Becca came into my room: please Mom, it's important.
I hear those words and I shudder. it means there's some kind of emergency. or at least somethng Becca perceives as being an emergency.
I've told both girls, many times, that if there's a dangerous situation -- drinking, drugs, violence, whatever, I will come and get them, no questions asked, because my first priority is their safety.
Becca has interpreted this statement to include her friends.
Last night I found myself picking up one of her friends and bringing the young lady back to our house for the night. she'd had an argument with her parents, was wandering around the neighborhood in the dark and was reluctant to go home. when she heard I was coming to get her, she did go home briefly to get her things and to tell her parents where she was going.
After just announcing official tour dates for their first USA headlining run, Irish rockers, The Script, one of the biggest breaking new band of last year in the UK and their native Ireland, are celebrating the success of their debut self-titled album (on Epic Records) and were picked to perform with two of the most iconic artists of our time. In July, The Script will head back to NYC to open for Paul McCartney as he performs the historic first concerts at Citi Field, the new home of the NY Mets, on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18 (actually making them the first performers at the venue!). The Script are Dubliners Danny O’Donoghue (keys and vocals), Mark Sheehan (guitar) and Glen Power (drums).
Here is the full Paul McCartney Citi Field Set List from July 17, 2009.
“Drive My Car” “Jet” “Only Mama Knows” “Flaming Pie” “Got To Get You Into My Life” “Let Me Roll It” “Highway” “The Long and Winding Road” “My Love” “Blackbird” “Here Today” “Dance Tonight” “Calico Skies” “Mrs. Vanderbilt” “Eleanor Rigby” “Sing the Changes ” “Band on the Run” “Back in the U.S.S.R.” “I’m Down” “Something” “I’ve Got a Feeling” “Paperback Writer” “A Day in the Life”/”Give Peace a Chance” “Let It Be” “Live and Let Die” “Hey Jude”
Encores “Day Tripper” “Lady Madonna” “I Saw Her Standing There (with Billy Joel) “Yesterday” “Helter Skelter” “Get Back” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”/”The End”
So last night I went to Citi Field to the very first concert ever held there: Sir Paul McCartney. (click to enlarge)
Here's Paul telling you about the weather:
As for the rest of the concert....
the opening act, The Script --an Irish band -- sang for about half an hour, and they were good. But everyone was there to see Paul. After and interminable video montage about his career, Paul took the stage at 9 PM. And sang for 2 1/2 hours!
He reminisced about the Beatles at Shea, he did tributes to john Lennon and George Harrison, and also to his wife Linda and Hendrix. He truly enjoyed hanging out with the audience. I loved the pyrotechnics during "Live and Let Die". And I loved how Paul sang John's part as well as his own in "Day in the Life" before moving on to "Give Peace a Chance."
Billy Joel's brief appearance (the man looked like a cue ball, BTW) on "I Saw Her Standing There" brought the crowd to its feet.You know he's going to sing "Yesterday". "Let It Be" and "Get Back", but "Helter Skelter"? Wow!
Paul McCartney could have played it safe Friday night at Citi Field, but he swung for the fences instead.
"Long time since I was here," McCartney said. "I've got a feeling that we're going to have a little bit of fun tonight." As he did with The Beatles in 1965 at Shea Stadium, McCartney christened the home of the Mets for rock and roll. This time, though, the acoustics were a little better.
And actually, so is McCartney.
His two-hour-plus set pulled from the first Beatles hits to his recent experimental album, and most have improved with age.
Harmonies sweetened a revved-up "Jet." Bluesy guitar and organ built a new groove on "Let Me Roll It," which got a dose of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady," and honky-tonk riffs on "The Long and Winding Road."
He helped the crowd relive memories with "Drive My Car" and "Blackbird," and dedicated "My Love" to late wife Linda and "Here Today" to John Lennon.
Billy Joel joined him for "I Saw Her Standing There." McCartney was a guest at Joel's final show at Shea Stadium.
McCartney's ability to master the crowd's mood and progress musically showed how far he has come. Friday, he showed he isn't done improving yet.
McCartney performs songs before appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman"
Former Beatle promoting his Friday concert at New York's Citi Field
Ed Sullivan Theater was site of Beatles' historic 1964 TV performance
From Jean Shin CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Paul McCartney has come to New York and he wants to shout it from the rooftops.
To promote his concert at Citi Field this Friday, the former Beatle performed Wednesday afternoon on the roof above the Ed Sullivan Theater marquee before his appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman," which is taped in the theater.
Wednesday's performance began at 5:30 p.m. ET and included a set of classics including "Get Back," "Band on the Run," "Helter Skelter" and "Back in the USSR." Sporting a pink button-up shirt and suspenders, McCartney played to a huge crowd that blocked off traffic near the intersection of 53rd Street and Broadway.
McCartney occasionally waved to occupants of nearby buildings as they gathered at their windows to listen to the concert.
McCartney will be the first music act to play at Citi Field, and that concert will kick off his summer U.S. tour. The Ed Sullivan Theater, named for the late variety-show host, has special meaning for McCartney as it was the site of the Beatles' historic televised performance in 1964.
so I get up this morning Mr. Kitty is all over me, purring and rubbing against me and being oh so affectionate. I know this routine, it's the "food is love and I need to be loved" routine. so I go dowstairs to the kitchen....and there's no cat food. apparently we have run out, and no one bothered to go to the store for more. but Mr. Kitty is now giving me the "starving kitty" routine -- though if you saw him you'd wonder if he could EVER starve to death, he's a big boy.... so I go into the pantry and get a can of tuna. Bumblebee solid white albacore, no less. so I open the can, put tuna in his dish, and as I place the dish on the floor I hear a plaintive but muffled "meow". and it's not from Mr. Kitty. he's the strong, silent type. not to mention that he's now stuffing himself on solid white albacore. it seems Daisy has spent the night in the garage, having followed my mother into the garage last evening, and was quite content there --- until she smelled the tuna. yep, she smelled the tuna right through the garage door.
So in honor of Becca's birthday party, I took a minivan full of teenagers to Six Flags Great Adventure. Becca brought a group of her girlfriends, and Jen brought a "friend who happens to be a boy but is NOT a boyfriend".
I love amusement parks, I love theme parks. (Yes, there is a difference...Six Flags is a very different type of experience than, let's say, Disneyworld, and I have to remind myself that there's a difference.)
I've been going to Great Adventure for years, long before it became a Six Flags park, and I've got fond memories of the place. I had a good time yesterday, but honestly, the park used to be better.
we stuck with the main park, didn't to the water park or the safari drive through.
I let the kidlets go ride the huge roller coasters, and I did my own thing for most of the day. Forgot my camera, but was able to take pictures and video with my phone. (click to enlarge the photos)
As I entered the park, the first thing I saw -- right in front of the main fountain -- was a show featuring Bugs Bunny, the Tasmanian Devil and "Mr. Six" ("More flags, more fun!")
My first stop was lunch at the Carnegie Deli. Real NYC style sandwiches, served with a side of cole slaw, a side of potato salad and two pickles -- very very shareable. true to my ethinic roots, I ordered corned beef on rye.
Then it was time for some fun!
First stop, the dolphin and sea lion show.
I got some good video here (though if you listen carefull to the first video, you'll forget you're watching a Six flags show and you'll think you may have accidnetally wandered into a Disney production):
but then you'll remember why it's Six Flags:
I also saw the tiger show. this isn't a fancy "watch tigers do circus tricks" show. the traners have the tigers doing things that come naturally to tigers while they preach a "go green" message about extinction.
nice kitty!
want to go for a swim?
They also show tigers in their habitat.
That was pretty much the sum total of the shows. After that I went on rides. (Note to self, always bring a fanny pack for your valuables, they are very strict about "no loose articles" in this park.)I rode a family-friendly roller coaster called Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train, a swinging pirate ship called The Buccaneer, a simulator ride called Fly Me To the Moon, and my favorite, the Ferris Wheel -- rode that one twice.
View from the ferris wheel:
Didn't have time for the teacups, the two indoor coasters or the log flume, though I would have enjoyed those as well. And the sky ride was closed due to wind. But no way would you have seen me on the park's signature coasters --Batman, Nitro, Bizarro, El toro, Kingda Ka or the Great American Scream Machine.
Met up with the kids around 8:30. they'd been riding the large coasters, playing the carnival games (Jen won two stuffed animals and a sorcerer's hat), and generally having a great time. All of the girls bought superhero capes -- Becca's was a pink Supergirl cape -- except Jen, whose cape honored Batman's nemesis, The Joker.
The kids were hungry at that point, so we decided to have dinner. Half of them got food from Papa John's, and the rest of us from Johnny Rockets -- I don't think I need to tell you about the quality of food from a chain restaurant. By the time we got our food and found a table, they'd turned out the lights for the Glow parade, so we ate in the dark.
the parade reminded me of Disney's Spectromagic.
We left right after the parade, found ourselves walking through the parking lot when the fireworks show began. I would have liked to have seen the whole firewaorks show, but the kids were tired and we had a long ride home.
And what a lovely ride home -- pouring rain all the way from Jackson, NJ to Long Island. the wind on the Outerbridge Crossing was so special. The thunder and lightening on the Verrazano was a real treat. And the flooding on the Belt Parkway was the perfect touch!
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