Last Saturday, I went to the second game in the new Yankee Stadium. Well, the stadium was nice! The game, not so much, with the Yanks losing by nearly three touchdowns to the Indians.

We got there early enough to check out the new park, and it is all it's been hyped up to be. The first thing that came to mind was spaciousness. At the old Yankee Stadium, you felt cramped wherever you went: your seats, the aisles, the concourses, the lines for $9 beers. Now there's room. Also, the field feels closer.

The new Yankee Stadium reminds me a bit of Citizens Bank Park, the new Phillies stadium, in that there's a lot to see and do. Even if you're not a baseball fan, you can check out a Mohegan Sun, a steakhouse, Monument Park (moved over from the old park) and a museum, which features World Series trophies, a Babe Ruth jersey and a recreation of the late Thurman Munson's locker.

Here's a bunch of photos I took before the game, not including the one of a large mural of celebrity chef Bobby Flay because my middle finger is in the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday nights in the '90s meant one thing for me: Flicking between MTV's "Headbangers Ball" and "Howard Stern" on WWOR Channel 9 out of New Jersey. I'd listen to both at hushed volumes, because if my mother in the neighboring room heard the Satanic blasts from Armored Saint or Stern asking a woman how much kielbasa she could swallow, she'd anoint me with holy water (she had a bottle of it in the kitchen).
 
It was exciting to watch the glimmer of the TV beaming me Anthrax's "Belly of the Beast," Slayer's "Seasons in the Abyss" and occasionally stuff that scared me, like King Diamond. When he came on, I'd switch to Stern or "Up All Night" on USA.
 
As a fan of Primus, Rush and Helmet, I didn't realize how groundbreaking -- and short-lived -- of a thing it was to have an outlet that played some prog, some thrash and alternative rock. "Headbangers Ball" introduced me to Ministry, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. I didn't know what grunge was -- I just knew those bands were heavy, and I knew I liked them.
 
Sometimes when a song on the show was just too good to be played quietly, I'd tiptoe into the living room and watch it there. This backfired once when I was watching "Holy Wars" by Megadeth. My mom heard the ruckus and came to check it out. I think she thought she had a little Satanist on her hands, but what can you do? It's like the time she let me buy "Master of Puppets," complete with white crosses on the cover, on the way home from church.
 
For old time's sake, here's "Holy Wars (The Punishment Due)" from Megadeth's best album, "Rust In Peace," a CD I bought twice and lost twice. I'll find it someday.
 
www.youtube.com/watch
 

Years ago, to find out what the Grateful Dead played the night before, you’d have to wait for a fan newsletter, visit your local head shop which might kindly post the setlist or call a hotline. Now, 40-plus years into the band — and fans’ — career, there’s Twittering of in-progress setlists, cell-phone video on YouTube and full-show recordings available online almost instantly.

On one hand, all of this information takes away some of the excitement, mystery and exclusivity of being there. On the other hand, it improves the fan experience, gears you up for future shows and allows you to, in a way, experience the entire tour.

For a band that accidentally spearheaded file sharing way back in the ’70s when it allowed audience members to tape and trade their shows, it should come as no surprise that The Dead have further embraced social networking. The band announced its reunion via YouTube videos. It updates its Web site, www.dead.net, each night with setlists and photos. Fans can add photos, videos and comments, too. Space cadet/drummer Mickey Hart is even posting daily sounds to synch up with astronomy photos. 

Here’s a few ways to follow The Dead’s spring tour. Of course, the best way to experience live music is to be in the arena when the band hits the stage.

Audience recordings
www.archive.org/details/TheDead

Tour updates
www.dead.net/dead09

Dead Twitter
twitter.com/grateful__dead

Rehearsal videos
www.dead.net/video09/

Buy soundboard recordings
deadnetstore.com

Weekender interview with Bill Kreutzmann
www.theweekender.com/music/Much_life_left_in_The_Dead_04-14-2009.html

 

On Jan. 17, 2008, I sat at TGI Friday’s, nervously eating and looking out the window at the driving snow. Would people come out to this thing? Would the bands make it down Interstate 81?

They did. And so we had our first installment in the Fixture music series. And The Moneynotes, the Orner Brothers and a packed house at Fuse on snowy night in Wilkes-Barre assured that we’d at least last long enough to do this again. And we did. Fourteen more times actually.

We moved the location to The Bog in Scranton when we learned Fuse was about to be sold. But that worked out too. We kept things low key and didn’t pat ourselves on the back publicly, but now that the series has come to an end, reflection is appropriate.

You can say it was a dumb idea, you can say it wasn’t right for NEPA and you can say it wasn’t any fun. I would disagree on all counts.

But what you can’t argue is facts. Illinois, Hoots and Hellmouth, Oxford Collapse, Fooling April, The Swimmers, These United States and Cotton Jones never played this market until we brought them here. Local band The Underground Saints never played an all-original set until we had them last year at Fuse.

Artists on some of the premier indie labels in the world like Sub Pop, Park the Van and Suicide Squeeze passed through territory that is, 99.9 percent of the time, no man’s land for up-and-coming bands looking to play in front of receptive crowds. College towns and big cities is where they play. Well, they played NEPA, too. And if it wasn’t for this series — and the people that booked, promoted and organized it, Bill Orner and myself — these bands wouldn’t have come here. That’s not said to impress anyone, but it is said with a sense of pride. We put Scranton on the map in the minds of a few bands, and each and every one had a great time and said they’d be back.

Maybe sometime soon someone will follow in our footsteps and do something similar. I hope they do. I’ll be the first one in line at the door.

Until then, thanks to all the musicians and music lovers that came out time and time again. We had a lot of repeat customers, and I’d like to think we made some new friends along the way.

About the Author

Education
Penn State University, University Park
Bachelors degree: Journalism, English minor
Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia
Masters of arts degree: Writing studies
Manchester University, Manchester, England
Communications

Selected Publications
The Weekender, LexisNexis Securities Litigation, ESPN.com, The Associated Press, Philadelphia Daily News, Philly Edge, Universitywire.com, The Daily Collegian

From
Pittston

Resides
Scranton

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