Somewhere between releasing a new album and embarking on a world tour, Gorillaz found time to record this new track just in time for their gig at Madison Square Garden tonight, and more importantly for your Schiff Happens Friday Jams. Yours truly will be one of the lucky ones in attendance tonight, and this tune has me that much more excited. I was immediately drawn to Gorillaz when I first caught a glimpse of the incredible visuals that they fuse with their musicianship and have been pumped to see them live since before it was even a possibility. The closest I ever came was when I was living in London back in 2005 and I saw a flier for a sold out festival-type ticket featuring Gorillaz as the headliner pasted to the wall in some sketchy neighborhood as I made my way home from a night of drunken shenanigans at the roller disco. So yeah, despite my seat location in the 300s, I'll be considerably closer to the action tonight. HYPE and video via Hidden Track (emphasis mine):
The Live on Letterman webcast series rolled on last night with a not quite an hour set from Gorillaz. Gorillaz’s front man Damon Albarn clearly enjoyed the setting as he hammed it up throughout and expressed his excitement for tonight’s Madison Square Garden gig multiple times.
Guests on the webcast included Miho Hatori, Paul Simonon and Mick Jones of The Clash, De La Soul, a string quartet and Bootie Brown as the band played a total of nine songs including the suave Superfast Jellyfish, a gorgeous On Melancholy Hill and a Clint Eastwood closer that turned into a party when Albarn invited half the crowd on stage with him.
Finally, check out the new jam, "Doncmatic (All Played Out)" below. It's apparently "inspired by The Donca Matic - the groundbreaking Japanese-designed drum machine which started the Korg Musical Instrument Company in 1963." Okay then. Watch below or download here.
We're coming down to the wire and there's no time to lose, so here's the rest of The Best Rest Of 2009.
A few months after the most glorious concert experiences of my life, a friend of mine was offering around extra tickets for the last leg of Springsteen's tour, which included a mini-residency at Giants Stadium. These concerts would be the last for Bruce in the venue that vaulted him into worldwide arena rock superstardom, as the new Giants Stadium (and I'll be calling it that regardless of whatever corporate name gets stickered all over it, so deal with it, Jets fans) is set to open in 2010. Clearly I had to be there and jumped at the chance. I was met with an interesting choice: General Admission floor seats for the second-to-last night, or 100-level seats for E Street's last ever Giants Stadium show? For some, it seems like a no-brainer. Go for the tour and stadium closer, where the band is bound to pull out all the stops and, given the historical significance of the venue, there may even be a special guest or two. However, recall my Bonnaroo epiphany and you'll see why I made the choice that I did. It simply had to be the floor. After being so close to The Boss that I could see the sweat flying off of his pumping Jersey fists, there was just no way I was opting for the seats, even if it meant gambling that the second-to-last E Street show at Giants Stadium would measure up to the finale. Observe below to see why I clearly made the right choice.
My favorite part about this is that more than once in the video you can clearly hear me muttering, "Where's The Boss man? Where is he?" only to have him emerge into view mere feet from our position. My second favorite part is the fact that we somehow managed to not notice the mini stage in the center of the floor just to our right until Bruce was standing on it. We were just in the right spot at the right time, and you're just going to have to believe me that it worked out that way. Oh, and 60-year-old Bruce crowd-surfing a solid 40 yards. I guess that's my third favorite part. It's the story of 2009 in a nutshell, really. All-time highlight memories sporadically cropping up amongst an otherwise murky sea of confusion and doubt.
This now puts us right smack in the thick of October, my favorite month of the year. If ever there was a saving grace for 2009, it was October. Not only did it include the aforementioned Bruce experience, but the YANKEES WON THE WORLD SERIES! If you know me or have read this here blog at all, you'll know how much the 2009 MLB Playoffs lifted up my Worst Year Ever. Some of you reading right now may have been there for this guy's birthday celebration, watching me jump for joy during Game 2 of the ALDS as A-Rod tied it with a HR in the bottom of the 9th and Teixeira walked it off with a wall-scraper in the 11th.
In the next round, I was able to score tickets for the Littlest Bro (who is ironically the biggest of we 3 Schiff Brothers) and I to see the Yanks take care of the Angels and capture their 40th pennant in Game 6 of the ALCS. Of course, our first attempt to see the game was rained out, but, as we saw time and time again in '09, out of the FAILstorm emerges a WIN. Because of the rainout, Littlest Bro was forced to head home, so myself and Middle Bro went to drop him off with our Aunt and Uncle who were heading back to Jersey after seeing John Stamos star in Bye Bye, Birdie on Broadway. That's right, folks, Uncle Jesse himself. Here at Schiff Happens, we have sung Stamos' praises before, but never did we expect to actually meet the proprietor of the Smash Club.* However, the stars aligned that night, leading to one of the greatest pictures ever taken of the Schiff Brothers.
Yes, I'm well aware that only half of my face is visible. I stand by my statement. Note to all of you out there who will now attempt to stake out the Stamos: Try to avoid saying "Uncle Jesse on 3!" just before you snap the picture. Ask Littlest Bro about it.
As October turned into November, the Yankees ended nine long years of frustration with World Series win number 27 and another parade down Broadway. Yes, I'm well aware that complaining of the Yankees "struggles" is ridiculous. I apologize for nothing. I also should probably mention that I was in the house to watch the Bombers take down the Philthadelph in Game 2 of the World Series alongside Middle Bro, which was especially satisfying since we got to chant "Who's your daddy?" at Pedro Martinez all night. Probably should also mention that it was free. Hey, I said the highs were all-timers.
The final positive of 2009 was Phish's fall tour. For the first time ever I decided to try and check out an entire multi-night run, procuring tickets for Wednesday and Friday nights at Madison Square Garden, and Saturday night at my alma mater, The University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena. Of course, Thursday - the one night of the four I went into without a ticket - was the night of note. I joined my friends at the bar near MSG for their pregame, and just as I was about to go do a lap around the arena to scour for an extra, the guy next to me at the bar leaned over and said, "You need a ticket? Here you go." He pulled out a mail order ticket, I managed to mutter something along the lines of, "Are you serious?" and he said, "Sure, why not? I was gonna eat it anyway. Buy me a beer and it's yours." So, for the price of the beer I was able to ensure that I saw "Fluffhead" for the first time live. I'd call that a victory. Of course, that was also the night I learned that Jonathan Larsen, creator of RENT, died of an aortic aneurism, and didn't even have a little bit of AIDS. I'd call that a loss. A major loss. I have never felt so bamboozled in my life, and to be honest, I'm still getting over it a little bit. The story will have to wait for another time, because I'm getting emotional just thinking about it, and because quite frankly, it's 8:30 on New Year's Eve and we've all got some drinking to do.
So before you head out to whatever loft party, watering hole, or slump buster you're hitting up tonight, take a minute to view perhaps my favorite video of 2009. I call it, "How Not To Shoot a Concert Bootleg," and when you consider that this hilarious piece of pure, unadulterated FAIL was shot just moments after the incredible joy and good fortune captured in the "Hungry Heart" video above, it's the perfect sendoff for 2009, the Worst Year Ever. May 2010 be the most epic of WIN for all of us.
Happy New Year.
*Wow, definitely didn't remember that the original Stamos post was Yankees-related. Weird. Awesome.
Stone scored free tickets to the Knicks game last night. Kryptonate vs. Superman - this time IT COUNTS! I'm all in.
On my ride from work to The Garden, the entire subway car was plastered with these Al Harrington K Mart posters for his "Protoge" shoes. ::Peterman Voice:: Men's sizes 6-14, price: thir-ty four nine-ty nine.
I've enjoyed having Al as a Knick this year, but I was caught by surprise on Day 1 of the Post-Marbury Era in New York. I just kind of went, "Woah, that was fast." So long Starbury, hello Protoge. New York has a new bargain brand hoop sneaker pitchman, and his name is Al Harrington! Just when Steph was returning to fun/batshit crazy form, too. I didn't want to be that dick (no, not "that dick") snapping tons of pics on the train, and I was a little doubtful that I got a decent shot. Then I walked up from the train and hit the street.
Well then, I guess that's settled.
Inside, The Garden was actually crowded. Obviously Dwight Howard and the Magic are a top draw, but it has been fun to watch the MSG crowd begin to reassert itself on TV this year, and that feeling was buoyed when I sat down amongst the faithful. With deep fried stadium concessions and cool, refreshing American light beer in hand, we found our seats and things got underway.
Not bad from Section 310, no?
Speaking of our section, a few minutes into the second quarter, as Stone's friend was telling us a story of the time he did a Knicks "Memory" Contest on the court at a game years ago, we saw some MSG reps and a cameraman setting up shop with a "Lucky Fan" sign. Moments later, I watched from Section 310, Row D, Seat 9 as the Knicks upgraded the lucky fan in Section 310, Row J, Seat 3. This is the closest I will ever come to a lucky seat upgrade.
Just before coming out of that same time-out, the Knicks presented of several scoreboard shout-outs. I didn't get my camera out in time when they welcomed in the greatest man, Mr. Osi Umenyiora, which is too bad, because he announced that he would be back with a vengeance next season and guaranteed a Super Bowl championship for the Mighty Mighty GMen. Then he leaped over Dwight Howard and dunked Nate Robinson. I did, however, have the camera out when they welcomed back to Madison Square Garden, current Magic Assistant, tri-captain Patrick Ewing!
At halftime, the Knicks released a bunch of little Kryptonate clones out onto the floor and they ran a game of 5-on-5. That doing anything for ya? Ehh? If not, it was Stone's joke. Much to my amazement, nobody booed the tiny schoolchildren attempting to play basketball. Not even when Lawrence from School of Rock bricked this high arching jumper. Look at his coach's face. That's not the guy you want taking that shot, is it coach?
The second time we heard, "Once a Knick, always a Knick" over the PA system, the sculpted figure of Anthony Mason graced the scoreboard screens. Then they flashed to a live feed of a manatee who was somehow seated courtside, having clearly wandered miles from its natural habitat.
Jesus Christ Malomars! Anthony Mason is effing huge! This was shocking to me for some reason, like if I were a millionaire ex-pro athlete I wouldn't get fat and go hang out at sporting events. Still, dude is a trailer.
As you can see from the scoreboard shots, the Knicks were down big this entire game, until a frantic run in the 4th quarter where they were able to pull within 2 at one point with about a minute remaining. Tough to play catch-up when you're not playing any defense and allowing the opposition to shoot 51% as a team, with 33 points from Hedo Turkoglu and business as usual 24-and-21 domination from Dwight Howard, who simply had his way with a slew of would-be Knicks defenders (Not that Superman isn't exciting, but you just expect Dwight to dominate so hard that when he does, it seems like par for the course. Also, "defense" is a very relative term when you're talking about the Knicks). Still, a very fun night at MSG. My first Knicks game in two years was definitely the most enjoyable in much longer - since Ewing and Mase roamed that floor, really. As we made our way to the exits, we watched as fans gathered round the massive Mason to pose for pictures and ask for autographs. I left hopeful that the Knicks would at least keep themselves in the playoffs conversation, and utterly awestruck by Anthony Mason's dinner table ass.
