So school is out and to celebrate we went to see a few shows.

On Friday, we went to Rogers Arena and saw Prince and the New Power Generation. There was no opener and he came on a little bit late (according to the schedule). But holy man did me make up for it. He played for almost 3 hours and it was a funk, r &b and soul show. It was great. We didnt really know what to expect but it was a great time. The best part was he and the band walked away down the tunnel to the dressing room, the house lights came on, the electronic advertising came back on, the music came back on but the fans didn’t want to leave. We cheered for a good 10 minutes and Prince obliged and came back for an encore. Whether it was part of show or not, I’m not sure but it certainly was an excellent show. It was almost like being at a gospel show (so I was told). Did I mention that he is a killer guitar player too. And finally, looking at set list, his show is varied every night with different songs from his long catalogue. To me that is impressive, when you can play different songs depending on the crowd, you know that you are seeing the real deal!

setlist

thunderstorm show intro
Gold
Purple Rain
Let’s Go Crazy
Delirious
Let’s Go Crazy
1999
Shhh
Mountains
Come Together (The Beatles cover)
Everyday People (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Long Train Runnin’ (The Doobie Brothers cover)
Alphabet St.
Angel (Sarah McLachlan cover)
Controversy
Love Rollercoaster (tease); (Ohio Players cover)
Take Me With U
Raspberry Beret
Cream
Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough
Cool
Encore:
If I Was Your Girlfriend
Kiss
Nothing Compares 2 U
Encore 2:
(sampler set)(?The Dance Electric (instrumental)
Hot Thing
When Doves Cry
Nasty Girl (instrumental) *
Sign “O” the Times
Darling Nikki (instrumental) *
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
I Would Die 4 U
Dance (Disco Heat) (Sylvester cover)
Baby I’m a Star

It was a great start to the weekend. And the finale of the weekend was going to see the Watch The Throne tour with Kanye West and Jay Z. We have been lucky enough to see the both of them before and they killed it each time. I don’t know if it was an indication of the evening but in the line up, we had the biggest d-bag lined up behind us talking all kinds of crazy smack and the two dudes in front of us were heated out about where to put their doobs.

Once we got inside, the ladies behind us were talking about where they were going to puke because we were in the no drinking area (oxymoron right? at concert!) and slammed their coolers. Fine. As long as the don’t puke on us. Then the ladies beside me had no concept of personal space. At least if they were good dancers I could of tolerated it a little more but OMG they were were terrible. The one closest to me flailed about never moving with the beat or the rhythm and thought she was all gangsta. I imagined that gangsta’s would each bitches like her alive! Her only move was to push and pull her arm in front of her like she was trying to close the freezer door getting her rocky road on!

Okay, enough, what about the show. The show was great, they came out on two separate stages that rose in the air and they played nothing but hits for over two hours. All the songs you know and what to hear were played. And for the encore, they played N*gg*s In Paris ten times. Apparently that feat is only matched by the LA show. It was an unreal experience to watch the ending unfold. Admittedly, I didnt know that last song and was puzzled why they kept playing it over and over but by the end I started to get into the fact that they kept playing it over and over again. I started to realize that was something that I would never ever see again, a ten same song encore. Crazy way to end a show for sure.

Set List

Throne Music
H.A.M.
Who Gon’ Stop Me
Try a Little Tenderness
(Otis Redding song)
Otis
Welcome to the Jungle
Gotta Have It
Where I’m From
Jigga What, Jigga Who (Originator ’99)
Can’t Tell Me Nothing
All Falls Down
Flashing Lights
Jesus Walks
Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)
Public Service Announcement (Interlude)
U Don’t Know
Run This Town
Monster
Power/Power Remix
Made in America
New Day
Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem)
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
New York, New York
(Frank Sinatra song)
Empire State of Mind
Runaway
Heartless
Stronger
D.A.N.C.E. (Justice song)
On to the Next One
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
I Just Wanna Love U (Give it to Me)
That’s My Bitch
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) (Michael Jackson song)
Good Life
Touch the Sky
All of the Lights
Big Pimpin’
Gold Digger
99 Problems
What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong song)
No Church in the Wild
Lift Off (Interlude)
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Niggas in Paris
Niggas in Paris
Niggas in Paris

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For my 200th post at Eatmorecords.com, I thought that I would write down some of my thoughts after reading Janet Steffenhagen’s article in the Vancouver Sun titled ‘B.C. announces plans to modernize education system’.

And I quote, “British Columbia is promising more choice for students, speedier assistance for those who struggle and policies that allow them to bring smartphones,tablets and other electronic devices into the classroom”.

I encouraged by Steffenhagen’s opening paragraph summary of (dis)honourable Minister of Education Abbott’s plans. It means that he is willing to give the education system more money to implement these lofty goals. That means that he willing to give school boards the money to create school wide wireless networks so that smart phones and tablets are useful. That means that means that he is going to give under privledge students said tablets and smartphones so that they have any equal chance to be success in this picture of the new education world.

Abbott does not want us to “lose students in Grade 9, 10 or 11 because somehow we don’t connect with them on what their real passions are.” That means that all of the support workers that have been laid off will be re-hired and that Abbott will give more money to the education system to hire specialist and resource teacheres to help identify those students that are being lost and “pushed down too few pathways without understanding their interests and talents”. That means Abbott will give money to re-open all the auto shops and wood shops that have been closed due to budget cuts. And most importantly he will be giving the education system money to help reduce the class size so that teachers will be able to have more one on one conversations will all the students in their classes.

Like all politicians, George Abbott is announcing plans to change the education system. He is doing his best to created headlines that make it seem like he and his ministry are doing their utmost best to be the leaders of change. Lets us not forget that one of their most revolutionary ideas, BCeSIS, has been a waste of millions of dollars, and that funding for the public education system is being reduced annually while private education funding is rising.

As with any opinion there are bias but I really question whether the people in charge of the Ministry of Education have the puclic students best interest at heart. I wonder the last time any of them were a classroom teacher (if they ever were!). I wonder if there are lobby or special interest groups promising people in the ministry perks if they help to implement ‘change’ (Don’t pretend that these kinds of things do not happen. It is no coincidence that the creator of BCeSIS sold the company right after the province fully adopted the program and the new owners said that there will be no updates or support for the system.)

George Abbott used to be a teacher. He taught at a college where it is a pay to learn system. Maybe that is his vision for the public education system. Maybe he wants those who can afford tablets and smartphones to have the choices and those who can not afford such luxuries to have their talents and interests determine for them. Becuase that is what happening to our public education system.

I welcome change. I welcome digitized learning. But at who’s expense? Is the goal virtual class rooms? If it’s not because if that is the case, we will have a generation of really computer and internet savvy students with too few social and behaviour skills. It’s already beginning to happen. Believe me, change has already started.

Here is a link to the original article.

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Foo Fighters Rogers Arena October 25

I just got back from the Foo Fighters show at Rogers Arena and man oh man did it rock. They played for almost 3 hours and they played every song like it was going to be the last one of the show! It was amazing to see them put that much energy into the show and I thought that the crowd did a great job showing their love back. Dave Grohl is a certified rock star and knows how to work the crowd! They even covered Pink Floyd and Tom Petty. Loved the show and can not say enough great stuff about the Foo’s. Also check out their new album, its amazing and even better live.

Set List

Bridge Burning
Rope
The Pretender
My Hero
Learn to Fly
White Limo
Arlandria
Breakout
Cold Day in the Sun
Stacked Actors
Walk
Monkey Wrench
Let It Die
These Days
This is a Call
In the Flesh?
(Pink Floyd cover)
All My Life
Encore:
Wheels
(Dave Grohl solo acoustic)
Best of You
(Dave Grohl solo acoustic)
Times Like These
(Dave Grohl solo acoustic into full band)
Dear Rosemary
Breakdown
(Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers cover)
Everlong

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If you are a Foo’s fans, then you have to see this movie. It is a great look back at the beginnings of the band and how they became the biggest rock band in the world! I am super pumped to see them live soon!

Here is a song for you too!

Foo Fighters w/ Roger Waters – In The Flesh

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Here is a little video that RollingStone did with Chris Cornell. He talks about his acoustic shows and how he feels about Soundgarden getting back together and the new upcoming album.

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Last week Pearl Jam played Jimmy Fallon for the third time in a month (all taped on one night). They were a part of Pink Floyd week and played Mother from the album the Wall. I hope that they start playing it live as part of their concert set list!

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Well my love for Pearl Jam continued last night. Pearl Jam played at the Pacific Colosseum for the first time since 1998 and it seemed like an old school show. A lot of old songs were played and it was great for the real enthusiastic fans. My favorite part of the show was when Ed Ved was bashing on Seattle fans. Again!

Here is the setlist and a few photos that I took.

01. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
02. Hail Hail
03. Save You
04. Animal
05. Got Some
06. Given To Fly
07. Pilate
08. Unthought Known
09. Garden
10. Evenflow
11. World Wide Suicide
12. Setting Forth
13. Corduory
14. Unemployable
15. Present Tense {“dedicated to Olivia and her mom”}
16. Wishlist
17. Glorified G
18. Lukin
19. Porch

ENCORE BREAK 1
20. Bee Girl
21. Just Breathe
22. Off He Goes
23. Mankind
24. State Of Love And Trust
25. Olé
{Ed asks for a show of hands of those from Seattle. He mentions some people in the front few rows that are just standing there and wishes he could give those seats to the folks in the back “losing their minds”. He takes note of sign that says ‘Zagreb Remembers’}
26. Alive

Encore Break 2
27. Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns-(Mother Love Bone, A. Wood) {dedicated to Andy Wood and Mother Love Bone}
{After the song Ed brings Bruce Fairweather (of Green River and Mother Love Bone onstage. Then the band brings out George, their long time head technician, and sing happy birthday to him.}
28. Smile
29. Search And Destroy w/ Mark Arm & Steve Turner of Mudhoney-(Pop, Williamson)
30. Rockin’ In The Free World w/ Bruce Fairweather & Tim DeJulio-(Young)
31. Yellow Ledbetter
32. Little Wing-(Hendrix) {band plays the song not just a tag at the end of ‘Yellow Ledbetter’}

Pearl Jam - Ole

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Yesterday we went to the Peaks secret show with Dan Mangan. It was at the Olympic village and it was a great time. I hope that the Peak does more of these free shows! Here is a little video shot with my iphone.

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They have finally created the Marty McFly Nike shoe from Back To The Future 2. Its a pretty crazy shoe and they have made a limited edition run of the shoe. They are selling them on eBay and the proceeds are going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Check out the video below. Its a ‘bonus’ scene from the movie. Enjoy!

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Pearl Jam played a two night stint on Jimmy Fallon last week and they debuted a new song Ole. Here is the video for it. Enjoy!

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