So those of you who follow me on Twitter (and Facebook) know that I was geeked to go see my favorite band from high school last Saturday night.

The J. Geils Band played two shows in Detroit, their adopted hometown, in a very small venue. For a group of five guys aged sixty or older, they did a great job! (My personal favorite, the drummer, Stephen Jo Bladd, wasn’t part of the gig. After watching the drummer they had–who was no more than 30–I could understand why a 67-year-old guy wouldn’t have been able to keep up.)

Peter Wolf, the frontman, was as skinny and hyper-energetic as ever. And for not playing together formally for over ten years, they were pretty damn tight.

Many of you might think of “Freeze-Frame” or “Centerfold,” or even “Love Stinks” when you hear Geils, but although those are the songs that put them on the map–and indeed, interested my friends and I in them back in the early ’80s–their best music in my opinion are the older bluesy songs. I mean, with a guy named Magic Dick playing harmonica, what do you expect?

And Geils did not disappoint on Saturday night (unlike when I saw Bob Seger about a year ago). They totally rocked the house! It was a Detroit Breakdown. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

They opened with two songs from their first album (“First I Look at the Purse” and “Homework”) and the majority of their numbers were from their early albums. That totally made my night. By the time they got to “Centerfold”, we were sort of meh about it–but they had to play it of course.

A recent pic of the JGB.

I tweeted most of the playlist (for those who were interested, which were probably about two of my followers), but some of my favorites were “Sanctuary,” “Lookin’ For a Love” and “She’s So Sharp”, along with “Give It To Me” and “Night Time.”

So do you listen to Geils? Even know who they are? What’s your favorite song?

I don’t promise a Friends or Seinfeld episode, so if you’re looking for a good chuckle on a Friday, you won’t find it here.

But it is an interesting story.

I don’t consider myself a huge Madonna fan. But I do like a lot of her (older) music. I think I sort of fell away around the time she did Ray of Light. I was a big fan during the Dick Tracy era, and before.

But I’ve always wanted to see her in concert–I mean, Madge is an icon. She’s a performer. And she’s fifty and fabulous.

So I had mentioned something awhile ago about going to see her when she came to Detroit, but never pursued tickets. My 12 yo daughter, whom I shall aptly nickname MiniMe, was in hysterics thinking there was a possibility I might actually take her.

But then I ran up against a deadline and put all thought of the concert from my head.

Then…Tuesday, after a marathon week of finishing a book (wherein the family saw me for only ten fleeting minutes at a time and there was much takeout at Chéz Gleason), I mailed the sucker in. I took a nap. I read a book and watched a funny but ultimately cheesy/stupid movie (What Happens in Vegas), and then MiniMe got home from school. And said, “Mom! Tonight’s the Madonna concert!”

And the wheels started clicking. Music Man said, “Let’s go!” (He’s prone to last minute, live for the moment decisions–which can often lead to anguish and strife in my life, as I am usually a Planner.)

So…I made the calls, got a babysitter for Pirate Boy and Scooby Girl and started trying to find tickets.

Long story short….there were no tickets to be had via Ticketmaster or online brokers (there were plenty of tickets; I just couldn’t get my hands on them because they were either in frigging Texas or because it got too late for Ticketmaster to print them out, etc.), and…it was after 5:30. The show started at 7:30.

By 6:00, I finally got through to the ticket office at Ford Field (where the unfortunate Lions play and where Her Madgesty, for some unknown reason, decided to perform) and they said, “Yeah, we have tickets, but you have to buy them in person from the ticket office.”

So I looked at Music Man and said, “Do we take the chance?”

“Hell yeah,” he said. (By this time, nothing was going to keep him from going. He was fired up and ready to go.)

So off we went. By the time we got to Ford Field, it was probably 7:00, 7:10. I wasn’t worried, because, of course, I knew Madonna wouldn’t start on time even if she had an opening act (which she didn’t)…and I’m notorious for arriving in my seat no sooner than moments before the first song. I hate waiting around.

So Music Man dropped MiniMe and I off and went to park…and then we saw it. The line. The line was…unbelievable. It was ten people wide and the entire length of the city block on which Ford Field was located (and that was just for one of the entrances). And it was 30 degrees. And half the people weren’t dressed to be waiting in line for an hour to get in.

Mind you, this is maybe fifteen minutes before the show is supposed to start. I’m like, WTF? WTF????

I don’t know for sure what the situation was, but it seemed as though they hadn’t even started to let people in by then. The entire audience for the Madonna show was standing outside, freezing their butts off, in a line that wasn’t moving. Ridiculous. (Take note if you ever go to Ford Field for a show.)

So at first I thought MiniMe and I were going to have to stand in that line to get in, to get to the ticket office…and only maybe get tickets. I was like…no effing way. I was ready to call it quits when I found a security guard and asked if I had to wait in line for the ticket office, and he pointed me to the free-standing, no-line ticket office. I could have kissed him.

MiniMe and I approached the ticket office (which had four or five windows open and no line) and I asked for 3 tickets.

“How much you wanna spend?” the guy asked. Bored as shit.

“$80-90 each,” I told him, knowing that nosebleed was $50 and main floor, front section was $350.

He showed me the map of the arena, and pointed to the lower level ring, which was where those tickets would be. “Okay, what do you have there?” I asked.

He walks away, comes back a few seconds later, and shoves three tickets through the window at me.

I’m like, “Wait a sec…aren’t you going to show me where they are? How do I know I want these?”

He looked at me like I was a total ditz and said, “They’re free.”

“Oh.” I grab the tickets (before he could change his mind) and thank him profusely and walk away…and see that the tickets are MAIN FLOOR.

W00T! I’m freaking out by now. Free tickets, to the Main Floor.

No, they weren’t close at all–they were near the back of the floor. But they were free, and it was the floor. So, yeah, I was jazzed…and so was Music Man when I showed them to him. Of course, MiniMe was over the moon, texting her friends (who didn’t believe that she was actually at the Madonna concert) about it.

Then we had to get in that ridiculous line, although after ten minutes of waiting and not moving (it was after 7:30 by then…and we’d learned that Madonna wasn’t coming on until 9-fricking-30), Music Man went and found a different entrance that was 1) blocked from the wintry wind, and 2) had a line that was about ten minutes long instead of an hour.

So, anyway…the show. The show was Madonna, just what you’d expect. She’s a performer. Even though I probably knew only five songs out of the fifteen or twenty she did (which I knew would be the case), I enjoyed just watching her. The woman can dance. The woman is ripped…but not necessarily in an attractive way.

Her arms were stringy and veiny and her thighs were like Mikhail Baryshnikov’s. Huge. Music Man noted, “Her boobs are gone.” *snort*

But wow…her voice is still great, she runs the bloody show like a general–you can just see what a perfectionist she is.

(At one point, during a complicated jump rope sequence during “Get Into the Groove,” someone screwed up and the jump rope got all messed up. She stopped, and sort of put her hands on her hips, and you could tell she was pissed. She said, “You screwed my shit up!”…and then went on with the song. So, yeah, heads might just have been rolling after that concert!)

One of my favorite parts was when, on the screens behind (the background ones, not the ones that were shooting live so we could actually see her) they showed a montage of Madonna over the years. All of her different incarnations. Talk about reinventing yourself. Really fascinating and amazing to see them…they weren’t chronological, they were just all mixed up together.

The stage set was amazing. The show was nonstop activity.

My favorite songs were “Vogue” and when she played electric guitar and totally rocked out on “Borderline.” Great arrangement. She also really pumped up “La Isla Bonita,” but it was too much so for me….sort of like it was on steroids, and I love that song…but not that version.

We left during “Like a Prayer” which was either her last or second to last song before the encores–none of which I knew. And I was glad we did, because the next day, we ran into someone else who’d been there on the floor too, and they said it took them a half hour to get off the main floor after the concert was over. Yikes.

So, all in all, I cannot complain. We didn’t pay for tickets, got to see an icon perform, and gave MiniMe a memory she’ll never forget.

Of course…it’s never enough. Apparently the fact that her mom and dad took her to see Madonna at the last minute still doesn’t compare to the fact that her friends’ mothers are going with her and a bunch of other girls to see Twilight tonight…and I’m not.

Sheesh. What does a gal have to do to get the Coolest Mom Award?

I was reading a blog the other day in which was listed “the greatest (musical) frontmen/women of the ’80s”.

Bono was listed at a mere number 7, which surprised me (and with which I heartily disagreed)…but that was that blogger’s opinion. Steve Perry clocked in at 4, if I recall correctly, and I could agree with that.

Who do you count in your list of top frontmen/women from the ’80s?

Here’s the guy who came in at #1 on this blogger’s list. Now, I’d never seen him perform live, but after watching this and other clips, I must say that I can’t disagree with the high ranking.

Enjoy.

(And, yes, I know this is going to give you an earworm today. I woke this morning to it myself, and in my infinite generosity, I thought I’d share it with ya’ll. You can thank me later.)

Here’s another one:

Some intelligent person who follows me on Twitter (can’t remember who, so speak up if you’re here) suggested that when in doubt on blog post topics, do a Top 20 list.

I like it. But I’m cutting it in half. (Don’t want to hurt my brain too much.) And so I hereby present:

The Top Ten Songs I Never Want to Hear Again

10. Money (Pink Floyd)

9. I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston)

8. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

7. Thank God I’m a Country Boy (John Denver)

6. Anything by Michael Bolton (not a song called “Anything” but…any song by Michael Bolton)

5. I Write the Songs (Barry Manilow)

4. Achy Breaky Heart (Billy Ray Cyrus)

3. Lady in Red (Chris DeBurgh)

2. Love Touch (Rod Stewart)

1. The Wind Beneath my Wings (gag, gag, gag!!!!!)

What about you?

When Colleen asked me to guest blog for her this week, I was really surprised.  You won’t find my name on any bookshelves, and my personal blog has been collecting dust for quite a while.  However, books—the Harry Potter series to be specific–currently rule my life.

My name is Stephanie Anderson and I play in a Wizard Rock band.  Tonks & the Aurors has been going strong for 8 months now, and it’s been the greatest experience of my life.

I’ll be honest, I’ve written this blog like…. 3 times, and there’s so much I could cover, so instead of making this a blog of EPIC proportions, I’ll do this the easiest way I know how. 

Here’s a countdown of things you should know about Wizard Rock and/or things I’m asked most often.

1. The History If you want a way more thorough history, check out www.wizrocklopedia.com, but the first Wizard Rock band, Harry and the Potters, was created in 2002 by two brothers in Massachusetts.  In 2006 the genre exploded, and since the release of Deathly Hallows in 2007, the genre grew from 150 to 450 bands.

2. Literacy
Wizard Rockers aren’t making music to make millions of dollars or get signed to a major label.  Our number one goal is to keep kids reading and encourage literacy.  We play in libraries and bookstores and spout off slogans like “Fight Evil! Read Books!”

3. There’s an Audience for This Stuff?
Yes! And they’re incredible!  Harry Potter fans are crazy dedicated, and with fan fiction, discussion forums, fan art, and conferences already being embraced, Wizard Rock was screaming to be done.  There’s nothing cooler than performing for a sea of people in house colors, or spending time after shows discussing what house you’re in or your theory on Horcruxes.

4. Do-It-Yourself
Every Wizard Rock band is DIY.  There are no big budgets from record companies or fancy recording studios. What makes Wizard Rock such a brilliant movement is that as a musician I’m not stressing about whether what I’m doing is new, different, or marketable.  I’m making music that I want to make, not what the music industry is telling me to make.

5. Charity!
Charity is HUGE for us.  There are charity compilations constantly being organized and as a genre we are very socially aware.  Recently, JK Rowling even recognized the wizard rock based organization The Harry Potter Alliance as one of her favorite fan sites because of their mission to change the world and promote social justice.  We truly believe that “The weapon we have is love”

6. Where to Start
Once I tell people that there are now over 400 Wizard Rock bands, it’s hard to know where to start, so here are some of my recommendations on good albums to start with: Harry & the Potters’ “Harry and the Potters and the Power of Love”, The Whomping Willows “III”, The Remus Lupins’ “I was a Teenage Werewolf”, or Draco & the Malfoys “Party Like You’re Evil!”

7. Deathly Hallows = Death to Wizard Rock?
Many people were worried that with the release of the seventh book this would all die out, but clearly, that didn’t happen since the entire genre only grew with the book release!  There are HP conferences booked into 2011, and more and more conferences are embracing wizard rock. I will continue with Wizard Rock as long as it is still fun for me and as long as there’s still an audience.  I know most of the other bands feel the same way too, so we’re not going anywhere any time soon.

So, that’s your crash course in Wizard Rock!  If you want to check out my band, head over to The Tonks & the Aurors MySpace page. 

Also, if you’re looking for some cool events that are Wizard Rock based, there’s Wrockstock in St. Louis and the HP conference TERMINUS is hosting a 30 Band concert in August at the Chicago Hilton. 

The Wizard Rockumentary is also starting a national screening schedule, so if you can, you should go to one! Check their site for the screening schedule.

Oh, and Wizard Rock has opened the doors for even more bands about books and other fandoms like Star Wars, The Princess Diaries, and Twilight. 

Somebody needs to jump on a Gardella Band!