Busy day. Up at six to play golf (poorly) in the rain, always a treat, then a quick lunch of hot (but not HOTTEST) wings at Slider's before returning to home base around 1:30pm. Going to see Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals tonight at Radio City Music Hall and must pick up Jonathan/Garrett in Bay Ridge. Quick power nap, last minute instructions from The Reet (Don't you DARE try to drive back here tonight!) and I'm off down the Merritt to Brooklyn. The Yankees/Red Sox game (NICE win Friday night!) comes on at four, so I want to get to NYC to see the game before the concert. Cross over to the CT Turnpike in Milford to maximize speed/lanes. Got the UConn Huskies football game on the radio. WHAT? The Huskies are struggling with dreadful Temple, leading only 22-17 in the 4th quarter and the pompous Joe D'Ambrosio (hey, look at me, I'm the voice of the UConn Huskies!) is getting on my nerves. Cruising along at just above the allowable speed limit and making fab time. SCREEEEEEECH to a halt.
WTF! The best laid plans.... Stuck in traffic for a full half-hour while crews clear a badly damaged Winnebago from the pavement. Looks pretty nasty. Oh well, squeezing in front of some guy who keeps giving me the finger and I'm off again! Joe D (not to be confused with Joey Dee) is frantically describing how Temple's final pass into the end zone, for what would have been the winning touchdown, was incomplete, but they are reviewing. OMG, Pompous Joe yelps, I think he's IN! But the officials rule that the call stands despite evidence to the contrary and the Huskies remain undefeated! And THAT, my friend, is why you play home games!
Almost to Bay Ridge when Derek Jeter pounds one into the centerfield bleachers for a 1-0 Yankees lead in the first. I pick up the guys and head into through Battery tunnel into Manhattan to park, find a pub, eat some grub and watch the remainder of the game. After a no-thank-you parking offer of $61 near Broadway, we venture over to 10th for a more reasonable $12 and start walking and looking. The Snug on 8th between 50th/51st will do. But the Yankees suck today and we cross 9th Ave for some pizza (I wanted the Brazilian beans and rice, but nooooooo!).
The Art Deco-style Radio City Music Hall (some history), at the Avenue of the Americas between 50th/51st, is a pretty cool place and G-Man secured us good seats in the orchestra section. Piers Faccini, an interesting guitarist/singer backed by bass and drums, was the opening act and the crowd actually paid attention to him. After the opening 45-minute set and a break, Ben took the stage, sharply dressed in a vested suit (the concert was billed as "seated and optional dress up"), to a loud ovation and responded by declaring his love for New York audiences. The early stages of the concert were good, but low-energy, mixing accoustic/electric guitars with the Innocent Criminals (keyboards, bass, lead guitar, drums percussion) backing him in understated fashion. I must admit that at this point fatigue was setting in and I was being mellowed, albeit entertainingly, to sleep. But, thankfully, Ben turned up the throttle as the set progressed. Very good concert, although G-Man mused that John Butler was possibly even better. After a few photos shots of the Radio City facade, we head back to our parked vehicle hoping my golf clubs are still available. Passed a handsome cab and we wondered if Kramer had fed the horse a Price Club serving of Rice-a-Roni (It's the San Francisco treat, Jerry!).
Dropped G-Man off in Bay Ridge and headed home. Asleep by 3.
Concert highlights:
A brief snipit from last night courtesy of guerra2104
1 comment:
opening act was Piers Faccini
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