Three Kings: Larry, Dave, Lebron
Curb Your Enthusiasm is back on the air, and thank goodness. TV was missing something until the king of situational comedy returned to the air. In a world of rhetoric cowed in the face of politcal correctness, David is a breath of fresh air. Ben's Birthday Party was hilarious; Ben Stiller is a great choice as guest star.
Monday night I went to see Dave Matthews and Friends at Key Arena. I'm not a rabid Dave Matthews fan, unlike just about everyone in attendance, but he brought along Tim Reynolds, a mad genius on the guitar and someone I've always wanted to see live. Dave Matthews occupies his own strange little kingdom, completely outside the critical spotlight. He doesn't seem to win any awards, and his albums are rarely given rave reviews, but his fan base is massive and cult-like. Even in years when he doesn't release a CD, he can sell out arenas all across the country. Seattle, his current home, definitely offers home field advantage as his audience is primarily white, ages 25-35.
I barely understood anything he mumbled between songs (he enunciates best when singing), but every phrase was greeted by several thousand female shrieks and strangely affectionate hollers from former fraternity boys (who comprise the oddest segment of his fan base): "We love you Dave!" It's quite peaceful when he slows things down, if you can ignore the sensitive white guys trying to dance all around.
The acoustic set with Tim Reynolds was the opener, and my favorite part of the concert. It's just Tim, Dave, two guitars, and Dave's voice, but it sounds like twice as many guitars. I wasn't as in to the electric big band stuff when the rest of his friends, including Trey Anastasio from Phish and Emmylou Harris, joined him on stage, though they did a few fun covers (set list can be found here). No one could complain they didn't get their money's worth; Dave played a good three hours, perhaps more, and he was on stage the whole time, laughing and jamming.
Tonight, I caught Lebron with his visiting Cavs at the very same Key Arena. If you had no idea who Lebron James was and were asked to pick out the player on the court who was the 18 year old, you would not pick Lebron. 6' 8", 240 lbs?! Why hasn't he been signed up for a Got Milk ad?
He put up a line of 27 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and he didn't always look polished doing it. It was an easy 27-9-9, if there's such a thing. If you extrapolate based on his age, it's frightening to think of what he could become, especially with better teammates (the Cavs need to dump half their team and rebuild around him). He could average close to a triple double for a season. Who knows if it will happen? There hasn't been an 18 year old at his level in the NBA before.
Monday night I went to see Dave Matthews and Friends at Key Arena. I'm not a rabid Dave Matthews fan, unlike just about everyone in attendance, but he brought along Tim Reynolds, a mad genius on the guitar and someone I've always wanted to see live. Dave Matthews occupies his own strange little kingdom, completely outside the critical spotlight. He doesn't seem to win any awards, and his albums are rarely given rave reviews, but his fan base is massive and cult-like. Even in years when he doesn't release a CD, he can sell out arenas all across the country. Seattle, his current home, definitely offers home field advantage as his audience is primarily white, ages 25-35.
I barely understood anything he mumbled between songs (he enunciates best when singing), but every phrase was greeted by several thousand female shrieks and strangely affectionate hollers from former fraternity boys (who comprise the oddest segment of his fan base): "We love you Dave!" It's quite peaceful when he slows things down, if you can ignore the sensitive white guys trying to dance all around.
The acoustic set with Tim Reynolds was the opener, and my favorite part of the concert. It's just Tim, Dave, two guitars, and Dave's voice, but it sounds like twice as many guitars. I wasn't as in to the electric big band stuff when the rest of his friends, including Trey Anastasio from Phish and Emmylou Harris, joined him on stage, though they did a few fun covers (set list can be found here). No one could complain they didn't get their money's worth; Dave played a good three hours, perhaps more, and he was on stage the whole time, laughing and jamming.
Tonight, I caught Lebron with his visiting Cavs at the very same Key Arena. If you had no idea who Lebron James was and were asked to pick out the player on the court who was the 18 year old, you would not pick Lebron. 6' 8", 240 lbs?! Why hasn't he been signed up for a Got Milk ad?
He put up a line of 27 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and he didn't always look polished doing it. It was an easy 27-9-9, if there's such a thing. If you extrapolate based on his age, it's frightening to think of what he could become, especially with better teammates (the Cavs need to dump half their team and rebuild around him). He could average close to a triple double for a season. Who knows if it will happen? There hasn't been an 18 year old at his level in the NBA before.