Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Lets Play Catch-up... Brad Paisley vs. Aerosmith

So I haven't blogged since I got married. Let me tell ya, things are going great. Deborah Lynn is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I've been so busy enjoying living my life with her I didn't have time to blog... but now its time to get back to it!

Why the sudden return to blogging? Well, its because I am in Chicago on a business trip, and I was forced to leave Debbie at home. So I blog to kill time...

So whats the topic de jour? Well, not surprisingly its music. recently I had the privilege to attend two amazing concerts. The headliners? Brad Paisley and Aerosmith.

Brad Paisley

I originally agreed to go to Brad Paisley because he is one of Debbies favourite country stars. Happy wife is a happy Dave, so I bought tickets, and took my wife. I expected the show to be boring... I was in for a surprise...

First of all, the opening acts (Taylor Swift & Rodney Aikens) were entertaining. They both put on a great show, was entertaining and funny, and played solid music that sounded great. They set a high bar for Brad... which Brad leaped over with 6 feet to spare.

Brad is an amazingly talented guitarist, and he used it to rock out for the entire show. He played several guitar solos, including a marathon 10+ minute blister-fest that contained some of the best sounding guitar I have ever witnessed live.

Brads stage decoration was a large stack of monitors that constantly shown graphics and animations appropriate for each song he played. It was an impressive show. Brad definitely won a fan out of me.

Which leads me to...

Aerosmith

A week and a half later I dragged Debbie out to see Aerosmith. This is the third time I've seen Aerosmith live, and they blew the socks off their other performances. They played some 90s hits, and a couple songs from their recent blues album, Honkin On Bobo. Then they played a solid lineup of their oldies - solid rockin blues rock. Joe Perry went on several improv solos that were simply amazing. He played his guitar behind his back. He played it by having the drummer drum on the strings, and he played it with Steve Tyler fingering the chords from behind his back - absolutely amazing.

The energy was cranked to 1000% for the entire concert. It was nothing but pure excitement. Steven Tyler gets more crazy, and Aerosmith gets louder every time they go out on tour. The older they get, the better they get. They are truely the gods of rock, and there is none higher. If your a rock fan and have not seen Aerosmith live, you are cheating yourself out of an experience you will never forget.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

The Dave Debbie Connection

June 9, 2007 is a day that will live in infamy.

That is the date that I married Deborah Lynn Schilstra, my dearest love and best friend, at Westfield Heritage Village in Rockton Ontario.

From outside appearances, the wedding and reception was not much different than any other typical wedding and reception in Canada, so I shall spare you the gruesome task of regurgitating details that already come to mind when one thinks of a Canadian Wedding. I shall concentrate on the facts that made this wedding uniquely ours.
  1. We served Tim Bits between the ceremony and the reception. Deborah and I can be seen toasting wtih Tim Bits in the above picture.

  2. We had Lego (well, a cheap lego substitute, but it worked) on the tables at our reception. Guests were invited to make something out of the Lego to present to the bride and groom, who would then kiss. We were told that we ended up kissing more than brides and grooms have at other weddings our guests has attended previously. We did not mind.

  3. On the way to the rehearsal, we drove through a major thunderstorm, and into an area under a Tornado watch. We didn't care. There was some hitching to do!

  4. Aside from the pastor and the caterer, we had no outside help for the wedding, our piano player, photographer, videographer, MC, reception music etc was handled by friends and family.

  5. Deborah was driven to the church in her fathers 1928 Durant. (seen in the above picture).

  6. Hokey crap, I actually got married!
Most people we have talked to during the day expressed amazement at how calm we both were about the wedding. To me it felt as natural as putting on a jacket. That to me is the most amazing part. If someone had told me two years ago that I would now be married I would have laughed in their face, and pictured the worst possible situation in my head. Now, I can't help but feel anything but happiness and good feelings about my future.

As I stood at the front of the chapel, waiting for my bride to drive up, I must confess to being nervous, and tears came to my eyes. I first saw Deborah in her wedding dress, with a veil covering her face, through the back windows of the chapel. An amazing and overwhelming feeling came over me. It was like everything I knew to be true about her, and our relationship hit me all at once (like a frozen puck to the head, one might say). I was about to marry my best friend, deepest love, and most trusted companion. She was about to walk down the aisle and join me in a union that will last my entire life. And willingly at that! I couldn't wait for her to walk down that aisle! The smile she gave me when I finally took her hand was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I am still lost in the glow in her eyes.

I have never been happier, or at peace with the world, during these past 5 days of marriage. Its a euphoria that keeps washing over me. Every time I look at her, or even think of her, I cannot help but smile. Every time she looks at me, I cannot help but feel blessed. I am caught up in a whirlwind of emotion based on our love, commitment and friendship.

I know these feelings will fade, and all to soon we will settle down into married life. However I do know that for the rest of my life these feelings will stay with me. The best possible thing that could ever happen to me has just occurred, and I get to enjoy it for the rest of our lives.

Together.

What a beautiful thing that is.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Out of spite.

The following are things either Deborah or I have done, usually to each other but not always, out of spite...

1. Turn on Christmas lights
2. Ordered spaghetti
3. Hiccup'd

... Its gonna be a fun marriage :)

Edit: The above is meant to be humourous, not a complaint. The ability to do random things out of spite works well for us. I highly reccomend it as stress relief.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen, Steve Tyler of Aerosmith

One of my favourite bands is Aerosmith. When they hit their stride on stage with a strong rock riff with a blues influence, theres really nothing better. Here is Steve singing his heart out at a church in Detroit:

Amazing Grace:



Lean On Me:


And Finally, Live on stage with Aerosmith: Dream On.


Not bad eh?

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Californication

One Dave's Trip to California

A couple weeks ago I went to California for a work trip. This is not about work, or trips. But it is about California. You see, California is an interesting place, but its also wrong. oh so very wrong.

My first stop was in Santa Monica, near Los Angeles. Santa Monica is a beautiful place. The beach is spectactular, and everywhere you look you see palm trees, and othe tropical plants.






On Saturday I walked around the Santa Monica pier. It was foggy along the beach, but the views were still amazing. I spent some time walking along the Third St Promenade, which is a pedestrian only street that extends for 4 blocks. (think Ottawas Byward Market but more tropical). The promenade has many stores, restaurants, and street performers. The pic on the left shows some break dancers who were simply amazing.


Later on in the afternoon, I drove around Beverly Hills, and Hollywood, and thats when I realized that Los Angeles and the surrounding area is like Britney Spears - looks good on the outside, but when you look deeper you realize that theres nothing really there of any interest.

Unless you happen to be a total pop culture Hollywood whore, LA is void of interest. Everything seems geared towards the entertainment industry. Theres no depth, no substance. Is a total sham job.

Its a nice place to visit, but I'm glad the visit was only for four days.

Monday, January 01, 2007

New Years Rockin Eve - The Wettest Concert Ever

This year I attended the wettest concert in history... but I digress...

Just before Christmas I was driving with my fiance down by Niagara Falls, looking at the lights, taking pictures, and checking out the sites. Amongst the many beautiful sites (such as lights, falling water, and my fiance's smile) I saw a sign. It said one of the most wonderful things ever: "Free Concert: New Years Eve: Foreigner, Colin James, and Justin Hines".

I have wanted to see Colin James live since I saw him on Corner Gas. I was about to drop $55 a ticket to go see him in Hamilton, and now I can see him for free! Outstanding!

So I quickly convince Deborah (being my fiance and in the car with me, and a sucker for punishment, it didn't take long). She contacted some of her friends, and boom! We had New Years plans.

Now, on December 31st, we drove down to Niagara Falls, and parked by the casino. We debated whether or not we should take our umbrellas. We bravely (and niavely) said "nay" and declined.

So we went off to eat, and wandered down to the falls, waded through the crowd, got some good positions, and watched the concert.

... then it started raining. And it hardly stopped for 3.5 hours. Keep in mind this is the middle of a Canadian winter, so the temperature is not exactly tropical. It was cold to be sure. Some of our friends started to balk. "It's cold" they said. "Its wet", they cried, "lets get out of here".

"Nay!" I exclaimed. This isn't some country and/or western show where one just gives up! This is rock'n'roll! No rain, no snow, no sleet, no hail will stop true-blood rockers! Thats just how we roll. So I stayed, and so did Deborah, GOD bless her. We swayed to the love songs, rocked to the fast songs, and when midnight came, by golly I kissed her under the fireworks and umbrellas, and it was wonderful.

And thus ended the wettest concert ever.

Now, many may be curious (ok, no one, but its my blog, so tough noogies) how many bands I have seen. Luckily for you, I made a list:

== Pre 2001:

David Meece
White Heart
Bush
Jesus Lizard

== 2001:
Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto
Aerosmith

== 2004:
House Of Blues - South Carolina
The Tragically Hip
Sam Roberts

== 2005:
Live 8 - Molson Park:
Bryan Adams
Barenaked Ladies
Motley Crue
Our Lady Peace
Jet
Blue Rodeo
Neil Young
Gordon Lightfoot
Bruce Cockburn
Jann Arden
Tragically Hip
Sam Roberts
Randy Bachman
Tom Cochrane
Simple Plan
Deep Purple
K'Naan
African Guitar Summit
Jet
DMC
Dobacarocol
Les Trois Accord

Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto
The White Stripes

Gage Park - Brampton (New Years Eve)
Glass Tiger

== 2006:
Hamilton:
Arrogant Worms

Air Canada Center - Toronto
Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day Tour
Aerosmith
Motley Crue

Molson Amphiteatre - Toronto
Great Big Sea

Massey Hall - Toronto
Dwight Yoakam

New Years Eve @ Niagara Falls (The wettest rock concert ever!)
Justin Hines
Colin James
Foreigner

==Upcoming:
Barenaked Ladies - ACC Feb 2007

On The Radar:
Arrogant Worms - Rose Theatre Feb 07
Colin James & The Little Big Band- Rose Theatre Feb 02


==Wish List:
Petra
Joe Satriani
Pink Floyd

== Never Gonna Happen Cause Of Death Or Stupidity:
Nirvana
The Beatles
Guns'n'Roses - The original lineup