Concert Review: Foo Fighters - 2/15/2011, Troubadour, West Hollywod, CA

When I heard about the Foo Fighters last 'secret show' I was determined not to make excuses and get my ass to this show.  It was at one of my favorite little places to see a show, the Troubadour.  When my friend and I arrived around 2 PM, there was already a sizable line forming.  We got in line and started counting the heads in front of us.  By 5 PM, they finally started and handing out wristbands, and $20 later, our spot in rock awesomeness was saved.  We get back to the Troub in time to catch a few songs from the opening act, Mariachi el Bronx.  Suffice to say, this was a good time to hang in the back of the bar and drink a few beers.  One of the things I love about the Troub is you can see the headlining act hanging out upstairs.  They peek their head out periodically from behind the curtains to see the fever grow and it brings goosebumps to my arms.  I look up and see Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins do some pre show pumping up, friggin sweet.  The Foo take the stage at 9, and immediately start with the first track of their new album.  They tear through the 11 tracks, and the crowd goes wild for every hard rocking riff.  Their first song after the Wasting Light album run was Stacked Actors, a hard hitting blaster of energy.  Grohl and co. expanded the song with a slightly spacey jam in the middle.  It made the song new again, and it proved that this truly is one of the best rock and roll bands ever.  Continuing on with the tracks, The Pretender (accompanied by a violinist), My Hero and Generator I can only hope this night never ends.  The hits keep coming, the beer keeps flowing and the crowd keeps rocking.  The night ended with a track the Grohl claimed, 'had only been played live a couple of times,' Butterflies.  Needless to say my socks were missing when it was all said and done (they'd been rocked off halfway through the show).

My picture worthy Foo Fighters wristband

TV Talk

Just watched the series premier of Only In America with Larry the Cable Guy" on the History Channel.  If you are a fan of his good ol' southern comfort comedy than this is the show for you.  He travels around the country searching for things that are pure Red, White & Blue.  His first stop was Dawsonville, Georgia, the birthplace of stock car racing and moonshine.  Deliverance jokes and burning rubber with Bill Elliot made for a great first segment.  Next was etiquette training in Vermont.  This easily made for the most laughs of the show.  Larry's dirty yet gentle humor made for great contrasting comedy with the proper family of Emily Post, the so called grandma of etiquette in this country.  Lastly, Larry made his way back west to sunny California for a bull frog jumping competition.  It may have not been the best of the segments, but Larry was still able to make hopping frogs fun to watch.  The show was worth all the advertising it's been getting, and I'll be watching next Tuesday for more laughs.

MMA Talk

After a great fight card in UFC 126, the biggest impact fight was Jon Jones vs Ryan Bader.  Both fighters were primed to be the next number one contendor in the light heavyweight divison.  Both fighters brough their game, and it was Jon ‘Bones’ Jones who finished the fight as expected (at least I expected it).  The most exciting fighter in the UFC right now and he finishes his fights with authortity.  Excitement and fight finishing power is what makes the UFC, and that is what gets you a shot at the title.  In the post fight interview, Joe Rogan informed Jones that Rashad Evans sustained an injury that would force him to pull out of his titlle fight with Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in UFC 128.  This brings even more excitement than I could imagine to the the light heavyweight division.  It puts one of the most electrifying fighters in the last few years against a big time Brazilian powerhouse that will make for one the best fights of the year, hands down.  This fight is sheduled for March 19^th, yes just over a month from tonight.  When Jones heard the news from Rogan he dropped to his knees knowing he finally earned his chance for the belt.  In his MMA Live interview just days before the fight he assumed he had one more fight before his title shot (assuming he’d beat Bader).  Well here we are, late Saturday night and the fight of the year is set.  ‘Shogun’ Rua vs ‘Bones’ Jones, March 19, 2011.  And now some insight on how this fight came about.  In Evans’ MMA Live interview after the fight he explained the accident that happened.  He described it as “someone came and blindsided me from the side and took out my knee”, causing a second-third degree sprained MCL.  This ‘someone’ was sprawling on the same mat with Evan but not against him.  Please forgive me, I am not a training MMA proffesional and I have never even witnessed an ‘easy training day’ as Evans described it as.  But please explain this to me, if you were training for a world championship in the UFC would you let a surrounding grappling session even get close to your own?  Again, I am not even an amauteur, not even a journalist, but come on!  Another title shot just slipped through your fingers Evans.  Oh yeah, just to mention Jon Jones trains in the same camp with Evans.  Again, I am no proffesional but as I listen to Aloe Blacc’s ‘I Need A Dollar’ I just picture ‘Bones’ Jones singing his own version, something like ‘I Need A Belt’, hey hey.  Oh yeah, and that kick by Anderson Silva was bitchin.  Next up for 'The Spider', Cain or Brock.  Why the fuck not?

Super Bowl Talk

I truly believe this will be the best game ever played in my lifetime, period.  And I’m not just talking football, I’m talking all four major sports.  Yes, game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals and the 2010 gold medal hockey game come to mind, but this will be an event to be remembered forever.  Super Bowl Sunday, yes a holiday in my hosehold (the Panthers could be facing the Browns and we’d would still party like it was our last on Earth).  But with this game, Pittsburgh and Green Bay, the two best teams this year will battle it out on the gridiron bringing goosebumps to my arms and possibly tears to my eyes.  I’m hoping for the first ever overtime game in SB history.  If you think about it, these two teams have to be one of the most evenly matched Super Bowls in history.  The defense, the running and gunning quarterbacks, the incredible deep threats on both sides and the young and talented head coaches.  All the analysis has been done, so I am not going to get into it, just believe me, this game is going to be real friggin close.  My prediction you ask?  Pittsburgh 33, Green Bay 27.  Six points isn’t so close you say?  Well get this, 27-27 at the end of regulation.  Overtime comes and it goes back and forth for a few possestions for each side.  Then the Steelers get a punt at midfield after stuffing the Packers inside their own 10 yard line.  After a short gain by Rashard Mendenhall on the first down, Big Ben play actions and hits Mike Wallace on a mid range crossing route the he springs for a 45 yard touchdown.  Don’t believe me?  I just hope I am half right and we get overtime!  Another prediction, much beer will be consumed and a butt-load of food eaten and many laughs and hollars will echo through the house.