Ha, do you remember those bumper stickers on the backs of vans?  You know, the ones with the little mushroom windows on the side?  Yeah, they were big back in the day. 

But this Vann is different.  A Brit punk band that brings it.  Check this song out and see if you aren't impressed.

I thought you might like that.  See you all soon.  Very soon. 

Whoever thought that I would be writing that headline?  For those of you who are local, you know the Main Line is a great place for housing, schools and environmental beauty all within a short drive of Philly.  But it can be sleepy.  

​Not so anymore.  While Ardmore has long had live music (now in the form of the Ardmore Music Hall), Wayne has joined the club with 118 North.  We got a crew to check it out last Friday, and it was ballin'.  Live music in Wayne?  Who knew?

​We caught a band called AM Radio, which bills itself as a 60s and 70s cover act.  They also dabbled in some stuff from the 50s.  They dressed in retro hippie gear, and were generally tight and accomplished.  The crowd was digging it, and lots of people were up and grooving.  Photos?  I thought you would never ask!

​How about 118 North as a venue?  We didn't eat there, but they seem to serve a lot of tater tots.  Plenty of drinks at the bar, and typical pricing.  It was all of $5 for the cover, which even BRP can afford on the paltry amounts that he earns from The Man.  Not bad.

​The club somewhat resembles the Ardmore Music Hall.  The bar is on the left (although, thankfully, not a semicircular layout like at AMH, so it's not blocking half the club).  There are tables and high tops when you enter the club, with the stage at the back.  Unfortunately, the restrooms are behind the stage, and the stage is right next to the door for the kitchen.  So there are waiters and those needing relief constantly back and forth by the stage.  And expect lines at the restroom as the facilities are very limited.  The stage is fine, albeit small, and it could be higher for those in the back.  Importantly, sound and lighting are terrific.  A couple of us commented that the acoustics were really good, which is really something given that most of us can barely hear anymore.

​There was plenty of room to dance during this show - I just sharpened my elbows before I left the house and my moves had a remarkably wide penumbra all night.  But it's unclear how the SRO crowd will be when there is a sold-out performance.  Parking?  Well, it's Wayne, so you might have to hunt for a bit, but it's cheap, and if you have to walk, well, what do you do in Philly?  At least you are on the Main Line and not stepping in the city's plentiful broken glass, and you don't sweat out whether or not your car will be damaged or stolen while you are inside.  

​As for AM Radio, they were entertaining enough.  They played an eclectic mix of songs, everything from the Beatles (yes, they did play BRP's long-time favorite, ​I Saw Her Standing There​), to Three Dog Night to Nancy Sinatra (but they didn't punk up ​These Boots Are Made For Walking, ​a missed opportunity for sure).  They got into sap - ​California Dreaming - ​yeah, we're all dreaming of sky-high taxes, crappy schools, dodging aggressive pan-handlers, and sitting in traffic - and also played some trippy stuff, like Jefferson Airplane's ​White Rabbit, ​which is kind of hard to dance to (but I did it - marching seemed to work!), and the Strawberry Alarm Clock's ​Incense and Peppermints.  The band  seemed a touch slow all night, but they played the songs true to how you remember them from, well, AM radio.  And the crowd was of an age that they remembered every word, and enjoyed hearing live versions of these songs while they danced around.  It was very fun. 

​The Kid got home late.  I had a blast catching up with a lot of Radnor friends, and I've  already started spreading the word that, yes, there is live music in Wayne.  You ought to check it out yourself.  Here's a link to 118 North's Facebook site, which has info about who is playing, and includes step-by-step instructions on how to give up your privacy so that Mark Zuckerberg can sell your personal information and get even richer - remember, at Facebook, YOU are the product!  Here ya go:

www.facebook.com/118north/

​I noticed that most of the upcoming bands are local/regional, and the cover charges are modest to reflect that reality.  But there is at least one national act coming, The Skatalites.  Who knows how this will all shake out, but for now, it's a nice addition to the local scene.

​Hey, Main Liners, the other key thing to note is that this year's version of the Wayne Music Festival is Saturday, June 9.  XPN is co-sponsoring.  You know I'll be there because it's FREE.  Here's the website link - note that the lineup will be announced in the spring.

waynemusicfestival.com/

It wouldn't be BRP if I didn't leave you with at least one tune.  Here's ​Cut Your Hair from Pavement, complete with a silly video:

​

​Rockers, I'm getting ready to launch into a nice stretch of live music, and I'll be faithfully reporting back to you on the shows.  We're going to start HUGE, and move quickly through a bunch of fantastic acts.  Psyched?  Me, too.  It's been a long stretch since I've seen a national act, and I am ready.  

​Over and out.
​

Bundle up?  Not in Philly.  It's February 20 and it was 70 degrees today.  Yum!  Tomorrow is supposed to bring a bit more warmth - they're talking 75 - and then it's back to rain and winter.  But we'll take it.  Convertible weather!!!

​Check out these flowers.  I'm not kidding you:  these were taken on February 18 just outside of Philly.  I swear it's the truth.

​So where did I snap those beauties?  Longwood Gardens, of course.  How wonderful to see the gorgeous flowers during winter.  But they weren't growing outside.  We're getting there, but not quite yet.

​In the meantime, we're still stuck inside most of the time.  If you've been watching the Olympics, you have to admit that the U.S. isn't getting its money's worth during these games.  How bad is this U.S. team?  Terrible - the result of giving millennials a trophy just for participating, right?  But at least we get two minutes of taped coverage between seeing the same 5 commercials over and over and over again.  Yikes, this is bad.

​Want to see something fantastic?  Here you go and then it's bye-bye BRP style.  Keep the faith - we're almost to daylight savings time.

This is true:  Up With People has performed at FOUR, yes FOUR, Super Bowl halftime shows.  I know what you’re thinking:  shouldn’t they have performed at all of them?  That was my thought. 

 
Now there have been some good halftime shows.  I thought that Lady Gaga was great.  So was Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars and Prince.  But the history of Super Bowl halftime shows is much more varied than these performers.  If you check, you will see the halftime shows originally featured college marching bands.  The Grambling State University marching band has performed at more Super Bowl halftime shows than any other performer:  six!  But check out this video - they're a wee bit more interesting than the Up With People crowd:

 
But Grambling was a long time ago.  Eventually, the Super Bowl started using modern pop acts, classic rock favorites, and big country stars to attract more viewers to the game.  That decision coincided with the explosion of the Super Bowl into America’s premier television event.  In fact, the ratings for the game soared with the Michael Jackson Super Bowl performance in 1993, countering the programming that other networks had put on to try and attract viewers away from the game.  Ultimately, the Super Bowl became the iconic American event that EVERYONE now watches, partly because of the halftime musical spectacle.

 
I push a lot of music here that is out of the current mainstream, but that is great and vibrant.  I also disrespect music from dinosaur artists, hip hoppers, and modern pop stars who put out bland but ubiquitous background music.  I think that a lot of newer rock acts would make it if they got more widespread exposure.  And my Big Super Bowl Halftime Show Idea would test that theory.  And because the NFL needs to buy into it (they are, after all, the decisionmakers), I need to do something that helps to expand their product – and god knows, they need some help right now as ratings are in free fall.  Take a knee with that concussion, ok?

Here’s my big idea:  the NFL introduces a “playoff” system for musical acts, leading to two of them getting the big show at the Super Bowl.  But not just any musical acts.  They pick “up and comers” from different genres:  country, rock, pop, hip hop.  And those acts compete against each other during the playoffs, with the TV audience selecting who “wins” and moves on to the next game.  And, ultimately, who becomes the musical Super Bowl champs.

This accomplishes a few things.  First, it gives opportunity, and America is nothing if it’s not the land of opportunity.  Next, it gives reason for the casual or non-fan to watch the playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl, gives them an active participatory role right through the big game, and thus expands the potential fan base.  Third, because these acts are not yet huge, it probably pushes out the “spectacular” vision of the current halftime shows and replaces it with something more modest.  America needs a return to modesty.  Fourth, it lets Americans decide who will face off against each other in the big game and instills competition into the whole thing.  Other than opportunity, what could be more American than cut-throat competition?  And finally, it takes the decisionmaking process out of the hands of a bunch of rent-seeking billionaires who thought that Up With People was a good choice, not once but four times!  Is this guy in his blue leisure suit truly our musical gatekeeper:

 
Let’s set some other ground rules.  The show has to be “family friendly.”  Yeah, yeah, I heard you moan, but that’s what the NFL does now.  And it makes sense.  Our culture pushes enough crap down the throats of our youth, so can’t we push something that won’t make you cringe if you’re watching it with your kids?  Dilly dilly.

Oh, and American football is uniquely American.  Unlike even baseball, where there are professional leagues in places like Japan (where there is a team named the Carp) and Venezuela, American football remains firmly popular only in North America.  So let’s use this opportunity to push American artists.  Non-American artists can vie for the Olympics or soccer’s world cup or something.  But since this is an American game, and the Super Bowl is America’s biggest stage for that game, let’s stick with the 330 million of us to come up with something worth watching.  After all, as the Blasters sing, we invented all of these musical genres, right?

 
What do you say?  Is this not a great idea?  Hell, I’m a font of ideas:  just ask The Man (who might agree so long as the word “good” is not put in front of the word “ideas”).  And if you disagree, that’s cool so long as you let us all know what is your big Super Bowl idea. 

I’ve got to run.  I have an appointment with NFL execs up in Manhattan.  Nah, that’s not true, I actually have to go get gas in my car and figure out what’s for dinner tonight.  As you go about your day, remember that I’m here anytime.  There’s no shame in hanging out with BRP regardless of what your co-workers or friends might say.  In fact, while no one else knows it yet, you’re hanging with the cool crowd.  So go chill and have a great day, rockers.

I don't quite know whether I want to do this post or not.  I have another batch of band names that I commented on.  Are you getting bored with this?  I'm sort of on the fence about it.  It's kind of fun to riff on, but I think I need something fresher to write about.  I'm going to do this one more time.  Until I decide to do it again.

Devo – too clever by half.  A band that started from the premise that humans and society are devolving, not evolving, and then took the first two syllables for their name.  What art or Ivy League school did these egg heads attend?  Legacies probably.  Don’t they know that the Enlightenment is still ongoing and things are pretty much waaaay better than they were?  And this band wasn’t very good either even when they wore flower pots on their heads.  Poseurs.

Dashboard Confessional – Pussy name by a band that sells urgent, “run away with me and save me” music to females of a certain type.  The romance novel equivalent in the rock world.  But I like some of their songs.

Aerosmith - I have no idea what this name is all about.  Like the Stones, the name just seems to exist now as part of the rock pantheon.  It must have something to do with aeroplanes, but it’s not obvious to me.  Oh, and they are a great American band, and one that did the “rise and fall and rise” again thing that not many bands can manage.  But what, pray tell, happened to Steven Tyler to turn him into a TV reality show celebrity guy? 

Interpol – Rather than using the American name (The Po Po), this great band seized upon the European-based international police force’s name.  It’s not the greatest name.  The Police beat them to it in a way, but they were a great band for a while, too.  That is, until Sting decided that the world actually DOES revolve around him.  At that point, BRP and The Police went their separate ways.  King of Pain, indeed. 

The Jam – Strawberry or Grape?  Oh no, not that kind of jam, but the rock kind.  OK, I get it and I like it.  And I absolutely loved this band, one of the best of the best, immortalized forever by having their name spray-painted on the cinderblock wall of BRP’s garage. It was nice of the boys to drop by and get their picture taken at my house.
 

Dr. Dog – I don’t get it.  It’s short and memorable.  But I don’t get it.  Ruff ruff.

Drive-By Truckers – Redneck-y name for an alt-country band.  A great studio band but I saw them in Atlanta and wasn’t that impressed.  Nonetheless, it’s a good name – I’m a truck drivin’ man with a truck drivin’ tan, right?

Spoon – Seriously?  You named your band after a dining utensil?  Maybe it works – you’re going to spoon feed me some great music.  And basically everyone can use a spoon.  But then again, it’s a dining utensil.  One thing is for sure:  if you’re looking for great, consistent indie rock, Spoon is the right stuff upon which to gorge.

How about we do a quick riff on some band names?  One sentence per band name only sort of like the grand finale at the fireworks show.  Got it?  Here we go:

Bongwater – Nasty, smelly stuff that gross animals licked when you knocked over the bong in your buddy’s basement.

Butthole Surfers – I don’t even want to think of this band name without a tube of Preparation H in my hand.

ZZ Top – I’ve got the papers, where is the weed?

Molly Hatchet – Scalp this stupid name.

Urban Verbs – They are so much different from the suburban ones, it’s not funny.

Depeche Mode – Given their musical output, it should be Douche Mode.

A Flock of Seagulls – Sorry, all I can come up with is silly hair-do’s.

Metallica – The essence of metal dominance written Latin style.

Radiohead – I guess it’s better than bed head or hat head, but it’s got to be an interesting look whatever it is.

Mavericks – My first car was a Ford Maverick and it was nice of this band to name themselves after that vehicle.

Rancid – What you smell like if you don’t wear deodorant.

X – It took 23 rejected letters before they settled on this one.

Titus Andronicus – Shakesperean punk rock demands to be heard at the Globe Theater.

The Outlaws – What your parents call the group of people that married their kids.

Vanilla Fudge – What the heck is white chocolate anyway?

Yes – So how come I say “no” when they come on the radio?

Panic!  At The Disco – Another way to say “overrated”

Smashing Pumpkins – Kicking jack o’ lanterns is more fun.
 
Phew.  Enough.  Check back this weekend for a very different kind of post.  Oh, and I still need to get to my big Super Bowl Halftime Show Idea.  With that, I'm off to Pyeongyang to do the skeleton.  Rock on, gangstas.  I'm going to leave you with one song that I always loved - but it's weird and goofy and is a testament to the quality of drugs in 1970. 

Hey, Cheri, It’s Fat Tuesday!  Time for some king cake, gumbo, beads, and alcohol.  Music?  Of course, it’s a New Orleans thing, and we need to partake. 

Let’s start off with … Root Boy Slim.  Say what?  Yeah, I know, Root Boy was a DC guy, but his most famous song was Dare to be Fat.  Given that it’s Fat Tuesday, let’s all dare to be fat.  Root Boy was a DC icon playing with the Sex Change Band and the Rootettes.  I saw him back in the day, and he was a character.  Check out the "COOL" glasses - he also had some that said "ROOT."  He’s now deceased, but we remember him at BRP:

 
Moving on to music from New Orleans, we’re going with two of that city’s most famous:  Dr. John with Iko Iko and Professor Longhair with Go to the Mardi Gras.  Can you spot all the celebrity guests playing with Dr. John?  Amazing.  I dress like him when I go out in Philly.  I love Dr. John and Professor Longhair, and normally wouldn’t pick either of these songs to highlight.  But it’s Fat Tuesday, so you get what you get.  Do yourself a service, and check out these guys in more depth – you can thank me when you see me.

 
Mardi Gras ain’t nothing without some zydeco.  First up it's Buckwheat Zydeco with Hey Ma Petit Fille.  And then it's Beausoleil with Zydeco Gris Gris. Oh, baby, we're getting it done now!  Try, I mean really hard, not to tap your foot or dance to this stuff.  Give up?  Me, too.  It was stupid to even try! 

 
You want something a little more now, a little more famous?  How about the Revivalists?  They’re from NOLA, and they had a big hit about a year ago called Wish I Knew You.  Here it is, just for you:

One last tune, and then we’re off to the parades where we’ll knock over granny so that we can catch some of those expensive plastic beads.  Aaron Neville has the most awesome voice, and the Neville Brothers are probably New Orleans’ biggest musical patron saints.  This song is for the end of the festivities, when your sorry drunken butt is back in your house, and you are getting that somewhat bummed out feeling that the alcohol and the end of the party brings.  You put on Tell It Like It Is and listen to the heartbreak.  But you hang on Aaron Neville’s vocals because they are superb:

 
God, I love New Orleans! 

The Mardi Gras season ends today.  Tomorrow, people will walk around with ashes smeared on their foreheads, and telling you that they gave up something incredibly stupid for lent.  Let’s be sure that we don’t get really crazy and give up BRP.  The Lenten season is going to be huge here because of the wonderful lineup of live music that is just around the corner.  In the meantime, go watch the Olympics, get geared up for March Madness, and read your BRP.  Au revoir.  And you know what to do if you want to catch some of these beads!

Philadelphia and its environs are full of little clubs, banquet halls, and music venues.  I found myself at the TK Club in Conshohocken on Friday for a rollicking night of zydeco.  CJ Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band were bringing it to a pre-Mardi Gras group of fun-lovers, and the place was jumping.

​Check out CJ's gold shoes above - I wear similar shoes to work just to stick it to The Man.  The band was a five-piece, with CJ on accordion and lead vocals, and the others playing lead guitar, drums, washboard/spoons, and bass.  I didn't catch the names of the other guys, but the dude playing the washboard was amazing.  He played on his back, he ventured into the crowd, and he moved like a man possessed, but all with a huge grin on his face.  

​I love zydeco.  It's fast-paced, has a great dance beat, and I'm a sucker for the accordion. It was a fun time, and BRP was out there dancing like a fool.  

​I had never heard of the TK Club before, but it's a pretty big place with a large dance floor, pool table, one of those bar bowling games, a couple of TVs showing whatever Philly sports team is playing (the 76ers when we were there - yeah, they won big), and a large bar area.  Drinks are dirt cheap.  It reminded me of a VFW or American Legion Hall.  Or maybe a Knights of Columbus venue.  If you've ever been to one of those, you get the idea.  

​One interesting thing:  they had a cigarette machine.  When was the last time you saw one of those?  It's been a long time for me.  Price?  $8 per pack!  Like everything else, the cost of getting cancer has really gone up.  The TK also has a stringent rule - no loud profanity allowed.  Ouch, how did they know I would be there?

​It was great to dust off the dancing shoes, see a live band that was tight and fun, and get out of the house and check out a new venue.  

​Speaking of new venues, guess what?  The Main Line is getting another one!  118 North will open on North Wayne Avenue next week.  Most of the music that they are bringing will be cheap to see - there is a funk band coming for $5 - and it's being billed as a bit of a sister venue to the Ardmore Music Hall.  Nice!

​Check this out:

​So what the heck is that picture?  Well, I was at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philly, and they have a couple of these sculptures by an artist named Nick Cave.  Nick Cave?  You mean, of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Australian and one-time Berlin-based rocker?  I figured it might be, but alas, this is a different Nick Cave, a Chicago-based artist.  Confusing?  You bet.  Whatever, the sculptures are centered around dogs, and then all of the wires and other items are from flea markets.  I love flea markets (and Berlin has some great ones), so there is the roundabout logic that results in these pictures on BRP.  

​Hey, it's been a great sports run in Philly recently, and BRP's alma mater got into the spirit.  Yup, the Hokies knocked off the #2 ranked men's hoops team in the country, and they did it on the road.  Nice to have that #2 team be the hated in-state rival, UVa.  Hahaha, they thought they had the game won, but the Hokies were having none of that.  Zap!

​OK, off to watch the Olympics.  Enjoy yourself and be good.  Lots of great stuff is coming up on BRP, so check back and tell your friends to do the same.  Take it easy.
​

Hey Pals, remember a bit ago when I started on the long trek of comparing truly great songs with truly bad songs?  Well, I never abandoned that project, and decided today to bring a few more to the front and center of Philadelphia's foremost rock blog.  No, no, not Dan Deluca's site, but BRP!  Here we are, with the latest iteration.  Let's start with remake songs.

Awful Remake Song:        Cherish, The Association and then David Cassidy
Good Remake Song:       What’s So Funny (‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding), Nick Lowe and then Elvis Costello
 
Comment:  Let’s start with awful.  Cherish is a sappy pop song that was sort of harmless enough when The Association did it.  It’s a little too over-the-top for me in terms of its “longing and loss” lyrics.  And then we thought it was over and we didn’t ever have to hear it again.  Along comes David Cassidy, fresh off the cover of Tiger Beat, who was a big enough star in his day that his remake probably got a lot more airplay than the original.  And it wasn’t as good as the original, but still as cloying and ear-worming.  And DC?  Well, I hope he rests in peace and takes Cherish with him.

 
And then there is the great.  Nick Lowe wrote a song that has been done over and over by many artists.  It’s about an aging hippie, sort of pathetic, who is watching the world turn and wondering whatever happened to the summer of love.  The tune is great, the song more heartfelt and caring than Nick probably knew when he penned it.  His original version is terrific.  But Elvis Costello took that tune, amped it up, sang it in his deep voice, and added angst and deep emotion to it.  It is, by far, my favorite version of this great tune, and my favorite song done by EC.  Given his catalog, that is really saying something.  It’s fantastic.

Let's move on.  The next two are going to compare the great and the awful from the same artist - it happens much more than we would like to think.  Let's start with Paul Simon.

Good Paul Simon Song:                 Mrs. Robinson, Simon & Garfunkle
Awful Paul Simon Song:                50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, Paul Simon
 
Comment:  Like Paul McCartney, Paul Simon wrote some classic songs that are rightly adored by all those who have not been lobotomized.  Mrs. Robinson is bouncy and catchy, has Art G. singing with that achingly beautiful voice of his, references Joe Dimaggio, and was prominently featured in The Graduate.  It’s iconic. 

And then there is 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.  Just get off the bus, Gus?  Make a new plan, Stan?  Drop off the key, Lee?  If you saw those lyrics in a display case at your local middle school – you know, where budding middle school musicians display their first self-penned tunes – you would chuckle and think how immature they are and, well, there is a lot of room for growth.  But secretly you hope that the kid’s other classes are going better because music clearly won’t be their life’s calling.  But to realize that those lyrics come from one of America’s musical legends, you just shake your head and agree with those who say that this country has seen its better days.   (Oh, and don’t get me started on the Sounds of Silence – I’m actually trying to keep my dinner in my stomach.)   

Ready for some more?  OK, one more and then I succumb to the bull whip of The Man once again.  Let's go San Francisco this time. 

Good Jefferson Airplane/Starship Song:                                Somebody To Love, Airplane
Awful Jefferson Airplane/Starship Song:                               We Built This City, Starship
 
Comment:  It’s hard to say that Jefferson Starship is the same band as Jefferson Airplane.  But there are enough key personnel that straddle the two bands that they are forever linked in the minds of rock listeners.  JA had some great sixties-era songs, the best being Somebody to Love.  Grace Slick's powerful singing, a fantastic opening line ("When the truth is found/to be lies"), and a driving rock tune all make this one of the 60s truly great contributions to rock.

And then there is We Built This City.  I googled that song and the original title was This Song Is Shitty.  Regardless of the title, there is no stupider song out there (well, maybe, we do have many more songs to go, and Barry Manilow remains on the horizon).  Sometimes bands have nothing left to say after their original creative eruption.  But they say things anyway.  And they have enough swagger to get the radio DJs to play them over and over.  Thank the lord for the Jefferson Airplane and for Somebody to Love.  Curse the devil for the Jefferson Starship and We Built This City. 

OK, youngsters, Simon Legree is calling.  I gotta run.  I hope you are feeling good, happy that the Eagles found redemption for Philadelphia, and loving/hating me for putting these great/awful songs into your day.  Rock on!  I'll see you soon.

Lucifer is freezing.  There is no other way to explain it.  The hard luck Philadelphia Eagles have won the Super Bowl. 

I was a DC resident back in the glory days of the Redskins.  I remember all the Super Bowl victory stuff, and it was fun and exciting even though I always disliked the 'skins.  It's always a good thing for a metropolis to have a happy group of citizens.

But Philly is not DC.  Philly has great sports fans, and while they have seen some championships, they haven't ever celebrated a Super Bowl victory until now.  The most hard-luck, we'll get 'em next year fanbase in America has a title.  This city is going nuts.

Why, it's almost enough to want to set your city on fire! 

What is it about sports victories that give a crowd that Appetite for Destruction feeling?

I have no idea what makes a crowd become a mob.  Wait a minute, yes I do - it's called a big sports victory and alcohol!  What a great combination.  Remember, please drink responsibly.  Dilly dilly!

Anyway, there is a big parade scheduled for Thursday, and it will be a love-in like this town has never seen.  I'm happy for the Eagles, happy that this city has a Super Bowl champion, and happy that we can now move on to pity poor Cleveland's NFL futility.  Oh, and let's not forget about the loveable 4 time Super Bowl losers from Minnesota and Buffalo.  Maybe, just maybe, fans in those towns know sports heartbreak even more than Eagles fans. 

One last thing about the Super Bowl.  I never thought I would see the day that 90% of the US would root for the Eagles.  People wearing the colors of opposing NFL teams into the Linc, or worse, the Vet, know what drunk, obnoxious, boorish thugs look like.  What, you don't like spit on your jersey?  Why didn't you say so?  I would have just punched you in the face instead.  Such a welcoming environment!  But to get the country solidly behind the US's answer to the UK's soccer hooligans is quite a triumph, and it's all because everyone DESPISES the Patriots, Brady and Belichick.  Sports haters unite!

++++++++++++++++++

On other topics, I apologize for not posting much lately.  As you all know, The Man has been haranguing me for months.  I occasionally get some time off for good behavior (meaning I worked both weekend days multiple weeks in a row), but insatiability is still The Man's stock in trade.  It knows no bounds.  I finally pulled myself away to post this article.  The Man is the real-life equivalent of the Patriots:  we can all agree on this one!  For those old enough to remember Country Joe and the Fish, let's all give a big Fish cheer to The Man.

But the other reason is that I have been in a mega-drought on the live music scene, and that is my go-to for blog entries.  Seriously, no shows since mid-December?  As Vince Lombardi would have said, "what the hell is going on here?"  The inhumanity!  But not to worry, I have a lot coming up.  Can you say Low Cut Connie?  Spoon?  The English Beat?  The Menzingers?  The Strypes?  Yo La Tengo?  Titus Andronicus?  Damn, that's not all of the bands on the slate, but I have tickets in hand and that's a start, right?  That will give me plenty to write about, and you know that I'll be pushing my way to the front just to capture some great photos of the action for you to peruse at your leisure.  I'm service oriented as I went to VT - Ut Prosim!

I don't have any big tricks up my sleeve like Jazz Fest from last year, but I am hot to get on with the live music scene.  Because as much as Philly is a good sports town, it's also a great live music city.  Throw in a cheesesteak and a soft pretzel and you may never leave.  BRP is Exhibit A.

Oh, and I almost forgot to give a shout-out to the commenters on the band names.  There were some classics in there!  I appreciate the fun that you all brought to the blog.  I'm working on more fun stuff to discuss and debate, like who did the better Super Bowl halftime show, Justin Timberlake or the Black Eyed Peas (no contest:  JT - can that guy groove it or what, and the Prince thing was fantastic).  I'll have more on the Super Bowl halftime festivities very soon as I have the best idea ever.  Hold your breath - if you can do it swimming, surely you can do it in anticipation of the BRP Super Bowl Big Idea.

Rockers, I'm so glad to be back and I'm even more glad to see you here.  Let's plug in and crank it, ok?