Earlier this evening I was treated to the ultimate way to wind down after an 8 hour workday: a picnic in Central Park accompanied by a live concert put on by a world class symphony... and for free! Only in New York!
I made it to my friends' picnic area just in time to catch the last 20 minutes or so of the first part of the concert. I didn't expect to make it there at all since heavy thunderstorms and even hail was forecast for the afternoon and intot he early evening... but apparently the weatherman was wrong and it was one of the most beautiful days of the year thus far. Clear skies, a nice breeze, and little if any humidity.
So I sat down with a bottle of red I brought, a bottle of white my friend Dean brought, and just the great spread of cheeses (mozerella, tomatoes, and basil in olive oil!), spreads (Sharina's homemade guac!), crackers, fruits, and beautiful girls (including my lovely roommate Jen from Staten) that just made the afternoon beyond blissful and dissipated any stress left in my bones from the day!
I even saw stars. Not movie stars like the ones we New Yorkers see on a day-to-day basis, but actual stars, like constellations and the north star. I've never seen those kinds of stars in the city before tonight.
And if that wasnt cool enough, after the concert, after the 1812 Overture with bells imported from Moscow and actual canon fire, and a classical music version of Hendrix's Purple Haze for the encore, I got to see something else I haven't seen in the city yet...
FIREWORKS!!
Just an awesome display of exploding lights in the worlds most famous park, with the greatest city in the world as the backdrop... not a bad way to kick the summer off, eh?
More information on the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and their "Concerts in the Parks" series cand be found by
CLICKING HERE.
-Playboy Tony
R.E.M. @ MSG 6/19/08
R.E.M. rocked New York City last night... and I was fortunate enough to be there.
I am no R.E.M. "superfan" but I do have my share of R.E.M. favorites. Tracks like "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", "Electrolite", and "Crush With Eyeliner" frequently recieve the high volume treatment on my i-pod.
I always thought they were great, but I never would have guessed how awesome they could be live. They always seemed to me like a subdued, sometimes melancholy kind of lite-rock band... but last night they showed their teeth as they ROCKED OUT through a TWO HOUR set that just went by way too fast.
Most of the time, when you go see a band and they're: all "And now we'd like to play something off our new album", the crowd usually groans because it's often an if-y experiment in audience response and people always want to hear the familiar rockin hits. But everything they played off their new record "Accelerate" received cheering responses from the thousands in atendance at the garden - most notably "Man-Sized Wreath".
If you dont have the new record, pick it up!
If you haven't seen these guys live, what are you waiting for?
The Set-List: Living Well Is The Best Revenge / These Days / What's The Frequency, Kenneth? / Bad Day / Drive / Hollow Man / Ignoreland / Man-Sized Wreath / Leaving New York / Disturbance At The Heron House / Houston / Electrolite / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Driver 8 / Harborcoat / The One I Love / Until The Day Is Done / Let Me In / Horse To Water / Pretty Persuasion / Orange Crush / I'm Gonna DJ
Encores: Supernatural Superserious / Losing My Religion / Begin The Begin / Fall On Me / Man On The Moon
-Playboy Tony
Pay-Per-View prices have gone up, and Jim is not happy about it :(
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