Gale-force wind blows through Red Bank

Experience Hendrix is a strange and wonderful, well, experience. It shows the timeless nature of Jimi Hendrix's music. It shows his range of influence, not only on the guitar but also with lyrics and his voice.

I believe it's my fourth time seeing the annual show, which brings together an usual array of musicians. This year, the gamut ran from Band of Gypsys member Billy Cox to Serbian-born Ana Popovic. From one wave of legends -- Eric Johnson to the former "It" boys Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Jimi's music obviously continues to mean so much to each and every one of them. This tour is definitely a labor of love, one that no one can be making a huge profit off of. The musicians have obviously spent countless hours poring over the records to try and duplicate every single sound.

Most Hendrixy: Eric Gales. Without a doubt. Adorned in chartreuse and purple, he displayed a flair that even Hendrix lookalike Dani Robinson couldn't replicate. And the thing about Gales is that he came off the most like Hendrix by specifically not trying to imitate the man. He used his own natural talent, and in doing so, represented Jimi's legacy better than anyone else.

Best Hendrix accessory: Doyle Bramhall II. His first appearance of the night was actually on keyboards for Eric Johnson's "Are You Experienced." But even the surprise of having him behind the keys wasn't the match for the height and breadth of that fro he was sporting.

Best supporting guitarist: Mato Nanji, of the low-profile band Indigenous, made everyone he played with better. He did so with precision guitar work and earthy vocals. More on him in a bit.

Best supporting non-guitarist: Chris Layton. Famed for his work with Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Arc Angels, he played behind just about everyone. For those who saw Experience Hendrix when Jimi's drummer Mitch Mitchell was the force behind it, it's been poignant to attend the shows since he passed. But Layton kept everyone on the straight and narrow with his drumming.

Most underrated: Doyle Bramhall II. In terms of crowd reaction, I think the audience really missed the boat, particularly on his acoustic offerings, "Hear My Train Coming" and "You Got Me Floatin'." He performed these right off of the intermission break. I don't know whether it was that or the fact that the unrulies around us figured more thoughtful pieces were code for talking time, but the crowd as a whole didn't seem to give him the attention he was more than earning on the stage.

Battle of the former It Boys: For years and years, a battle not of their own making raged on between Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Now both of them are older, wiser and sporting shorter haircuts. Jonny's set was amiable in a Bryan Adams-kinda way and he attempted to boost his cache with Aerosmith's Brad Whitford in tow. But without Nanji saving their hides on "All Along the Watchtower," they fell kinda short and seemed rather cold. By contrast, Kenny Wayne didn't just play the notes, he knew where to put them spatially and emotionally on "Gypsy Eyes" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return).

Taming the wild Guy: If you know anything about a Buddy Guy show, you know he's prone to flights of fancy -- telling stories in the middle of his songs and just cutting them off completely if he doesn't like the crowd reaction. He had one such option in a set with Billy Cox and then was relegated to the background, where truth be told, he provided some tasty licks on "Hey Joe" and "Them Changes."

Not missing what was missed: It was a very strange thing. "Purple Haze" and "Fire" were not in the set. Don't know if it was due to the night's cancellation (Bootsy Collins begged off) or the fact that the show seemed to be running long (Billy Cox was checking his watch quite a bit during the final set), but possibly Hendrix's two most well-known songs were not part of the repetoire. I actually appreciated that. Others didn't.

Spin on a Dime: These are just my little opinions. Mark's uploaded the entire show at Dime. Feel free to check it out and let me know what comes across as the best in show for you. http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=486959

Marsters of my own domain

I didn't expect to get a whole new obsession out of attending MegaCon 2014 in Orlando with my sister. The plan was to meet James Marsters and Eliza Dushku (best known for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," but whose work I've appreciated in other shows as well) and a couple of voice actors who worked with my not-so-secret favorite John Reilly on the animated "Iron Man" series.

That left a lot of time to attend panels and wander around the packed Orange County Convention Center. I decided to go to the John Barrowman panel with Lorrie, I'd gotten an inkling of the man's personality-times-infinity at a previous convention. We got fair warning from the panel moderator that it wasn't for people who were faint of heart or easily offended.

First thing he did was nearly incite a riot by getting the regular people to fill out the VIP seats. He regaled us with tales of flying to the convention and being scared that breaking into a song from "The Little Mermaid" might have adverse results if he sang the dirty version.

He told us lots of great stories about his husband, Scott. Our favorite was about being in a stage version of "Rope" with Alexis Denisof and Anthony Michael Head. We would do anything to get our hands on some video of that action.

Most of the panel was based on audience questions, and believe you me, these people aren't afraid to say anything -- like deeming "Torchwood" to be "the gay alien show." Of course, when you're the first person to kiss The Doctor or the first guy ever to be naked on "Doctor Who," you probably have to expect that sorta thing.

He was asked "If you could ride any steed into the battle, which would you chose" and picked John Steed of "The Avengers." Yay, a reference I got! And then another: Pick any musical. He chose "Wicked," then told us he even has a peppermint green Mercedes convertible called Elphie. And he also appreciates "what that show stands for," which I appreciated.

He told us about fanboying when he got to meet Gene Kelly. And how a director of the B-movie "Shark Attack 3" told him to get a reaction from his flatlining co-star by saying something suggestive. Of course, it stayed in the movie -- the uncut version at least.

There were really great stories about pulling pranks on the "Torchwood" set that were told with reference points that made me want to rush home and binge-watch the series, which of course I did upon my return. The funniest re-enactment was of when Captain Jack was encased in cement naked (of course) in a quarry and his co-stars' reactions to seeing him, not just without clothes, but with Stay-Free maxi-pads (with wings!) on his feet. At least he used protection.

And he capped off the panel by showing all of us his Torchwood undies.

After that, I did get to meet James Marsters. First, the quick photo op. If you haven't done a convention photo op, it basically consists of standing on a line for at least half an hour and then trying to say something funny and charming in the five seconds while you're posing for a shot with that person. I not only got a hug, but some kind of fierce hug-turned-choke hold. I could feel that pressure on my windpipe for a couple hours afterward. You get to pick up your photo like an hour or so later, then you can get on the autograph line with it if you're so inclined. I was.

I loved Marsters in "Buffy" and "Angel," but I really wanted to talk to him about was his "Millennium" episode "Collateral Damage," in which he played a high-strung Gulf War veteran. Getting on the autograph line on Friday was fortuitous indeed, because everything went batty the next day. I got to really talk with him and look into those eyes that somehow manage to be steely and warm at the same time. He said as a fan of Lance Henriksen's work, he expected him to be as intense as the characters he played, but the opposite was really true. He said that extended to producer Chris Carter, who was open to input from the actors and just about everyone involved in production. And then extended the analogy further to directors like Robert Rodriguez.

He was a charmer to be sure.

The first thing we wanted to do Saturday was go to Marsters' panel, so we went right up to the hall where it was taking place to stake out a spot on line. After we got let in, we received the bad news. There was an accident on the interstate, and he was caught up in the traffic. I don't think anyone left the room, even though it was going to be a shorter panel due to the string of events lined up after it that day. About 40 or so minutes later, Marsters bounded in. Literally, he ran. He ran to get to our panel. Like I said, a real charmer.

So what's the first thing he gets asked in Q&A? To sing for us. He just ran all that way, and now you want him to sing? He didn't beg off, delivering a little country ditty that he wrote in Romania. As he said, as an actor, you find yourself in those kind of situations.

He said he was up for hearing any question, although he reserved the right not to answer it as well. He challenged the group to try and make him blush. And then a host of great stories from being in "Buffy," "Angel," "Torchwood," "Smallville," "P.S. I Love You" with Kathy Bates, the "Hawaii Five-0" reboot, "The Metal Hurlant Chronicles" (which sound fascinating) and more. The unique experience of recording audio books and how it differs from television acting, described as "trying to do your job all day while someone is throwing gravel in your face."

He got bizarre requests too, like being asked by a hair dresser what product he used and if she could touch his head. Another asked if he would like to build a snowman with her a la "Frozen."

He told us about the difference between acting on "Buffy" and "Angel," basically tighter reins on the budget that led to shorter workdays. And the "Buffy" cast's uniform terror at the musical episode.

So those were two panels that really raised the bar -- and this was after we bailed on the three-person "Smallville" one the first day because it was a yawn a minute. Now the "Torchwood" panel the next day, well, that was a little different. It was John Barrowman with Eve Myles (Gwen) and Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto). They started off with grinding dance moves and it just took off from there.

David-Lloyd was thrilled that someone asked Barrowman about how he kissed instead of the reverse for a change. There was good-natured ribbing about spoilers (Barrowman said everyone in the room should have seen all the eps by now), and then both Myles and Barrowman walked out when someone mentioned David-Lloyd's character's death.

They all have the same favorite episode, "Countrycide," from the first season. Although I do believe it's more for the hijinks they got into on location and perhaps less for the episode's gory content (which they did like too.)

They referred to filming of the show as their golden age, when they were up (cough, cough) for anything and the panel proceeded as some kind of one-upmanship about behind-the-scenes tales that were truly hysterical. Myles buried her face in her hands quite a few times, while Barrowman cackled so hard it seemed like he could barely breathe.

They were great stories and I won't wreck them by trying to state them as pithily as they did. Got a video link here, if you're a fan of the show, check it out, because it really was the best time.

After that, time for a little shopping while awaiting my photo op with Dushku. She was very pleasant, but it's such a short period of time and she actually left for the day after doing a second one with Marsters. Those lines are soooo long, and so many people wanting your attention, I can see why she bolted. But yeah, it was a little disappointing.

So I'm wandering around the autograph lines and Barrowman's is like bat-shit insane, just going on and on and fragmenting into other areas and going on and on there. Meanwhile, David-Lloyd's line was all but non-existent. That made me sad, so of course, I made a beeline to him and told him how much fun the panel was. He's truly adorable, even moreso then when he was all clean-cut and wore sharp suits on "Torchwood."

When you get up to the actors, they have a bunch of different photos lined up on the table and you pick whichever one you want to get signed. When I have difficulty choosing, I ask the actor to select his/her favorite. When I did that with David-Lloyd, he said it depended on what kind of mood I was in. I said "cheeky," and sure enough, he picked out the cheekiest one.

I went off to find Lorrie and show off my newest treasured possession and to bemoan how no one's going up to him on the lines. And then she came to meet him too, even though she's not big on the autograph thing. First thing she said to him? The same thing I did about the panel! Oh well, Bronze and all that...

We were close to departing for the day when Sis noticed that Eve Myles line was also empty. So I said I'd like to meet her and just when we went up to her ... she left for the day. Can't blame her either, she's a new mom. She did make eye contact, probably figured that we'd be back the next day, but that was all she wrote for me.

Oops, almost forgot the other meetings! On the first day after James Marsters, I wanted to hunt down Jennifer Hale, a well-known voice actress who was in 10 episodes of "Iron Man" as Spider-Woman, Julia Carpenter and others. I told her I run a YouTube channel and Facebook page for John Reilly, the show's co-star with Robert Hays. And then I proceeded to hunt down photos of John on Facebook to show them off to her. Jennifer said there was another "Iron Man" voice at the show too -- Jim Cummings. He's really a spectacularly well known voice and has done everything from the Tazmanian Devil to Winnie the Pooh. On "Iron Man," he did multiple voices over 17 episodes, including MODOK and ... President Clinton? He signed right over his character on the DVD art.

And then off to meet Richard Hatch. I'm a big fan of "Streets of San Francisco," mostly because of the Karl Malden-Michael Douglas combo, but the series went on one more year after Douglas left. As Hatch recalled, it was the hardest year of his life, because Malden was very close to Douglas and didn't really take to Hatch. He said he didn't even own his episodes on DVD, I replied that I hope he gives them another chance some time.

Then I changed the subject to something Hatch liked a lot more -- "Battle of the Network Stars"! One of my favorite guilty pleasures. He said he always loved being on that and "Circus of the Stars" and anything like that that networks wouldn't dream of making any longer because of all the insurance concerns and actor egos involved.

So the trip just to hang out with Sis ended on being so much more. I put off writing this blog for over a week, mostly because I was watching all the "Torchwood" eps -- yes, even "Miracle Day." I think it's a fantastic show, really in my wheelhouse with hints of "X-Files" and "Millennium" in it. I would be bummed that I never would have watched them if I didn't go on this sojourn, but I don't have to!

Cross purposes and Brotherly love

For four festivals, the charm of Crossroads has been the opportunity to see favorite musicians -- guitarists to be specific. But the best part about it is to have them play with and off each other. So if you're watching a set of someone who is not exactly a favorite (i.e., John Mayer), chances are he'll be joined by someone you do like (i.e., Keith Urban) within a half-hour or so.

It was really one choice matchup after another, starting during Eric Clapton's opening acoustic set with Vince Gill and Andy Fairweather-Low on "Lay Down Sally." Booker T., Steve Cropper, Matt "Guitar" Murphy" and Blake Mills tore it up on "Born Under a Bad Sign." Robert Randolph spent all of Buddy Guy's set with the Chicago bluesman and his teen protege Quinn Sullivan. And it's as much fun to watch them interact as listen to what they conjure up musically.

One-ons: When not on the main stage, the combos kept coming in the front corner enclaves on each side of the stage for "one-offs." The amazing Sonny Landreth with the spot-on Derek Trucks. Doyle Bramhall II and John Mayer paid tribute to Doyle's late dad with "Change It," a song written by his father with Stevie Ray Vaughan. Emcee Dan Aykroyd even got into the act -- with a big assist from Keb' Mo' -- on "Got My Mojo Working" the first night. The second night, Keb' tore it up with a bonafide bluesman, Taj Mahal.

Biggest surprise: Keith Fuckin' Richards! The lights go out. We think they're going to come back up on the final set of the festival -- E.C. and his band. But instead there's Keith, smirking away. Everyone's head explodes. Then he takes the lead on "Key to the Highway" and the Chuck Berry cover "Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller." We tried as hard as we could, but no one was beaming more than Clapton.

Second biggest surprise: After providing the perfect capper Friday night, The Allman Brothers' Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes and Trucks reconvened in the one-off portion of the stage the second night. That was surprising in and of itself, but when they started the cover of Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done," just wow. It really hit home considering the Crossroads drug treatment facility in Antigua is the reason the festival exists at all.

Least welcome surprise: Not really, but Mark and I were having a discussion about when we'd see Keith Urban. He prognosticated that maybe Keith would come out with John Mayer on Friday and I very quickly discounted that. So much laughter ensued when that was exactly what happened and it was a spiffy cover of "Don't Let Me Down" at that. Guess this is the one time you're right for 2013, Mark.

Clearing the decks: Intentional or not, the acoustic set that kicked off this year's Crossroads gave Eric Clapton a chance to get some chestnuts out of the way early. "Tears in Heaven," "Lay Down Sally," "Wonderful Tonight." Check, check, check. And Eric moves on.

Eternal show-stopper: Gary Clark Jr. He's an astonishing talent of staggering proportions which was fully realized during his own set the second night. His brand of music can't be easily classified, referenced or pigeon-holed. Maybe that's why he hasn't been the superstar that he has every right to be, but I'll bet you can sit any and ever aficionado of music down, and they'll come away with wide-eyed appreciation of his talents.

Second thoughts: I've never been the biggest Robert Cray fan in the world. I've seen him several times before and I've always thought he's very talented, vocally and musically, there wasn't that emotional element there for me. Definitely rethinking that after Crossroads. He's got it, he brought it, I'm sold. Robert Cray's a bluesman.

The courteous host: There was no gun slinging from Clapton. He brought tasty licks whenever he came out during a set, whether it was with B.B. King, Cray and Jimmie Vaughan or with jazzy Kurt Rosenwinkel. The best of the bunch was by far with The Allman Brothers on "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad" on Friday. It's so in their wheelhouse for Eric to play with the Allmans and it sounds ever so sweet. I've been lucky enough to experience that a couple times, and I certainly hope that pattern holds in the future.

Hello, old friend: Coming into the festival, I was most excited about Robbie Robertson playing with Eric on the final set of the night. They started with "He Don't Live Here No More," a song Eric guested on from Robbie's latest album. Then the tribute to Levon Helm, strangely accomplished without Robbie saying his name via "I Will Be Released." And he came back for the grand finale, "High Time We Went," which was unfortunately beset by technical difficulties. It was deflating to not be able to hear many of the solos by all the guitarists.

Coping mechanism: It was all planned. Break time during Citizen Cope. Then that guy comes on with Doyle Bramhall II. Unfair business practice! And while that's a drawback (to me), Doyle -- who by the way was rockin' a serious younger Robbie Robertson vibe for me both nights -- did get to burn up the stage once again during that set with Clark Jr. on "She's Alright." II and Jr. should definitely form a band. How about the moniker "Seconds, Anyone?"

Best surprise: Albert Lee, Vince Gill and Keith Urban. They just barreled through a covers set that included Rodney Crowell's "Ain't Living Long Like This," Ray Charles' "Leave My Woman Alone," Dire Straits' "Setting Me Up" and The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice." It just seemed to end way too soon.

Best non-guitar performance: It's tough, there was some great warbling going on. But for me, it started and ended with Gregg Allman. I always feel so blessed when I have the chance to take in the Allmans. The musicianship is just perfect across the board, and no matter what their nucleus has been through, hearing him sing is like an old friend coming up with a hug and saying (or in this case, singing) just what you need to hear at that very moment.

Living the theme: Everyone should have a theme song. This particular pearl of wisdom came to me via "Ally McBeal," but haters shouldn't hold that against it. It's true: You hear your theme song and it bucks your energy up immeasurably, doesn't matter if you were already "up there" or not. My theme song is "Got to Get Better in a Little While." And you better believe when Clapton and company started cranking that one out, thoughts of lethargy after sitting in the same spot for five hours quickly dissipated.

Ladies, anyone?: If there's anything to be dismayed about the weekend of wonder, it might be the lack of women on the Crossroads front. We got to hear Susan Tedeschi warble with Los Lobos and Beth Hart almost sang the house "down, down, down" during Jeff Beck's set. We know Susan can wield her axe. And lest someone believe that women can't get 'er done, there was Beck's bassist Tal Wilkenfeld scorching her solos as the sole and shining example that sends such a theory crashing out the closest window.

Postgame show: Mere footsteps away from the Garden, I got to tell Clark Jr.'s drummer Johnny Radelat that he has my dream job (and my dream hair with that fro' that was whipping around with every beat). Was brow-beaten into introducing myself to Keb' Mo' (OK, glad I did that.) And got to tell Albert Lee that he was awesome (some wordsmith I turned out to be). You can accomplish a lot in a 20-minute period after a show if you set your mind to it ... and follow the right people.

Final words: Don't know who is going to be tasked with putting the DVD together for this one, but I don't envy them that job for sure. How do you pick? Which one of Clark Jr.'s perfect numbers do you go with? Do you choose "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad" for the Allmans' electric set at the expense of Taj Mahal with the Brothers on "Statesboro Blues?" And what about the one-offs? You gotta take "The Needle and the Damage Done," right? Well, what about the crowd-pleasing "Midnight Rider"? See what I mean, that's just a few of the impossible choices that will have to be made. Well, I'll be watching and waiting and then judging them on their decisions.

Hoarding Rick Springfield

It was a red-letter day (not to mention my favorite actress Sharon Wyatt's birthday) when I got to see Rick Springfield on "Anderson Live" and with the Sound City Players on the same day.

I went to Anderson Cooper with my vintage General Hospital/Chiller bud Carol and coerced her into doing the "Tweet Seats," in which you basically have permission to Tweet throughout the show. Personnel post some of the Tweets on a videoboard as the show is going on and I racked up a bunch of Tweets during this time.

On this day, they were taping a segment on Katherine Heigl, then starting a show with co-host Marilu Henner, a very touching segment on hoarding and how tragedy and even genetics can really factor into someone falling into such habits. And then finally a segment with the secret "special guest," who wasn't actually much of a secret to most of the assembled women there.

The special guest was hidden behind a sign, and we had a pretty good vantage point of watching him while Anderson had five questions to figure out who he was. The second question about Rick's history with Linda Blair elicited laughs, even from Rick, when Anderson asked if he was Satan, and Rick gestured that some people have wondered that very thing.

It took the full five, but Anderson finally delivered the right answer and Rick came out for another segment. Anderson interviewed various Rick diehard fans, none of whom would actually ask him a question when they had the opportunity because they were too nervous. I don't know, if I had a crack at my first love after three decades of fanaticism, I don't think I would beg off so easily, but that's just me. All the non-questions were edited out when the show aired.

After the show, Carol and I had a nice lunch where we toasted Miz Sharon and shared stories over pasta and strong drinky-drinks. We never did make a drunken "Happy Birthday" video of dancing under tables or on top of cabs, though. Maybe that's a good thing.

The next part of the evening for me was the Sound City concert. Mark came in for the show at the Hammerstein Ballroom, and as it was general admission, we stood for about two hours before the show even started. With every guest coming out to play four to six songs with Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and the rest of the Sound City regulars, they warned us it was gonna be a long night.

And it started out that way, with some of the more eclectic punk and alternate guests -- like Lee Ving (best known in my circles as Mr. Boddy in "Clue") -- providing energy and sound, but I think both Mark and I wondered if we would make it through to the likes of Stevie Nicks and John Fogerty.

Prior to each set, some of their clips from the Sound City Studios documentary were shown on a big screen to whet everyone's appetite. So Mark was psyched when Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick was shown. And truth be told, he provided quite a boost to the night. He was joined by Krist Novoselic (hey, I've seen two-thirds of Nirvana live!) Foo drummer Taylor Hawkins stepped out from behind the drums to do his best Robin Zander impression. He was having the time of his life. And it was stupendous to have Dave Grohl show off his formidable talents at the kit in the process.

The good news: It was so LOUD in there that there was no opportunity for people to have their own conversations and rain on the parade. The musicians were jonesing as much as we were too, for they sported some top-of-the-line hardware for the shows. Nielsen was rocking his famous '59 Les Paul and Fogerty trotted out his '56 Gibson gold-top Les Paul AND '57 black Les Paul custom. And Mark was amused by Grohl's pelham blue Gibson Trini Lopez model.

Now I always think of Rick as a musician who really loves his craft, but of course, to most of the world, he's considered a former teen idol. But when he was backed by musicians of the caliber of Dave Grohl and company, it really showed off the former to much advantage. First they did the song they wrote together for the Sound City album, "The Man That Never Was." Then a couple of songs from Rick's days at the legendary Sound City studios -- "I've Done Everything for You" and "Love Is Alright Tonite."

The latter number really got me going, and I was pogoing like I haven't since a Pearl Jam concert, all of the exhaustion disappearing during that time. I think I was amusing the people in my immediate vicinity too, which is a good thing, since you're about as close as you can be at a general admission show. They didn't even mind the occasional bump or flailing arm.

Rick really thrived in the environment, just getting to be part of the band rather than an "idol." Lots of great conversation between Rick and Dave during the set, their banter really showed off the mutual admiration society. They swung into "Love Somebody" and then a prolonged conversation about the most famous three notes in rock and roll before jumping into "Jessie's Girl."

We got John Fogerty after that, and although he didn't actually do tracks from his time at Sound City, it's hard to not be swayed to movement by "Centerfield" and "Bad Moon Rising."

And then the big finish ... Ms. Stevie Nicks, who apparently was battling pneumonia that day. She and Dave started off with a throaty "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" and she touched everyone's heart with the poignant story behind "You Can't Fix This," which she wrote after the tragic death of a young relative. Just as affecting was the most beautiful version of "Landslide" that I think I've ever heard and a striking take on "Gold Dust Woman" that I can't imagine being topped by Fleetwood Mac on their upcoming tour.

Then it was time to "pick up the pieces and go home." And that's when all the activity of the day just wiped us completely out. For at heart, it was easy to get into the spirit of the entire day. But physically, "even children get older ... I'm getting older too."

Some things ain't ever gonna change...

Not too long ago, I was reading this particularly pretentious book about how people love to reminisce about the past ("Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past" by Simon Reynolds). And while I took issue with a lot of the author's points, I freely admit that I love to reflect on past pop culture. It's one of my favorite pastimes. And because our culture IS so willing to do so, it's probably the reason why a lot of my favorite '80s acts have been making the rounds recently.

But I'm finding these chances to revisit earlier favorites brings me new revelations across the board. Last week's John Parr-Tommy Tutone-John Waite show -- strike that, make it Glen Burtnik-Tommy Tutone-John Waite concert -- illustrates the point beautifully. The event took place at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, with a retro burger joint literally next door. (Apparently Don's also likes to live in the past, judging by the decor and stream of '70s songs piped overhead.)

So after downing some great burgers, we walked past a shrill clache of young women in heavy jackets and pantyhose (not sure if they had skirts on or not and wasn't about to check) and found out ... well, John Parr would not be in attendance and Glen Burtnik would appear in his place. Which led to two questions from those coming in after us. 1.) Who is Glen Burtnik? (I have to admit the name sounded really familiar but I could not place a song, even after a Google search) and 2.) Who is John Parr? (Come on, "St. Elmo's Fire" aka "Man in Motion" ... "Naughty Naughty.") Apparently his absence wasn't going to bother a healthy portion of the attending population.)

So Mr. Burtnik comes out to a wary audience and charms the hell out of us. He opens with the acerbic "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye," which if you can't get into the set off that, well, you're probably not going to anyway so head for the lobby now and don't ruin it for the rest of us. And then "The Trouble With Sally," a humorous but wistful autobiographical tale about Glen's daughter ... Sally.

Glen proclaimed himself the fill-in stunt man for John Parr, who missed his flight for the show. John Parr: A Man NOT in Motion! Naughty, Naughty!! OK, got that out of my system. Then he was joined by the ladies -- Emily Grove and Christina Shafer. And oh yeah, they give me a reason to recognize the name ... Glen co-wrote "Sometimes Love Ain't Enough" with Patty Smyth, who had a big hit with Don Henley on the ballad.

They capped their show with a montage (apparently put together in the car on the way to the show, talk about on the fly!) that included Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House, the VERY well-received Steve Winwood tune "Back in the High Life Again," Mr. Mister's "Kyrie" and capped by, of course, John Parr's "St Elmo's Fire." You wouldn't know it was off the cuff the way it was delivered, which set a very high bar for the evening.

And then came Tommy Tutone (and I really wish I bought the CD he had available 'cause I don't know the titles). Mark gets to Googling to read up on people he doesn't know back story on and points out that his name is actually Tommy Heath and Tommy Tutone was the '80s band's moniker. But he still performs as Tommy Tutone so people know who he is.

Tommy Heath/Tutone also did a striking acoustic set (and I really wish I bought the CD he had available 'cause I don't know the titles and they aren't available on his website as yet.) There was "his version of a country song," which consists of the protagonist singing his tale of love/woe to two different women. And "Tiptoe In," a nod to Archie Bell and the Drells -- complete with little dance of tiptoeing across the room.

As Tommy explained, he likes to mix and match styles that don't sound particularly suited to each other, but wind up complementing each other perfectly. There was Jim Croce's "Operator," which he said was performed like the Clash, but also showed undertones of Elvis Costello and Van Morrison.

And thus bringeth the revelation. It's too bad that these artists were hamstrung by pop singles and the three-minute video format. Because there's a lot more to Tommy Tutone/Heath than a one-hit wonder, no matter how inviting and insinuating that song may be.

So then "867-5309 Jenny," which has the dubious distinction of being one of the catchiest one-hit wonders ever (in a good way, not "Safety Dance/Tubthumping"-catchy.) And out come the people who just went to hear certain songs from the performers, singing the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Dudes and dudettes, we did not pay our money to hear YOU sing, we came to hear the ARTIST perform.

John Waite went the full-band treatment, and he started off with my favorite solo song, "Change." That's a great way to get the crowd into the set, but as his voice got stronger as his show went on, I sort of wish it was later. But no time to fret or complain, because the rarely played "Tears" was on the setlist.

John's got this petulant but self-effacing manner that completely disarms an audience. Kind of reminds me of Rick Springfield, so it makes sense that those two performers are friends. (John appeared on one of Rick's fan cruises and also has sung backup on the new album, "Songs for the End of the World.") Some great interplay between John and his New Jersey-born drummer Rondo made me wonder about how contentious their practice sessions get.

The John Waite back catalog spans several decades, so there was a wide variety of material to choose from. There were Babys tracks such as "Every Time I Think of You," "If You Ever Get Lonely" and "Midnight Rendezvous." Late director Tony Scott got a shoutout and a dedication on "In Dreams" from "True Romance." Tina Turner has covered "Missing You," so it was very fitting that John performed her "Sweet Rhode Island." And his pipes more than withstood that workout too!

The whole set reminded me of the artists who understandably haven't been able to sustain their vocal range in the ensuing years and how absolutely that isn't so in John's case. (The next week, John said on a radio show that when he wasn't able to do that any longer, it would be a sign to call it a career.) Very glad it's not the case yet.

Oh, and revelation No. 2, it really sucks to be older and more mature, 'cause you're trying to be so considerate to the people behind you that it tends to override the impulse to stand up and rock the f out. It wouldn't have even had to be the whole time, as there was a balance between rockers and ballads. One vote cast here for small club shows.

As the '80s "addiction to pop culture" continues to bear fruit, I left the venue pondering the other artists I would like to revisit. Joan Jett definitely, that'a a long-standing wish. John Parr? I ain't missing him at all. Does Joe Jackson count? He's another one. The Go-Go's! I hope for more packaging tours that let us see some favorites who were pegged into MTV corners. That list could be endless. And of course, I hope to see Glen Burtnik, Tommy Tutone and John Waite some more!

Shows for the end of the world

We saw two shows in almost a month's time at the Best Buy Theatre in New York City, separated only by a little massively destructive storm named Sandy. So here's a 2-for-1 Best Buy special -- reviews of both shows in one place at one time.

The first was the same day as Chiller Theatre marking the 30th anniversary of Asia. And the second, Rick Springfield, with material from the new album ("Songs for the End of the World") -- and not the one he has called new for the past three or four years ("Venus in Overdrive").

These shows were like sense memory explorations for me, taking me to another time and place. My sister and I used to rewrite the lyrics to "Heat of the Moment" -- first as an excuse for getting wet on the way home from the mall ("It was the heat of the moment, telling us to go through the sprinklers") and then every year after its release ("And now you find yourself in '82" to '83, '84 and so on so forth).

And Rick, well, Rick's been well documented in my blogs. My first musical love, I credit him for being the gateway to many of the other artists I ended up taking to heart.

Mark didn't think much of going to Asia, but he actually ended up enjoying it. And never a problem getting him to go to Rick, he likes him as a musician and songwriter. As he tells it, he's always more open to my musical taste than I am to his.

Seeing Asia brought back a memory I hadn't really considered in years. In elementary school when everyone picked the instruments they wanted to play, I wanted more than anything to be a drummer. I wound up with the cornet -- and that only lasted a couple weeks or so, since I couldn't play the darned thing.

I do believe that Carl Palmer is heavily responsible for that wish due to his work on the self-titled Asia album. Although I have unflagging adoration for guitarists, I didn't air guitar, I jammed on the air beat on the skins.

At any rate, Carl is the key to the reunited Asia having the power and presence it does. He came into the show at Best Buy seemingly foisting the group on his back with energy and general enjoyment.

That's not to put down John Wetton's vocals, which are another key to Asia, as he provides the signature sound akin to Steve Perry with Journey or David Lee Roth with Van Halen. To paraphrase a commercial of the day, two great tastes that taste great together.

Steve Howe provides another piece to the puzzle. The seminal guitarist really proved his worth at the show when the group divvied up the workload and he played acoustically on his own. Some blues, a lot of feeling and a little humor when he chided that bane of audience existence -- people talking during a song they don't know.

Not much opportunity for what was deemed the "5 percent ruining it for everyone else" during Carl's solo at the end of "Holy War," since he was beating the heck out of his drums. The beat just pulsated through every nerve ending and made the air drummer in me equal parts jealous and appreciative

John and keyboardist Geoff Downes had their moments on a couple of songs as well with "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" and "Cutting It Fine." It was a great way to keep the musicians and the audience happy at the same time. Well, except for the 5 percent.

What that minority came for, of course, were the hits -- "Heat of the Moment," "Only Time Will Tell," "Soul Survivor" and "Don't Cry." Still don't understand why the people who only want to hear those don't stay home and put their CD on repeat, but they were delivered with great gusto.

It's difficult to talk about Rick Springfield without a word like "gusto." He just barrels through his set like there couldn't be any other life choice for him. On this occasion, he also charged through me, but I'll get to that in due time.

His setlist has been reworked with the old new album songs coming out in favor of the two strongest tracks from the new new album, "I Hate Myself" and "Our Ship's Sinking." We got "Living in Oz" instead of album mate "Alyson," which is a plus change in my book. Also returning to the set was the montage of hits, starting with the complete "I Get Excited" before seguing into bits and pieces of "Bop 'Til Ya Drop," "Celebrate Youth," "Calling All Girls," "Don't Walk Away," "State of the Heart" and "What Kind of Fool Am I."

Just a word about "Calling All Girls" inclusion here, mostly so I avoid saying how I could do without the final two songs in the montage (oops). But again, flashback to the past. When I was on junior varsity gymnastics, I was riding the late school bus home and the ROCK station played Rick Springfield. That song, not released as a single was played on an album station and without attaching a bubble-gum label to a great songwriter.

Rick still pays heed to his own influences. Mark wanted to hear "Jet" and not hear "Red House," and that's precisely what happened. Plus, order now and get a special bonus, "Can't Buy Me Love!" We got "Jet" early on and then a few licks of "Red House," which worried Mark until his frown turned upside down when that eventually became "Crossroads." "Can't Buy Me Love" wouldn't have been much of a surprise if I'd read the message boards before the show, so I'm glad I didn't do that.

And now on to when I got the "Human Touch" from Rick. He always makes his way through the crowd during that song. And although he quickly was having problems with the chairs that easily fold up, he kept on truckin' through the crowd. I was just jamming and not reaching for him -- I do feel like I've filled a certain quota on that front -- but he must have slipped on my slick jacket and sorta fell on me.

Mark quickly helped him along, and I was left doubled over ... in laughter. I've tended to get knocked around during concerts, but I certainly minded less when it was Rick! More than the "human touch," more like a quarterback sack. And Rick always says he wasn't any good at sports. I'll agree to disagree on that one.

So these were our last two concert dates before the prophesized end of the world on Dec. 12, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. "Teenage ambitions you'll remember well" indeed.

Paying off a 'Six Million Dollar' debt?

October promised to be very conventional for me, with Comic Con at the beginning of the month and Chiller Theatre at the end. The former turned out to be a bust as I walked around in an ill/semi-conscious state. (I did attend the Christopher Lloyd question-and-answer session to hear him talk about "Clue"; chilled out in Peter Davison's entertaining Q&A even though I'd never seen his "Dr. Who"; and saw one of my favorite '90s bands, Ben Folds Five, live.)

But that meant hopes wound up being that much higher for Chiller Theatre, particularly after having so much fun at the spring edition. I met up again with one of my favorite online friends, Carol, and her amiga, Linda. We were well prepared in terms of who we wanted to see. (Read: Who we wanted to spend our bucks on, since everyone has their own pricing structure for photos, autographs and the combination of both).

The gameplan was to get on the big "living room" line with the upper-echelon celebs first, and then work our way to the others after that. But there's always room for improvisation as Carol informed me after Mark and I arrived that Deborah Foreman was tucked away in a little room and there wasn't a line for her at all. So Linda and I headed down another corridor so I could meet her.

Deborah is probably best known from "Valley Girl," but my personal favorite is "April Fool's Day," a-more-comedy-than-horror flick from the mid-'80s. In it, she plays the main character Muffy, who wants to set up a mystery vacation spot at the home she inherited. She's using her friends as guinea pigs to see if it'll work out, only problem is that someone's offing these people one by one.

As Muffy begins to act more and more suspicious, her remaining friends come to realize that they might be dealing with her murderous sister, Buffy. So when I had my picture taken with Ms. Foreman, I put my glasses on top of my head like she had. The person taking the photo for us said that we looked like twins -- Muffy and Buffy. (We look about as much like twins as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito did, by the way.)

Now Chiller is kind of a B-list movie/TV event (if you're being kind), but they do bring on some marquee names for the event. The big two headliners I wanted to meet were Lee Majors ("The Six Million Dollar Man") and Penny Marshall (comedienne-turned-filmmaker). So they were my "targets" for the living room.

Carol was high on seeing Penny too, so when we finally made our way down the long corridor line and into the room, we were happily surprised to find Ms. Marshall's line wasn't too long. I anted up for both a signed photo and a picture with her. She was decked out in the G-Men sweatshirt that I've wanted to get for myself for a while.

We had some polite chatter and then a rogue photographer came by and snapped a picture of her -- pretty much a no-no at this show. She was irritated by that and I asked her if she wanted me to "take care of him for her," that made her laugh a bit and kept the brief meeting light. I also told her I had recently seen her in some "Battle of the Network Stars" video, I think she did everything short of rolling her eyes at that.

It took me a while to figure out which of the photos to get -- it's like a smorgasbord when you get up to the table and see so many cool professional shots -- but I opted for the "silly" one from "Laverne & Shirley" and happily got that one signed.

Joan Collins was on a break while we were in there, but we got to "check out" Connie Stevens, and let me tell you, she looked better than a lot of the actresses half her age. Then we headed for the Lee Majors line.

Now the trick about Chiller is that you can't tell the pricing structure until after you've stood on the person's line, and by that time, you pretty much want to get something for your time. The former Steve Austin was $40 for a photo, $40 for an autographed photo and $50 if you wanted something of your own signed. I ridiculously thought that the $50 was combined and decided to get my Season 1 DVD cover autographed. Until they asked me for $90. Uh, no, thanks. I guess they have to pay off the six million dollars for that bionic surgery somehow, right?

I did resign myself to at least getting a picture with him. After all, I am a child of the '70s, and during that time, you couldn't get much better than being bionic. But the technology must have rusted, because Mr. Majors said he couldn't get out of his chair because of a bad knee. He didn't say much beyond that and the old axiom of not meeting your favorites for fear of disappointment bounced around my head for a few minutes.

But fresh off that disappointment, we were about to leave the room when we saw Steven Bauer's short line and intriguing sign -- photos $10! Although I haven't seen him on "Breaking Bad," I do remember the likes of his '80s flick "Thief of Hearts" and "Wiseguy."

I thought he was the most genuine person we met that day. Gives good hugs too. That was $10 well spent.

Sitting nearby was the actor I kept making fun of during the afternoon, much to Linda's chagrin. Andrew McCarthy -- who I deemed the least talented actor at the event, even though there was no way that could be true -- was a borderline Brat Packer and my least favorite character in one of the movies from the era I saw dozens of times, "St. Elmo's Fire."

His line was short as well, but like Steven, he seemed to be really conversing with the people who stopped to meet him and not just taking their money and scribbling down a name. But sue me, I still wanted Molly Ringwald to end up with Jon Cryer in "Pretty in Pink."

The person I had been most looking forward to meeting at the event was Pamela Sue Martin, who I loved in "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" and later in "Dynasty." I was super-psyched about getting to meet her, because Nancy Drew was just my hero when I was a pre-teen. I had all the novels and had rewatched the series prior to the last Chiller (at which I met Hardy Boy Parker Stevenson).

Carol seemed to be almost as excited about seeing me meet Pamela Sue. She had a friend who arrived while we were waiting for the actress to return from her lunch break, but she still stuck on the line with me. Poor Eric Shea (PSM's young brother in "The Poseidon Adventure" was at the next table, but he seemed to be spending more time trying to track her down for those of us waiting for her).

She finally did arrive and I got to meet Nancy Drew/the real Fallon! (Both Carol and I will work overtime to maintain that we adore Emma Samms, who later assumed the role of Fallon, but that we preferred PSM in the part.) She was really sweet and surprised to hear that my major reason for attending the event was to meet her. Then Carol upped the ante by saying that she just wanted to watch me meet her because she was such a childhood hero of mine and I tend to race my motor when it's someone that meaningful to me. Pamela Sue got a hearty chuckle out of that one.

And by the way, her deal was MUCH better than Mr. Majors'. I got my photo taken with her and my Nancy Drew DVD cover signed for $25, and she made conversation with me too! I really should let Steven Bauer retain his title as "Deal of the Day," but I was thrilled to have it play out that way.

After we got chided for sneaking a photo of Valerie Harper (I told you the actors/handlers don't take kindly to that), Carol and Linda went their own way. Later in the afternoon when I finally found Mark, I got to meet wonderful Roger Kastel, the very talented artist who created the art for the movie posters for "Jaws," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." He was sweet and appreciative, and he took a lot of care to sign his autograph in places that would stand out and be unobtrusive at the same time.

The day wasn't even over for us as Mark and I were heading to the city to see Asia. A certain superstorm was making its way toward us as well. And while I perused the convention during the ensuing power outage, I resolved to remember not to bust on the Chiller lineup so much when they start announcing the celebrities for April, since it's the non-marquee names who prove to be the most interesting at the actual event and they keep out-of-pocket costs down. That should last for, oh, about five minutes.