Steve Lukather Is A Fucking God….

Steve Lukather, just a completely fucking insane guitarist, seriously, dude could duel Hendrix!

Okay, let me put this with one line. Steve Lukather’s concert I just got back from was easily the best concert I’ve ever gone to.

Okay, so dad and I got there about an hour before the show started. We were both hungry so dad gave me some money and I went downstairs by the bar/appetizers area and ordered my chicken wings and root beer from a lady named Dianne. She had short red hair, an angelic face, and looked quite great. She was probably in her early twenties if I had to guess. Anyways, it took a couple mintues for the food to be ready so I made conversation with her and we talked about some music, Lukather himself, Toto, Eric Clapton, and even Robert Johnson.  That was pretty cool and the chicken wings were awesome.

Head back upstairs to our seats and dad and I chow down and talk, we were both amazed at how small the crowd was, the place couldn’t have been half full, it was ridiculous. Dad was even starting to wonder if Lukather would bother performing or only perform for a short time due to it.

Our stomachs kept growling so I went back downstairs to Dianne and got a brownie sundae type dessert and I talked to her once again, mainly just about how the crowd was so small and I asked her how she was enjoying her job at the place, etc etc. I’ve always thought stool seats at bar counters were a great place just to relax and talk, I’m not sure how or why, it’s just sorta right, like bread and butter.

The crowd never really did expand – Didn’t matter. Steve came out with a huge smile and he adressed the crowd warmly and with an outgoing presence that was just flat out awesome. He had other guys with him, a keyboardist who was his brother apparently, a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer.

They played and from the very start, Lukather blew my mind away although I also noticed the drummer, who was this oversized black man in a Superman shirt, completely playing like a mad man. He didn’t even look at the drums, he had his eyes closed and shook his head as he played, just like Ray Manzarek of The Doors does when he plays! So that completely got my attention.

Song after song, I could feel my mind blowing, words can’t describe it folks, sorry, you would just have to be there. Steve could just play one string and it can sound not that loud one second but then just scream a terrific melody within seconds! It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before!! His solos, the way he encouraged each temporary band member by doing simple things such as patting their shoulders or butting heads with them to get their spirts up and encourage them, the way he talked to the crowd about his family and such, just his natural presence and smiling and such, it was all just fantastic and masterful stuff. I could see someone who was a great guitarist and great dude, I couldn’t help but feel myself just being amazed.

The drummer had me laughing really damn good too. In one part of the show, he and the keyboardist had a solo together and the drummer kept on playing and doing so many crazy styles, he was even pretending to run while hitting the drums and it was just so fucking hilarious and unlike anything I’d ever seen of a drummer! He was smiling and laughing the entire time and he was truly amazing himself, he was a hell of a drummer and hell of an entertainer! His entire shirt was just sweat drenched by the end of the show, the dude used a lot of energy and was insane. Honestly, that cat could easily put Ringo Starr or Ginger Baker to shame, no exaggeration on this. :D

The second guitarist was okay, nothing special. Although, how can you stand out when you’re on the stage with Steve Lukather? Still, the second guitarist did have a nice taste in guitars, he was playing Fender Strats and Teles, Gibson SG’s, and an Ovation acoustic. There were parts where he was off the stage as the others played, he wasn’t really needed in those, poor guy, haha.

The keyboardist was also good, he is apparently the younger brother of Steve, actually. What I enjoyed off the keyboardist was that he often jumped when he played and that was amusing and fun to watch. He was pretty cool.

The bassist was some young hispanic guy. He was okay as well, I’m sure he and all the others musical lives have changed due to that performance, probably a night he’ll never forget, it sure was one I’m not gonna forget either. :)

What can I say? Steve Lukather is a fucking God….

tralalalalala :)

Wow, I am sorry to say I’ve sorta neglected this blog lately. Sorry guys, I sort of got on a bloggers block and just didn’t write. Well, that ends now! :D

So not too long ago, dad and I drove to the same theater/bar we saw Leon Russell perform at. That location is one I really love! It’s just completely awesome in so many ways! Just the drive up there, getting meatball subway sandwiches, talking to dad on the drive, listening to Sirius radio, just smiling, laughing, and loving each moment of all! It just feels so wonderful and fun! My dad is easily one of my heroes! I couldn’t ask for a better dad, he’s helped make this Summer completely fucking awesome! ^__^

Sadly, before we had drove for the Dave Mason concert (which was completely awesome!!!) my parents were on bad terms. Dad was really depressed, mom too, shit sorta was bad for about 2 days, with one of them being the concert day. Mum’s friend, Michael, had done something stupid. Mom and I visited him because she wanted to give him food and dad doesn’t like Michael because he’s kinda fucked up and is also in love with my mother. (He admitted that to her and also that he wanted to sleep with her…….)

So Michael and some black guy there start throwing a football to each other across the road. They throw it at me and I’m just standing at the porch, trying not to even play at all, lol. It was kinda annoying but yeah, I threw it back at them because, what else could I do? Well, shit sorta happens from there. Black guy leaves, mom is talking to Michael from the balcony porch and I’m not even sure what happened but Michael all the sudden pulls his shorts down and shows his ass to my mother. Right on the fucking street.

Well, someone called because of that and the damned cops came. They talked with Michael and mom, asked if he had revealed his ass, he denied it and my mom was like, “Oh, no, none of us saw it, nothing happened at all.” ….Which was just STUPID of her to say. Yeah, someone will randomly call a cop and say that, right? Ughh, mum… Anyways, the cops also asked me questions about throwing the football across the street because they were mad about that too. They ended up getting my name and my DOB and I heard my name go through their pocket radios, I’ll tell you what, not a good feeling hearing your name going through one of those. Yikes. :/

So tralalalalala, mom kept on yelling at me not to tell dad about it but I knew that wasn’t right. She must of told me like 20 times in 10 minutes and I finally just told her to back off and told dad. He deserved to know, he’s done so much for me this Summer and my entire life. Well, he flipped out and my parents were fighting like crazy. Mom was drunk, dad was mad because some scumbag who wants to fuck his wife is getting her and me involved with the police, etc. He said she’d flip at him if he had a “female friend” like how mom considered Michael her “male friend.” Yeesh, buncha crap happened there and it got to the point where I was in the midst of it all and seperated them, I sat with dad in the kitchen with the dogs. He remarked on the way there, “Well, at least the dogs won’t cause a ton of fucking bullshit.”

Heh…the dogs. They seemed so puzzled by it all but were still so cute. It was kinda nice just sitting with dad, with those two dogs. Even in the middle of an insane fight happening that night, that was a good feeling in a way.

Eventually, that fight ended but dad was so depressed the next day. (and he rarely ever shows his depression) and he’s telling me how he’s so sick of her alcoholism, attitude, and other crap and how he wondered how long he could take it. He wouldn’t even touch his guitars, he said he was too depressed for any of that. Well, those times concerned me more than any because overall, my dad is solid. He about never showcases emotions like that for me because he knows deep down, it’s not the right thing to do and it’ll only make the ones he loves feel bad. I can understand why he felt that way, though, lots of shit happens at times between her and mom, hell, it’s understandable.

Through all of that, it really did not seem like we were going to the concert at all. But, despite dad being in a completely bummed out mood, dad asked me if I still wanted to go, about 2 hours before the concert was set to start. He asked me about it but he was clearly still angered and depressed but I was hoping maybe I could cheer him up during the concert so I agreed to going to it with him. On the way out, he says going to the concert would be a good way to get away from mom. (He intentionally let her hear it as well)

Well, for the first 15 minutes, dad was still sorta bummed and all. We were playing our Sirius though and some good tunes came on and we got into some good conversation. I tried my best to be bright, cheery, and nice. I think it worked because after not long, I got him in a better mood. Dad was back to being dad, the dad I admire, respect, and love. We got some subway sandwiches on the drive there, I got a meatball sub and we chowed down while listening to some awesome tunes on Sirius. After some more driving, we arrive at the concert area! :D

Dad was in good spirits so in turn, I’m very happy with that because he was no longer in his depression mode so I felt good with myself for helping him out, he had done so much for me, it was the least I could do I thought. :)

Well, to start with the performance. Dave Mason and his crew were just so fucking awesome, Dave played guitar and sang, he had a young guitarist who played a Red Strat and an Ovation acoustic who also sang, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a drummer. They all sounded so damn awesome and dad and I had lots of fun listening to them. The music was very psychedelic like and I absolutely love psychedelic music!! :D

So yes, that concert completely rocked and I got dad in a cheery mood so I was feeling great. Next day, everything’s normal and better at home. He and mom get back in talking terms and not at each other like angry wolves. I felt great for just helping out like that, maybe that’s silly but idk, lol. :)

I’ve been leading a rather relaxed life lately, due to school being out this Summer. Lots of my time is spent practicing music or writing. I am in a Battle Royale writing roleplay challenge and working more and more on guitar and even keyboard. I was practicing the keyboard and set the sound to make it sound like a marimba. Those just sound so damn beautiful and awesome, they remind me of the sea. :)

School’s starting in about 3 weeks, in all honesty, I’m sort of dreading it and looking forward to it. It’s tough to explain, I’ll go into more detail about it some other time I suppose. :)

Also, I must say, I had a lot of fun reading my blog posts from the past because they were hilarious, fun, and reminded me of some awesome things and made me very happy for marking it all down and writing it. So, thanks Shley for getting me on board the WordPress crew. You rock! ^__^

Hah…one day many days from now, I’ll be looking at this post again. For that moment, I’d like to reserve a “Hi Huxley! LOL this was a while back ago!! :P”

Okay, it’s like 4:00 and I can feel myself falling asleep and have been that way for about 30 minutes, lol. I’ll write some more soon and update more. :D

Peace, love, and happiness! tralalalalalala! :D <333

/quick edit

Thank you also to The Journeymen! For I listened to this song the entire time writing this post, along with my singing with it, haha. Thanks John Phillips (R.I.P), Scott McKenzie, and Dick Weissman for the awesome music, it’s appreciated fellas! ^__^

I Like Chicken

Well, I’m back home again after 21 days and 8062 miles, while it was great to be back home again, I also found myself missing my friends and places I had encountered soon after being home. I did add many of my friends on Facebook but I still would love to see them in person but dont know if I ever will soon.  In all honesty, a huge part of me wishes I was still traveling and seeing more places.

We went down to Woodstock and that just rocked. The setting was so beautiful and the Woodstock museum was awesome too. Before we entered it, there was this owner guy who kept on talking to us and shaking our hands and treating us like we were a part of the band practically, it was probably due to our backstage passes, lol. :P

It was awesome in there, there were painted buses showing movies, the walls were decorated like a crowd and awesome stuff was displayed everywhere. Sadly, no cameras were allowed.

The concert was awesome too, I did a lot of exploring and the music could be heard everywhere. They both rocked the place and it was great, rain ended up pouring everywhere too, it actually helped me get a free meal. I went to the hot dog bender when it was raining, well, the hot dogs got wet but I still wanted one and the ladies at the counter said, “Oh, we wont make you pay for this! You really want it?” I just replied, “Yeah! Please?!! :D” and I got it! It tasted good too! :D

I went backstage, hung out in the lobby where the Doobie Brothers ate, dressed, and tuned their instruments, I watched the show from behind the amps, I walked on the stage itself, I had tons of fun! :D
We ended up staying in Patrick Simmon’s hotel room as well, we talked with he and his family a lot and I think it’s safe to say, they consider us friends. :)

Yeah…it was all so awesome, everything, I’d go through the 15 hours a day driving all over again for sure, it’s all so worth it. I loved traveling, I want to do it again soon, I made some great friends, went to some great places, and have tons of great memories. I think, it made me a better and happier person all together. :)

I might return to Chicago again and see Jeff, my cousin Daniel, who’s planning on visiting then, and event he Krieger family sometime around August. Uncle Jeff wants to pay for my ticket as well as Daniel’s so we can hang out around there, well, that’s fine by me for sure! :D

Life is good.

Steamboat Willy, Woot Woot. :P

THE CONCERT FUCKING ROCKED!

Really, Really. It flat out rocked, hell, the entire day did to tell ya the truth. Daddy and I started out with breakfast at some Americana type restaurant and I ate an egg sandwich and nice bread too, it was an awesome meal and the waitress was really friendly and funny. :)

We did some more driving and eventually met up with Eddie Ryan at this huge ass motel/mall place and that was awesome. Had a fancy room and got to explore the mall but we could only have internet outside of our room and not in it, the only downside of the day.

The way we got to the concert itself was just fucking awesome. Eddie got us in a van with Patrick Simmons, his wife, his 17 year old son and his friend. It was so awesome, Pat sat right behind me and we all talked normally about stuff as if we were all friends. :)

We soon got backstage and got our passes, which was a necklace thing that had a Red Stratocaster on it, far out! :D

About 5 minutes before the show started, I got a picture with guitarist, John McFee. He’s a nice dude. :D

The show started off with the Doobie’s playing for an hour and right at their last song, it stormed really badly with heavy rain and lightning, dad and I got backstage soaked, hahaha! :D
I took many pics and really enjoyed the music though, all from the third row and from touring around the stage and the area where they all hung out, fucking awesome, I am lucky as hell… :)
I took a pic with Patrick Simmons and was soaked, my dad was in the pic as well and he was too. :P

It continued storming like crazy but Chicago went out and performed for an hour, the fans were wearing rain jackets and holding umbrellas, but still enjoying the show! Dad and I went on the stage, behind the amps and watched. I watched it right with the other Doobie Brothers and even got 5 guitar picks by John McFee. :)

I took some pics from there and had fun, it was all so awesome, everything was. :D

At the very end, Chicago and The Doobie Brothers performed more songs together and well, yeah, more pics taken! It was all just so awesome and I felt so lucky and had a ton of fun. We ended up driving back to the hotel with the big black bassist known as Skylark, who is a friendly dude. Once we arrived there, we went with Eddie on the tour bus, which was just this fancy ass bus with beds, multiple TV’s, videogames, just flat out loaded with a bunch of fancy shit, I wanted to take pics but the batteries in the camera died. :(

The concert and the entire day was just flat out fucking fun, I’ll remember this day for many days, months, and years to come, it was all just too fucking awesome and I’m glad I took plenty of pictures. :)

:D

The title says it, folks! I went around an area in Virginia that I actually like! Downtown mall area in Charlottesville, 30 something minutes from my location. Well, it’s just way more diverse there and there’s way more to do, in other words, it’s just way more fun!

So there’s a free concert down there and dad and I go down there, we start off by getting pizza from, “Christian’s Pizza”, My God! Their pizza is just freaking delicious! Down two slices of that and drink a nice bottle of Root beer with it! Mmmmm! :D
We wonder about in a guitar store after that and well, it wasn’t anything special but hey, it took up some time. After that, I went into a sweet nightclub and checked it out, it was so awesome in there, man. The vibe in there was just amazing, bright colorful lights in there, a decent stage, plenty of beer sold there, stools are everywhere, it just fucking rocks, man! :D

Dad saw two girls from his previous class, twins, actually. They were alongside their parents, who dad apparently knew well. Anyways, that was cool. The two daughters were cute, seemed friendly, they were a tad shy but that’s okay. They were nice enough to smile when I tried to give them a warm friendly smile. Dad told me they’ll be heading into High School next year, nice milestone for them both! The parents were friendly as well, seemed like everyone in that family was friendly, which is nice. :)

Soon enough, some random band is playing. They were funny, there was a really fat black girl on lead vocals and another skinny pretty boy vocalist and then a drummer, bassist, and guitarist with them, it was an odd group but their music was so-so. Eli Cook and his small band, which is just himself, a drummer, and a bassist, come out and rock like mad! I find an area in the grass, nearby the stage and am sitting in the shade. The atmosphere just rocked, man! So many types of people, young and old, white, Asian, black, Mexican, all sorts of people were running about. Where I sat, there were so many little kids running around playing and that was cute, haha. All the parents were watching and laughing quietly, admiring their little creations innocence and cuteness, while carefully making sure none of them got themselves hurt. They were all playing tag and throwing tennis balls around while Eli Cook was rocking the place down with that brilliant Stratocaster! [I still want one of those!!]
It was just awesome, getting away from my shitty redneck area and actually seeing a more diverse community and such, it was really enjoyable.

Heh, what a fucking day. Get in trouble, somehow don’t get punished at all, just rewarded, go me! :) {Innocent Smiles And Attitude For The Fucking Win! Haha! :D }

The Leon Russell Concert – Fucking Outstanding!!!

The title says it all, folks. Leon Russell, now 65 years old and fat, is still fucking brilliant!! He hasn’t lost a single step! He’s as good as ever! It was easily one of the greatest concerts I’ve ever attended! Holy fucking shit! It was bloody brilliant!!! I had way too much fun, haha!

Alright, so I left around 4:00 p.m, drove up about 2 hours down to where he would be playing, which was actually a pretty sweet theater, which had a nice stage, an area right in front of where Russell and his band were playing, to stand and watch up close or even dance. There were plenty of places to grab a beer, in fact, one was right by the stage! Talk about a sweet job, serve beer to people right by the fucking stage! How cool is that?!
Although, for the majority of the concert, we were seated up at the top balcony, and there was a place to get drinks upstairs from there. Well, before the concert I go in there to buy a cup of soda. There’s a young oriental woman in there, who is serving the drinks, she was short, glasses, pigtails, and had a bright smile for every single customer she served, she was quite cute and seemed pretty nice in general. She served me and I talked to her a little bit, just to be friendly. I kind of felt bad she couldn’t see the concert when other people with her same job could. Just wasn’t that fair. She said she didn’t mind though because she could still hear it and she had plenty of drinks nearby her, so she’d be alright. She was pretty funny! She also mentioned she got to see plenty of concerts from the bar stand by the stage, so I guess she isn’t all that unfortunate at all, haha.
I talked to her for about 5 minutes and we had a nice little conversation, this was before the show so I didn’t have much more to do.

Well, okay, before we even went into the bar/theater to see Russell and his band, perform, we had arrived a little too early. It was around 6:00 when we got there and we thought the concert started at 7:00 but it turned out it started at 9:00 and the place didnt even open until 7:00. So we drove around and found a cool guitar place, it was this big warehouse adorned with guitars everywhere. So we just messed around in there for a little while then drove back to the theater and hung out there, eating food and just talking to random people. We went to our seats around 8:20, we went up in the top balcony for most of the show, but we decided to go check out the area where people could stand as the concert was ending. As we waited for Russell and his band to come out, the wait was killing me! When it passed 9:00, I was thinking, “Dammit! Where the hell are you, Leon?!” Finally, at 9:12, Leon’s band members walk out, a young guitarist, a keyboardist, a bassist, and a drummer. Then, after they were all set, a man in a white coat and pants, plus a white hat and long white beard, and black shades that hid his dark eyes came out — It was Leon Fucking Russell! When he walked out, it was as if a God walked out, everyone was on their feet, excited as all hell. That was Leon Fucking Russell they were looking at!! Seriously, it was like as he walked, a bright atmosphere pushed out. It was outstanding, I had never seen a person walk and experience that before.

So they finally start playing, let’s just say this: It was just flat out awesome!! Every single one of them were playing great! I was at the top of the balcony but I could still feel the emotion of the music and the momentum!

But yes, brilliant fucking music,
After 2 hours of listening to the Godly music, Leon and his band were done. I was more than satisfied, Mr. Russell did better than I thought he would and I find it so damn remarkable that someone his age can still be so fucking good!!

But yes, really really fun night and great concert! We both had a ton of fun! 3 concerts we’ve been to this year, this one, hand’s down the best one yet!! Thanks for reading, love you all. Peace, love, and happiness! :)