Honestly, I wasn’t terribly stoked up for Nickelback, I like their music well enough but I was more interested in seeing Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin.  All three bands play about the same kind of music.

The opening opening opening act was Sick Puppies.  They played for about 25min or so and didn’t totally suck…they only kinda sucked.  Over all they were O.K. but they didn’t quite know how to work the crowd like the bands that have toured more…it’ll come with experience I suppose.

Shinedown was up next.  I had anticipated these guys more than anyone else.  Some of their music is “tragic” but over all it’s pretty decent.  It’s got a good beat, some decent guitar and an O.K. voice over.  I went into this concert a Shinedown fan and came out liking them a little less.  The band leader is nothing but flat gay.  He was a pussy on stage with some of the things he said to the crowd “the women look so beautiful tonight…blah blah blah…” later on he said something about “i never had any brothers, and I’d like to apologize to (the other band members) because I’ve been a prick the past couple days…” dude seriously?  This kind of shit doesn’t matter to me, I’m here to party…kick it in the ass and lets go.  I wouldn’t pay to see these guys again.

Breaking Benjamin was up next.  They looked like your clean cut midwestern rock band.  There was nothing “bad ass” about these guys, they pretty much looked like the music they sing.  I haven’t been a big fan of these guys and seeing them live didn’t really change that any.

Then came on Nickelback.  They were loud…god damn loud.  They had some decent pyrotechnics, lots of fire and firecrackers.  They played the crowd really well, had a decent amount of banter and put on a generally good show.  If you know their music you either love it or hate it…it seems like there are no middle ground fans for these guys.  They sing the same type of song over and over again with slightly different words and roughly the same beat.  Overall, I do like the style of music.  I came out of this concert appreciating the show Nickelback puts on.

I think the money for this show was worth it.  It got to be a little long, standing there with no sitting.  We were packed in pretty good…constantly bumping in to sweaty people.  I wasn’t a big fan of that, I think if I went to another concert I would get a seat instead of standing room.  We’ll see, I like going to concerts…I think it’s a good value for my entertainment dollar.

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Ricky Martin announces he is gay

Martin, who has previously dodged questions about his sexual orientation, finally ended years of speculation with a post on his website

Singer Ricky Martin has ended years of speculation about his sexuality by declaring himself “a fortunate homosexual man”.

Martin, who has previously dodged questions about his sexual orientation, finally came out on his website, saying the birth of his two sons and writing his memoirs had led to his decision.

Writing in both English and Spanish, the Puerto Rico-born singer, who has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, said: “To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where (sic) born with.”

The 38-year-old crossover star, whose biggest worldwide hit was Livin’ la Vida Loca, said: “Many people told me: ‘Ricky it’s not important’, ‘it’s not worth it’, ‘all the years you’ve worked and everything you’ve built will collapse’, ‘many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature’.

“Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth. Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions.”

Martin, whose sons were born to a surrogate mother in 2008, said he knew writing his as-yet unpublished memoirs was going to help free him from things that “were too heavy for me to keep inside … Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.

“These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed.

“What will happen from now on? It doesn’t matter. I can only focus on what’s happening to me in this moment. The word “happiness” takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process.

“Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

“I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”

Martin, who rose to fame with Latin boy band Menudo, became a solo artist in 1990. In 1994 he played a bartender and singer in the US TV soap General Hospital. He later starred on Broadway and started his own foundation to fight child-trafficking and protect children’s rights.

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The random function on this thing works a little different than I’ve seen in other devices.  I’m not entirely sure when it determines the “random” order, but it seems to hold that order until you turn random off play a song (was a pod cast in my case) hook it up to the computer to transfer more music (pod cast in my case) listen to said podcast and turn random on again.  What seems obvious is that when you hit shuffle, it determines and order and saves that list somewhere.  When you add/remove files on the device it reads the file list, makes a change to the db and that causes the random order to be changed.  It seems to me that with the zune I could turn random off then back on again to get a different random order.  This is kind of a pain for me because I don’t always listen to music.  I might listen to some music for a bit, then decide I want to rock out a podcast.  When that finishes I might decide I want to listen to music again.  When I go back to the music list and hit play, it starts at the beginning and plays the songs through the “random” list exactly like it had previously.  I need to skip forward through the list a bit until I come to the point I left off (or after obviously).  Even if I don’t hit play at the top of the list…I scroll down a bit, then hit play it will play the song I’m on…then run through the “random” list exactly as it did the last time.  This is kind of a pain for me, but whatever.  I can skip ahead.

The Walkman functions just like a usb drive when you hook it up to the computer.  This allows you to drag and drop music to and from the device.  That is a nice feature to have, but it also presents a problem.  The Blackberry will ask, when you connect it to a computer, if you would like it to go into storage mode.  If you chose no, it just charges off the usb cable and functions like it would without being attached.  The Walkman ceases to function and is just a usb drive.  You can’t listen to music while it is charging on the computer.  This is kind of an issue for me as I’m listening to it 8hrs a day at the office.  That is a perfect time to charge the device, but I’m not able to.

Building on that, the battery life on the sucker is perfect.  I would bet I get 40ish hours if not slightly more on a full charge.  I’ve never had it go dead on me, and I listen to it every day at the office.  I might remember to plug it in to charge over the weekend, or maybe not…it’s battery life is really nice.

Something that urks me in general about mp3′s is that I cannot find a satisfactory comprehensive software package to handle my music library.  I’ve bitched about this before, but to me this seems like a decent need that someone is not fulfilling.  I’d even pay 50 bucks or so for a good software package that does all I want it to.  I have not yet tried iTunes, and that might be my next move…but from what I’ve read that thing has it’s problems as well.

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In any case, the dynamic duo will be in the area for potentially the last time…until their reunion tour that is.

link

The popular country music duo Brooks & Dunn will be rolling its final tour through our region with stops in North Dakota and Minnesota.

On Friday the band announced the dates for its final tour, which include a May 14 stop in St. Paul and a July 23 date in Minot, N.D. Venues and ticket information were not included. But a report by the Pioneer Press in St. Paul included a note that the Xcel Energy Center said it is holding date for a Brooks & Dunn concert, but the spokesperson wouldn’t say which date.

The stop in Minot is presumed to be for a concert during the North Dakota State Fair, which will be held in Minot from July 23-31. Representatives for the state fair could be not be reached for comment.

Since they teamed up as a duo in the ’80s Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have released 20 number one country songs including its signature hit “Boot Scootin’ Boogie. In August, shortly after appearing at WE Fest outside of Detroit Lakes, Minn., the duo announced it would retire after completing its farewell tour.

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I had an old universal remote that had a screen like this.  It was all touch screen and seemed to work very well, the problem was you had to look at it to be able to do anything.  It is much more handy to be able to work devices like this by touch alone.

I’m not saying is a make or break “con” with the iPod, just something to keep in mind.

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The working amplifier comes packed with three CDs, two DVDs, one LP, a 164-page hardcover book and “memorabilia from the band’s earliest days of touring,” including a button, sticker, tour flier, track sheet, temporary tattoo, guitar pick, three lithographs, a poster and a replica of one of the fake $100 bills used to shower audiences during the ‘91 Moneytalks tour.

I’m a fan of AC/DC but not to the point of spending 200 bucks on something like this.  It is a good effort to curb some piracy by packaging things that cannot be made available via digital services.  I would think some rabid fans would be pretty happy with the extras.

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Since I listen to podcasts almost exclusively, this is a welcome find.  Upon reflection this does make a little bit of sense.  If you are skipping a significant amount of time there is really no reason to listen to it…and if you are listening to it you are probably trying to find a specific point that you can maybe hear through the fast forward blah blah.  Interesting…

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The new album drops Nov 3rd.

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link

CNN) — Les Paul, whose innovations with the electric guitar and studio technology made him one of the most important figures in recorded music, has died, according to a statement from his publicists. Paul was 94.

Paul died in White Plains, New York, from complications of severe pneumonia, according to the statement.

Paul was a guitar and electronics mastermind whose creations — such as multitrack recording, tape delay and the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul — helped give rise to modern popular music, including rock ‘n’ roll. No slouch on the guitar himself, he continued playing at clubs into his 90s despite being hampered by arthritis.

“If you only have two fingers [to work with], you have to think, how will you play that chord?” he told CNN.com in a 2002 phone interview. “So you think of how to replace that chord with several notes, and it gives the illusion of sounding like a chord.”

“The world has lost a truly innovative and exceptional human being today. I cannot imagine life without Les Paul,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “He would walk into a room and put a smile on anyone’s face. His musical charm was extraordinary and his techniques unmatched anywhere in the world.”

Lester William Polfuss was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915. Even as a child he showed an aptitude for tinkering, taking apart electric appliances to see what made them tick.

“I had to build it, make it and perfect it,” Paul said in 2002. He was nicknamed the “Wizard of Waukesha.”

In the 1930s and ’40s, he played with the bandleader Fred Waring and several big band singers, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters, as well as with his own Les Paul Trio. In the early 1950s, he had a handful of huge hits with his then-wife, Mary Ford, such as “How High the Moon” and “Vaya Con Dios.”

His guitar style, heavily influenced by jazzman Django Reinhardt, featured lightning-quick runs and double-time rhythms. In 1948, after being involved in a severe car accident, he asked the doctor to set his arm permanently in a guitar-playing position.

Paul also credited Crosby for teaching him about timing, phrasing and preparation.

Crosby “didn’t say it, he did it — one time only. Unless he blew the lyrics, he did one take.”

Paul never stopped tinkering with electronics, and after Crosby gave him an early audiotape recorder, Paul went to work changing it. It eventually led to multitrack recording; on Paul and Ford’s hits, he plays many of the guitar parts, and Ford harmonizes with herself. Multitrack recording is now the industry standard.

But Paul likely will be best remembered for the Gibson Les Paul, a variation on the solid-body guitar he built in the early 1940s — “The Log” — and offered to the guitar company.

“For 10 years, I was a laugh,” he told CNN in an interview. “[But] kept pounding at them and pounding at them saying hey, here’s where it’s at. Here’s where tomorrow, this is it. You can drown out anybody with it. And you can make all these different sounds that you can’t do with a regular guitar.”

Gibson, spurred by rival Fender, finally took Paul up on his offer and introduced the model in 1952. It has since become the go-to guitar for such performers as Jimmy Page.

Paul is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is survived by three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Until recently he had a standing gig at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club, where he would play with a who’s-who of famed musicians.

He admired the places guitarists and engineers took his inventions, but he said there was nothing to replace good, old-fashioned elbow grease and soul.

“I learned a long time ago that one note can go a long way if it’s the right one,” he said in 2002, “and it will probably whip the guy with 20 notes.”

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