Live in Concert

This post may be more for myself than for anyone else, and it's an update of a post I did previously. I was trying to remember every concert I had seen, and I realized how difficult it is to recall them all, so I decided why not put up a post so I can more easily keep track!

I'm told that I saw Fleetwood Mac when I was very young, but I don't have any recollection of that, so I don't count it. So the first real concert I went to was U2 in Tucson for the Joshua Tree tour in 1987. They were simply incredible. Still one of the best concerts I ever saw in my life.

Next I saw U2 again for the final concert of that tour, one which they filmed for the movie Rattle & Hum. This was on 12/20/1987 in Tempe, Arizona.

The next concert I saw was an odd one--Dread Zeppelin at the University of Arizona on January 20, 1991. They were very good, though the music was odd, being Led Zeppelin music played reggae style with an Elvis impersonator lead singer.

Then I saw the Black Crowes in Tucson, 6/13/1991. First time I went to a concert as a date. We got very close to the stage, so it got a bit iffy at times with some members of the crowd, but the music was quite good.

Next was ZZ Top on August 12, 1991 in Tucson. Good, but I didn't like how many recorded sounds they used, since it took away a bit of the live feel.

A buddy talked me into going to see Van Halen on May 17, 1992. We didn't have tickets, so we went to the parking lot at McHale Center in Tucson as the opening band (Extreme) was already playing. A desperate scalper gave us tickets at face value that were about row ten right in front of Eddie Van Halen. It was amazing just to watch the ease with which Eddie played!

Chris Cornell of Soundgarden

Then came an awesome experience, because it was so unexpected. I went with one of my brothers to see Guns n Roses on February 1, 1992. I thought that would be okay, and it was, but what really rocked was the opening band, Soundgarden. I hadn't heard of them before, but they were electric. Definitely much better than Guns n Roses. I went out and bought their latest album right away and they've been a favorite ever since.

I saw U2 for a third time in Tempe on October 24, 1992. I didn't like how commercial they looked this time, though of course they still sounded great. BB King opened and also played with U2 on Love Comes to Town.

Somewhere around this time, though I can't find dates, I saw Foghat at a country dance hall in Tucson, and Quiet Riot at the Wildcat House where I was working.

The last concert I saw before heading into my overseas life was Alice in Chains on April 15, 1993. They really rocked, though sadly on one of my favorite songs 'Would?' their bass player's instrument stopped working, and bass is the driving force of that song. I wish they had started it over.

Pink Floyd in London

Now things got really cool! From Moscow I flew with a friend to London to see Pink Floyd for their Division Bell tour in October 1994. It was filmed for their DVD 'Pulse', and it was probably the most amazing sounding concert I ever saw, as well as being the last official concert of Pink Floyd.

My friend and I got lucky and also caught a make-up date by Stone Temple Pilots on 10/26/1994 during that London trip. Wow, were they awesome! Two great concerts within a week of each other really made that first trip to London a memorable one.

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page

After returning to the US, my wife and I saw a Page & Plant concert on 9/24/1998. I just love Led Zeppelin, and that's all they played that night.

It was a long time before I went to any concerts again. My family flew to London from Baku to see two great bands. First we saw Pearl Jam at Hyde Park. What an experience that was. The next day I took the kids back to Hyde Park and we listened to Paul McCartney play, though we didn't have tickets to go inside. It was outdoors, so we could hear decently. Then to top it off we went to Wembley Stadium on 6/19/2010 to see Green Day. As we walked into the stadium we saw Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whom we had no idea was the opening act. That was a treat, seeing 'I Love Rock and Roll' played live before 100,000 fans. Green Day was great, but I was disappointed that they played so few songs from 21st Century Breakdown, an album that I really liked.

Green Day at Wembley Stadium

My family took a train from Budapest to Prague on July 2, 2012 to again see Pearl Jam. You really can't go wrong with Pearl Jam, though the opening act 'X' wasn't so good.

We had a surprise treat at the end of our stay in Budapest. As a 20 year anniversary of the fall of communism in Hungary, they brought in the Scorpions to play a free concert on 6/16/2014. They were so great!

Rush saying goodbye

The next concert was one we went to because my oldest son is a huge fan of Rush. We had no idea that the concert on 8/1/2015 would be the last Rush concert. What pros these three musicians are. I'm not a huge Rush fan, but they were amazing.

We went to see three favorite bands, Soundgarden and A Perfect Circle on 4/29/2017, and Alter Bridge on 4/30/2017. For those who don't know, Alter Bridge is the band Creed but with a new singer. All three were very good, though I felt the song selection for Soundgarden wasn't the best, and their sound was a bit off. A Perfect Circle was simply amazing. Wish I could see them some more.

A Perfect Circle

On November 1, 2017 I saw A Perfect Circle again in Virginia. The opening act was The Beta Machine, which has the same drummer and bass player as APC. APC played more songs than the first time I saw them, since it was a full concert instead of a festival. They played all three of their new songs.

On November 7, 2022 I saw Porcupine Tree at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. A truly excellent show and a great DVD was released so I can see it again any time I wish.

On November 1, 2023 I saw Tool in Milwaukee with my son Anton and his fiancé Sage. Awesome as always.

Green Day in Milwaukee

On August 24, 2024, I went with my wife, my son Anton, and his wife Sage, to Milwaukee to see three bands. Unfortunately the sound quality of the venue was bad, so it wasn't as great an experience as it should have been. I don't know the opening band, Rancid, so with the bad sound, I couldn't tell if I might have liked anything of theirs or not. The next band was The Smashing Pumpkins, which I have liked for many years, but again the bad sound took away from my enjoyment. The final band was Green Day. As always, they are energetic and very good, though of course the show couldn't match the awesomeness of their show at Wembley Stadium in London.

On August 27, 2024, I went with my son Anton back to Milwaukee to see four bands. My favorites were the two openers, Ministry and Filter. I don't mind the headliners, Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie, but they simply aren't as great to my taste as the first two.

Retirement!

As of the end of this month, I am officially retired from my career as a diplomat! It feels good. I'm happy I did all I did over all these years (I began in 1993), but I'm ready to move on and pursue my own personal dreams in what remains of my life. I want to write more books, act in more movies, play chess and basketball, and generally try to get healthier from reduced stress and more exercise. My very first tour as a diplomat was to Moscow, Russia. October 1993, just when the big coup attempt happened and Yeltsin managed to retain power after blasting the Duma with tanks.

Burned Duma building

I met and married my wife Victoria there, for which I'll always be grateful.

Victoria in Moscow

And I played chess against four world champions. My first tour was perhaps my most memorable.

Me playing Anatoly Karpov

I went on to live in eight other countries, including Croatia, China, Iceland, Azerbaijan (twice!), Hungary, The Bahamas, Italy, and Luxembourg. I've had amazing memories in each of these places. I'll never forget this life, but I'm a little exhausted from traveling so much, and I'm ready for a more settled life near our oldest son in Wisconsin.

Newly-Released Novelette Free!

 Many years ago I wrote a novelette called Dragon Play that was published in the anthology called The Dragon Chronicles. I decided to publish it as a stand-alone, and since it is new and has no reviews, I have made it free for Amazon Kindle through Monday, hoping to entice people to read this fairly short story and hopefully leave a review. Anyone who loves fantasy, Vikings, or dragons, please give it a try and tell your friends! Here is the blurb:

All their lives the group of young Vikings had heard of their clan's past glories, but all they have known is the terror of being relegated to living within the shadow of a dragon's mountain. When the chieftain's daughter finds an ancient scroll showing a hidden back entrance to the dragon's lair, she and her three friends decide to sneak in and retrieve the lost talisman that holds the luck of their clan.

Artwork by Shane Tyree

What I Read in 2022

 At the end of each year I do a summary post of what I read throughout the year. I find it interesting to see my reading habits, and to make note of what the best books were each year. I read only 28 books this year, which is much worse than last. I use a standard five star rating method with five stars meaning I loved the book so much I intend to re-read it throughout my life, so there are rarely any five star books.

1. A Perfect Union of Contrary Things by Sarah Jensen ***

2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens **

3. Tigana by Guy Gaviel Kay ****

4. The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay *****

5. Infiltrator by C.T. Phipps ***

6. Men of Bronze by Scott Oden ***

7. Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons ***

8. Apocalypse Nyx by Kameron Hurley *****

9. Swan Song by Robert McCammon **

10. Contact by Carl Sagan ****

11. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith ****

12. Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr. ****

13. The Iron King by Maurice Druon ****

14. The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton ****

15. The Strangled Queen by Maurice Druon ****

16. The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 1 edited Neil Clarke ***

17. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir *****

18. 36 Streets by T.R. Napper ****

19. Cold Summer by Gwen Cole ***

20. Lily Narcissus by Jonathan Lerner ****

21. Memnon by Scott Oden ****

22. The Fireman by Joe Hill ***

23. Tomorrow, the Killing by Daniel Polansky ****

24. Cemetery Road by Greg Iles ****

25. The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay *****

26. Sleep No More by Greg Iles ****

27. Use of Force by Brad Thor ***

28. The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay ****

Release Day! The Shattered Spire

 

It is finally Release Day for my latest novel, which is a prequel to The Shard, the first novel I ever wrote. Both stories are written to be able to stand alone, though they also mesh well with each other, though set 800 years apart. They do share some characters, such as the wizard Xax, and some long-lived elven characters. Here is the blurb:

The magic of the Spire of Peace has banished evil from the Known Lands for more than twelve hundred years. When a dragon destroys the spire and murders the king, the realm is thrown into turmoil. As civil war looms, can the royal Kaldarion family regain control over the kingdom and restore peace?

Livia, 20, is the eldest child of the slain King Varun Kaldarion. Though the wisest and most learned of the surviving family members, tradition says she cannot inherit the throne.

Balmar, 18, is too feeble-minded to rule, but his uncle, Duke Erol, crowns him anyway in order to appoint himself regent.

Darus, 17, was exiled by the spire's magic due to his bitterness that his father never named him heir. By force of personality and skill at arms, he has risen to command the army of exiles at the fortress of East Gate. Now he plans to invade the realm and take back what he feels is rightfully his by birth.

Imric, 13, was disavowed by his father after his mother died birthing him. Raised by his sister Livia, few in the realm even know he exists. Little more than a pawn in the conflict between Duke Erol and his brother Darus, Imric may hold the key to reuniting the fractured realm.

Summer Move to Luxembourg

 I don't write about my job much, mainly because I prefer to concentrate on my writing. But my career as a diplomat is soon coming to a close, as I intend to retire after one more year, thus allowing me to focus full-time on being a novelist. Since 1993 when I first moved overseas to work at the American Embassy in Moscow, I have been moving every 2-4 years to different countries. It has been exciting, but the process of constantly moving also wears on a person after many years of doing it. So this year, after moving from Rome to Luxembourg, I decided I've done enough with the Foreign Service, and now it is time to try to simply be a writer.

My wife and I left Rome in mid-July and had to do what is called 'Home Leave' in the United States. It's a requirement for US diplomats, so that we don't lose touch too badly with our home country. Home Leave typically lasts about a month and a half. Since our two sons were in Wisconsin, but I was also trying to figure out places that might be interesting for my retirement, we settled on St Louis as the place to stay. It was close enough to Wisconsin for us to easily drive up to visit our sons, but it allowed us to check out whether or not we would like St Louis. This city has the most famous chess club in America, which was a big consideration for me, as I'm passionate about playing serious tournament chess. The photo below is me at the World Chess Hall of Fame, across the street from the famous St Louis Chess Club. 

We were surprised at how much we liked St Louis. I don't think we'd have had such a great experience, except that we lucked out and happened to stay near the fabulous Tower Grove Park. There is a reason this is the one US city park to be designated as a National Historic Landmark. It is easily the nicest park I have seen, and the idea of living nearby (there is also a botanical garden adjacent to it) and getting to walk there every day is highly appealing. There is no guarantee we will settle on St Louis as the place for us to retire, but I'm definitely checking out houses in the park area.

In late August, we arrived in my final overseas diplomatic posting of Luxembourg. It's a nice way to cap my career. It's one of the wealthiest and safest countries in the world. I absolutely love that it has such a brilliant public transportation system, and it is completely free.

The first weekend, a new colleague from work drove my wife and me to see the ancient Bourscheid Castle in northern Luxembourg.  It was a great way to start life in a new country.

Our apartment is very near the center of the small city. The photo below was taken just a short walk away, and it highlights how gorgeous the city is. It is built over multiple levels and everywhere you look there are ruins of old castle walls. You can click the photos to get a better look at them.

My wife and I are definitely happy to get to spend our final year overseas in such a lovely place!

Closure/Continuation by Porcupine Tree

 Since my previous post rating the top songs by Porcupine Tree (which I posted because I'm about to see their concert in Amsterdam) did not include any of their latest album Closure/Continuation, I'm going to rate the new album now. I did not rate it before, because I had not listened to it enough at that point to have fully formed an opinion. I've been listening to the album nearly every day now, so I have a pretty good idea of how each song stacks up. Having said that, I know from past experience that even after a hundred or more listens, I tend to change my mind about songs later due to tiny nuances that begin to stand out to me.

So, I think this new album is probably my second favorite of all of their albums now, right behind The Incident. There may be individual songs I love more from other albums, but it is the overall strength of nearly every song on this album that makes it so good. 

My favorite song so far, after about seventy listens, is Rats Return. It rocks pretty well while also having some really beautiful choruses. I had Harridan second for quite some time, but now I'm moving Herd Culling into second place. There are bits of Herd Culling that don't suit my taste as much as most of Harridan, but there is a vocal section of Herd Culling that is so astonishing and lovely that I find myself listening to this song more often just so I can hear that part again. That means, of course, that Harridan is my choice for third best song. I like so much about Harridan, though it also contains a bit that I really dislike, so that colors my perception a bit. I rate all three of these songs with five stars in my iTunes.

Dignity and then Of the New Day are the next two, both rated as four stars. None of the remaining songs are less than three stars, so the album overall is very strong.

The album can't beat The Incident, though, because I don't rate a single song on that album below four stars, and it contains a bunch that are five stars.