I CAN Live Without My Radio

It was a warm spring evening about nine years ago. I was in New York City on a date with the woman that would eventually become my wife. We were walking around Times Square in an attempt to try and find a good restaurant (something that I find to be surprisingly difficult in New York City).

The streets were crowded with tourists. As you walked towards an intersection you would begin to stand in a herd of people while everyone waitied for the beacon of safety known as the "Walk" sign.

As I walked across the street I was looking around. Instead of gazing up at the neon signs and flashing billboards I caught myself looking over at a flashy SUV that was caught at the red light. It was an immaculate black SUV which simply looked expensive.

As I walked closer I looked into the passenger seat. The window was open and the passenger was sitting with one arm hanging out the window. He was wearing sunglasses at night, which is always something that stands out to me.

Once I was within reach of the car I noticed that the passenger was LL Cool J. I was a fan of his music, but I do not think that I ever owned any of his albums. I liked his video for 'Doin' It', but that had nothing to do with him or his music. AS I stood there I realized that seeing LL Cool J was mildly interesting, but it simply did not call out to me or get me excited in any way.

I stood still for a moment in the middle of the crosswalk. LL Cool J slowly looked over at me and smiled. It was clear that I was the only person in the crosswalk that had noticed him. I could not quite tell if he smiled because someone finally recognized him or if he was simply entertained by seeing a goofy white dude staring at him.

After a brief pause I simply yelled out: "Hey, it's LL Cool J!". These simple words somehow broke through all of the commotion of New York City. The energy of the crowd completely shifted as everyone looked around. Moments later some girls could be heard shrieking. As I continued on my way to find dinner the beautiful new SUV was surrounded by a crowd of tourists as people all reached into the car to try and touch the celebrity that stood before them. The light turned green and it took a few moments for the crowd to clear enough room for LL Cool J to move on with his night.

The experience was enough to put a smile on my face. It also created a fun little story that I get to share with you today. I guess this also helps to describe how I feel about the three albums we are discussing this week. I can't get too excited about any of these albums. They are all by pretty good artists. They all contain some pretty good songs. They all fail to leave me with any type of lasting impression. They are all good enough that I would be able to recognize them, but I would just as soon let other people share their own excitement about these works. I would rather simply continue on my way and continue my quest to find a good restaurant in New York City.

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Last Worthless Evening

I have seen Don Henley in concert five different times. I thought each concert was amazing, but unfortunately the most lasting memory of he show usually had nothing to do with Mr. Henley.

Lake Compounce - Bristol, CT - The End of the Innocence Tour #1
I was a big fan of 'The End of the Innocence' and I was really looking forward to the show. I was also discovering the music of the Eagles at the same time so I was pretty excited. I had really good seats about 30 rows from the stage.

Shortly before the opening act came out (Edie Brickell and New Bohemians) a moment happened that dramatically changed the course of my life.

There was a flyer handed out to each customer as they walked into the venue. It was a flyer with descriptions of each act that was playing the same venue that summer. There was an article in there about the rituals and customs associated with the concert of a one-hit wonder named Jimmy Buffett. The article described grass skirts, Hawaiian shirts, heavy drinking, dancing like a shark and a sermon about getting drunk and screwing.

I showed the article to my sister and we agreed that we would see him in concert next time he was in town. The next day my sister gave me $20 to go out and buy the live album that was referenced in the article. A Parrothead was born.


Madison Square Garden - New York, NY - Benefit for Walden Woods
The benefit to raise money for Walden Woods had three acts. Up first was Bonnie Raitt. She put on one of the most boring live shows I have ever witnessed. The headliner was Don Henley. However, the reason I went to the show was the other performer of the evening... Jimmy Buffett. It actually ended up being my very first Jimmy Buffett show. As promised, my sister was with me. I was also able to convince my mother to join us as she also started to ejoy the 'Feeding Frenzy' live CD that my sister had financed earlier that year.

The Jimmy Buffett set absolutely stole the show. It was a party from beginning to end. By the end of the night I actually felt bad for Don Henley. He had to follow a man that lit up the Garden with tales of pirates, landsharks and margaritas. Hearing about some sort of desperado was a doomed exercise.


Lake Compounce - Bristol, CT - The End of the Innocence Tour #2
The opening act was Susanna Hoffs. She was the former lead singer of The Bangles. She was even more beautiful than when I first saw her on MTV in the 'Dance Like an Egyptian' video. She wore a short black dress, clearly playing into her sex appeal. At one point she decided to dedicate a song to a guy in the front few rows that was standing and dancing the whole time. It was a cover of 'Feel Like Makin' Love' by Bad Company. I am still jealous that she did not dedicate that to me.


Giants Stadium - East Rutherford, NJ - The Eagles
I brought my sister to the show. Looking back on it, I really should have waited to catch the show in a smaller venue. A stadium was not the best place for the more subtle sounds of this type of show.

The highlight of the show was Joe Walsh. He was amazing. He remembered that playing in a rock 'n roll band is supposed to be fun! The other guys on the stage all felt more like businessmen.


Madison Square Garden - New York, NY - Music to My Ears
This show had the single greatest concert lineup for any show I have ever attended. It was a benefit for Timothy White - a very well-respected rock journalist.

• Brian Wilson
• Jimmy Buffett
• Roger Waters
• James Taylor
• Shery Crow
• Don Henley
• Sting
• John Mellencamp

The best set of the night was without a question Roger Waters. He performed a new song in his set. A song that to my knowledge he has never released. Normally a new song in a set from a classic artist is a reason to run and get a beer. In this case, Roger Waters created something that was absolutely special and I experiened one of the most moving musical performances I have ever seen.

During "Comfortably Numb" he had a guest musician stand quietly at the microphone next to him. He was dressed in black and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. It was not until he sang that I knew it was Don Henley. An absolutely amazing collaboration. It was my 5th time seeing Don Henley perform live and it was the first time that I walked out of one of his shows remembering one of his performances. click here to
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"Can I listen to it?"

“Good morning, honey” Julianne says with a smile clearly realizing that her husband has been up all night working again. “How is the new album coming along?”

“It’s done.” Bruce softly rubs his eyes while trying to feel around for his cup of coffee. “I finished it about two hours ago.”

“Where was the band?” Julianne is starting to get concerned.

“They’re not on the album. Well, maybe I will have them do some fills and some light work, but this is not an E Street Band album.” Bruce has his back to Julianne as he looks out into the yard of his beautiful new home in Rumson, NJ.

“Can I listen to it?” Julianne asks, “I would love to be the first person to hear it!”

…

That is probably how it went. A simple conversation somewhere in the middle of a multi-million dollar mansion. A beautiful Hollywood actress and her rock and roll icon husband.

Every time I listen to the “Tunnel of Love” album I cannot help but think about what that experience must have been like for Julianne Phillips.

I know that she must have known the marriage was not going well at that point, but how did she react when she heard some of these lyrics: Did she call the divorce attorney immediately after the first listen? Did Bruce try to hide the album from her out of fear about how she would react?

I actually start to feel bad for her when the following verse comes up in “One Step Up”:

“It's the same thing night on night
Who's wrong baby who's right
Another fight and I slam the door on
Another battle in our dirty little war
When I look at myself I don't see
The man I wanted to be
Somewhere along the line I slipped off track
I'm caught movin' one step up and two steps back”

The tour to support the album also had some of its own adventures. Bruce started a love affair with his back-up singer - Patti Scialfa - which eventually led to a marriage and three children. There is an infamous picture of a married Bruce Springsteen on the balcony of an Italian hotel with his back-up singer.

Last month I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Madison Square Garden. He performed “Tougher Than the Rest” as a lovely duet with his wife Patti. The irony of that selection is palpable. As the first verse of the song begins my thoughts once again drifted to Julianne Phillips.

“Well It's Saturday night
you're all dressed up in blue
I been watching you awhile
maybe you been watching me too
So somebody ran out
left somebody's heart in a mess
Well if you're looking for love
honey I'm tougher than the rest” click here to
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