Media Junkie

Racing Home - Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Live at St. Andrews Hall, Detroit, MI - 25 June 2011

[Note: This post will be updated with pictures at a later time.  For the time being, I felt it was more important to get the text up before the show becomes ancient history.]

How far Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. have come.  What began as a side project for Detroit natives Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott has blown up into a full-scale national tour, both in support of other bands and as headliners, and a near-endless stream of rave reviews for both their debut record, It's A Corporate World, and their live sets. 

Despite my somewhat mixed feelings for It's A Corporate World - and make no mistake, I warm up to it with each successive listen and begin to see the band as its own entity instead of a side project - never let it be said that Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. don't give it their all on stage.  They're living proof that a good work ethic pays off, and even if they gave half of the effort they did for their homecoming show in Detroit, capping off a long national tour, anyone who's seen them live can attest to their electrifying performances.

The Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. I saw on Saturday was a completely different band from when I saw them in their infancy, playing locally around Detroit.  With two great musicians at the helm, they've always been a great live act, but the level of showmanship they now display rivals bands with considerably bigger profiles (and financial backing). 

The Aftermath of Vancouver

[Note: This post has little to do with movies or music, apart from the fact that the carnage that occurred in Vancouver, BC last night after the Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals was broadcast on the news.  However, seeing as this is my blog, and sports are a form of entertainment, I felt compelled to make this post.]

What occurred last night inside of Rogers Arena was a thing of beauty.  Maybe not from the perspective of the saddened Canucks fans who watched as their opponents, the Boston Bruins, hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup over their heads, tears of elation running down their cheeks.  To those of us watching, however, we saw two things:
1. A team that worked hard to win, coming back from an early 2-0 series deficit to win the ultimate prize on the road.
2. Vancouver fans, dejected though they may have been, respectfully applauding their opponents, especially those of goaltender Tim Thomas. 

Most of the boos were reserved - rightly so - for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and apart from a handful of thrown bottles, nobody littered the ice with trash in a poor display of sportsmanship. 

Outside of the arena, however, something awful was stirring.  Cars, both pedestrian and police, were overturned, stomped on, and set on fire.  Storefronts were smashed and people ran out with whatever they could grab and carry.  The unruly crowd fought the undersized police presence and themselves, with reports of four stabbings and images of people falling on broken glass or attempting to jump burning cars were shown live on television. 

It was an ugly display, a digusting reminder of the depths of human behavior, and it wasn't the first time Vancouver has had to endure and suffer through it.  Similar rioting broke out in 1994 after another Canucks loss, but after the 2010 Winter Olympics passed without incident, Vancouver appeared to be a changed city.

Bell X1 - Live at The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI - 10 June 2011

Have you ever left a concert knowing that you just experienced something incredibly special?  That was the feeling I had when leaving Bell X1's acoustic set at The Ark last October.  A relatively small tour, Ann Arbor was one of the lucky locations treated to the intimate event, and The Ark was the perfect spot for it.  Though it resembles a scaled-down college lecture hall more than a concert venue, the amazing technicians there provide some of the best sound for live bands.

I wasn't surprised to see Bell X1 return to Ann Arbor in support of their new record, Bloodless Coup - the band has played in the college town on their last two stops in Michigan - but I was shocked to see them return to The Ark for a full-band set.  How would the small venue handle a more electric set?

Remarkably well, it seems.  Bell X1 showcased why they're one of the best live bands in the world - a finely oiled machine that simply never misses a beat - and those in attendance were witnesses.  Upon entering, we were surprised to see rows of folding chairs replaced the tables from our last visit, and we quickly made our way front and center, while the two attendees ahead of us in line took the other two center stage seats (as well they should have, as the four of us had been waiting out front for at least an hour).

Despite being forced into chairs, it was a marvelous show that began with a marvelous opening set from Jarrod Gorbel.