Monday, December 10, 2018
Sunday, November 11, 2018
The Seldom Scene w/ Maybe April -- Weinberg Center for the Arts (Frederick MD), 11/9/2018
Row E, Seats 114-115 (center section on the left aisle)
The Seldom Scene displayed their usual virtuoso musicianship and vocal
harmonies in a 75-minute set Friday evening before a large, appreciative crowd.
As usual, the band’s repertoire ranged far and wide, including blues (“Rollin’
and Tumblin’”), gospel (the stunning vocals of “I’ll Be No Stranger There”),
and even Rat Pack (“The Small Exception Of Me”, popularized by Dean Martin).
They also covered songs made famous by James Taylor (“Sweet Baby James”), John
Fogerty (“Big Train (from Memphis)”), and Arlo Guthrie (Steve Goodman’s “City
Of New Orleans”). Other standouts included “Through The Bottom Of The Glass”, “California
Cottonfields”, and the haunting “Blue Ridge”. Overall, the show was great enough
that I forgave them for not getting to “Wait A Minute”, my personal favorite.
Americana-inspired country trio Maybe April did a nice job in their
40-minute opening set, despite the absence of one member of the trio. (“Oliver”
did a fine job as a fill-in “frontwoman”, taking the lead instrumental role on
all of the material.) Even reduced to two parts rather than three, their vocal
harmonies sounded fine, and the material was surprisingly strong, notably on
the opening “Blush”, “California”, and the closing “Isabel”.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Remembering John Wicks
Great column by the Post’s John Kelly about the recently-deceased lead
singer of the Records, with shout-outs to WHFS, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and the
power-pop classic “Starry Eyes” (which he co-wrote).
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
If legalized gambling is the future, our sports are really in trouble
Thoughtful column by the always-insightful Tom Boswell.
Monday, October 1, 2018
September 26, 2018 – Nats 9, Marlins 3 (7 innings) – Nationals Park
Attendance: 28,680
Duration: 2:45
Weather: 84 degrees, Partly cloudy
Wind: SW 11 MPH
Umpires: HP: Whitson. 1B: Miller. 2B: Hernandez. 3B: Porter.
Section 318, Row F, Seats 14-16 – about halfway down the first-base
line, back row
Final home game of the season – the good, the bad, and the mixed.
Looking forward, and looking back.
Since Tanner Roark was with his family awaiting the birth of their
third child, recent call-up Kyle McGowin got his first opportunity to start a
major-league game. After retiring the first 11 Miami batters and holding the
Marlins scoreless through 4 innings, he was forced to leave the game with a blister,
unable to get the 5 innings of work that would have made him the winning
pitcher.
Top prospect Victor Robles provided hope for the future with a monster
offensive game, going 4 for 5 with a double, homer, and 5 RBI. Fellow rookies
Juan Soto, Spencer Kieboom, and Adrian Sanchez joined Robles to account for all
but one of the team’s 12 hits, while Robles and Kieboom combined for all 8 of
the runs batted in. The Nats got all the runs they needed with 5 in the 2nd
off Wei-Yin Chen, and broke the game wide open with 4 more in the 5th
off Brett Graves.
The game’s ending was also fitting, as the threatened thunderstorms
appeared with a vengeance just as the 7th inning ended.
And Bryce Harper, in possibly his final home game as a National, went
0-4, striking out twice. He would have led off the 8th inning with
the chance for a more positive finale, but the game never resumed.
Saturday, September 22, 2018
September 21, 2018 – Mets 4, Nats 2 – Nationals Park
Attendance: 37,895
Duration: 2:57
Weather: 75 degrees, Partly cloudy
Wind: S 13 MPH
Umpires: HP: Holbrook. 1B: Segal. 2B: Wolf. 3B: Reyburn.
Section 321, Row E, Seats 8-9 – last 300-level section down the right
field line, next-to-last row from the top
Jacob deGrom vs. Joe Ross = predictable outcome
Game notes – the visitors took a quick lead when Jay Bruce singled in
Amed Rosario, who had reached second when Victor Robles misjudged his leadoff
fly to center … Nats tied things up in the bottom of the 2nd as
Rendon drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on a Soto single, and scored on
Zim’s sac fly … the Mets answered right back with 3 in the top of the 3rd
as Ross gave up 4 doubles and a single, with one run being unearned due to
Rendon’s error … Ross exited after 6 without allowing further damage, while
deGrom in all likelihood locked up the Cy Young with 7 innings of 1-run, 3-hit
ball while fanning 8 … Washington drew closer in the bottom of the 9th
when Turner led off with a double and scored on Rendon’s one-out single, but
New York closer Robert Gsellman retired Soto and Zimmerman to end the game
Other – the concession lines continue to be ridiculously long and slow,
a situation not helped by keeping several stands closed despite the large
crowd, and by the staff’s tendency to ignore fans waiting in the “express”
eCash-only lines
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
September 14, 2018 – Royals 8, Twins 4 – Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City)
Attendance: 18,389
Duration: 3:15
Weather: 86 degrees, Clear
Wind: SSE 4 MPH
Umpires: HP: Cederstrom. 1B: May. 2B: Blaser. 3B: Scheurwater.
Section 311, Row G, Seat 14 – “Lexus Infield” section, second level,
under the upper deck overhang, looking down the first base line
Game notes – Minnesota starter Jose Berrios struggled early, giving up
a run in each of the first two innings, but collected himself to blank the
Royals over the next 4 frames … Jorge Lopez, who took a perfect game into the 9th
inning in his previous start, scattered 5 hits over the first 4 innings, but
ran into trouble in the 5th after colliding with Hunter Dozier on a
leadoff chopper, subsequently giving up RBI hits by Joe Mauer, Jake Cave, and
Robbie Grossman before leaving with a left rib contusion … the Twins managed
another run in the 7th, but Adelberto Mondesi answered with a homer
in the bottom of the inning … the 8th saw former Phillie Ben Lively
toss a scoreless top, while the Royals just missed tying the game when Ryan O’Hearn
was thrown out trying to score from first with two outs on Jorge Bonifacio’s
double … with one out in the 9th, a double by Rosell Herrera
followed by singles by Whit Merrifield and Mondesi tied the game and put the
winning run on third … after the Twins intentionally walked Alex Gordon and
deployed a 5-man infield, Salvador Perez fell behind 0-2, then worked the count
full and blasted a hanging slider over the wall in CF to end the game
Other – picked up on a BBQ sandwich ($9.25) and Dunkin’ Donut Munchkins
($5.75) for a snack afterwards … spoke to one of the parking lot attendants
right after I parked, which helped me have a somewhat easier time getting out
of the lot post-game … still, the location markers in the lots (at least Lot A)
are few and far between, making finding your car after dark a challenge
Viewed as a club-type section, the “Lexus Infield” area was
disappointing. The concourse was covered but not enclosed, with
air-conditioning only in the small team store and the George Brett Lounge
(which requires a special ticket). There were a few out-of-the-ordinary food
items in the bar area at the end, but otherwise not much in the way of food
variety, and there were almost no tables. On the good side, the area was not
very crowded, and concession lines were short.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)