Paul McCartney - Barclays Center - Brooklyn, NY - 6.8.13

 

Anyone who has ever spent any time talking to me about my taste in music, knows I have a special place in my heart for The Beatles. Although there are many more artists that I have come to love, possibly even more than the Beatles, the Fab Four were my first love and pretty much set me on the my musical path in life.

So this past Saturday when Sir Paul came through town, I knew I had to be there. Just like the Rolling Stones last December, McCartney and the Beatles have a very historic tie to NYC. From their arrival at JFK airport and appearance on  The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, to their epic concert at Shea Stadium in August 1965, the Beatles and NYC are forever linked. With Laura out of town for the weekend, I decided this concert was a no-brainer.

Anyone who has attended a McCartney show over the years, knows it is well worth the price of admission. Sure, you will get the staple hits he has played for years: Beatles classics such as Hey Jude, Let It Be, Yesterday, Get Back, Back in the U.S.S.R. and The Long And Winding Road. As well as classic solo tunes: Maybe I'm Amazed, Let Me Roll It, Band On The Run and Live And Let Die.

But this show was even better for me than the previous gigs I have attended. Getting to hear stuff I had never heard before was special: Beatles tunes such as the opening number Eight Days A Week, Lovely Rita and I've Just Seen A Face, coupled with solo work like Junior's Farm, Listen To What The Man Said and Another Day just made this 38 song set list, maybe the best I have ever seen. $200 for a ticket? I'd have paid double!!



Even the faces in the crowd highlighted how special this show was: Cameron Diaz, Paul Simon, Lorne Michaels, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Tommy Hilfiger, just to name a few. This evening, once again confirmed my deep appreciation for McCartney. This was my 4th time seeing him and although I know his voice is not what it once was on those high notes, he still delivers a 3 hour set that will turn an arena into a giant sing-along. It's hard to believe that back in the mid-90's I actually thought I would never see this guy perform live. I now have 4 shows under my belt...and hopefully more in the future. At almost 71 years old though, I don't know how much longer he will do this. I guess I will just have to keep going until he pulls the curtain on an amazing career. What a ride it's been!!

Things Are Looking Up

Manhattanhenge - May 29, 2013

For those of you who have never had the chance to live in NYC, you probably have never heard of the phenomenon that is Manhattanhenge. Also known as the Manhattan Solstice, this circumstance occurs twice a year during which the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of the main street grid in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The neologism is derived from Stonehenge, where the sun aligns with the stones on the solstices with a similarly dramatic effect. The word was popularized in 2002 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History.

Being an armature photographer and knowing that while I am in NYC, I better jump at any opportunity to take unique photos, I decided to set out and grab some shots of this twice a year photo-opp. I did some research to find out where the best spots in the city were to shoot this unique sunset and found out that 34th Street and 42nd Street provided this best framing for the "money shot". I decided on 42nd since it was only 3 blocks from our apartment. I set out at 7:30 pm thinking or hoping I would still be able to grab a good spot before the 8:15 setting. Much to my surprise most of the street had been occupied for hours with photogs waiting for the event. Rookie move. Luckily, at 6'2 ft. tall, I can shoot pictures over most average sized people. Thank God.

Around 8:10, Mother Sun started to peak out from around the corner of the Madame Tussauds sign. We were minutes away and up went a sea of cameras and cell phones.

On cue, at 8:13 she was moving into place for the "money shot".

And within minutes, she was gone...

 

Celebrate Guajardo Week 2013

 Celebrate Guajardo Week is a week where Laura and I spend a week indulging, partying and doing as many fun things as we can to celebrate...well us!! It is built around our anniversary (5/22) and my birthday (5/25). This year, we were fortunate enough to be living in NYC and have no shortage of events and fun venues to pick from to celebrate this special time of year for us. We built our week around two of the five concerts that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers were playing at the iconic Beacon Theatre, and a New York Mets day-game on our anniversary, and of course the Memorial Day holiday. We filled in the gaps with lunches, dinners and many libations all over this magnificent city and just soaked up the essence of being a New Yorker at this point in time in our lives. What a week!!

Since the first Petty concert was just me attending, I decided to walk the almost 3 mile path to the upper west side since the weather was so amazing!! I did not regret this decision at all.

There is no shortage of historic music venues in NYC. The Beacon, the older sister of Radio City Music Hall, is a 2,894 seat, three-tiered theatre, designed as a movie palace for motion pictures and vaudeville. Built in 1929, visitors enter through its bronze-doored vestibule into an opulent two-story circular lobby. White marble floors give way to mahogany bars on both the orchestra and mezzanine levels, and two more levels provide access to both the foot and top of its steeply inclined upper balcony. Exquisite detailing abounds throughout, including elaborate gilded plaster moldings, polished hardwood, and brass staircase rails. Corridor murals depict atmospheric Eastern scenes of trading caravans complete with elephants, camels and other animals

 Opening night of the 5 night run at the Beacon, found me in the third tier. Although I was a bit up, the sight lines where still amazing and the acoustics were so clear. I don't know if I have ever heard a show sound so good.

 Petty had promised that these shows would see a departure from their usual greatest-hits type setlists that I had seen many times over the years. They were true to their word.

 Deep cuts included Rebels, Cabin Down Below, To Find A Friend, and Angel Dream (No.2); the two later being two of my favorite songs that I had never seen done live. Amazing. The set also included some covers of some of their favorite artists; So You Wanna Be A Rock-N-Roll Star (The Byrds), (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone (Paul Revere and the Raiders, but know more as a Monkees hit), Willin (Little Feat), and Carol (Chuck Berry). Of course there was an early hit to keep the crowd into the show; I Won't Back Down, but the rest of the sing-along songs were left until the end, when they blew the roof off Running Down A Dream, You Wreck Me and the Petty anthem, American Girl.

 We passed up a fancy dinner for an afternoon in the park since it seems that our anniversary and MLB games are becoming a tradition. Our first anniversary was celebrated at a SF Giants game and this year we headed out to Flushing to see one of the best pitchers in baseball, Matt Harvey, go up against the Cincinnati Reds. Although the Mets lost this one, the weather cooperated and we had great seats. Nothing beats a few cold beers, a ton of great food, and hanging out with your best friend!!

 On Sunday, Laura and I headed to the last show of the week-long residency for Mr. Petty and the Heartbreakers. On this night we had seats on the orchestra level with an even closer view of the band than on the first night.

 Petty stuck to the same format as he had all week by playing even more deep cuts: Honey Bee, Spike, Time to Move On, as well as more covers: Born in Chicago (Nick Gravenites), 13 Days (J.J. Cale), and my favorite cover of the week, Tweeter and the Monkey Man (Traveling Wilbury's).

 Add in hits like It's Good To Be King, Refugee, and Listen to Her Heart and Mr. Petty put a big cherry on what was an epic week for he and the Heartbreakers here in NYC. Thanks Tom!!

 Finally we wrapped up our week by spending the Memorial Day holiday out strolling through the city, enjoying happy hour under the Empire State Building and enjoying its patriotic glow as we called it a week and headed home. Here's hoping that next year we can somehow top this years celebration!!

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Taping - May 13, 2013

On May 13, Laura and I had the opportunity to attend a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Laura had delivered a baby for a worker on the show and as a thank-you for being the wonderful nurse she is, her patient hooked us up with priority seating for the show; which means we didn't have to stand in line all day like most people do. The guests that night (afternoon) included Bradley Cooper (Hangover 3), Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development), Lisa Renna & Lil John (Celebrity Apprentice), and musical guest Vampire Weekend. We were placed in the 5th row on the aisle, on Jimmy's desk side. This gave us a great view of Jimmy as he interviewed his guests. It also allowed us to shake hands with Fallon after the show taping as he runs up and down the aisles thanking everyone for coming. Since no photography is allowed in the studios, these three pics are all we got from our visit to 30 Rock. Nevertheless, it was an awesome experience and we look forward to watching Fallon as he takes over the Tonight Show.

Glorified G

"got a gun, fact I got two
that's ok man, cuz I love God"

If you know me, you know my stance on guns and their place in our society. I don't need to sit here and list statistics or my philosophy on where our world is headed if we don't address this epidemic. No, I won't do that. I think any intelligent person knows all this already. Instead I decided to "wear my emotions on my sleeve". Not only does this piece represent my views on gun control, but also more for an overall call for Peace in our society. A friend once told me "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything". Well I am 'knot' for violence...are you with me?

Staying Put

Well it's official. We have decided to stay in the city for three more months. We are excited to see NYC in the summer. Stay tuned for more photos!!

Fleetwood Mac - MSG - NYC - 4/8/13

 

 

 

Meet the Mets

A sunny day and the possibility of the temperature reaching 60 degrees, was enough to entice us to head out to Queens for the first weekend of baseball at Citi Field. Although the game started out nice in the sun, clouds quickly moved in and a stiff wind out of the east made for a chilly afternoon. We tried our hardest to enjoy it but once beer sales stopped at the end of the seventh inning, we booked it back to the subway station and jumped on the 7 train bound for Manhattan. Thankfully the Mets did better than the Yankees and pulled out the victory over the Marlins in the bottom of the ninth. LP has decided she will be more of a Mets fan than a Yankees fan because of...you guessed it, their colors. But I think we will wait until we know for sure that it will be a warm day, before heading back out.

Opening Day: New York Style

 

There is nothing better than Opening Day in MLB, and it was a great experience to see two of the most storied franchises in baseball history battle it out under blue skies. Although the Red Sox got the win over the Yankees, it was a great day up in the Bronx for us. Hopefully it will warm up soon so we can spend a few sun-drenched afternoons taking in some baseball.