Me and my best girlfriends E and I were turning 40 in 2010, and we'd vowed to do something special for each of our birthdays. E's birthday came first, in February, so we set out on a cold Sunday afternoon for 
a beautiful lunch and matinee performance of the Broadway musical "Rock of Ages." It could not have been a more perfect choice for us, three 80s music, clothing and hair survivors. From the opening requests by Whitesnake's David Coverdale to turn off your cell phone so you weren't a dick to the electric faux lighters handed out to be held aloft during the power ballads, it was cheesy goodness. (As an aside, can we talk about those lighters for a sec? I, for one, miss the original Bic illumination. The cell phone light just doesn't have the same charm. I've seen the Bic app for the phone and yes, it's cool that it flickers like a real lighter, but unless you get a burned thumb, it just ain't the same. And I got one, every single time.)
a beautiful lunch and matinee performance of the Broadway musical "Rock of Ages." It could not have been a more perfect choice for us, three 80s music, clothing and hair survivors. From the opening requests by Whitesnake's David Coverdale to turn off your cell phone so you weren't a dick to the electric faux lighters handed out to be held aloft during the power ballads, it was cheesy goodness. (As an aside, can we talk about those lighters for a sec? I, for one, miss the original Bic illumination. The cell phone light just doesn't have the same charm. I've seen the Bic app for the phone and yes, it's cool that it flickers like a real lighter, but unless you get a burned thumb, it just ain't the same. And I got one, every single time.)Fast forward a bit to May 2010 and I's birthday. It was a road trip kind of day, with good company, good food and good tunes blasting from a cool rental SUV, followed by a trip to the brand spankin' new Giants Stadium for a Bon Jovi concert. As E says, I gets us into all the coolest places, because we watched the show from a luxury box, the pit, and the side of the stage. Oh yeah, it doesn't get much better than this. We followed Kiefer Sutherland around for a while and after 25 years I finally got to hug Richie Sambora. But more on this another time, as there's so much more to say.
In June I did something I've very rarely done. Get your minds out of the gutter, yes, you, this is a music blog, after all. I left a concert early. Voluntarily. My husband and I were at a Kansas/Styx/Foreigner show and before you say anything, yes, you, we did not leave out of boredom. We left because I wasn't feeling well. Anyone who knows us knows we never leave a show early, ever. It just simply isn't done. Even if we are bored. I'm talking to you, Ozzy Osbourne.
I've been pretty vocal about my love for prog metal band Dream Theater, so it was with shock and dismay that in September I read drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy decided to leave the band. The typical he said/they said stuff flew back and forth across the Inter
net for days - he wanted to take a break, they wanted to continue moving forward. As a band that seems to have followed the album/tour/album/tour cycle for many years now, with lots of side projects thrown into the mix (including Mike's recently completed work with Avenged Sevenfold), I can't help but think they all would have benefitted from a break, the fans included. After all, how can we miss you if you never go away? But, no. And then, in a startling turn of events, last month Mike asked to rejoin the band. And they said no. No. Personally, I think it's a bit douchebaggy to do that since Mike was the main creative force driving that band, so it will be interesting to see if the remaining members, particularly guitarist John Petrucci, step up to the plate. Dream Theater is back in the studio working on a new album, and no word has come yet on who the new drummer is. Whoever it turns out to be, he'll have some big bass drums to fill.For the life of me, I can't understand how I can live just a few miles outside of the greatest city in the world and there isn't one halfway decent broadcast radio station out there. My friends and I have said this for years, and I'll say it again - New York radio sucks. It's all rap, Top 40 crap or the same 5 classic rocks songs played ad nauseum. I made the switch back to satellite radio. It just had to be done.
Since I've just copped to being one of thse people who doesn't listen to "popular" or Top 40 music, and music television channels hardly play music anymore, I've turned into someone who discovers new bands through movies and television shows. Thank you to the films and show this year that led me to Muse, Linkin Park, Paramore, Anberlin, Plumb, Within Temptation, Keane and Goldfrapp. Keep it comin'.
Lastly, I'm a pop dolly at heart, so I was more than thrilled when Duran Duran, my love since I was 12, digitally released their new album All You Need Is Now
in late December. They snuck it in under the wire to end my musical year on a high note. The album is being widely acclaimed as the album where Rio left off, but I would sandwich it between their first album and Rio. It's got those great 80s pop sounds with a distinctly modern feel. I know I'm (extremely) biased, but when Duran are firing on all cylinders, as they are here, nobody does it better. I'm looking forward to several live shows being a highlight of 2011.
in late December. They snuck it in under the wire to end my musical year on a high note. The album is being widely acclaimed as the album where Rio left off, but I would sandwich it between their first album and Rio. It's got those great 80s pop sounds with a distinctly modern feel. I know I'm (extremely) biased, but when Duran are firing on all cylinders, as they are here, nobody does it better. I'm looking forward to several live shows being a highlight of 2011.
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