I had wanted to run up to NYC for the day, but a commitment prevented that. Anchored at home, it was time to make lemonade from the lemons delivered. Well, it is the annual Run for the Roses. My original intention was to get up to make breakfast and start the chuck roast. Yeah, that didn’t happen. The roast went on a little after 1:00, so that will be tomorrow’s grub. Instead, I enjoyed a wonderful tri-tip, sweet potatoes, and carrots. And of course, no Kentucky Derby would be complete without Mint Juleps. The Maker’s Mark has been at hand all afternoon. Yum!
New Orleans used to be at the top of the To-Visit list. It dropped down after Katrina. Number one now is a bourbon tour of Kentucky replete with a visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Churchill Downs.
So, let’s recap: smoking, cocktails, Jerry Garcia, family, and the Kentucky Derby! Yup, a good day!
Ticketmaster introduced me to the concept of service charges. When tickets came to the Internet, many thought convenience charges would disappear since all was done electronically. Hardly. Things have become worse.
I do not attend concerts much these days. The outrageous prices are further jacked up with convenience charges. I am not sure whose convenience is being billed, but it’s certainly not mine.
The theatre? Forget about it. Same thing there. Circus? Wiggles? It’s just outrageous! Even Beetle’s school has fees like this for her tuition. If they want the money, increase the tuition; don’t nickle and dime me.
Many years ago in a former life of mine, I managed a restaurant and bar in Boston. It was a short stint in my career as it was between two tenures at another restaurant. Anyhow, this popular joint drew an interesting mix from Northeastern students, to Back Bay yuppies, tourists, youngsters just starting out, Emerson College students, the homeless, and Steven Wright.
Yup, the master of deadpan was somewhat of a regular at the 885 Boyleston bar. Wright’s humor is very much up my alley. I find his observations spot on.
Advance a few decades and I received a message today that Wright is playing the almost-opened newly-renovated Landis Theatre in Vineland. I check the web site and sure enough, tickets for the 5 June show are still available. I think five tickets had been sold when I first looked. nowhere are the prices listed, so one must go through the process of purchasing them to see the cost. $45! This is the poorest county in the state and tickets are $45? Sheesh . . . It’s not like Wright is at his peak. I suspect those younger than I do not even know who he is.
Anyhow, I go through the motions only to find there are service charges. For each ticket, there is a $6 processing fee. A what? Wouldn’t this apply to every ticket? If so, why not wrap it into the cost of the ticket? The cost of the vacuum cleaner to make the rug look nice isn’t added, why a processing fee?
But there’s more. Each ticket has a dollar charge for cultural growth. The theatre is located on the corner of Landis and East. Ask anyone and they’ll gladly share that there is plenty of culture in that area. Why are theatregoers subjected to this fee?
And then there is the preservation fee. Just what is being preserved is unknown. Presumably this is the theatre. But isn’t that what one normally considers overhead? Ticket prices are supposed to cover those costs.
The $45 ticket is really a $53. For Landis Avenue. The East Landis Hotel (home to drug addicts aplenty) is 100 feet away.
I am sure the theatre is going to be a smashing success. It will be so without this county resident paying to enter. I want to hear jokes, not be one for paying such an astronomical price to walk in.
I’ve always loved this song. Blood On the Tracks is one of my favorite Dylan albums. When I saw the Dead and Dylan team up, it was mostly a flop, but I was so excited to hear this one. Dylan is a master. Jerry definitely appreciated his music and it was always a treat to hear him pull out a Dylan song.
This is the second show I have seen at Appel Farm. I have seen several other programs of theirs at school. I am always impressed. Tonight’s show was the first I saw in the theatre. I love that the seats are old church pews. No kneelers, which is fine by me.
The guys came on at 8:00 along with a bassist. I was about the youngest attendee. One lady had her son. The girl next to me was younger. She had never heard of the group before, but was a fan of Simon and Garfunkel. Aztec Two-Step are touring now playing Simon & Garfunkel’s songbook.
These guys have talent, no doubt. I enjoyed the two-set, two-hour show.
At the end of the first set, they played two of their original songs. These were the highlight of the night. While there was absolutely nothing wrong with the S&G covers, the soul of the musicians shone while playing Baking and The Persecution & Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On The Road). These two songs had me longing for more originals.
There were about 120 in attendance tonight. After an hour, the guys took a 10-minute break. They were accessible in the lobby.
Back on they came to continue with Simon and Garfunkel. They played most of the hits and interjected some history. I was hoping to hear American Tune. It wasn’t played. That was the only song they didn’t play that I was “expecting”. The guys did cover the Everly brothers Let It Be Me. The Everly Brothers were a big influence on S&G.
I enjoyed the show. If they ever come back this way playing their original stuff, I would definitely go see them again.
Since I was a guest for the evening, I did not record any of this. Looking on YouTube, I see plenty have. I wonder how the guys would have felt about it. Sitting right snack in front, there was no way of being discreet.
I had wanted to run up to NYC for the day, but a commitment prevented that. Anchored at home, it was time to make lemonade from the lemons delivered. Well, it is the annual Run for the Roses. My original intention was to get up to make breakfast and start the chuck roast. Yeah, that didn’t happen. The roast went on a little after 1:00, so that will be tomorrow’s grub. Instead, I enjoyed a wonderful tri-tip, sweet potatoes, and carrots. And of course, no Kentucky Derby would be complete without Mint Juleps. The Maker’s Mark has been at hand all afternoon. Yum!
