AZ Vibe – The Ultimate Phoenix Entertainment Resource

This past weekend was one of the best food events of the spring as ‘Devoured’ took place at the Phoenix Art Museum.  The great thing about having events such as Devoured during this time of year is that the weather more than likely agrees with the event.  This weekend the weather indeed agreed, save for some wind, and added a great vibe to the overall atmosphere of this great event!

Devoured operates as a non-profit organization to promote not only local businesses but to shine a light on the City of Phoenix as a culinary destination.

After entering the ‘Devoured’ grounds, I had a hard time determining where to begin first.  Instead of going to each booth one by one, I decided what any good foodie would do….throw caution to the wind and let their stomach be their guide.

I then dove into a promising world of what exactly the Phoenix Culinary scene has to offer.

From the Bacon Ice Cream by Sweet Republic, to the Meatballs and Butterscotch pudding (two separate dishes) served up by FnB, to the Apple Pie and Irish Cream ice cream served up by Udder Delights, to shrimp tostadas from Ticoz Resto-bar.  There was a cavalcade of wonderful food offerings that would satisfy the pickiest of eaters.

The best samples from Devoured that stood out in my mind were:

Sweet Republic’s Bacon Ice Cream – Bacon is so difficult to properly leverage as a dessert item yet Sweet Republic does it with such ease.   This recipe allows the bacon flavor to be present without overpowering the rest of the key ingredients while still classifying the concoction as a dessert.

Relish Burger Bistro – The newest addition to the Phoenician Resort offered Kobe Beef Sliders that were an example of perfection in the burger, bun, and the cheese. For the first time in my life, I ate a burger that didn’t need any form of condiments as the Kobe Beef sliders stood on its own as an amazing food offering.  For me and my palate, that’s a strong statement as to how amazing this burger tasted.

Ticoz Resto-Bar – They offered a great shrimp tosdada with an amazing tasting guacamole looking sauce.  Every bite was a perfect compliment to the sunny day at Devoured.

Hana Japanese Eatery – They served up chicken balls dipped in a Teriyaki Glaze that was out of this world.

Wine

One of the great aspects about Devoured was the selection of wines available.  However, many of them did not have any indication of what wineries they represented.

All of the restaurants represented at Devoured had cards in their stalls indicating what establishment they represented. However, not a single winery had an identifying card.  There were a handful of wineries that brought their own informational displays, some of which I recognized from other food festivals around the area.

I tried a good sampling of the wines available especially the wines from Arizona Stronghold.  If you don’t recognize the Arizona Stronghold winery, the owners were the subject of a recent documentary called ‘Blood into Wine’.  Also, one of the owners/winemakers is Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer of ‘Tool’.

Even with the notoriety of ‘Arizona Stronghold’, none of the wines at Devoured really stood out to me as a great or important wine.  Furthermore, none of them really complimented the foods available at Devoured.

Chef Demonstrations/Seminars

If there was one aspect of Devoured that really stood out to me, it was the Chef Demonstrations and the Seminars.  The Chef Demonstrations were top notch as many of the area’s top chefs just under an hour demonstrating their crafts.  The demonstrations were outside so they were well attended.  I’m a fan of the Food Network and love to watch just about any food related show so I can soak up recipes, food styles and food theory.

The Seminars, on the other hand, were not so well attended.

I personally didn’t know where the Seminars were until I practically stumbled onto the Tequila demonstration by Agave expert, Tania Oseguera.  Had I known where the seminars were located I probably would have attended most, if not all of them.  The selection of guest speakers that were available at Devoured would have satisfied any food lover.

Finally, one of the drawbacks to Devoured was not related to the food or the beverages, it was the lack of places for people to stand or sit with their newly acquired food/drink samples. Having to juggle camera equipment with food, napkin, and a wine glass wasn’t easy. I ended up dropping my camera near the end of the day because of the lack of available table/arm space. If there were more tables around that would have helped immensely for all who attended.

One of the best and most useful ideas I have seen to help alleviate the lack of arm space was at ‘Uncorked and Unplugged’ this past October.

Check out this below:

This was one of the most original ideas I’ve ever seen and was EXTREMELY useful while checking out all the food and drinks that were offered at ‘Uncorked and Unplugged’.  If the people that put Devoured together can come up with something like this, it would be a great benefit to their cause!

Finally, another thing I would love to see for next year is to expand the selection of restaurants represented here from mostly Central Phoenix establishments to restaurants valley wide.  If this festival is truly going to encompass what all of Phoenix has to offer, I would love to see a festival full of all that Phoenix has to offer.

Popularity: 5% [?]

If you haven’t noticed, the best way to know what’s going on with the Club scene on Mill Avenue in Tempe and in Old Town Scottsdale is to check out Facebook for events going on around town on any given day.

When it comes to promoting events around the City of Phoenix, not everyone is on the same page on how to correctly promote events on Facebook. Even though AZ Vibe doesn’t promote club events, I personally get event notifications from every major club and event promoter in the area.  I know what works and what doesn’t.  The following are just some notes for all of you who use Facebook to help you promote your events around the area and get more people to your events.

1) Use a Facebook Fan Page and not a Facebook group or a Facebook user account for your promotions.

Fan Pages are the best option for letting people know about events as Facebook users can only have 5,000 friends.  In addition, Facebook will shut you down if they find out you are using a personal account for your business.  Also, if you add friends too fast to your personal account, they will flag your account and possibly shut it down.

The main reason that you don’t use a Facebook group to promote your events is that Facebook groups are designed for causes and not for promotions or events.  Yes I know you can create events with Facebook groups.  However, the Facebook developers did not have club promotions in mind when they programmed the ability for users to create and admin groups in Facebook.

The other reason you use a Facebook Fan Page for your promotions/events is because you can track metrics for your page.  Metrics are basically reports on how your fans interact with your page.  Facebook groups do not have tracking metrics.

Finally, using your personal Facebook account for your promotions or events just screams that you don’t have any clue what you are doing.  If you want to be considered a professional in the promotion of events use a Facebook Fan Page people!!

2) Groups have limits

As partially explained above, Facebook groups have limits on what they can do for both the user and the admin.  In addition the Facebook user can have only 300 groups maximum where as the limits on how many fan pages a given Facebook user can have is over 3,000.  I personally am at my 300 group limit and have to dump some promoters to bring on new ones.

3) Only one Facebook event for one club promotion/event

I don’t know how many times I get 2, 3, 4 invites from multiple parties for the same event.  When people do this it screams that not only are you unorganized but it makes me want to say ‘No’ to attending your events.

You only need one invite for one event from one Facebook fan page.

4) Notifications

The Notifications on Facebook is a touchy subject.   How much do you notify someone?  For this specific area of promoting your event, you’re going to have to do some trial and error to figure out what works best for you.  Why?  If there’s one thing I’ve learned in Phoenix since I moved here many moons ago is that there are two types of people when it comes to planning on what to do with their free time:

1) The type of person who plans in advance

2) The type of person who plans at the very last moment

This is what you have to use as a guide for notifications to find what works best for you and your promotions as every event is different.

5) If you’re not on Faceboook, why aren’t you?!?!?!

This one is for all the restaurants, clubs, and other promoters across the greater Phoenix Area who don’t leverage Facebook for your events.  I don’t know how much I can emphasize  MySpace may be used for the Phoenix Music scene (…and that’s about it) but Facebook is for Club, Cultural and other events that go on around the area.

If you’re not on Facebook promoting events, then get with the program!  If you don’t have the time to spend promoting on Facebook, hire someone!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Photos from today’s festivities have been posted to our Facebook Fan page:

http://www.facebook.com/azvibe

Videos from today’s festivities have been posted to our YouTube page:

http://www.youtube.com/azvibephx

Today at the Scottsdale Fashion Square marked the grand opening of the first ever Microsoft Store in the world.  The state of Arizona experienced first hand what it’s like to have Microsoft throw a party…and what a party it was!  Customers were treated to free food, products, shirts, and gifts up to the moment when the store opened to the public.

Starting yesterday afternoon, customers were lining up for the first glimpse at what is pretty much the first ever public front for Microsoft (outside developer conferences and things like that) for the average consumer.

Right before the opening, a brief grand opening ceremony started with the General Manager of the new store and Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner.  Mr Turner (video of these ceremonies can be found on our YouTube channel -- Link is above) proceeded to lay the ground work for what Microsoft plans to offer the community including value in their products, choice and service.

Before the ribbon cutting, Microsoft proceeded to officially donate over 1 million (US) dollars in products and cash to many local charitable organizations as noted in the following videos:

Once the presentations were over with, it was time to show the world what the store looked like!

As the long line of fans made their way into the brand new store, some went immediately to the back of the store to get a complimentary gift bag (as was advertised on Facebook/Twitter/etc).  Other customers browsed around the new store and began to explore all the technologies Microsoft had to offer.  For me this was the most fascinating part of the Grand Opening…watching people explore and test new and existing Microsoft technologies.

The main part of the store that people really loved to explored was the Microsoft Surface tables (there’s four of them in the store).

Here’s a sample of what the Microsoft Surface technology is all about:

As stated previously, what fascinated me today was watching all the people who have never used this (and Windows 7) technology by exploring what the given technology can do for them.  It was like watching a kid open a present on Christmas day.  It was definitely a study in the human condition.

I tested the new Windows  7 (love it!) and then checked out some of the different configurations that customers could use with Windows 7.  From the Xbox, to media center PC’s, there was something for everyone to check out at the store.  Furthermore,  I was told that the Microsoft Store carries Hardware that cannot be purchased anywhere but the Microsoft Store.

Other than the Microsoft Surface demos, I was fascinated by the Xbox section of the store and the many different demos that customers can check out and play Xbox games within the main screen that is on the interior perimeter of the store.  Check this out:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2852750&id=33123943379

As I left the store, mainly because of a camera with a dead battery along with no more memory card room and a nearly dead Blackberry, I still had many questions not only about how the Microsoft store came to be but also how and in what manner customers can leverage the resources at the Microsoft store.

A spokesperson at Microsoft was kind enough to answer the following questions for me:

Q. Why did Microsoft choose Scottsdale to be the location of their first ever retail store? There are many cities in the US that could have been a perfect candidate for the first Microsoft retail store (like New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, etc). What made Scottsdale stand out as the perfect candidate for the first ever Microsoft Retail Store?

A. Scottsdale Fashion Square is world-class shopping center. When the company looked at real estate options, the team evaluated mall traffic patterns in high-performing suburban shopping centers. The local community has been wonderful to work with and Microsoft couldn’t be more excited to begin its retail efforts and learn from area residents.

Q. Was the date to open the Microsoft retail store in Scottsdale chosen to only correspond with the worldwide launch of Windows 7?

A. It’s an exciting day for the company and our customers, and it made sense to align the opening of the first-ever retail store with the release of the newest operating system.

Q. Of the staff chosen for the Store, are they all originally from Arizona or were they brought in from Redmond or other Microsoft campuses around the globe?

A. Microsoft hired retail talent from across the industry, regardless of location, to build the best in-store team possible.

Q. Given that retail stores sometimes need to change with the times, how will Microsoft adapt to changing times/tastes/technologies?

A. The customers are in charge. Their feedback will help shape the strategy, products and services Microsoft offers in the stores and online.

Q. I took a look at the ‘Microsoft Store Services’ booklet that was being handed out at the store Launch this morning. If a customer has a question that is normally handled by the worldwide product support divisions at Microsoft (ex. phone in support), is the staff at the Microsoft Retail Store trained to handle questions about Exchange or other Microsoft business products?

A. Customers can ask store employees anything. These experts will give their best effort on any type of technology, regardless of brand, release date or purchase location.

Q. Is the Microsoft Store only designed for home consumers or are they going to take on Business products (SQL, Exchange Server, Developer Tools, etc)?

A. The store is designed to bring to life the connected experiences people can have with hundreds of products such as laptops running Windows 7, computing accessories, Xbox consoles and accessories, Windows Phones, Zunes, and first- and third-party software titles. In-store technical support and learning services are available for all customers, but the focus is on meeting the needs of general consumers.

Q. Let’s say I wanted to attend one of the free classes in the theater at the back of the store, how can I find out about these classes? From the looks of the Store website, (http://store.microsoft.com/home.aspx and http://store.microsoft.com/Locations) I’m not seeing the list of classes.

A. The best way is to check with the store for the latest class schedule. Customer feedback and requests will guide the focus and selection of sessions.

Q. Does the store have wireless if customers want to bring their Laptops in for classes at the Theater? I know the Mall has Wi-fi but the connection is sometimes spotty at best.

A. Yes

I would strongly suggest all residents of Phoenix, even if you are an Apple fan, to come out and check out what the Microsoft store has to offer. You can spend quite a bit of time on the Microsoft Surface tables alone.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Editors Note:  Photos from the event have been posted to the AZ Vibe Facebook page (click link).

Sunday evening marked the 2009 ‘Uncorked and Unplugged’ fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale.  You couldn’t ask for a better night as the unseasonable 100 degree-ish weather from earlier in the day set the stage for perfect weather by the time the sun went down.

For those of you who have never been to this event, all of the interior public areas of the Desert Ridge Mall were shutdown for this event (except for the Movie theater and the Barnes and Noble book store).

As we entered the event I paused to look up and the gateway and sky (photo above) just set the tone for a wonderful evening.  When we entered we received an extremely well designed sample tray that would hold our wine glass and prevent spillage/breakage of said wine glass.  Attendees were also given a gift bag with many great items such as a corkscrew/wine cork set in a wooden box.  A very nice touch for all who attended the event.

I started on east end of the event at Bill Johnson’s Big Apple and checked out every table until I got to the Blue Martini table at the far end of the venue.  I sampled as much food as possible and a few of the wines.  Can’t really comment on the wines because I needed to stay sober (which I did) for the drive home.

Some of the highlights of the sampling…

Bill Johnson’s Big Apple – Great shredded pork and cole slaw

San Felipe’s – Pork Street Tacos were very tasty but a bit dry for other ingredients (like salsa) Also, there was a Don Julio station inside the San Felipe’s area that were distributing your choice of Tequila shots or a Margarita shot.

Arizona Grand Resort – Gazpacho topped with Avocado Gelato.  This was my favorite…taste.  The Gazpacho was served in a plastic shot glass with a drop of the Avocado Gelato on top.   Here’s a picture before tasting so you can see what I mean. The first taste was amazing as the combination of the Gelato and Gazpacho was one of the most original and delicious culinary experiences I’ve had in a long time.

Ling and Louie’s – Wango Mango Chicken – Very tasty!

Orange Sky – Bacon wrapped prawn in scallop bacon coated in jalapeno sauce.  This sample was my favorite as it was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy along with amazing way bacon wrapped prawns (or anything for that matter) taste.  Having the bacon coated in Jalapeno sauce  Here’s a picture of what it looked like before it was eaten.

Rock Bottom’s Prime rib was especially tasty!

Rubio’s Shrimp and Chicken Tacos – I’m biased towards Rubio’s ever since I had their real lobster burrito for the very first time.  Rubio’s may be a chain restaurant but the main thing they excel in is taste.

If there were any complaints about the evening there would be only one.  The lack of seating for people who got tired while walking around.  There seemed to be lots of people who were sitting in places that wasn’t designed to be sitting places.  An example would be the amount of people who were sitting in the Children’s playground because all the other main seating areas were all being used.

All in all, this was a wonderful night to remember with culinary treats that challenged every part of my palate.  If ever anyone sees this event being advertised next year, do not hesitate as this is one of these events that makes the greater Phoenix area a great place to grow roots and to just have fun.

Pictures from the evening’s festivities have been posted to the AZ Vibe Facebook fan page.  The link to the page is:

http://www.facebook.com/azvibe

Popularity: 9% [?]

I for one, was looking forward to this day.  When I first moved to the Phoenix area a few years ago the last department store in the old east wing was being closed down for good.   I also watched the various stages of demolition of the East Wing over the next few years.  I didn’t really understand the need to demolish the entire east wing of the Scottsdale Fashion Square as I thought it was a very functional mall.

That was until I stepped into the grand opening celebration of the new east wing of the Scottsdale Fashion Square.

WOW!

Now I fully understood that not every store would be open at this grand opening.  The stores that were open were of a pretty amazing variety. Everyone in attendance was treated with a lovely light breakfast with beverages, a band that was playing very Frank Sinatra-ish music, and an overall festive atmosphere.

As I strolled around the new wing I checked out not only the stores but the interior architecture and the exterior improvements. For example, the expansion leverages the natural light from the sun in all their skylights.

The more I poked around the grand opening, the more I understood why the east wing was demolished and rebuilt.  Basically, they’re trying to keep things fresh and to avoid becoming just another mall like many of the others in the Greater Phoenix area.

I explored every one of the new stores that were open during the grand opening celebration and here are some of my thoughts:

Christian Audiger – This is basically the person who took all of famed Tattoo artist Ed Hardy’s designs and put them into one of the most popular fashion lines of the modern era.  I used to do marketing for a vendor of some of the Ed Hardy/Christian Audiger line and this store was what exactly I envisioned this clothing line’s retail store would be.  This even included the sometimes hard to find Hardy/Audiger perfume line.  The only thing I didn’t expect was the store to be so small.  For a retail product line that is pretty popular in this area, I expected more from the overall size of the store.

Banana Republic – The opening of the Banana Republic store in the new east wing also marked the grand opening of the clothing retailer’s new retail concept.   It’s an amazing architectural and fashion feast for the eyes.  Detailed Photos are up on the AZ Vibe Facebook fan page (link below).  This store is a perfect marriage for the Scottsdale Fashion Square and Banana Republic.

True Religion – The brand that is synonymous with high end denim and apparel, opened their first store in Arizona with the opening of the east wing. This store is packed to the rafters with a wide variety of clothing to choose from.  The best way to describe True Religion to those who aren’t familiar with the brand is from their company website.  True Religion is “quality, American-made, authentic, timeless, great fitting, 1970’s inspired jeans, with a trendsetting appeal for today’s consumer.”

Barney’s New York – The department store that is synonymous with the cutting edge of fashion, opened their first store in Arizona.  For those of you who are expecting something new and exciting to add to your wardrobe, Barney’s is the destination for all.  I was truly impressed with the wide array of designers that were represented at Barney’s.

Now the centerpiece of the Grand Opening was the ‘Where Fashion Becomes Art’ exhibit where many local and national artists were each given a  mannequin from there they were allowed to take their mannequins and express what fashion means to them.

I thoroughly enjoyed the wide array of mannequins on display for the east wing grand opening.  Mere words couldn’t describe what the artists produced for this art display.  Take a look at the photos and video on the AZ Vibe Facebook fan page (link below) to see a sample of the many mannequins that were on display for the grand opening.

Given all the time and effort put into the re-design of the east wing of the Scottsdale Fashion Square the people at Westcor put considerable time and effort into not only the re-design but into the choices of what stores will be opening in the new east wing.

From what I saw today, the Scottsdale Fashion Square are indeed making sure that the Scottsdale Fashion Square stands on its own from their competitors.

I hope everyone gets out to check the new east wing out for yourself to get a sample of the style and class offerings that makes the Scottsdale Fashion Square a truly unique destination for all.

Photos and Video from the Grand Opening Celebration can be found on the AZ Vibe Facebook Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/azvibe

Popularity: 7% [?]

One of my greatest concert regrets was not going to see the first Lollapalooza tour with Jane’s Addiction and Nine Inch Nails in the lineup.  Now, this is not only the first time that the two bands have toured together since that first Lollapalooza but it’s also the first time that the original Jane’s Addiction lineup have toured since that inaugural Lollapalooza tour.

I could probably spend my time writing up a grandiose review of the NINJA tour of Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction comparing the times I saw them in other venues and other stuff like that…but I can’t…I won’t.

The truth is this is the first time I’ve seen both bands….ever.  After seeing both shows for the first time, all I can say is this….

They both kicked ass.

Sure, I can go into detail about every song of both sets describing the ferocity of both performances  in a typical music reviewer fashion.  However, instead of boring you to death with words, I’m going to do this….

I’m going to provide you all 100% legal links to the audio, video and photos from the show so you can listen/watch/see for yourself how much this show kicked ass.

Now most of you don’t know that on this tour, Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction allowed the taping (audio and video) of their shows.  As a result, you the reader and fan can listen and view all of the different aspects that make Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiciton still such a powerful force in the music world.

There are simply some GREAT recordings of the Phoenix show floating around out there right now.

In the following thread in the Nine Inch Nails forum there are some great audio recordings you can download for yourself:

http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?21,684617,page=1

All you need is to know how to work a Torrent program (like Bit Torrent) and you can download the music in FLAC or MP3 format.

Photos from the show:

http://beta.media.nin.com/gallery/index?g_type=token&g_val=2003&g_sort=newest&g_tag=&g_media=photo&page=1

Videos from the show:

http://beta.media.nin.com/gallery/index?g_type=token&g_val=2004&g_sort=newest&g_tag=&g_media=video&page=1

Nine Inch Nails set list according to the Nine Inch Nails forum:

home
1,000,000
heresy
march of the pigs (with remix outro)
something i can never have
reptile
last
Survivalism
mr. self destruct
banged and blown through
The Fragile
The Downward Spiral
wish
suck
dead souls
Down in it
head like a hole
hurt

Jane’s Addiction Set list according to xiola.org:

Three Days
Whores
Pigs in Zen
Ain’t No Right
Then She Did…
Mountain Song
1%
Been Caught Stealing
Ted, just admit it…
Ocean Size

Encore:
Summertime Rolls
Stop!
Jane Says

Jane’s Addiction Video (still looking for the Audio of the Phoenix show)

Three Days (recorded in Tampa, FL a few nights earlier) -- The song that opened their set Phoenix

Pigs in Zen

Then She Did

Ocean Size (Warning NSFW Language)

Enjoy….

Popularity: 2% [?]

Editor’s note:  Pictures from the Red Light District Costume Ball are posted to our Facebook Fan Page

When I first arrived at the Wrigley Mansion for Raven Events “Red Light District Costume Ball”, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The only thing that I knew going into this event was that the fundraiser was for local battered women’s shelter charities and that the beautiful women there would be dressed spectacularly.

When the Valet took my car off, I boarded a bus for the short drive to the top of Wrigley Mansion.

Once the 100 foot summit to the mansion entrance was conquered, I entered through the front door and my first mission was to check out the Mansion itself…the parts that were open to the public.  This was the first time I had visited the Wrigley Mansion.  However, the review of the mansion will come on another day.

(For more information about the Wrigley Mansion, please refer to this link)

Once my exploring of the mansion was completed, I began to explore the party.  I entered right into Geordie’s Restaurant which was offering a special $10 menu for all party goers in their dining room and drinks in the bar area.  Just past the bar was the dance floor where the band Nineball were cranking out some great cover jams.

Now I know what you’re probably thinking.  “What kind of party was this?”

Given the theme, you’d probably think it was a pretty crazy party.  In some parts of the mansion, it was….really crazy.  However, since this was a fundraiser, people were there to have fun, let loose, and go crazy all in the name of charity.  It was the perfect venue for people to come, have fun and forget about life for a few hours.

The chances that are that if you are reading this, you probably didn’t go.  I won’t be going into detail about the crazy parts of the party except that you all missed out!

The rest of the mansion was all decked out with different themes, vendors of many types and even pole dancing lessons for the ladies.  There was so much to do and see that if someone got bored, you would have to check to see if they had a pulse.  I personally spent quite a bit of time checking out the silent auction as they had so many cool things that were being auctioned off.  From autographed framed photos of rock and sports stars to packaged deals from various companies.

The best part of the Red Light District Ball were the costumes.  Man oh man were some of them great!  Many people got into the full spirit of the event and dressed in attire that was similar to the lady in lingerie in the ad on the Red Light District Ball website and that added to the overall coolness and….let’s say….atmosphere of the party.   Everyone there visibly were having a great time!

I had so much fun that I’m definitely going to be going next year.  Raven put on a hell of an event and can’t wait for her next big function!  If you are ever, in the future, are on the fence about going to one of Raven’s parties, do it.  You won’t be disappointed.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Pictures from the show have been posted to the AZ Vibe Facebook fan page.  Check em out!  There’s some great ones!!!

As I was driving along I-10 to the Cricket Wireless Pavilion I couldn’t help to notice the temperature out.

98 degrees.

Now this was my first concert at the Cricket but not my first Dave Matthews Band show.  I’ve been to see the Dave Matthews Band play across the US and Canada.  The last Dave Matthews Band shows I went to before tonight’s show in Phoenix were at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington State.   When the Dave Matthews Band plays the Gorge at the end of the summer, the temperatures are very similar to Phoenix at this time of year.

The two reasons why this is relevant is 1) the average temperature when the Dave Matthews Band plays the Gorge at show time was around 98.  2) When the temperature hovers near the century mark, the Dave Matthews Band always put on a great show pulling out many surprises and songs out from their back catalog as well.

Their Phoenix show was no different.

The show started with Dave Matthews coming out by himself singing ‘Rye Whiskey’. A song I’ve never heard before in concert and was performed very well.  I also found out this was the first time that Dave came out and sung a song solo to begin a show in sixteen years.

Yet another reason why this show was special.

Once the opening song of the set was completed, the rest of the Dave Matthews Band took their places upon the stage. One of the best surprises from the show was seeing long time Dave Matthews Band contributor Tim Reynolds lace up his guitar with the band. This was also another indicator that this would be a great show.

The band then tore into ‘Tripping Billies’ which not only got the crowd rockin’ but set the tone for the rest of the evening.  Since the Dave Matthews Band has a new album coming out (Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King) on June 2, they played four songs in total off the new album (Funny the Way it is, Spaceman, Seven, and Why I Am) which were well received by the crowd.

After ‘Tripping Billies’, the Dave Matthews Band took shallow and deep reaches into their back catalog by not only playing fan favorites such as ‘Crash Into Me’, ‘Warehouse’, and ‘Rapunzel’.  The band also dusted off some classics that they don’t play very often on tour such as ‘Dancing Nancies’, ‘The Dreaming Tree’, and #41…songs you would expect to hear when they play their yearly three night stand at the Gorge.

From the opening note of ‘Rye Whiskey’ to the last note of ‘All Along the Watchtower’ the fans were treated to one of the best performances I’ve seen the band put on in YEARS.

Even in this economy, the Dave Matthews Band still can pack the Amphitheaters as they are still, without a doubt, one of the best live acts in rock music today. If you missed them this time around, well you’re just gonna have to wait for another year for them to come back.

The Set List from tonight’s show according to the Dave Matthews Band website:

Rye Whiskey
Tripping Billies
Spaceman
Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel
Crash Into Me
Seven
Dreaming Tree
Funny The Way It Is
So Damn Lucky
Everyday
#41
Why I Am
Dancing Nancies
Warehouse
Crush
Grey Street

__________________

Don’t Drink the Water
All Along The Watchtower

Popularity: 3% [?]

We went to check out the ‘Movies in the Park’ showing of ‘From Russia With Love’, the James Bond classic last Friday night as we saw this as one of the perfect examples of why we started this site.

When I arrived at the Biltmore Fashion Plaza the center grounds were already packed with lots of people just hanging out and awaiting the start time of the movie.  Some had picnics all laid out and most people had lawn chairs just kicking back and relaxing.

The movie promptly started at 7:30 and thus began a classic roller coaster ride that the old Sean Connery James Bond films tend to be.

All in all the ‘Movies in the Park’ was a great experience and I would highly recommend it for anyone who would like to go see a great movie in a great location.

There’s one more movie this week in the series and it’s the Alfred Hitchcock classic ‘Vertigo’.  Don’t miss the chance to see a great movie in a great atmosphere.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Well, we had attempted to get press credentials to this event right after the big announcement was made that Tempe, Arizona was going to host the big X-Men Origins: Wolverine World Premiere. However, as we and other many other local media outlets later found out we were shut out of the event and only a couple of select local media were allowed to cover the event.

That didn’t stop us. LOL

We had called in advance of the event and called again to confirm our media credential request but received no response from the local PR company (who shall remain nameless) who handled the event. Well since they didn’t say ‘No’, we were going anyways.

When I arrived at the media check in for the event I saw many other members of the local media such as Channel 5, Channel 3, even the ASU student news paper were all shut out of covering the event.  Nice way to make this local event a memorable one for the local media ‘unnamed PR company’.

I got a quick look at the media invited to the event (hee hee) and noted that the theme of the people who were invited.  I noted that the TV/Print/Online outlets that covered the event were all from out of town and had insane amounts of viewers/readers. I mean even ‘60 Minutes’ got credentials to the event. What the hell does ‘60 Minutes’ need press credentials to a movie premiere for?!?!?!?

Furthermore, I was pretty ticked off at the countless people who got press passes that didn’t even use said passes to cover the event. I lost count at the amount of people that just used the credentials just to see the movie or impress some girl they’re trying to get into bed (trust me, there were a lot of them).

Great job at screening people there ‘unnamed PR company’!!!!

So by this point, we were denied credentials to the event with the following quote from “L”.  Keep in mind the statement about the countless people who had press credentials and didn’t cover the event:

L: “We were not able to approve credentials for you guys.”

Me: “Why’s that?”

L:  “We just had too many people on the list”

Me:  “So local media doesn’t…”

L:  “No local media…there’s a lot of local media out there”  (There wasn’t) “They just basically told us who was ok and who was not going to be able to do it…”

By this point my Bullshit detector was off the charts.

The translation of the above quotes from “L” is as follows:

“You’re not Entertainment Weekly or the LA Times so you’re not getting credentials.”

However, I wasn’t going to leave, and didn’t. There were some great places to hang out and I found a great spot along the red carpet but not at the main part of the function where the press and the cast were. Regardless, I was staying with all the other local media that were denied credentials and I was getting the story.

As Hugh Jackman made his grand entrance in a Leather Jacket and Harley, the rest of the cast were exiting their limos and making their way to the main stage.  After the main event, the Cast made their rounds talking to the media, signing autographs and what not.  This went on for a couple of hours.  Then…one by one, the Celebrities made their way up the red carpet.

Editor’s Note -- The Pictures we have from the Premiere are posted to our Facebook Page.  Check em out!

Then the main members of the Cast made their way up the red carpet…one by one.  The video we have below is what happened next…..

Ryan Reynolds:

Taylor Kitsch and Liev Schreiber

Hugh Jackman

You know as great as this event was for the local community and all the parties involved in hosting the event, the organizers of the event made damn sure that the local press were not to be involved at all in this event.  But like us media types, we always have to get the story now, don’t we?  Personally, I didn’t care if I saw the movie that day.  I just wanted a story to report on.  Then again, this is a pretty good one now, isn’t it?

Two words of advice for the PR company that sponsored the event:

1) Any good PR agency can recognize the chance to give their clients the opportunity to get free media coverage. This PR company that was involved with organizing this event does not fall under this category.

2) If this PR company ever needs a favor from any of us in the future and they call, don’t be surprised if we are not quick to pick up the phone…..if at all.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Here’s more of our coverage of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine World Premiere in Video and Photos!

Ryan Reynolds -- Walking the Red Carpet

Taylor Kitsch and Liev Schreiber -- Walking the Red Carpet

Hugh Jackman -- Walking the Red Carpet

Popularity: 3% [?]

I headed off to the Great Arizona Picnic this past weekend for the first time.  I wasn’t sure what to expect but I have been to huge Food Festivals before like the ‘Bite of Seattle’ and the ‘San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival’ so I know what makes a great food festival and what doesn’t.

I entered the grounds of the Great Arizona Picnic and just walked the entire grounds without an agenda just to get a feel for what there was available to sample.  It took me about 45 minutes to fully walk the entire grounds and had a list of places I wanted to go.

First stop – Dickey’s BBQ Pit – They really didn’t have much to offer except cold pulled pork covered in BBQ sauce with Cole Slaw.  Not very good as one would expect BBQ pulled pork to have the BBQ sauce be part of the cooking process and not doused with BBQ sauce just before serving.

Second Stop – Honey Moon Sweets for a dessert advertised as ‘Rich Chocolate Fudge Brownie topped with Strawberry Whipped Cream, Chocolate Sauce and Fresh Candies Orange Peel’.  How can you NOT get something with a name like that.  Let me tell you that the dessert was as good as the description.  Definitely going to mark down ‘Honey Moon Sweets’ for a future visit.

Third Stop – Bombay Spice – They had a great sample of Chicken curry on rice that was excellent.  When I was there they had just been notified that they won a Great Arizona Picnic award for ‘Best Food’.  The winning dish was ‘Chick Pea Ceviche’.  Definitely going to head to Bombay Spice in the future.

Final Stop – I think it was Stingray Sushi as they were right next to two other Sushi places.  Anyways, I sampled something called Las Vegas Sushi.  Las Vegas Sushi is Cream Cheese, Salmon, avacado and one other vegetable wrapped in a roll.  It’s then Battered in Tempura and deep fried.  Not bad but I probably wouldn’t get it again.

As I exited the Great Arizona Picnic, I picked up some samples of Honest Tea.  It is a new product that is about as pro everything as possible.  Gluten Free, made with really good ingredients, no GMO’s, made with organic ingredients and so on.  I samples the Pomegranate White Tea and the Peach White Tea.  The Pomegranate White Tea was so bland I thought I was drininking water not Tea.  The Peach White Tea was better and tasted like tea but lacked the peach flavors that reminds you that you are indeed drinking a Peach Flavored drink.

One of the major failings of the Great Arizona Picnic is the location.  The current location of the Great Arizona Picnic is perfect but the Grounds are way too small and way too cramped.  It’s time to find a new location for this festival as the Great Arizona Picnic has completely outgrown the current location.  There’s a very high demand for what the Picnic has to offer, mainly the Beer Garden.  It was so packed in the Beer Garden there was AT LEAST an hour wait to get in.  IMO, this is unacceptable.

The other drawback to the Great Arizona Picnic is the lack of Variety of Food to choose from.  There seemed to be too many Pizza places, various flavors of Mexican.  The biggest head scratcher was seeing three Japanese food booths all next to each other.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Asian foods but when there’s a food festival one would expcect to see at least one other type of Asian cusine present (like Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, etc).

Popularity: 2% [?]

I’ve been thinking about a lead paragraph for this review but all I can come up with is ‘Man what a great event this was!’  The Assist4Africa Charity Basketball Game consisted of current and former Phoenix Area pro sports athletes and local media.  The list of Celebrities included former NBA players Tom Chambers, Dan Majerle, Eddie Johnson, current Phoenix Coyotes Daniel Winnick, and Keith Yandel, as well as players like former Arizona Diamondbacks star Quentin McCracken.

From the opening tip off, the fans were in for a treat the entire game long. There was some players that were taking the game a wee bit seriously but there were some hilarious moments during the game as well.  Most of them came from former Suns player Cedric Ceballos.  For example, whenever former Suns player Mark West went to the foul line, Ceballos layed down on the court and said that (paraphrasing) “West is shooting, we’re going to be here for a while”.

Here’s another gem from Ceballos after Larry Fitzgerald fouls him.  His comments come after he jogs off screen to the right:

Even though this was a basketball game, it didn’t follow any sort of format or time schedule which was not only refreshing for a change but it added to the fun atmosphere of the event.  The players on the team were there to entertain and left the fans more than satisfied.  Various stoppages in play brought out different activities from a live auction of a Kurt Warner Autographed jersey along with lunch with Mr. Warner, to a dance contest with Kids, to a representative from Partners in Malawi (the organization where all the proceeds were going) talking about the wonderful work they have been doing.

On the opposite end of the floor, there was a silent auction with a large number of REALLY killer sports memorabilia available.  For example, Orlando Magic super star Dwight Howard had an autographed jersey available and there was a hockey stick signed by the entire Phoenix Coyotes team.

All in all, this was a spectacular event from start to finish.  I just wish there were more people there as they missed an extremely entertaining evening.  We would love to help out next year in the promotions department as this is a great event benefiting an extremely worthy cause.

I was re-reading the original press release for Assist4Africa just now and one line stuck out for me:

This is the third time for the event and it promises to be the best ever.

I couldn’t agree more.

Partners in Malawi is a non-profit organization designed to promote the awareness and education of AIDS/HIV in Malawi.  All of the proceeds from the event went to all the efforts this organization does in Malawi.

For more information about Partners In Malawi, please refer to their website:

http://www.partnersinmalawi.org/

Editor’s Note:  We are experiencing challenges with the photos we have taken at the event.  Until we are able to post the images here, we have uploaded the all of our pictures from the Assist4Africa Charity Basketball Game to our Facebook Fan Page:

Part 1:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77418&id=33123943379&l=354ecd7161

Part 2:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77420&id=33123943379&l=f4bd8ae385

Part 3:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77413&id=33123943379&l=4afbc89e53

Popularity: 16% [?]

This past weekend brought one of the most refreshing and original music festivals I have ever witnessed.  I’ve been pretty big on festivals in the numerous years I’ve been going to concerts the Tempe Music Festival was one of the most original, eclectic, and…well…fun festivals I have ever been to.

From the looks on paper before the festival began, The Tempe Music Festival’s lineup on Friday night looked to be the strongest.  Granted, that was only because I was the most familiar with the Friday night lineup more than the Saturday lineup.  In addition, from what I explained in my original article about the festival, the extra amenities/things to do was an amazing variety of ways to occupy your time throughout the days of the festival.  For example, there were so many food giveaways that you almost didn’t need to buy your own food.    I personally won a Pizza from  NYPD Pizza from doing one of their promotional giveaway games.  The Big Bang stage was a welcome breather from the music going on the mainstage AND it was located perfectly between the two mill avenue bridges that the sounds from both stages didn’t blend at all.

In addition to Kid Rock, one of the highlights of the weekend was from Tom Morello (who plays Guitar for ‘Rage Against the Machine’) and his solo band ‘Nightwatchmen’.  His cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’ was one of the most amazing songs I have seen performed live.  To give you an idea what this experience was like, listen/watch this video of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with Tom Morello sitting in performing ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’:

The festival also held many surprises for me as well as I was introduced to some bands I originally would not have given the time of day for.  Cowboy Mouth, All American Rejects, and 3 Doors Down all put on pretty damned good sets to the point where I’m now contemplating which album from which band to purchase first.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Editors Note:  Reviews of Day 1 and Day 2 of the Tempe Music Festival will be posted tomorrow.

The highlight of Day one of the Tempe Music Festival was without a doubt Kid Rock. I have been a big fan of his since his first album and at first dismissed him as a one hit wonder. However, as I followed his music career I noticed he kept taking chances with each and every album. Even though each album was indeed different than his previous release, the one thing that every release shared was that  he put a lot of soul into each and every album.

Over the years Kid Rock has amassed a pretty damned good collection of songs to choose from for concerts without sounding one-dimensional or not ‘himself’. With all of this, I still haven’t had the opportunity to see Kid Rock perform live, as I see live shows as a true measure of and artist and his staying power, until now.

The Show started right at 10:30 with one of Kid Rock’s biggest hits ‘Bawitdaba’. With the Opening scream of ‘My name is….’ Kid Rock grabbed the attention of all who attended and didn’t let go until he left the stage after singing the final notes of  his current hit ‘All Summer Long’.

The setlist (below) was a wide variety of songs from his entire career that were presented with such showmanship, and soul that it makes me yearn for other artists to learn how to put on a live show like Kid Rock knows how. For whatever reason, bands in this day and age don’t know what it takes to put on a great live show. All they need to do from this moment forward is to put in a tape of last night’s show and they can see what they are doing wrong.

Some of the highlights of the show were ‘Cocky’, the presentation of ‘Cowboy’, and the interlude in ‘Amen’ where he read this note from an Arizona fan about how Kid Rock and his music has touched and changed her life.  It wasn’t just the note that he read that made the impression on me it was the way it was presented and the message he had after the reading of said message.  (The message was way too long and I wish someone would post what the message said)  Kid Rock sent a basic message to all to love one another (paraphrasing here) without judgment or bias.  To me, seeing one of Kid Rock’s core beliefs on display for all to witness is one of the main reasons he has such staying power.

Kid Rock’s show was simply amazing and left all who attended wanting more. I got the sincere impression that even though Kid Rock’s current songs he can pull from for shows is indeed impressive, he’s still has yet to release his masterpiece. That and also got the impression that he is going to explore new musical styles and influences for future releases. For someone who I wrote off at the beginning of his career as a ‘one hit wonder’ he sure has made a huge statement in the music industry that he is anything but that. If he keeps moving in the right direction with his career he will indeed join the ranks of all of his Rock/Country/Rap/Hip-Hop heroes that he so loves to put on display in his shows.

One other thing, I hope someone in Kid Rock’s camp recorded this show as this is a great snapshot of where he’s at in his career.  Fans would absolutely love this as a live show.  Besides, he has yet to release and ‘official’ live show, right?  Now is a good time!

Setlist (via a MySpace User):

Bawitdaba
Devil Without a Cause (Walk This Way riff tease)
You Never Met a Motherfucker Quite Like Me>
American Bad Ass
Lowlife (Living The Highlife)
Cocky
Rock N’ Roll Pain Train
Cowboy (piano intro)> Cowboy>
Good Ol’ Boys (Waylon Jennings cover) [Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard]>Cowboy
Only God Knows Why
One More Time (David Allen Coe cover)>
Half Your Age (with Kid Rock’s drummer vocals)
Amen (including fan letter/license interlude)
Picture (with one of their Backup Singers)
Techno intro> La Grange riff tease> Smoke on the Water riff tease>
Cat Scratch Fever> Kid Rock drum workout>
So Hott
All Summer Long

Popularity: 5% [?]