Lollapalooza

August 6, 2012










Lollapalooza

When checking out the entertainment calendar for the time I was going to be in Indianapolis, I could not help but notice that the same weekend that I was going to be in town, one of the largest and best music festivals in the nation was going to be held the same weekend in nearby Chicago. I knew that there was no way that I could attend the entire three day festival, but I wondered if somehow I might be able to secure a one day ticket for Friday. It was totally with-in my ability to get up early, drive the three hours to Chicago, attend the show for the day and then head back.





Michael & Drew

The only problem was that the show had been sold out for months, that is when having a friend who just happens to own one of the biggest and best ticket broker agency in Chicago comes in handy. A quick call to my buddy Drew and suddenly, I not only had a ticket to get in, but a coveted VIP ticket – which allowed me full access to the Lolla Lounge, free food and drinks all day long, special viewing areas for the Main Stages, personalized golf cart transportation between stages and perhaps best of all air-conditioned bathrooms with no lines at all.







It was a no brainer and I found myself on the road early, driving up I-65 and headed to Chicago. Drew had asked me to meet him at the Congress Hotel, which was just across the street from the huge venue at Grant Park in downtown Chicago. He had set up a temporary ticket office there and was busy wheeling and dealing tickets to dozens of clients. I met him and he even managed to break away briefly for a drink and then I just hung out and watched in amazement as he worked his magic.







I made to Chicago early, with no problem and had time to head over and check out the new Lichtenstein exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago and the incredible bean at Millennium Park before the gates opened and I was able t go in to the festival grounds. It was a nice little added bonus to the trip to check out the art. I have always enjoyed Lichtenstein’s Pop Art and even had seen much of this work before in a huge mega-show in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.



First Aid Kit



When the gates opened at noonish, I was able to head over to the massive grounds and check it out. There were eight stages spread over a massive area, it was truly incredible, I had been to the ACL Festival in Austin, which is also organized by the same people and this one was even more impressive. The first band that I wanted to see was the Swedish sisters known as First Aid Kit.

First Aid Kit





Thanks to Spotify, I was way more familiar with many of the new bands than I might otherwise have been and First Aid Kit was no exception. I really love their music and apparently I am not alone because their performance was packed with mostly young 20 and 30 somethings crowding the stage. With my VIP access, I was able to avoid the crushing masses and watch the show in relative comfort.



Sharon Van Etten



It was a typical beautiful, wickedly hot Chicago summer day and I was so thankful to have the VIP passes, where I could lounge in comfy chairs in the shade sipping a beverage and also get between stages quickly without having the long, long walks between stages. This enabled me to be able to move from stage to stage in a way that would not have been otherwise possible due to the massive crowds and long distances between stages.



Dr. Dog

The Growlers

I was able to spend the early afternoon catching some amazing new music from some great new bands including O-Rappa, the Growlers, Michael Kiwanuka, Dr. Dog and Sharon van Etten. I mostly avoided the main stages with the bigger and better known acts, because even with the VIP passes, the crowds got larger as the day went on and I was in a mood to check out bands that I was not totally familiar with for the most part, especially earlier in the day.

Michael Kiwanuka

ORappa

“Some Land Holds A Home…” – Blind Pilot

August 5, 2012

Blind Pilot

Jody





“Some Land Holds A Home…” – Blind Pilot

I had the good fortune to schedule my trip to Indianapolis for my high school reunion while one of my favorite bands just happened to be in town. I had seen Blind Pilot perform an incredible show back in February at the Social in Orlando and was thrilled to see them scheduled to play a gig at one of the coolest venues in America, the old Murat Shrine Temple which is now known as the Old National Centre in downtown Indianapolis.

Indianapolis



Built in 1909, the venue is resplendent with high ceilings, intricate hand carved murals and a vintage feel that comes from actually being vintage, though the place has been restored with a state of the art sound and light system and a beautiful bar and lounge area with comfy couches and chairs to relax in pre or post show. Pretty swanky and fun and an awesome place to see a show.

River City Extension



I invited a wonderful long-time friend, Jody, to come along to the show. We have been attending concerts together for more than thirty years and while this may not have been as exciting as the time we saw Foreigner back in the eighties, I was pretty certain that we would have a good time. We went out to dinner at Bru on Mass, one of the newer eateries that have sprung up on Massachusetts Avenue since it has become a local hotspot and an easy walk to the venue. The food was good and even though the waiter spilled water all over me, it was nice.

RCE



We meandered over to the venue, checking out Blind Pilot’s classic tour bus which was parked outside the place. It is an awesome old 1950s bus that has been converted in to a fully functional, very nice living space for the band to tour in. We headed inside to the bar for drinks before grabbing a spot to watch the show a few rows back into the crowd.

with Sam Tacon of RCE

RCE takes a moment in downtown Indy * photo by RCE

The opening band, River City Extension, was a wonderful surprise. I was not terribly familiar with them, but the nine piece outfit from Tom’s River, New Jersey was excellent. The large band made for an expansive, more upbeat (certainly than Blind Pilot) sort of mix of music ranging from folkish Americana to calypso. They put on a stellar opening performance that really won over the crowd.

Blind Pilot





Blind Pilot was much quieter and almost reverent sort of show that was a perfect fit for the beautiful venue. The crowd was mercifully quiet and actually listened to the quiet, beautiful lyrics and music and the show were wonderful. The band played almost all of the songs from their two brilliant releases and the crowd seemed almost mesmerized by their excellent set. I was thrilled to see them again.



playing in the crowd

The band ended their set with a beautiful fully acoustic version of their song “Three Rounds and a Sound” before which they actually entered the audience, asking everyone to have a seat where they were as they performed an almost perfect rendition of their beautiful song.

“Three Rounds And A Sound” acoustic live

http://rivercityextension.com/

Hot Wheels for Real

August 4, 2012









Hot Wheels for Real

When I was a kid, I collected hot wheels miniature toy cars, I also had some Matchbox cars, but Hot Wheels were by far the cooler option. I had hundreds and hundreds of them and I still have a few stowed away in storage. They were awesome from the miniature versions of actual cars, to the inventive sleek and sometimes fantastic creations that were based on mere flights of fancy.







With names like the Red Baron, the Hot Heap, the Python, the Splittin Image,the Evil Weevel and the Twinmill, the little cars with the red lines around their tires were awesome, so when I learned that the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis was hosting an exhibit called Hot Wheels for Real, I knew that I would have to pay a nostalgic visit the next time I traveled to my home town.







Well, the first weekend in August had me heading to Indianapolis to attend my 30^th High School reunion and as I arrived a couple of days early, I had the opportunity to visit the Children’s Museum as well as the Indianapolis Zoo on a beautiful sunny, summer afternoon the first day I arrived.





Consistently rated one of the top Children’s Museums in the world and one of the top tourist destinations for children in the US, the museum has grown significantly since I used to go there often as a child. It is truly a spectacular place and while designed for kids there is plenty there to capture the interest of adults as well. From the spectacular five story Chihuly sculpture that graces the atrium to the large collection of Egyptian artifacts to the special exhibits such as the current Hot Wheels exhibit.









The Hot Wheels exhibit featured actual working cars based on the concept designs from some of the more popular models and is pretty freaking cool. The cars are all fantastic and all actually are street legal. There is also a large display of the original hot wheels cars and memorabilia dating back to the first ones that were released in 1968, just in time to have a huge impact on my childhood.









After visiting the museum, I drove over to White River park, to check out another cool Indianapolis area attraction, The Indianapolis Zoo. I mostly wanted to go there to check out two new additions, a newborn baby dolphin and a recently born baby elephant. Sadly the dolphin was not on public display, but the baby elephant was out frolicking with its parents and was absolutely adorable. It was worth the trip to the zoo on its own.









I had time to check out other animals as well including a playful Kodiak brown bear that was out enjoying the toys and water feature of its compound. It played right in front of the glass for an hour before dragging its wet self out of the water and heading over to take a nap. A pretty cool thing to watch. I enjoy watching animals immensely – even if it is the sometimes sad confines of a zoo. The Indianapolis zoo, at least has large enclosures and natural terrain for their animals.







After a hot afternoon at the zoo, I headed to check out a couple of watering holes in my old Broad Ripple neighborhood. Visiting first the newly opened Kilroy’s pub on Broad Ripple avenue, where I picked up shirts for Kathy and some family and friends then over to my favorite gastropub; Brugge Brasserie, where I hung out with my buddy Ted as he brewed up the latest batch of their award winning microbrew. Not a bad first day in Indianapolis as all.







http://www.childrensmuseum.org/

http://www.indyzoo.com/SitePages/home.aspx