Ben Folds and a Piano

My first adventure into the big city could not have been any better. Tuesday afternoon I left work a little early to catch the 4:43 train into the city and of course the non Chicago resident that I am forgot to buy my ticket beforehand and the ticket window was of course, closed. It doesn't matter that much because you can buy your ticket on the train. After my adventure on the train I made it the Purple L Line and headed north to the Belmont stop.

I got the to the Vic Theatre to pick up my ticket from Will Call and of course the line was around the corner long before I got there at 6:30. I got a spot in line and waited but my hopes of being up close and center were severely diminished. They let us into the venue and me being on my own made it a lot easier to get around and manuver my way to the front. Getting into the venue I was expecting the front to be jam packed, but found it near empty and I still can't figure out why it was so empty in front of the stage. I perfectly centered myself at center stage and about 2 people back. Pretty much near perfect seating/standing for this show. The only thing I couldn't see were his hands which are always amazing to watch. Either way I was close and exactly where I wanted to be. We still had another hour until the opener came on so of course it was incredibly boring.

The opener was this chick, can't remember her name, from Australia. She reminded me a lot of Regina Specktor but with opera. She had quite the voice and had one of the best songs that night about facebook. It's surprising how short an openers setlist is, she only played a 1/2 hour. So once she got off the stage we waited for Ben. He just finished a new album so right before he came one they played 2 songs over the sound system and they were pretty good, from what I could hear. Ben came on stage to a thunderous roar and unlike some artists he just went right into the music. The entire show was a good mix of old songs, newer solo songs, and new songs off the new album. I found it funny that he wears these special band aids on his fingers to prevent blisters (yet it kind of makes sense) but he also forgot to put them on that night so he had to stop and have the roadie bring them out which of course prompted many people to shout out various things. They then reminded him that it was his father in laws birthday so we preceded to sing happy birthday so they could record it. He brought out the opener to sing the female part on "you don't know me" and it was just amazing.

This man seriously puts on one of the best concerts I've ever seen. His stage presence resembles that of an entire band, and he's just on his own w/ his piano. It's quite remarkable. He played some of my favorite songs including Zak and Sara, Underground, and Kate. Ben played a few new songs, not too many which was perfect, but one song that he played was pretty much pure brilliance. His new album he cowrote w/ Nick Hornby (High Fidelity) and I guess for a few months Hornby was obsessed with Levi Johnston, yes the guy who knocked up Bristol Palin, and somehow figured out how to write a song about it. Ranging from paparazzi to killing mooses, it pretty much sums up everything about his life and it's spectacular. I wonder what Levi is going to think once the cd is released. It's kind of strange going to a new concert thats non-DMB because I'm used to the 2.5-3 hour concert and this was only 2 BUT he played more songs and it was just as amazing in its own way. For the encore Ben came back out and played a new song then messed around soloing on his piano when from the side stage a roadie came out and brought him a snare drum. He then transitioned to the other side of the stage while the rest of the crew built the drumset around him and NOT ONCE did he stop playing. Even when he lost one of his drumsticks he stretched out got it while still hitting the symbol. Talk about talent. He closed the show with "One Angry Dwarf" and it was single handedly one of the best performances of any songs I've ever seen.

Ben Folds is one artist that anyone and everyone should go see at some point in their life. He's a fantastic performer with incredible stage presence to wow any crowd no matter who they are. I can't wait to see him again in the future.

The Hunt for the Green Jacket

The Masters @ Augusta National, to me it's the start of Summer. Baseball season opening day has already come and gone and once those first couple of games are underway then it's time the Masters. The coveted Green Jacket. Augusta National is the most private and most prized course in the United States. Hell the groundskeeper pretty much has an unlimited budget in order to keep the course looking spectacular.

Every golfer who sets foot on the grounds almost always takes a second, deep breath and just pauses. The history and the legends who have walked this course is astounding. A lot of players, veterans and first-timers, can't handle the pressure that comes with the tournament but then some thrive on it. Those who do thrive are the ones who find success at the Masters. I've been watching golf all my life. I've been to countless tournaments and watched at least 5x that on tv and there is no tournament (in the US at least) that comes with the same pressure like the Masters. The British Open is a whole different story.

The days leading up to the first round are always quite relaxed. The always entertaining Par 3 Contest on the courses Par 3 holes is almost as great to watch as the tournament itself, but for different reasons. The Par 3 Contest is a fun event, players bring their families, kids and other fans into the fun. Many players have their kids caddying for them and it's just a great chance to let loose before the tournament begins. Despite all the fun of the tournament, many are very supersitious when it comes to the contest, and for good reason: no player who has won the par 3 contest has won the Masters. A lot of players will flop a shot, hit a ball in the water, or have their kid or a fan hit the putt for them. The day that someone wins the tournament after winning the par 3 contest will quite possibly be the greatest win in Masters history, from a superstitious standpoint at least.

First round play came on Thursday. Not only was the anticipation of the tournament to begin high but Tiger Woods' first tee shot in his rebirth in the sport was even higher. Before Tiger even teed off there were lots of suprises and lots of good golf. Tom Watson and Freddie Couples, 2 of the oldest players in the field, were battling it out for the lead. Not many people were expecting to see them play as well as they did. It's amazing how different a year can be at the Masters, or in any sport for that matter. Last year's champion may not even cut while another player who just skated through at a few strokes under par all weekend could walk away as the champion. No tournament can do that to any other golfer. Tiger's return had dominated the media leading up to the tournament. No one really talked about the tournament itself but rather on what Tiger was going to do. I thought before the 1st round that the weekend was going to be a disappointment because of the hype behind Tiger's rebirth. Boy was I wrong.

This weekend was single-handedly the best Masters tournament I've ever seen in my life. From the first round it was nothing but spectacular golf. And unlike most years this year it wasn't just about a handful of players doing well, the entire field (at least those under par) played amazing after amazing shots. Eagles from the farways, outstanding chip shots and long birdie putts were the theme for this weekend. More players this year were in the zone for the tournament. While some putts wouldn't sink and other tee shots were better, the majority of the field was playing each hole with extraordinary skill. Other than the champion, Phil Mickelson, the biggest story has got to be Tiger, of course. The man disappeared from golf following his personal life meltdown and the world was anticipating when and where he'd make his return. Boy did he not disappoint... at least the fans. He ended up in 4th which by no means is a bad tournament but for Tiger, it's a failure. Like he said he comes to win and when he doesn't he fails. That's the true sign of a competitor.

This year however it was Phil Mickelson's tournament. Even when he wasn't leading he was right in the mix, never more than a few shots out of the lead. After the 3rd round he was one shot out of the lead, but I don't think anyone expected him to have the kind of Final round today that Phil had. No bogeys... none... not one... zero...zilch. Phil played about as close to a perfect game that one could play in golf @ Augusta. After the 3rd round back-to-back eagles and a near triple eagle it would be hard to top that on Sunday. However somehow Phil managed to do so. With daring shots and brilliant putts he was able to shock the golfing world with what might be the greatest shot of his life in the rough on the 13th hole. He could have played it safe and just drove the ball out into the far way but what he did was brilliant. He took the risk and hit the shot full swing and landed the ball right where it needed to be. Pure brilliance.

Watching each round this weekend just reiterated everything that I loved about the game of golf. It was thrilling, exhilarating, and just down right entertaining to watching all weekend. People who think this sport is boring should have watched this weekend and they would have experienced the magic of the Masters.

NCAA Men's Championship 2010

Like every other sports writer and sports fan stated it was David v. Goliath last night in the championship... Duke v. Butler... experience v. not. But it didn't matter last night. Duke (Goliath) ended up winning last night but only by 2, in a game that most people thought was going to be a blowout over the Butler Bulldogs (David). Unlike the story, David did not conquer Goliath last night, but they put up one helluva a fight.

Last nights game is the reason why I watch college basketball. While I was definitely rooting for Butler (mostly b/c of my hatred for Duke) all I really wanted to see was a good game, and boy did we get one. The lead was never greater than 6 and Butler never gave up. I mean come on if that last minute hail mary shot by Hayward had gone in it probably would have become the greatest shot in NCAA history, yes Duke fans, it would have been better than Christian Laettner's shot in the East Regional in 1992. Yes that wasn't the championship BUT it's one of the greatest shots in NCAA History. Hayward put up the shot and everyone held their breath, but as it hit iron everyone let go with either a sigh of upset or a scream of joy. Either way you look at it, Butler fought until the very end.

Butler's Coach had said it perfectly during pre-game interviews:
"We don't need to be better than them 364 days out of the year, we don't need to be better 23 hours out of the day...we just need to be better than them for 40 minutes."

And man did they come close. It's like I said previously, it all comes down to one number, on measurement of time: 40 minutes. No one thought they would be able to hang with the dominant force of the Blue Devils for 40 minutes but they did, until the very last second. Everyone will be talking not only about this tournament, but specifically this game. It's probably one of the best games of the tournament ever. Not to mention it was a 5 seed vs. a 1 seed but it was a downright gritty game. Each team, each player played as if it was going to be their last. Everything was put on the table but Duke just had a little bit more in their corner. That game, and this tournament as a whole, shows that it's not about who's got the better shooters or the better all around players, but who can grit their teeth for 40 minutes to come out with a higher score.

Tonight is the women's championship. UConn v. Stanford. The UConn women are the most dominant force in women's basketball, and possibly in men's basketball as well. They don't lose, at least for 77 games. However their last loss... 2 years ago TODAY... to whom????? Stanford. They have already beaten Stanford this year but like last nights game, anything can happen. UConn is 6-0 in national championships but I know that they're not playing like it's theirs... they know it's going to be a tough game and they're just going out to play like they do every other game.

U-C-O-N-N UCONN UCONN UCONN!