brownie

High ticket prices in the NY area are definitely the new normal. $100 seems to be the typical price for a theater show, even in NJ now. I can't afford $100 for a concert ticket. I'm slowly accepting the fact that my favorite leisure-time activity for the last 35 years is no longer affordable for me. Oh well. I see a lot of movies now instead. *shrugs*

Interesting. I saw the Decemberists a little over a year ago (my first time seeing them) and was surprised at how great (and funny!) they were. I've been looking forward to seeing them again ever since!

I have not seen a lot of shows this year, but the Stone Roses at Madison Square Garden was one for the ages. A dream come true!

The only one that immediately springs to mind is R.E.M. at a gymnasium (?) at Drew University (Madison, NJ, but you know that ) somewhere in the mid 80's. Michael Stipe gave us Chinese food through a window while we were waiting to get in, LOL

I am speechless. I cannot believe my eyes and ears. I don't understand how this man could have ever been elected.

I just listened to this after god knows how many years and it still sounds as great to me now as it did in 1985. I did not know that Kurt Cobain loved this album, but listening to it now that makes perfect sense to me. The singing does take some getting used to, but once you get used to it, you can't imagine these songs any other way. I think I got used to it the first time I heard it! Up on the Sun is such a great, great song.

Love it. This was one of my few albums purchased as a prerecorded cassette. I wonder if it still plays?

I totally agree! I go to the movies more than anyone I know, and yet I manage to not spend very much money on it at all. And I live less than one hour's drive from NYC, so it's not like I live in a low-cost area. A couple of theaters by me charge only $5-$6 for any showing before noon, so I often go to the movies on a weekend late morning. And there are several other theaters that have $6 Tuesday all day, and one is $5 all the time. I didn't go to the movies for a long time because of the price, and then I just found a way to do it inexpensively. There really is nothing like seeing a

I managed to slog through the first 25 minutes and then I had to turn it off. I could not believe I was watching candidates for president of the United States. Horribly offensive. It wasn't even fun to watch for its outrageousness. It was just sickening, and an embarrassment.

I don't see how any band could prevent it. I watched a bunch of Stone Roses shows on Periscope as they were happening back in June. I just used the Periscope app to find the broadcasts. It wasn't sponsored by the band, it was just random fans broadcasting bits and pieces. Great fun!

Nearly all of my music listening is done in the car or when I'm out walking. In the car it's mostly satellite radio on short trips and to and from work. If I'll be in the car at least 45 minutes, I plug my iPod into the car stereo. When I'm out for a walk, I always have my iPod. At home it's mostly Spotify these days, although I don't do much music listening at home any more. I can't listen to music at my job,

I saw a couple of shows at Wetlands. The best was Nick Lowe, when he still rocked out. What a great show that was! I don't remember much about the place, other than there was a psychedelic vibe, and I think I remember the room being wide but not deep, so that even in the back, you weren't too far away from the stage. Was there a psychedelic-painted van parked inside? But I could very well be misremembering...it was such a very long time ago.

I finally heard the whole album yesterday. Overall, the vocals reminded me of The Strokes, but the music did not remind me of the Strokes. I liked it, but will have to listen to it more. Initially, nothing stood out to me as being as strong as Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales. I think I must have a sick sense of humor, because I found part of The Ballad of the Costa Concordia hilariously funny,

I don't have 10 that stand out above all others. But here are the really great ones for me, in chronological order: R.E.M. - Beacon Theater, NYC, 1984 Oasis - Paramount Theater, NYC, 1996 Brian Wilson, Beacon Theater, NYC, 1999 Finn Brothers, Steven Talkhouse, Amagansett, NY 2005 Calexico, The Allen Room. NYC, 2007 Stone Roses, Madison Square Garden, NYC, 2016

I went to a similar thing for the new Radiohead album. There weren't a lot of people there, and I just basically wandered around the store for a while, rifling through their stock while the music played, and it was very low key, but I enjoyed it! Sadly there is no store close enough to me for the Schmilco event. But I'd say it's worth going to.

Sorry to hear that. I've been there (15 years ago, after a long career), and never quite recovered. Had to completely change professions twice since then. Hang in there, I know it's tough, but you'll be okay, I'm sure.

Happy Birthday! Have a great time.

This was surprisingly great last night. I'm not sure why this guy has not crossed over to a much bigger audience. And Scott McCaughey was there playing bass for him too! This was the first time I saw M. Ward. I've been a somewhat casual fan for awhile, but I was really impressed with him last night. The songs are catchy, his guitar playing is great, and he has a very appealing voice - what's not to like?

M. Ward

OMG, I always thought it was the moon as well!

For what it's worth, I recall numerous conversations among my friends regarding the use of superdelegates to "rig" the democratic nomination for Hillary, when the popular vote tallies for her and Bernie were fairly close. Maybe "rig" is the wrong word to use, but I still don't understand why superdelegates exist and why they have such power. Bernie obviously did not pursue the issue, but it does seem fishy to me, and makes me feel like my vote counts much less than it should.

I am a Yankees fan and I also think they did the right thing. The team has been unwatchable this year. I think Joe Girardi should go as well.

I watched that whole interview this morning. I've watched a lot of Trump interviews over the past year, but I've never seen anything like this one. It was so evident that he was so completely overwhelmed. He was so defensive, and reduced the entire presidential campaign to a popularity contest. I know he's been doing that all along, but it somehow seemed worse than ever in that interview with Stephanopoulos this morning. I don't believe he's going to make it to election day. I don't know what will happen, but I feel in the pit of my stomach that something will. He'll either withdraw of h

I watched Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck last night. I really enjoyed it and thought it was very creatively done, particularly the way they filmed his handwritten lyrics/notes/drawings. I was glad to see they did not spend much time on his tragic death.

That is a dark, dark show. But I really like it too. Love Idris Elba in most everything he does.