This is part of my hotel and resort reviews made to share my impressions and experiences while traveling for concerts. This review is for Megaro Hotel in London, England during a recent visit to London, England. This is the second review of this property, having stayed at the same hotel in December 2011 (see first review). [Read more…]
This is part of my ongoing series of hotel and resort reviews made while traveling for concerts around the world. This review is for base2stay Kensington in London, England during a recent visit to London, England. This is the second review of this property, having stayed at the same hotel in December 2011 (see first review). [Read more…]
During a visit to England this month, I had a chance to drop in and visit the Hard Rock Cafe London, and took photos of some of the stage and studio used instruments, wardrobe, and other rock and roll memorabilia on display in the restaurant, gift shop, and underground vault.
While contemporary rap music is not a subgenre at the forefront of my attention and music collection, generally speaking, I’ve always had a lot of respect and admiration for Jay-Z as an incredible artist and really intelligent business man. I loved “old school” (to me) rap in the 80s (Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, etc.) but to me, it was much more pop-oriented and hooky (and, well happy) compared to a lot of what is produced today. But I would definitely put Jay-Z in a class of his own, and he’s really innovated his own personal brand and genre of music, and it was awesome to finally see it and hear it live, and with this opportunity, the added bonus of this special tour with Kanye West born of their collaboration on the studio album Watch The Throne, naming this tour the same. I missed the U.S. swing through the east coast late last year as I was in England at the time, and funny enough, caught it now here in England at the second to the last show. Stellar. [Read more…]
Last night was a really historic and wonderful event by a little band called Ash. And I mean “little” in the most complimentary sense… a band that has stayed true to its roots and its fans. The group from Ireland celebrated their 20th anniversary in style, by really creating an event that celebrated their fans as much as themselves. This was most appropriately illustrated by their second of three (yes three!) sets, which transformed from an acoustic concert in a very small setting (which made the typical MTV Unplugged show look like a stadium gig by comparison) to a session of “Asheokie” (i.e. karoke, but with fans fronting for the band themselves). It was really unlike any show I’ve ever been to, and demonstrated a lot of class and, well, tremendous fan service. [Read more…]
Bonhams will be holding their “Entertainment Memorabilia” sale event in London on July 3rd (in addition to their Los Angeles-based sale the week earlier). This sale includes a mix of film/television as well as music related memorabilia, as well as some animation. [Read more…]
This is part of a continuing series of my impressions and experiences staying at various hotels and resorts while traveling to attend concerts worldwide. This review is for the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler, Arizona for a stay in June 2012. [Read more…]
I have been a fan of the B-52s going back nearly 30 years, finding their music when I was a kid, and being really moved and inspired by their unique and always catchy sound. The thing that most struck me about their concert at the Ovations LIVE! Showroom inside the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino last night… how their timeless music continues to have the same impact on generation after generation. Within the crowd were a number of kids, just having the time of their lives. And what was really moving for me were the efforts made by the band to not only acknowledge them within the crowd, but literally reach out to them, with members of the band giving them cool mementos to remember this great night, including drum sticks and guitar picks and the like. Because when it comes down to it, as stylishly esoteric and at times irreverent as their music can be, the B-52s are all about celebrating life and doing so in the most positive manner we know how – through great music. And the B-52s continue to deliver after all these years. [Read more…]
This past week I had a chance to stop by to see my friends at Julien’s Auctions, and preview their incredible sale of property from the Les Paul Estate. Though I had looked through the hardcopy catalog previously, it was amazing to see so much of the auction material on display in their Beverly Hills gallery. While there, I took some photos to illustrate their showcase of this historic material. [Read more…]
Bonhams will be holding their “Entertainment Memorabilia including Animation Art” sale event in Los Angeles on June 24th. A good selection of music memorabilia is included in this auction. [Read more…]