I know, I know - it is a few days later and I am a few dollars shorter. Following a band is hard work. Even if said band is now performing on one’s own home turf. I went to see them last night in Mansfield, but I will blog about that a few days from now. HA!
And I will blog even though I kinda feel like this because last night was a late night and I have yet to have any coffee…
The sacrifices I make for you people! 
So, I went to class Monday night. I was going to drive down to NYC after class which made the class TOTALLY DRAG. It wasn’t the subject matter at all - it could have been George Clooney up there illustrating the finer points on how to seduce him, but all I could think about were my upcoming Pearl Jam shows! The class went something like this…
Instructor [in Charlie Brown's parents type of voice]: “Wha wha wha functions wha wha…”
my internal dialogue: “I wonder what song they are going to open with?”
Instructor: “Wha wha wha array wha wha…”
m. i. d.: “I really hope to hear Release as an opener. That would be sweet.”
Instructor: “Wha wha variable, wha wha…”
m. i. d.: “Or, you know, Sometimes would be nice to hear. When was the last time I heard that?”
Instructor: “Wha wha wha…”
***repeat for 3 LONG HOURS***
So class finally ended and I drove down to my buddy Clare’s place in NYC. The drive was uneventful and I found a sweet parking spot upon arrival to the city. Miracles really do happen.
The next morning we got up and headed out to get fresh NYC bagels and coffee for everyone. Clare said of her neighborhood: “Quite a few shows have been filmed here. The Sopranos and even a few episodes of Law & Order.” Me: “So you’re saying you live in a neighborhood that looks ideal for crime dramas?”
Before I continue, here is a brief breakdown of my 2.5 days stay in NYC…
New York City by the numbers…
|
bagels consumed
|
???? |
|
taxi cab rides
|
1 |
|
subway rides
|
1 |
|
train rides
|
4 |
|
dive bar visits
|
2 |
|
beers consumed
|
???? |
|
slices of NYC pizza consumed
|
2 |
|
hugs from friends new and old
|
???? |
|
Pearl Jam shows seen
|
2 |
???? = more than 5; less than 48
We all got showered and headed out to Madison Square Garden to pick up our tickets…
MSG!
We scored 5th row Stone’s side! 
Then, off to a little dive bar called The Tempest to do some pre-show meet-ups and drinking…
From l-r: Frank, Josh and Jim. They are doing “The Walrus”. Their mamas must be SO proud!
Josh and I.
From l-r: Practically everyone.
And believe it or not, despite all the beers everyone managed to A) find MSG (it was right across the street, but still) and B) make the show on time.
Night 1 was great. I heard All Night, WMA and Love Reign O’er Me live for the first time. Whipping was a special tasty treat. And Indifference as a closer always gives me goose bumps. You can see my pics from night 1 here. CJ Ramone came on stage to perform I Believe in Miracles (both nights actually) and there were celebs all ovah da place (again, both nights). A sampling of some of my text messages from both MSG shows…
Phil Donahue is sitting in front of us
Can you see Tim robbins and Susan Sarandon? They are to the right of us on the side.
i just spotted an olsen twin dunno which one
Tim and Susan are sitting down a lot. LAME.
Coldplay is sitting in sect 62
both olsen twins are over here one of them is all grungy and doing interpretive dance moves
i thought i saw heath ledger, but then i remembered he was dead. this dude looks EXACTLY like him tho
Hyde from that 70s show is here. he has worse seats then us.
backstage: charlize theron
And so on.
Day 2 was pretty much a repeat of Day 1. Woke up, ate bagels, showered, went to The Tempest and then went to the Pearl Jam show. We even scored 5th row on Stone’s side again! It was just like the movie Groundhog Day only if the premise of the movie was: I am living the same day over and over again? HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?!
Some pics from MSG2…
This little girl was sitting behind us. Ed pointed her out to the crowd and told them that it was her first concert.
The crowd and Mike.
Ed.
More pics can be found here. Night 2 opened with a spine tingling Release to which the crowd sang along with much gusto. I was psyched to hear Severed Hand again (always a fave) and HOLY CRAP Ace Frehley came out during the second encore and performed Black Diamond with Mike and Matt on vocals. Also, even though it is a song I could care less about, Betterman was just incredible! The crowd was so into it - singing along, jumping and clapping in unison - that the concrete floor we were standing on shook. Literally. I could see the stage actually jumping up and down with the beat of the song. Other than the fact that I was slightly freaked out that the place would implode, it was one of the most awesome concert moments I have ever witnessed. Even this Bostonian has to admit (and painfully so) that the New York crowd was fantastic.
More in a few days. There is a slight lull in the hustle and bustle that is the coming and goings of people staying at my place. So I think I am going to take this opportunity to grab a quick nap.
My name is Mick. I am a 
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