Foo Fighters - The Roxy (2.7.2011)

After the first two Foo shows being on Fridays, I assumed this was the start of a trend of weekend shows. I was shocked that I'd get another dose as soon as Monday!  Some of Dave's tweets were...
- "Thank you  Dragonfly....that was a blast"
-"Good morning! Ah...another day, another game of hide and go tweet..."

Then Sunday morning he sent this flyer (with the part showing the location folded up)

Seeing that Scream was to be part of the lineup was very special. Dave played drums for Scream in the 80s before joining Nirvana. Franz Stahl (of Scream) was also in the original lineup of Foo. After hearing of a secret show happening at the Roxy Monday and this flyer, I was pretty positive that had to be the destination. I knew the Club Rox members (Roxy VIP club) were allowed to start lining up at 11 A.M. I headed down around that time when a friend told me people were starting to line up already (including scalpers paying homeless people to stand in line). This was not what the band wanted at all. By 1 P.M. the line was close to 100 people. I made some other good friends in line. We would hold each other's spots while we went to feed parking meters, use the restroom or get food/drinks. Also met some people to go to shows with and heard all sorts of stories (including one kid who's seen Prince 150-200 times?! Crazy!) Around 3 P.M. the much-anticipated white limousine pulled up. Many people ran over to get pictures with it. Fans wondered if the band would arrive in it, but it was driven by one of their friends/roadies.

 Dave, however, arrived on one of his Harleys.

Before the show, I went to get some food and hit the restroom in the Rainbow Bar & Grill next door. This location holds quite a bit of rock n' roll history. This is where Lemmy continues to drink on a frequent basis, is where John Belushi spent his final evening, and Led Zeppelin were frequent clients. They were definitely filming more than just some footage for the documentary. My guess is that the footage from this show will be for their first live music video. Capacity for the Roxy is 500, but they only gave out 200 wristbands (the other 300 spots are reserved for friends/family/VIP) It was the first show that was 18+ so there were some younger kids as well as kids w/ Moms (I remember those days at Foo shows...)  I ended up front row between Dave and Pat.  Having all the cameras around definitely made everyone act out a bit more. Dave was hamming it up, and the crowd was much rowdier than usual. Scream opened, which being a hardcore punk band (from D.C.) definitely riled the crowd up. Then, Bob Mould took the stage and was followed by Foo.

Once again, they played straight through the new album without really stopping. I like the album better and better the more I hear it. It has a great variety of songs/tempos/dynamics, and I honestly think it will be one of their best. In previous years they explored more of their acoustic side, but this is back to their loud rock roots. They changed a few songs from the previous evening. Several times Dave would come solo on the edge of the stage directly in front of me. One downfall of this show was that there was a ledge on the edge of the stage that stuck out about 4 inches and hit mid-thigh. During Wattershed and This is a Call, the members of Scream got in the audience, getting them more rowdy and moshing, and everyone pushed forward. For several days I had bruises from this (great location...just poor stage design). During the final song, the bassist from Scream came crowd-surfing over my shoulder basically falling on stage and Dave came right by him to solo yet again. It was definitely up close and personal! 

After the show Taylor's drum tech made a point to give me a drumstick (I have several from Dave playing drums for TCV, but none from Taylor playing for Foo!) On the way out I ran into some other Foo friends, had a picture taken by OC Weekly, and drove home. Another wonderful evening of Foo. 

Foo Fighters - The Dragonfly (2.04.2011)

The previous week had been full of a variety of tweets.  People were trying to read clues into every tweet/photo clue/radio clue and had rumors of the upcoming Foo show to be anywhere from Seattle to Dallas.  One tweet suggested that the band's white limo (upcoming song title) would be at the site of the next show. The band began tweeting quite intently Friday. A friend of mine drove in from Arizona, just in hopes of catching a show (and that it would be in Los Angeles). Quite a leap of faith!  After spinning Friday morning, I spent the day with a friend at the Grove, sporadically checking recent clues. It was still anyone's guess. Based a conversation with a friend I was suspicious of it being at the Dragonfly or Echoplex. I was going to go get coffee in Silverlake and hop on my computer while waiting for the final clues. I passed the Dragonfly, but didn't see any action there so continued on my way. I was just getting on the 101 South when Dave sent some more photo clues and got confirmation from two friends that the show was at the Dragonfly. I hopped off the highway, called Kristin (halfway screaming in the phone from excitement....she was just down the road at Amoeba Records), luckily found parking and ran to the front of the venue. I paid and got a wristband from their manager. 

 Fans were told to leave until 7:30, but everyone kind of hovered along the sidewalk. I saw some other Foo fans I knew, as well as made some new ones. One was a member of the Roxy VIP club and while we were in line he recieved an email regarding a secret show at the Roxy on Monday with a video shoot (at the time I thought this was the secret Arcade Fire show, but over the weekend became more suspicious that it would be another round of Foo)  It was a small enough venue that the band just pulled up out front sporadically for valet. The majority of people were very cool, calm and collected, just saying hi to Dave as he walked by. After waiting two hours, we were allowed to enter the venue. Kristin, her friend and I ended up second row. The venue used to be more of an old school punk venue and had a very cool vibe. Bob Mould (of Husker Du and Sugar) opened solo. It was fun to see him for the influence he has had on many bands I like, but could have benefited from some backup (bass / drums / etc.) 

Foo took to the stage, starting with the new album straight through. From the previous week's show at the Velvet Jones, they've tightened up the new songs, and it's been fun to get to be more familiar with them!  During one of Dave's banter sessions he talked about Twitter (and how his mom turned him onto it). The crowd was very receptive as well. Being a bar, the show was 21+ which several years I wouldn't have been happy about, but now I certainly am. The set was very similar to the previous week with the addition of Aurora which was very special (it's one of Kristin and my favorite songs).



Members of Tenacious D as well as Butch Vig (producer for the new album and Nirvana's Nevermind) were in the audience.

 This was the first show where they made some new merchandise (White Limo, Double-F logo, and Arlandria) which was for sale for $10 (at the arena shows, concert shirts are typically $30+) 

We hung out and after talking to several of our crew friends were taken to the private side bar area. We got to hang out and talk to the drummer, Taylor, for a bit. We were going to be introduced to Dave, but he disappeared before we could work our way over. We were going to go out to a late-night diner with the crew, but they had to get the equipment back to the studio (and it was already 2:30) so we decided to call it a night. Tired and ears still ringing, it was another great night of Foo!

Sunset in Santa Monica 2.12.2011

This morning, I went to my spinning/yoga class. I've been doing this for a week and so far have loved it. Over the last year I lost a fair amount of weight, but wanted some added motivation to tone up and decided to join a class. They have a variety of yoga only, spinning only, or combo classes (spinning & yoga, spinning & sculpt). We normally do thirty minutes of spinning followed by twenty minutes of yoga. Every spinning class is different - I have a favorite instructor, but she does a different mix of music each class and the actual work out is very tied into the beat / mood of the song (which I enjoy quite a bit). During slower songs we do "uphill" climbs, adding resistance and pedaling slower. For faster-paced songs, we normally stay seated, decrease resistance and pedal a lot quicker. It's certainly a workout, but I've really enjoyed it. The yoga afterwards is a nice way to stretch out the muscles and chill. I always feel really great after every class. (On Sunday mornings, the Studio City Farmer's Market is outside which is something fun to hit before/after class!)

I explored the area of Ventura Boulevard by Laurel Canyon Drive (about a mile west of the apartment). There are a variety of stores and restaurants/bars. The weather was gorgeous today - clear blue skies, sunny, and 80 degrees.

I ended up out in Santa Monica at the Third Street Promenade. This is a larger shopping area I had heard about, but had yet to experience. I realized that I had yet to watch a sunset at the beach since getting to L.A. It was something I wanted to do, but just hadn't made the time. Living in the valley, we lose the sun fairly early (it disappears over the hills). I got out just in time to walk out to the beach and watch the sun for the half hour before it set. There were tons of people around watching it, walking and running on the beach. There was an overlook up the hill where some people were even painting. Santa Monica is a really pretty area (it's almost a separate city size-wise), but the traffic both there and to/from there was absolutely insane. It's much more manageable in/around Hollywood.

Grammy Rehearsals @ Staples Center 2.11.2001

After having some car trouble, I dropped my Jeep off at the dealership and thought I'd find a spot for lunch in the area. Little did I know I would happen upon the Grammy rehearsals. About a mile north of the dealer was the L.A. Convention Center, Staples Center and L.A. Live.  L.A. Live is a plaza surrounded by a variety of bars/restaurants (Starbucks, ESPNZone, Wolfgang Puck, etc). I saw some dark SUVs and security around, but didn't realize musicians would actually be coming out. I came around the corner (apparently the "talent check-in") and almost ran right into Florence (of Florence & the Machines) who is nominated for Best New Artist.  There were a variety of gifting suites set up where various sponsors have bags assembled for celebrities (or those with the proper credentials).  In this plaza they sometimes have movie premieres. I sat outside at ESPNZone for lunch. My waiter said that he'd been people watching all day and had already seen Usher and Dr. Drew. He had his eye out for Lady Gaga and Eminem.  The trend I noticed was the more famous the celebrity, the larger the entourage.

After I ate I walked around. Walking down the side of the Staples Center I passed Weird Al Yankovic (my 8-year-old self would have been thrilled....he used to be my favorite!) There were about 10 guys stationed collecting autographs to sell. I didn't want to annoy anyone so I didn't get autographs or take pictures...just people watched. Over the afternoon I saw Jackson Browne, Robby Kreager (guitarist for the doors), Jon Lovitz (actor and ex-SNL member), Taylor Momsen, B.O.B., and Bobby Brown. Someone I met was looking for Katy Perry and said to follow him to the garage to see if her car had left. I don't think we were exactly supposed to be down there, but nobody stopped us. A Rolls Royce pulled up and Cee-Lo got out. He used to be in Gnarls Barkley and is nominated for five Grammys. Apparently this was the private entrance that some of the biggest performers were using for their rehearsals.  He was performing at Club Nokia (part of L.A. Live) later last night.

I had been debating trying to work my way in for a pass. I figured it was a long shot, but that I wouldn't know unless I asked.  I e-mailed my boss at work, but he didn't know who to go to. Several people at the main entrance questioned whether I wanted a day pass for rehearsals or for the actual awards show. One person seemed to think I could get one for rehearsals, but the person in charge of that said I had to be on the list, but to go to the credentials off in the convention center to try for one for Sunday evening.

I walked into the convention center where (unbeknownst to me) they were getting ready for a Musicares event honoring Barbra Streisand (other performers included Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow). I entered and the only way to get on the escalator was to cross the red carpet. I acted like I knew what I was doing and cruised on in before being stopped by security. Once I told them where I was heading they let me cross the red carpet and continue up. There was a main ticketing area and then a media credentials room. I said I knew it was a long shot, but told them about my internship and figured it was worth a try. I got sent to the security table before being shut down. They said that I would have had to have gotten clearance before now (which I figured....but was worth a shot!) I'm hoping in the near future I'm in a position where I will be able to attend some of the parties and the awards show. It was really exciting to see all the festivities and was surprised I got as far as I did attempting to get in. The main stairway led outside so I figured I could walk right back down to exit (as any normal person would do). Once again I was followed by a security guard who told me I wasn't allowed to go down the "grand staircase" but had to go around and down the escalators to avoid the red carpet / media center. Whoops!

Last night an old friend from TLS/Sayre got back in town. He invited me to his favorite gastropub in Hollywood, the Bowery. It's located between several other restaurants - you would walk right past (which I did) unless you knew where to find it. We shared the sliders which were phenomenal (seasoned sirloin burgers with aioli and greens - yum!). Apparently it's won "Best Burger in L.A." from several different publications. It was a very comfortable and great place to grab a drink and some food. 

Coming soon...
-Sunset in Santa Monica
-Foo Fighters 2 / 3 / 4

Chinese New Year Festival 2.5.2011

On Saturday February 5 I ventured to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year Festival. The weather, as usual, was gorgeous (75 degrees) so I definitely wanted to do something outdoors and figured this would be a great cultural experience. I didn't consider the fact that tons of other people would have the same idea so traffic/parking was pretty crazy and took a long time.

Lots of kids bought the poppers you throw at the ground, as well as wands that tossed confetti. The parade began and there was a wide variety of entries...everything from local political figures to dragons to dancers.

There were several plazas set up with street vendors, both selling Chinese wares as well as local craftspeople. Even the most popular food trucks were set up in alleyways. I decided that since I was in Chinatown, I had to get some Chinese food for lunch! Many restaurants seemed crowded so I picked a random one - Hop Louie (which is where the engagement dinner scene in I Love You, Man was filmed....not the reason behind going there, just a random coincidence). Just my luck I chose one of the few Chinatown restaurants to not have steamed dumplings (one of my favorite foods). I had already waited close to 20 minutes so just got the sweet n' sour pork lunch special which was fairly average Chinese. I walked through the vendors some more before working my way back to the car. It would be fun to go back and explore more of the stores when it's not as crowded!

The Grove / The Farmer's Market

On Friday I went to meet a friend whose flight had been delayed for lunch and shopping at the Grove. I had parked at the Grove, but hadn't ventured in and assumed the Farmer's Market would be your typical gathering of farmers and their wares.

The Grove was a very attractive outdoor shopping experience. Some of their larger stores include Nordstrom, Barney's, Apple, Swarovski, etc. They also have a variety of nice restaurants. There's a beautiful movie theater, and they frequently do neat date night packages. It apparently tends to be a celeb hotspot. There is water and synchronized fountains in the center (and even a trolley!) which makes it a much nicer shopping experience than your average mall.

The Farmer's Market is a wonderland of food stalls, prepared food vendors, produce markets and mini restaurants. They have food from a variety of ethnicities (Chinese, Brazilian steak, Korean BBQ, Cajun, etc!) We opted for the cajun.

 You could seemingly find just about whatever you were looking for, restaurant or grocery-wise! It was easy to see how A. you could get lost or B. you could spend an entire day in there just wandering around...which I intend to do soon!

Lakers / Celtics game

Last Sunday I went to one of the biggest Lakers games of the year against the Boston Celtics. LA/Boston was the lineup for the NBA Finals last year (which the Lakers won and are looking to make it a three-peat this year!) The Lakers have had a rough season recently, especially after a particularly embarrassing loss to the Miami Heat on Christmas.

The day started off with rain (the only day that hasn't been absolutely gorgeous since I got here). I met up with a friend of mine to get brunch and go to the game. The Staples Center is absolutely huge! (I had forgotten that they hold the Grammys here) We found our seats which were sixth row on the baseline and had an incredible view.

The majority of the crowd cheered for LA although there were some very passionate Celtics fans as well! It was fun to spot different celebrities as they took their courtside seats (Jack Nicholson, Adam Sandler, Maria Shriver, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon, Nick Swardson, Zac Efron, Kris Jenner, etc)

The Lakers held strong, and it was a very competitive game for the first three quarters; however, they began to fall apart in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost. Whenever Kobe nailed a three-pointer the whole arena would explode which was very exciting!! I hope to catch another game before the season is over and hope they start playing better!

We debated going out to a late lunch or to nearby Little Tokyo, but went back for coffee in Silver Lake since post-game traffic was so wild.

Several blog posts to come...
- Foo Round Two
- The Grove / Farmers Market
- Chinese New Year