Black Friday not so black

Enjoyed the parks today with amazing weather and fun rides.

Good way to work off the yummy turkey.

The Sounds

I had no idea there was such a fresh, crazy group that had been putting out music for so long.

Don't get me wrong, I knew about them and especially Natalia Kills. I was just floored at how quirky, fun, high-energy, and downright awesome The Sounds could be live.  They full on rocked my face off.

At first she just seems adorable and he comes off as capable and normal. And then they just unleashed the raucous flow of aural orgasms right to my dome.

I'll definitely see them again.

Expectations Exceeded

Every now and then I come across a situation that allows me to reset
my expectations. Recently this happened at a performance of Iris by
Cirque du Soleil.

The back story is that I had spoken to some hard-line Cirque fans who
thought the use of video and technology was a departure from the
formula that defines a good Cirque show. They could not have been more
wrong.

The music and performances were absolutely the first-rate production
for which Cirque is known. The stage had many unique characteristics
and formed a character on par with past productions. And there was a
heart-string pulling tale of love at the core that grounded each
performance into a semi-coherent storyline in the way that only the
best shows can.

The show has fantastic repeat watchability thanks to several
outstanding ensemble numbers that are jam-packed with frenetic energy
and a marvelous cascade of characters that are cacophony of movement
and superbly timed physical expression. The fantastic show-stopping
number after intermission blew my mind and was simply delightful.

Needless to say, I will be booking another seat in the near future so
my senses can savor the delectable symphonic and gymnastic treat that
was Iris.

Jimmy Eat World

For some reason it felt like it had been a while since I'd been to the
Wiltern. But Jimmy Eat World was celebrating the 10 year anniversary
of Bleed American by playing the whole album.

It is amazing how defining some albums can be for your history. In
four stanzas I watch a whole crowd, myself included, transported
seamlessly back a decade. A few riffs and this vivid rush of memories
overpowers your mental state. All at once passion and pain and love
and loss slam into your psyche and you relive a long ago time in a
hyperspeed hash plugged directly into your emotional cortex.

I'm not saying JEW is the key to world peace, but music, especially
amazingly moving emotional intelligent inspirational ageless anthems
are certainly one of the only forces in the universe with the kind of
potential to make it possible. It sure walks all over my mind with
reckless abandon. And watching the masses move so mightily in chorus
during the show I'm convinced I'm not the only one.

The Script and Hot Chelle Rae

Catching up with friends is so much better when you have a great meal,
great seats in an excellent venue, and quality music. The Palladium
never disappoints. Unfortunately, The Script didn't play a couple of
the songs I really wanted to hear. They still were fun though.

On the flip side, I finally got to watch Hot Chelle Rae perform Bleed
which I've been waiting quite some time to see. It was worth the wait.