Now if memory serves me correctly, Mr. Nut AKA Mr. Vegas and I went to the Nassau Coliseum to see Rob Zombie open for Nut’s favorite, Ozzy Osborne. The concert took place four days before Christmas, and Osborne opened his portion of the show in an overhead sleigh which traveled from the back of the arena, over the orchestra, as Ozzy fired t-shirts down at the crowd. To further set the mood for the Christmas season, behind the stage, there was a drunken Santa hanging on a cross with a bottle in his hand. Ozzy had pulled out all the stops for this one and it was heavy metal mania. At the end of the evening when the lights came up, Mr. Nut found a ring on the floor which he wore for quite a few years, and may still have for all I know, referring to it as his “Ozzy” ring. These are the things that memories are made of!
The “Merry Mayhem” tour, also known as the “Black Christmas Tour” was a big success for those of us lucky enough to spend some quality time during the holiday season with Ozzy Osborne and friends.

Psycho Man

Rock on!

GQ

Aerosmith’s “Just Push Play” tour arrived at New Jersey’s PNC Arts Center on a Sunday night in June, 2001. We happily, and enthusiastically, partied hard prior to the highly anticipated show and we were pumped up for a night of old time rock and roll. Unfortunately security at the gate recognized that my friend had over indulged while trying to enter with outside spirits and had us wait until some equilibrium ruled the day. There is no particular recollection of the performance itself, and the evening is a bit of a blur, but a good time was had by all!

Same Old Song and Dance

Rock on!

GQ

Yes performed with a symphony at the PNC Arts Center on Thursday, September 6, 2001. I’ve attended many Yes concerts through the years, the first at Madison Square Garden during the “ Going for the One” tour and the return of Rick Wakeman (who happens to be on a solo tour this spring). The PNC concert is not particularly memorable, although I do remember making my way up the general admission grass hill on the way to the concession stands once or twice.

Magnification

Rock on!

GQ

On Wednesday, August 23, 2000, Mr. Nut AKA Mr. Vegas and I went to see Pearl Jam at the Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, New York. Our seats were not the greatest but I found myself wandering until I ended up dead center just behind the first section of the orchestra. We are both Neil Young fans and Nut educated me on his theory that when Neil Young is no longer around some day, Eddie Vedder would be the guy to carry on the tock and roll torch down the line. That being said, Mr. Nut and I took a road trip to a theatre in Albany for an Eddie Veddder solo concert where Eddie sat in a giant hand chair, played music and told stories. Nut drove us through a rain storm and we had a great time. This reminds me of another road trip where we drive to see a Neil Young concert in Philadelphia that was being filmed for the yet to be released Trunk Show movie. After the concert, Nut insisted that we find a famous Philly Cheese steak place and we navigated the deserted Philadelphia streets based on his memory of where the food Mecca was located until we finally found it, and where he advised me to go with the Kraft cheese that exploded all over my steering wheel at first bite. The sandwiches were worth the extra effort and we left Philadelphia with our appetites and ears thoroughly satisfied.

No Hidden Path

Rock on!

GQ

One of many Neil Young concerts that I have attended since the 1978 “Rust Never Sleeps” tour, this one at the PNC Arts Center in New Jersey. Ordinarily this would be a bit of a longer drive than I would want to make for this particular covered/outdoor shed venue, with the Jones Beach Theatre ten minutes away, but for Neil Young I will always make the trip. The general admission grass area is memorable because they have created quite the hill to navigate; I am not sure if it has gotten higher and steeper through the years but to me it certainly seems that way.

Mansion on the Hill

Rock on!

GQ

Over $70.00 in Ticketmaster surcharges per ticket is obscene and abusive. The fan is getting hosed, paying, in some cases, over $400 bucks for what should have been a $300 and change ticket; $800 plus dollars for a pair? I guess if they are getting it you almost cannot blame them but it is insane. Then you have “dynamic pricing”, another scam, where I went to check out my $185 each pair for Peter Gabriel only to find that it went up to $201 before fees while navigating website; I bailed. The system is broke; F Ticketmaster!

Money

Rock On!

GQ