Mystery Trip – Day 2

Regrouping in the morning we snagged a quick breakfast just off the casino floor and then did a little more walking and shopping.  This time we were a little more thorough about hitting the Forum Shops and found a great clothing store called Bettie Page, where Heather found a really nice dress.  We struck out on finding a pair of shoes that would go with it, so we’ll have to find another excuse to wear it.

After a bit more shopping we went back to The Cosmopolitan for lunch at José Andrés’s China Poblano.  The fusion of Chinese and Mexican food was interesting and extremely tasty!  We then headed back to get ready for dinner and tonight’s show.  Dinner was at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon, a French bistro.  The food was delicious, the service was perfect, and really, the entire experience was as close to perfect as we could have hoped.  We started out with a charcuterie of salamis and then moved on to the main courses.  Heather had the Gigot d’Agneau, a delicious lamb dish and I had the steamed mussels.  Both were very, very good.  Finally we finished off with some dessert and coffee.  I had a lemon tart and Heather had the profiteroles.

After dinner we went back through the hotel to the Blue Man Theater for tonight’s show.  Thanks to some great advice, I booked the VIP experience when I purchased the tickets.  We got good seats, which were supposed to be outside of the splatter zone (they were not) and a one-on-one meet and greet with one of the Blue Men after the show.  The show was a lot of fun, with great music mixed in with physical comedy and a lot of mess.  As I mentioned earlier, the splatter zone is rather loosely defined.  I managed to wear a bit of banana pudding during one of the acts, but it’s all good.  After the show finished we were escorted to a small room where one of the Blue Men came out to meet us.  He was a lot of fun to talk to, and yes, he did break character.  We got autographs, had some good laughs, and then headed back to get some sleep.

Mystery Trip – Day 1

I’ve been teasing Heather about a mystery trip I booked since June.  It’s been kind of fun, but this morning the jig was up and we headed for DFW airport to catch an early flight to Fabulous Las Vegas.

We got in and over to The Venetian, our base of operations for the weekend.  Check-in accomplished and stuff unloaded we proceeded to head out to get some food and then wander around the strip for a while.  It’s changed a lot since the last time I was out here, but was still a lot of fun to hang out and take in the sights.  We grabbed some lunch at I Love Burgers and then nosed around the Grand Canal Shoppes before heading out into the heat.  We took it easy because we had dinner reservations at Jaleo, one of José Andrés’s tapas restaurants and a show booked.  This is about where I slipped the engagement ring I’ve been hanging on to since early July over to Heather.  She said yes, in case you’re wondering.  There were some tears and some laughter, but all in all it was the right place and time.

Jaleo was fantastic!  We started out with an excellent selection of jamóns and some cheese before moving on to scallops and veal cheeks for our main courses.  We got talked in to dessert, which was probably a good thing because it was so incredibly good that missing out would have hurt.  All I can say is “saffron mousse”.

After dinner we headed over to New York New York to catch Cirque du Soleil‘s Zumanity.  It was really good, but definitely on the risque side.  If you’re so inclined, you’ll probably enjoy it.  If not, don’t go.

Back to the hotel after that where I finished off the evening with a tasty IPA from Sin City Beer.

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers

Heather and I went over to Love and War in Texas to meet up with some friends and catch the Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers show.  This was our first show, unlike my friends, who have been to many, many more.  It was a great time, with good music, good beer (including Shiner‘s Ruby Redbird seasonal brew made with grapefruit), good food, and good company.  The Peacemakers is a must see show, don’t miss them if they’re near you!

Flogging Molly

I kilted up and made my way down to The House of Blues – Dallas to catch Flogging Molly again.  I met up with a friend from work, but he had a ticket for standing room/floor and I had a seat up in the balcony area.  The show was great, as I’ve come to expect, and while they played their classics, the new stuff was really good too.  I’ll be picking that album up once it’s available.

The only down side to the night was that I lost my drivers license, probably while buying beers.  I guess I’ll wait and see if anyone turns it in, otherwise I’ll have to brave the DMV to get a replacement.

Gaelic Storm

Heather and I went down to The House of Blues Dallas to see Gaelic Storm tonight.  The show was, like last time, in the Cambridge Room, a smaller standing room only theater.  The venue suited the band perfectly, as they really do get involved with the crowd.  Lots of good contemporary Irish/Celtic music was played, copious amounts of booze were consumed, and much fun was had by all.  After the show was over the band stuck around to have pictures taken and sign things.  I got Patrick Murphy to sign my ticket stub, which was pretty cool, and it will be scanned and put in the gallery soon.

They really do put on a great live show, and if they’re coming through your part of the world you really should make time to go see them.

Rush: Time Machine Tour 2010

I rode down to Fair Park this evening to see Rush on their Time Machine 2010 tour. Traffic was a bear, thanks to the state fair being on, but riding instead of driving was the better choice.

There was no opening act, and they took the stage at around 7:45 PM. They played two relatively full sets with an intermission between and then a two song encore. The band was in great form, really looking like they were having a lot of fun out there. This was one of the best concerts, and the best Rush concert, I’ve been to in some time. They played the entire Moving Pictures album plus many other favorites. Here’s the set list from the show, to the best of my recollection

  • First set
    • Spirit of Radio
    • Time Stands Still
    • Presto
    • Stick It Out
    • Workin’ Them Angels
    • Leave That Thing Alone
    • Faithless
    • BU2B
    • Freewill
    • Marathon
    • Subdivisions
  • Second set
    • Tom Sawyer
    • Red Barchetta
    • YYZ
    • Limelight
    • The Camera Eye
    • Witch Hunt
    • Vital Signs
    • Caravan
    • (a most excellent drum solo)
    • Closer To The Heart (with a nice extended intro)
    • 2112 (Overture + Temples of Syrinx)
    • Far Cry
  • Encore
    • La Villa Strangiato
    • Working Man

Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage

Heather and I just got back from a trip to Studio Movie Grill to go see the Rush documentary, Beyond The Lightest Stage. It covers the history of the musicians and the band from their origins in high school all the way up to Snakes and Arrows (and a little past that). There were lots of great insights into their lives and career, as well as interviews with many other musicians. If you’re a Rush fan or at all interested in them, see if there’s still a showtime available. If not, you can pre-order the DVD at Amazon.

Iron Maiden – Final Frontier

I had a great time tonight at the Superpages Center (still think of it as Starplex, but…), watching Iron Maiden kick off their Final Frontier tour. The weather held, none of the threatened rain actually fell and the temps stayed comfortable.

The opening act was Dream Theater, and while I tend to blow off opening acts because, frankly, many of them stink, this was a pleasant exception. They’ve got a great sound but unfortunately didn’t have much commercial success. Check out some of their stuff over at Amazon. They did a great job and I’m glad I finally got to see them live, it was worth the wait.

The Maiden part of the show was great, they played lots of new stuff that I haven’t heard along with many old favorites. There were a few more tunes that I’d have loved to have heard them do, including Aces High and Wasted Years, but with as deep a catalog as they’ve got they can’t please everyone. Closing the show with Running Free was fun though!

The Pogues

We got down to The House of Blues to see The Pogues tonight.  It was a great show, a little bittersweet though, seeing just how badly Shane’s doing.  If you ever need an example of what long term substance abuse will do to you, picture a 51 year old man with no teeth, shuffling on stage.  Don’t get me wrong, he’s still got it and the rest of the bad was in fine form, it’s just a little sad because there could have been so much more.  I’m still glad I went, but I’d love to have a time machine, seeing them in 1985 would have been great.

Chickenfoot

We got down to Nokia Live over in Grand Prairie to see Sammy Hagar’s new band, Chickenfoot.  It’s members are Sammy, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith.  They put on a great show, lots of chemistry, and just in general seemed to be having a good time out there on the stage.  They did a pretty full set of their own songs, plus a few covers and jams including Montrose’s Bad Motor Scooter.  Anyone who has the chance to see them before they all go back to their bands/tours, do it!