But all that talking and catching up now limited us in opportunity hours to get to and from the Full Moon party. From talking to a few guys that were staying at our same place, I found out there was a 2nd boat option that just came about. “Speedhawk” was offering speedboat tours on the hour, and coming back starting at 3AM. This was much better than the one the hotel was offering. And luck have it too, it was starting to rain, so we figured, let’s go later after the rain has stopped, have dinner in Kho Phanang, then catch the early boat back to Kho Samui. Well, seems like everyone else wanted to catch an earlier boat too because by the time we went to book the boat ride, only time available was the 11pm boat. Crap – now plan B. Since the ride was only 20 min long, at least we’d get to the party before the countdown – so we were still good. Everything was arranged, and our ride was to pick us up between 10-10:30pm.

We figured we’d head to our favorite hangout place, Cactus, for dinner, but when we got there, it was a fixed menu for like 950baht (approx $30), and the menu wasn’t really that appealing. So we headed over to this place we had seen so many times on our walks to dinner, and one we had laughed at each time we passed it – Mr. Poo’s BBQ! Each time we went by it was packed with locals, so we figured it had to be good; we just kept laughing at the name! We didn’t know what to expect, but we were game to try. It turned out to be like a Korean BBQ place, where they have a hotpot in the middle, and all the raw meat and veggies is put on top to cook it. Some of the meat wasn’t too appealing unfortunately (bugs crawling), so we chose what looked good and less buggy. Mr. Poo was great; helping us with the noodles, picking out what he thought we’d like, and showing us how to cook the meat. All-in-all, the meal was pretty good! And totally cheap – like under $3 for all you could eat (the bugs would have probably cost us extra).

With the rain coming down pretty fast earlier, and the wind blowing pretty hard, I was a little freaked out knowing the year before there was the Tsunami just on the other side of Thailand. We timed things perfectly though, the rain had just stopped, the air was steady, and we finished dinner early enough to freshen ourselves up quickly before our ride to the boat came. It was 10pm and waiting with with us were a few young Aussie boys, all pumped up, ready to party on the island with their shoeless feet & full bottle of Jaeger Meister! We waited, and waited, and waited – each time the guy at the reception desk saying “Ride be here in 5 min”… well, we waited til 10:45pm and had to figure out, do we wait more and risk the boat leaving or catch a taxi over? The Aussie’s flagged down a cab who said he knew where Speedhawk boat was at, so we jumped in… we didn’t want to risk missing the 11pm boat and then be stuck not being at the party for the countdown. I’ve learned in Thailand, expect the unexpected and don’t think that anyone knows where the heck they are going! The driver took us to Seabreeze, Seatran, everything else sea related except Seahawk! So about 20-30 min of going back and forth on the same 1-mile street and not finding where we needed to go, we finally came to the landing dock – totally hidden from the street. The boat was just about to leave. They could fit 4 people on, and there was 5 of us… the Aussie’s were great, telling us to go, so Mike and I wished them happy New Year and jumped in the water to get to the boat. We were soaked knees down but we were on our way!

So let’s shorten the story a little more… the ride over was fast and bumpy, the island was packed with people, and we had about maybe 5min to get from the landing doc to where the party scene was at the beach. We hauled butt – people everywhere! Drinks being sold in sand buckets, people painting themselves, and partying from every nook and cranny of the street. We made it to the edge of the beach, or should I say, the beginning rim of the party madness. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…. Happy New Year! OMG! We had just made it! Fireworks went off, people were all over, music from every angle we turned. We pushed our way through the crowd and just started walking to where the music sounded best. We danced at various places for about 2 hours, thinking we’d make the 3am boat back. But we were having such a good time so… why not stay another hour! Our clothes and shoes trashed from all the people and the beach water/sand, we would maybe never experience this again so why not enjoy the most of it – and the music was really really good! I hadn’t danced in quite awhile so it was nice to just let loose. Making our way back to catch the 4am boat to Samui, people were passed out along the beach, along the streets. Complaints of wallets being stolen, food vendors lined up, people ditching mopeds – it was a madhouse and no one wanted to stop partying. At the boat, we did what we could to get on – we pushed our way through all the complaining people, literally jumped full body in the water and made our way onto the boat. I didn’t care who i cut in front of, that boat was not leaving without me. D renched from the water, shoes trashed from the beach & pee & everything else I walked in, we were back on Kho Samui by 4:30, and in bed by 5am….

Happy New Year!

I know every song, have every CD (even the solo CD Rob put out), and have been anticipating them putting out a new CD for quite awhile.  So it didn’t surprise me that when Rob and the boys came out on stage, I was hoping that they would just sing all night.  Matchbox Twenty (just like Coldplay) has been there to listen to during my good times and bad times, and their performance was not disappointing.  They started out with a new release, “How Far We’ve Come” which got everyone going.  And then did some of my favorites like “Disease” and “Bent” and “Bright Lights”.  Nothing was stopping these guys!

Had I known in advance they were coming to NLS, I would have asked to submit a question during the Q&A session.  They couldn’t have been any cuter answering questions and playing jokes with the crowd.  They had a great vibe going on stage, which transferred to us in the audience and had everyone in a great mood.  They were so real and very down to earth.  And the best part was after the show when the autographs started.  I was hesitant at first to go to the stage and stand with the crowd like a groupie.  But I did.  He signed my VIP badge, and although it just sits in a drawer in my room, Rob’s sincerity and fan appreciation is what means the most. 

Just one of the many things that makes Rob Thomas such a doll

What was even more impressive was the answers he gave during his Q&A session.  Lenny comes across very down to earth and insighful on many points.  In his spare time, he’s a farmer.  He used to dress in his mom’s clothes back in the 70′s, and he’s still straight.  And his dream band?  Aretha Franklin as the singer, Bootsie Collins on bass guitar, Jimi Hendrix on lead guitar, Jon Bonham on drums, and Billy Preston on keyboard. 

Just like those legendary music artists he selected for his dream band, Lenny will definitely go down as a rock-n-roll icon.  And I’m sure he’ll be just as dreamy as he is now.

Fast forward xx-years and a friend of mine asked me to go to the Bruce Springsteen “Magic Tour” concert tonight.  My first reaction wasn’t to jump for joy and say “oh heck yes!”  However, being XX years older & working in the music industry for awhile, I now know who Bruce Springsteen is and, although still not really a fan, I can appreciate his music because of WHO he is…  and I decided to go.  So off to the LA Sports Arena we go and by the end of the night, I was actually really enjoying myself!  SHOCKER!  I guess since I didn’t have much expectations, I really had nothing to gauge disappointment. 

Almost every song he sang I knew, just because I’d heard them over the years on the radio and seen the videos on MTV.  I was standing up, dancing and singing to his songs and had a pretty good time.  Not only was it cool seeing Bruce, but the Soprano’s also just recently ended and here’s Steven Van Zandt (aka silvio) there playing his rock-n-roll part and not his italian gangsta part.  And Max Weinberg was drumming right in front of me instead of doing the music introduction on David Letterman… pretty cool!

So, yes I may sound lame for not being a huge Bruce fan over the years, but after seeing him live and being a part of this high-energetic show and seeing how generations of all ages were just rockin’ out to his music, well… now I have a much more appreciation for Bruce and the E-Street band.  Thanks for asking me to go Steve!

So, I figured it was so good last year, let’s see what they can do THIS year!  I tried to round the troops up for a group scaring and then organize dinner at this fabulous restaurant next door, Red White & Bluezz.  In the end, it turned out to be just two of us actually going into the haunted house and everyone met afterwards for food and drinks.  The haunted house was just the same as it was last year with the pitch black darkness and the 50-ft crawl space, except 1) it was longer, 2) there were more “twists” and “turns” in the path so that they could scare you more, 3) I screamed more during the walk through, mainly due to the small freaky kids that popped out in front of me!, and 4) this time I was able to laugh at others that pee’d their pants from the guy at the end!

Ten minutes of scare worked up my appetite and I was ready to meet the gang over at Red, White & Bluezz.  It’s a great little jazz/blues place I came across a few years back during an annual food event called “A taste of Pasadena”.  So whenever I’m in Pasadena I try to go there because the food, the music, the staff and the ambiance is just great!  As always, the food was really good and very filling.  We all ordered different things and shared our plates around the table, so it was nice to get a little variety and sample many things (I usually stick to the dishes I know I like best!).  And the wine was really a great compliment to all we sampled… plus it helped me forget about the little freaks that made me scream at every corner!  ha!

Well, everyone and their mother had the same idea too!  The place was really packed and even getting there early didn’t save us.  Eventually someone left their seats open and we snagged them.  Despite the 3 big guys who stood in front of me the whole time (and didn’t get the hint when I text’d a message across the stage screen for them to move), the show band was great!  The sound itself could have been better but of course, remember, this is the Wiltern.  Maybe everyone could take hints from the Editors sound crew or something, yeah?  Silversun played almost every song off their album, and this hometown (LA) band had the crowd really going.  It’s the little band that could, and I hope they go on and on and on!

The Afterparty
Oh!  Almost forgot!  So after the show, went over to the birthday party – got there around midnight so thought we would still be able to spend some time celebrating.  Except we got there at a bad time because the cops had just left and everyone was being really quiet and mellow, not to mention, drunk too   But what mattered most was that KJH (resorting to initals only to protect the innocent) entered her 30th year with the people she wanted to share it with the most.  I’m glad I could at least spend :30min of it with her

Can’t stop raving about the great time I had at the Editor’s concert… WOW!  I’ve seen many concerts at the Wiltern, and I really have to admit, this one will definitely go down in my books as one of my top favorites.  Usually at the Wiltern the sound comes off just a little muffled or pretty much you can’t really hear the words that are being sung.  It’s like beat, beat, beat, blah-blah-blah, beat beat, beat, wah-wah-wah.  Actually, more like the teacher in the Peanuts cartoon.  And it kinda sucks because you go there for the band that you like, and you can barely understand what is being sung (although yes, a true fan would know the lyrics anyhow, but still, i’d like to hear them at least).  But tonight was different. 

The opening band was ok… because of the sound as I just explained, I was thinking the rest of the show was going to be just as mediocre.  Getting there a bit late, I was also expecting to stand, which isn’t really fun when you’re short.  But got a little lucky and was able to get a table at the very back.  The location turned out to be excellent!  The Editors came on and the music was loud and clear, and I was able to see over everyone’s heads and had a good, direct view of the band.  Plain and simple, it was an absolute great performance!!  They pretty much came on stage, said hello and just played non-stop for the next hour, maybe taking a brief second to thank everyone and the bands before them before continuing on with another few songs.  They really went over my expectations (last time I ever listen to JT again), and I would see them again anytime.

Carlos looked amazing (probably a little stoned too) – and of course his guitar playing was just as good now as it was then.  It’s obvious from a lot of his responses to the audience’s questions that he’s a pretty big believer in Jesus Cristo and keeps him a part of his every day life.  He’s a very down to earth, inspirational person who really showcases the goodness he has in his heart.  He played a total of 9 songs, which included Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Maria Maria, and Smooth as the most popular.  I loved the more Latin style he has on his new album.  He had two lead singers trading off on vocals, and his music had me moving the entire time.

I feel pretty lucky that in the past week I’ve been able to see two great legends in Music.  Muchas Gracias Carlos Santana!

p.s. and can’t forget a BIG thank you to John Lenac for hooking me up with the ticket

The club was literally packed inside and out just to see him.  Love Mysterious is his latest album just released a few weeks ago and for the first few hours he played some really good sets off of it.  The later part was more around songs from his first album, with him ending the show playing “Steppin’ Out” (my favorite song). 

Dennis Romero of the Los Angeles City Beat couldn’t have put it better when he wrote, “If there’s a man of the moment in dance music, it’s Kaskade.”  And gotta give props to Ray for making me more aware of Kaskade.

His music is legendary and so soulful.  Keep singin the blues BB…