Ticket Stub Time Travels

 12 years ago today... January 31, 2009 - Tampa, FL The annual on-site Bud Bowl Super Bowl week party was held at Channelside with adult entertainment including music from alt-rock band 3 Doors Down. Connections through Hensley, the Phoenix-area Bud distributor, we landed tickets to this invitation-only event.  It was outdoors in downtown Tampa along the waterfront in an area now renamed Sparkman Wharf. Bud flowed freely.  Dressed in our finest Arizona Cardinals wear, Therese and I were asked to stand in a few photos as proof there were Cards fans around, as the Steel Curtain outnumbered Big Red mightily.    Guest hospitality from the friendly and talented Bud Bowl dancers was exceptional.  We got the band's then-current CD autographed.  This was a wildly fun way to prep for the following day to come.

 5 years ago today... January 30, 2016 - Maricopa, AZ Classic rock from the 1970s was played loudly when Blue Oyster Cult and Foghat turned back time in concert at Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino. This show was held outdoors in a temporary festival setup near the casino entrance.  As the set lists indicate, there was not a song played newer than 1978.  This was a sing a long night for those of my era.  We were fortunate to have VIP credentials, so the comp F&B and side stage viewing took the night to the next level.  Thanks Abbie! BOC still sounds great as the two lead vocalists and guitar players, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and Eric Bloom from the band's peak are still rocking with the current group.  These two played at Alice Cooper's annual Christmas Pudding fundraising show one year and were a highlight of the night.  At Harrah's, they broke out a few laser lights, a flashback to when BOC was one of the first to use lasers in concert. Only original dr...

 17 years ago today... January 29, 2004 - Scottsdale, AZ Cheap Trick performed live at the Birds Nest at the FBR Open, aka Phoenix Open, PGA golf tournament. Formed in 1973 in Rockford, IL, Cheap Trick was a popular rock & roll band that played in small clubs around the Midwest.  The band's self-titled debut album came out in spring of 1977, my senior year of high school.  Just as the album was released, Cheap Trick played Second Chance, a Champaign, IL nightclub.  As underaged teens, our only ID was that of Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, fortunately good enough for the bouncer on this night.    We watched the band rip through that first album from a tiny barroom stage, and were immediate fans.  The original album had Side 1 and Side A on the flip, as they claimed they "had no 'B' material." We've seen Cheap Trick dozens of times since that night in 1977.  The sets don't vary a lot, highlighted by the songs from "In Color," "Live at Bud...

 38 years ago today... January 28, 1983 - Phoenix, AZ  Legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis performed in the round at Celebrity Theatre. Miles is lauded as a revolutionary and creative musical genius.  He is also one weird guy.  He played virtually the entire concert with his back to the audience and the bell of his trumpet pointed downward toward the stage.  He never addressed the crowd. Of the eight long songs Davis performed, six were from his upcoming album "Star People."    Even if you don't see yourself as a jazz aficionado, consider adding Miles' "Kind of Blue" album to your collection.  The best-selling jazz record ever made, this is perfect early morning wake-up music and dinner accompaniment.  Thank me later.  Unfortunately, nothing from this album was performed in this concert. To see the set list, go here: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/miles-davis/1983/celebrity-theatre-phoenix-az-53f66b85.html

 31 years ago today... January 27, 1990 - Scottsdale, AZ Jazz guitar and vocal duo Tuck & Patti performed in concert at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. I was not very familiar with this husband-wife Windham Hill Jazz recording act when I saw them in 1990.  This concert was presented by KJZZ Radio, the market's PBS jazz station that hosted me and a parade of musicians that played the then-popular Boojum Tree Jazz Lounge.  I handled artists publicity for the jazz club, located within a Doubletree Hotel, and KJZZ would interview the performers live on air. Although I had taken a class titled "Evolution of Jazz" in college and was on a committee that brought jazz musicians to campus, driving jazz legends in my car to be interviewed at KJZZ at its Mesa studio was my true jazz education.  Les McCann, Eddie Harris, Richie Cole, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Mose Allison, Jon Hendrix, Charlie Byrd, Ahmad Jamal, Dan Siegel, Jimmy Smith and Francine Reed where among the j...

 20 years ago today... January 26, 2001 - Scottsdale, AZ The Heat Was On this Friday night when Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey spread his wings at a solo concert at the raucous Birds Nest Music Fest at the Phoenix Open golf tournament. Like most nights at the Birds Nest, this was a packed and rowdy affair.  Glenn played a mix of Eagles hits where he sings lead vocal, his solo work and rock & roll covers that inspired the audience and added to the wild scene.    Frey died five years ago this week at age 67.  Later that year, a full-sized statue of him was unveiled at Standin' On The Corner Park in Winslow, AZ, a cool little tribute to the song and the band that is another good reason to visit this little town along Route 66 and the railroad. The Eagles continue to tour (although we attended the "Farewell I" tour in 2005!) and have added Glenn's son Deacon to the band.  The Eagles 2020 concert tour playing the "Hotel California" album front to back with a f...

 6 years ago today... January 25, 2015 - Glendale, AZ The NFL Pro Bowl kicked off at University of Phoenix Stadium. This was the first Pro Bowl held outside of Hawaii since 2010, and was scheduled a week before Super Bowl XLIX which would be played in the same stadium.  The game used an unconferenced format with teams drafted and captained by NFL Hall of Fame wide receivers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin. Like every other Pro Bowl, the results are forgettable and the game action soft.  For the record, Matthew Stafford and J.J. Watt were the offensive and defensive MVPs respectively.    Perhaps the most interesting aspect of attending the Pro Bowl was to see the advance site preparations for the Super Bowl that was happening a week later, the third time the "Big Game" had been played in AZ and the second time at University of Phoenix Stadium.