2020 Christmas Haul

 I'm a little late on this but Santa Claus was good to me on Christmas.  It was a very quiet day with only immediate family but I did make it to see daughters on the days before and after Christmas.  I received no cards this year but I also didn't ask for any.  I'm extremely happy with everything I received.  My family knows me so Star Wars is always a safe bet.  The shirt came from a daughter and the dog leash and collar came from the same daughter that gave me these...

One of my daughters got me these which I think are really cool.  They are "patent office" drawings based on DC, Marvel and Transformers.  I really like these.  They are weathered to give them a feel that they come from years ago.  Just unique and cool.  My plan is to put these up at work when I'm no longer teleworking.

I received a PS4 last year so I asked for two video games which were each half price by December.  I love NBA 2K21.  That does not mean I'm good at it or a gamer by today's definition but I really do enjoy playing it and will probably do a "review" at some point soon.  Madden 21 is also really fun.  I'm a big Heart fan so the DVD is a good add though I think one with more of their classic stuff is my preference.  The Nickelback and AC/DC compact discs are nice additions to the collection.  AC/DC can't be streamed or downloaded which I like.  Have to buy their music old school...if CDs count as old school.

I've been slowly picking up the Star Wars SteelBooks.  SteelBooks are niche and aren't necessarily that much greater than other releases but I like them for this purpose.  Again Santa was good to me and I'm blessed to have received so much goodness.  Can't thank my family and Santa enough. 

I Went to a Concert: Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick

I recently attended my first concert in many years with my daughter.  It was the “Rock Hall Three for All” tour featuring Cheap Trick, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and headliner Heart.  We had a great time.  All three of the bands were great playing a mix of old and new songs keeping it interesting.   At the bottom are the set lists for each group.  Cheap Trick opened up and was a fun group.  I knew maybe half their songs but didn’t know their closing tune, Auf Wiedersehe”.  Even after looking it up at home I’m not familiar with this tune.  All good but I was surprised that they closed with a song that was at least somewhat familiar.  Again these guys put on a very good show.  Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were next and also were very entertaining.  I knew the majority of their tunes and Joan Jett sounded great.  They were also very enjoyable to watch.

 


The main event was Heart and they didn’t disappoint.  They played three songs released from their album that was released that same week amongst classic hits from their large library.    Ann and Nancy Wilson still bring a lot of energy and hard rocking music to the stage. I really enjoyed the entire set with new songs Two and I Jump, and classics Kick It Out, What About Love, These Dreams, Alone and the hard rocking Barracuda standing out to me.  Ann and Nancy sound great and thought they put on an excellent show. 

All of these bands skew older with the members of Cheap Trick and Ann and Nancy Wilson all in their sixties.  Joan Jett is right there at 57.  So any show they put on has to be in context which makes the shows they put on that much more amazing.  Their singing voices aren’t what they used to be but they still sounded great.  In fact I was very surprised to see how old they were when we looked up their ages after the concert.  I last saw Heart in 19XX, Cheap Trick in 19XX and Joan Jett in 2001.  Wow, that was some time ago. 

 

Going to a concert now is very different than what I remember.  I know the experience isn’t the same everywhere but this was definitely setup right. We were at a dedicated concert venue with the standard merchandise stands but there were also plenty of places to get food and drinks.  This included the ability to have it delivered to your box seat if you were lucky enough to be seated there.  The prices are astronomical but I guess that is to be expected.  You can upgrade your experience with things like special parking and the ability to enter the facility via a quick access line all at a price of course.  I did pay for both of those and it was worth it I must say.  There are also VIP options (special entrance, seating, and an exclusive covered eating area) and separate meet and greet packages with the bands that are available.  These are very expensive but if you have the money I understand why you would do it. 

Bottom line is I had a great time as did my daughter who was pleasantly surprised at how many songs she knew.  Next up is Journey, The Doobie Brothers and Dave Mason with another daughter. 

Heart
Wild Child
What About Love
Beautiful Broken
Bebe Le Strange
These Dreams
Two
Alone
Straight On
Kick It Out
I Jump
Crazy on You
Barracuda
Magic Man

Cheap Trick

Hello There
Big Eyes
California Man
Lookout
When I Wake Up Tomorrow
In the Street
Magical Mystery Tour
I’m Waiting for the Man
The Flame
I Want You to Want Me
Dream Police
Surrender
Auf Wiedersehen

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Bad Reputation
Cherry Bomb
Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)
TMI
You Drive Me Wild
Light of Day
Fragile
Love is Pain
The French Song
Any Weather
I Love Rock and Roll
Crimson and Clover
I Hate Myself for Loving You
Everyday People