puts things in perspective. I agree, based on the attention to detail the band is currently putting into their live show, the professionalism they all are placing on their musicianship, and the positive mood that they are in, even though I've already seen them four times, I think that this is going to be the best show ever.

To emphasize this point, did you know that all three of the members of Rush were individually recognized by fans in Readers' Choice Awards in Guitar Player, Bass Player, and Modern Drummer? It's hard to believe, but these guys are still at the top, even after 35 years of performing. In one word, amazing.

Yeah! More Music Awards

It must be like a dream for Kany Garcia. For me, I'd classify it more like a freaking nightmare. Between the endless drone dominating our airwaves from American Idol and Objetivo Fama to celebrating more music awards, this seems like when your arch enemy not only gets the promotion you wanted, but he also wins the lottery too. When did popular music become such a dominate cultural influence? Sure music has always been popular and extremely influential, but for my taste, it has gotten out of hand. For not only is music on our radios and iPods, but now it's the most popular programming on television. Making it, probably the most influential art in existence. Oh and it doesn't help that the majority of this music is Pop music, for me, as Mick likes to say "I know it's only Rock and Roll, but I like it!"

Anyway, blah, blah, last night Daddy Yankee, blah, blah Jennifer Lopez, blah, blah Chayanne, and finally blah, blah, Wisin & Yandel. Just kidding. Last night, the Latin music industry once again gathered to pat itself on the back. This time they awarded Los Premios Billboard Latinos, which took place in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood Florida. Neighboring Dominican Republic took home the most awards when native son Juan Luis Guerra won three.

Locally, the big news was Kany García, who swept the new artist awards by winning Álbum pop del año nuevo artista and Tema pop airplay del año nuevo artista. Finalists and winners of the Premios Billboard Latinos are determined by their performance on the Billboard charts, as measured by Nielsen SoundScan and BDS during a one-year period from the Feb. 10, 2007, issue through Feb. 2, 2008. That being the case, this year they offerred an award in a surprisingly new category. It's probably not a surprise if your under the age of 25, but I'm sure many veterans in the music industry never expected to give out an award for the most popular ringtone. Local reggaeton artists RKM and Ken - Y took home the distinction of Latin Ringtone Of The Year for their "Me Matas."

The complete list of local winners:

• Hot Latin Song Of The Year, Vocal Duet: "Pegao,” Wisin & Yandel f/ Los Vaqueros (WY/Machete)
• Latin Album Of The Year: "El Cartel: The Big Boss," Daddy Yankee (El Cartel/Interscope/IGA)
• Latin Pop Album Of The Year, Female: "Como Ama Una Mujer," Jennifer Lopez (Epic/Sony BMG Norte)
• Latin Pop Album Of The Year, New Artist: "Cualquier Dia," Kany Garcia (Sony BMG Norte)
• Top Latin Albums Artist Of The Year: Valentin Elizalde
• Tropical Album Of The Year, Male: "El Cantante," Marc Anthony (Sony BMG Norte)
• Tropical Album Of The Year, New Artist: Andres Jimenez: El Jibaro, "Mi Parranda" (Cuarto Menguante)
• Latin Pop Airplay Song Of The Year, Male: "Si Nos Quedara Poco Tiempo," Chayanne (Sony BMG Norte)
• Latin Pop Airplay Song Of The Year, New Artist: "Hoy Ya Me Voy," Kany Garcia (Sony BMG Norte)
• Tropical Airplay Song Of The Year, Male: "Mas Que Tu Amigo," Tito Nieves (SGZ/La Calle/Univision)
• Reggaeton Album Of The Year: "El Cartel: The Big Boss," Daddy Yankee (El Cartel/Intescope/IGA)
• Reggaeton Song Of The Year: "Igual Que Ayer," R.K.M. & Ken-Y (Pina/Universal Latino)
• Latin Ringtone Of The Year: "Me Matas," R.K.M. & Ken-Y (Pina/Universal Latino

Jose Feliciano to sing for Pope

Local music icon Jose Feliciano has been invited to perform before his holiness Pope Benedict XVI during a mass to be offered in the house that Ruth built, New York Yankees Stadium. The mass will be held on April 20th. Feliciano will be performing in Australia in early April and will have to return to New York to participate.

Feliciano, who is a six-time Grammy award winner, was invited to perform in the mass according to a press release issued by Feliciano's agent Rogers & Cowan. The crowd is estimated to exceed 60,000 devotees. This mass will be part of the pontiff's first journey to the United States of America and only the third time a pope has visited New York City.

Prior to giving the mass, the pope will visit Ground Zero, the site of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, to show "solidarity with those who have died, with their families and with all those who wish an end of violence and in the search of peace," said Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican's ambassador to the U.S.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: DJ Buck

Rush Pre-Party

Well it's been a while since I've had anything to say about the upcoming Rush concert. The big show is only 15 days away! Well El Nuevo Dia has announced that they are sponsoring a Rush Pre-Party. The catch is that the party is only open to El Nuevo Dia subscribers.

So if you are already have your ticket and you are or want to be a subscriber, call (787) 641-1346 to register for the Pre Party. When you call you'll be met by a computerized system which will require you to enter the phone number that is associated with your El Nuevo Dia subscription or register for a subscription. You have until April 7th to register.

I imagine that the subscribers that are selected to attend the Pre-Party will be notified telephonically before the concert. The Pre-Party will be at 6:00 p.m. before the show. The party will be held on the grounds of the Choliseo.

25th Dia Nacional de la Salsa

On March 30th, Puerto Rico will celebrate the 25th National Salsa Day at Coliseo Hiram Bithorn. This year's event is dedicated to the director of the group Libre, Manny Oquendo, the historian Rafeal Viera, and the pianist Larry Harlow. And according to these honorees, "We dedicate this for our audience, our fellow salseros."

The event will start at 12:00 noon and feature an all-star line-up including:

• la Orquesta Siglo XXI
• la Sonora Ponceña
• El Gran Combo
• Larry Harlow and Ismael Miranda with Junior González and Adalberto Santiago
• Spanish Harlem Orchestra with Ray de la Paz and Manny Oquendo & Libre

More than 40,000 salseros are expected to attend the event, which is sponsored by the Z-93 radio station. Tickets are available at TicketPop for $22.

B Cool Music 2008

The annual Muscular Dystrophy Association's B Cool fund drive is at once one of the most successful and one of the most annoying campaigns. While it's always nice to have the beautiful people from public relations to visit your cubicle, it always seems like your sort of obligated to buy something. You know, they're standing around, looking beautiful, in full force and staring at you waiting for you to answer "So you're going to cooperate, right?"

Well there is a bright side to the whole shakedown. A free concert. Yep, that's what I said a free concert. Did you know that if you purchase an MDA B Cool t-shirt or polo you'll be able to attend the B Cool Music 2008 show? Headlining this year's show will be Jowell and Randy. Yes, Friday March 28th put on your B Cool shirt and you'll gain free access to the show.

While it's been a few years since I last worked in the real world, I do remember learning about this added bonus to cooperating with the MDA. The wife and I took the kids to one of the B Cool Music concerts, back when Estadio Hiram Bithorn used to still host concerts, and I'd have to say that it was pretty freaking cool. So if your looking for a cheap date, that strangely makes you feel like your helping the world to be a better place or at least feel like those beautiful people from public relations don't think you're a dweeb, then I'd definitely make plans to take someone from work to the show. You can always imagine that they work in public relations.

Other artists on the bill are:

• Circo
• Alexis and Fido
• Zorro Viejo
• Jea R
• Mambo
• DJ Metro
• Limit-21
• Tambukda

The concert will start at 6:00 p.m. and be held at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente. For more information (787) 751-4088

Historic night at the Grammys for Puerto Rico

In a historic night for local boys Black:Guayaba (and Puerto Rico), the album No Hay Espacio was selected as the Grammy winner in the Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album (Vocal or Instrumental) category. This is the first ever Latin Rock Grammy for any Puerto Rican group and really establishes B:G as one of the most promising Latin Rock groups anywhere. The group beat out popular recording artists Jarabe De Palo, Panda, and Rabanes.

The group, which was on hand to receive the award, will stay in California for a few days to promote themselves and then will be back in Puerto Rico on Friday. When they get back, they have, according to their web site a full agenda of in-store appearances to promote the new album. Looks like they're doing a tour of all of the local Wal-Marts (which as I've heard it, will become the only record store left on the planet, well CDs and a bunch of other crap made in China). Their schedule is:

2/15/08, TDB Hard Rock Café del Viejo San Juan
2/16/08, 2:00 p.m. Wal-Mart Cayey
2/16/08, 6:00 p.m. Wal-Mart Santa Isabel
2/23/08, 2:00 p.m. Wal-Mart Fajardo
2/23/08, 6:00 p.m. Wal-Mart Humacao
2/24/08, 2:00 p.m. Wal-Mart Isabela
3/1/08, 2:00 p.m. Wal-Mart Ponce
3/1/08, 6:00 p.m. Wal-Mart Super Center Ponce
3/1/08, 2:00 p.m. Wal-Mart Manati

However, the good news didn't stop there! Reggaeton recording artists Calle 13 also won a Grammy for their record "Residente O Visitante" in the Best Latin Urban Album (Vocal or Instrumental) category. The popular and critically acclaimed artists beat out heavy weights Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderon to win the award.

For yours truly, it was a bittersweet evening as Rush, who you might have seen me blog about once or twice lately, lost gain. They were nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.) with the song "Malignant Narcissism" from the Snakes & Arrows CD. This was the fifth such nomination for this category, and they have yet to win one. This year they were beat out by strong support for Bruce Springstein, who won three awards last night. While the band has long confessed that they do not care about such awards, nor their snubbing by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's a let down for the fans.