Aside from some issues with a bad stage monitor that caused a very “crunchy” bass sound through the first four songs, it was an auditory experience like none other. Jeff played his classics, some of his blues stuff, four tunes that I counted from his latest album “Emotion and Commotion” as well as many of his more challenging jazz pieces. He opened the show with “Spectrum” and it was simply amazing.

The killer female bass player, Tal Wilkenfeld, that played on Jeff’s latest studio album was not part of his band. Any disappointment I may have felt about not getting to see/hear her was quickly dispelled after a few songs of hearing Rhonda Smith play. Rhonda is a former member of Prince’s band “The New Power Generation” and she can sing some bluesy vocals as well. She played a mean Fender Jazz Bass and a pretty unique upright electric bass.

The drummer, Narada Michael Warden, filled out the rhythm section and Narada had more stage presence than any drummer in recent memory. He was smiling broadly as he absolutely pummeled his drums. Being so close to the stage, Warden’s drums and Smith’s bass were literally causing my t-shirt to flap. I was a little surprised at the “crisp” volume because I understood that Jeff Beck had a bad case of tinnitus and/or hearing loss at one time.

The keyboard player, Jason Rebello, was an important part of the sound as well. Jeff is using a lot of string arrangements and synthesizer accompaniment these days. He did a really nice version of Jeff Buckley’s “Lilac Wine” and while I thought it sounded a little corny on the record, his performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was beautiful live.

I had never seen Jeff Beck play live before and I was very fortunate to be so close because he put on a clinic last night. His right hand was constantly working the whammy bar and the volume knob as he carried out his signature finger-picking style. He had several stretches of harmonics from which he squeezed-out additional notes using the whammy bar.

I could go on and on. There were a couple of points in the show (like when he played an instrumental version of the Beatles “A Day In The Life”) where the sounds he was making were at once hypnotic and mesmerizing. It was as close as I have been to hearing someone put 4000 people in a trance.

He played for 90 minutes and did one 4-song encore.

Jeff Beck turns 66 this Thursday. Don’t make the mistake I did with BB King. If you have a chance to catch Jeff Beck on this tour – do it. He is still very much at the top of his ability and the performance last night was a masterpiece.

Photos are here.

But starting at the beginning … we got into Mentor on Thursday evening and went straight to Zappitelli’s where Justin had a feast waiting for us. Justin made me a killer Italian Deluxe pizza and then also made a family-style table set with eggplant rollitini, chicken marsala, barbeque ribs, spaghetti with meatballs, cavatelli, chicken with peppers and then we chased it all down with cannoli. Hohoho, I ate so much that I wasn’t right for two days. It was like someone filled me with quick-crete. Not the food’s fault to be sure but moreso just another example of how the human body likes to punish you as you get older. In the end, it was a magical elixir known henceforth as “poop tea” that was to save me. Too much information, I know. But it’s my blog. Either man-up and read about my constipation adventures or go back to filling your brain with Facebook and lolcats.

On Friday morning I got up early and played a few holes up at Erie Shores Golf Course and then hit a bucket of balls at nearby Red Mill driving range. I hit the ball well and it started the day off right for me.

Around noon Glenn got home from work and we went and picked up Justin and Randy in Mentor and headed on into Akron. We registered for Founder’s Day and bought some books and tokens at the gift shop. We had some time before the big meeting at St. Thomas hospital so we went over to Dr. Bob’s house where I picked up a token and a few gifts as well as some kewl t-shirts. There were quite a few motorcycles over at Dr. Bob’s already but it wasn’t so packed that we couldn’t get around and see everything.

After Dr. Bob’s it was close to dinnertime so we went into the commercial cheeseball area of Akron and grabbed some grub at Longhorn steakhouse. I was tempted to order a large bowl of bran and some prune juice, but alas they didn’t have it on the menu so I had steak and lobster instead. I was on vacation and wasn’t going to let a little gastro-intestinal cloggage keep me from pigging out.

After dinner it was off to St. Thomas Hospital where we had plenty of time to check out the chapel where they had a nice archive with the works of Sister Ignatia. I read every display and every letter in the archive’s displays. Sister Ignatia’s small wing at the Saint Thomas Hospital was the first place alcoholics were treated with a 12-step-based program within the context of the modern medical establishment. Sister Ignatia went on to start another such facility called “Rosary Hall” in Cleveland. Rosary Hall (now in St. Vincent’s Hospital) and Ignatia Hall are still treating drunks today.

Every year on the Friday night before Founder’s Day a group of Canadian AA’s come down to St Thomas and host a panel meeting at St. Thomas hospital. This meeting is always a hoot. The Canadian contingent that runs this annual get-together are all the real deal.

After the Friday night meeting we all headed home and rested-up for Saturday.

On Saturday we got up early, headed back into Akron and caught an early meeting at the basketball gymnasium (the James A. Rhodes arena or JAR as we like to call it). It was a good meeting (they all are). At this point I hadn’t had a meaningful visit to the bathroom in about 36 hours. This is about 24 hours longer than normal for me so I strongly suggested that we have Mexican food for lunch – which we did. I loaded-up on salsa, verde sauce, pico de gallo, onions, peppers, pork, tortillas and about a gallon of sweet tea all in the hopes that a return to my native diet would set my guts straight. I smoked lots of cigarettes. Still no go.

Saturday afternoon we went to another meeting in the JAR where the temperature was roughly 400 degrees and wherein I found myself seated next to a man who had surely spent the entirety of his life avoiding air travel as there is simply no way this person could have ever fit in a standard (or first class) airplane seat. Given the physical dimensions of the seats, he had no choice but to be partially spilled-over into the seats next to him. I was praying that the 15 pounds of food I had eaten since we arrived in Ohio would not start suddenly gurgling and burbling as I was pretty pinned-down by the large dude next to me. In fact, I was in a position to not only ruin his day but to assuredly make him think twice about ever sitting next to (or on top of) anyone in a public auditorium ever, ever again. And the meeting ran late. I stayed until I couldn’t take it anymore and then let Justin, Glenn and Randy know I had to get some air.

From there we went and checked out the Mayflower Hotel. It is from the Mayflower Hotel that Bill Wilson made the phone call to a local woman named Henrietta Seiberling who arranged the meeting between Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith at her estate which was to become regarded as the first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. Anyway, enough of the history lesson and on to the saga of how I finally became unconstipated.

After shooting some photos in the Mayflower (it was very empty in there which was odd because the first time I visited the Mayflower on Founder’s Day weekend you could barely walk it was so crowded) we headed across the street to check out the minor league baseball park. I thought the walking would do me some good. We still had a few hours left until the big meeting started at the Akron University Football Stadium (called Infocision Stadium).

Seeing as how it was hot and humid and we had a few hours to kill we all decided to find an air-conditioned joint to stop and eat something light before the big meeting at eight o’clock. We settled on Rockne’s in Cuyahoga Falls. We sat at the bar so we wouldn’t have to wait for a table (some things will never change as I suspect the four of us have cumulatively logged around 80 years sitting at bars). I had a salad and a fruit plate and the other guys had wings and other foods that looked really good but were genuinely painful to look at.

From there we went to the stadium and attended the big meeting. It was a great meeting. We were able to watch the sun set over the stadium and we began to cool off as an evening breeze swept through. The speaker had some great one-liners and some really awesome anecdotes. He was a pleasure to listen to.

We got home to Glenn and Suzanne’s house in Madison around 11 or so and I finally let Suzanne know that I was having some issues with my bowels. She had noticed that I wasn’t raiding her fridge quite as enthusiastically as I usually do and offered to make me up some “poop tea”. I don’t know what’s in that tea. It tasted sorta like black licorice. I worried that the effects would be sudden and violent and was secondarily worried that it wouldn’t work at all. I went to bed and woke up the next morning to go to the bathroom wherein I sat and read the collected works of William Shakespeare. No, not really. But let’s just say that I now have a better idea of the relief that a woman must feel after giving birth to a 12 pound newborn. I was a new man. And just in time too because Suzanne had made up a bunch of awesome sausage that little Suzanne had bought a few days before from a German butcher in Cleveland. It was divine on so many different levels.

This was our last day up in the Cleveland area and Glenn had scored tickets for all of us to go see the Indians play the Washington Nationals. We didn’t know it when we got the tickets but that Sunday would prove to be the day that Stephen Strasburg made his second major league start. He pitched a gem. He had a 2-hitter going when they pulled him in the seventh inning. In Travis Hafner’s first at-bat I hollered, “hit one to me Pronk!”. Two pitches later Hafner jacked a low, inside fastball over the right-field wall about 20 feet below where I was sitting. Being a hopelessly superstitious baseball fan I tried shouting the same cheer in his subsequent at-bats without any good results. Still, I believe that his first home-run is entirely attributable to me.

Slider, the Tribe’s mascot, just happened to come over to our section because a group seated in front of us was celebrating a birthday or some other special occasion. We were able to get some neat photos of the girls with Slider as a result. Even though the girls were hot and I don’t think they particularly understand baseball – I think they had a good time because we kept them busy between the play area, eating ballpark food and just moving around and seeing the sights of the park.

The game was a blast even though the Tribe lost. That Sunday game was also dubbed a “Kid’s Day at the Park” which meant that any kids in attendance were allowed to run the bases after the game was over. Of course the children’s parents must be there too to make sure everything goes in an orderly fashion around the bases. I have probably seen a hundred games at Jacob’s Field (it will never be Progressive Field in my mind) but I had never set foot on the actual field. I moved to Cleveland in 1994 when the park opened and the Indians began their tear through the AL Central throughout the 90′s. I have many, many good memories of those teams. It was very spiritual for me to get down on the diamond with my kids and my father-in-law (who is a lifelong Indians fan) and run the bases. The grass was so beautiful.

After the game we all went back to Madison and feasted on a smoked brisket, german sausage, potato salad and cole slaw. Justin and Randy came over for dinner as well and we all had a nice visit.

It was an excellent long weekend in Cleveland – a town that will always be my adopted second home no matter where I currently collect my mail.

Photos are here.

May also held a few important occasions for celebration. First up was Mother’s Day. On Mother’s Day weekend Glenn and Suzanne came down to visit for the weekend and stayed with the kids on Friday night while Melissa and I drove up to Indy to see Pearl Jam in concert. The concert was a trip. There were thunderstorms in the area so the show started late and while the show was delayed everyone appeared to be tailgating and drinking out in the massive parking areas. As Melissa and I walked in I commented what a rowdy, festival like atmosphere it was. It reminded me of the sex/drugs/rock’n'roll era shows that I used to go see back in my younger days. There were a LOT of drunk people and I guess I had expected the Pearl Jam audience to have aged and matured a bit. Melissa and I had a great time even though the venue was very poorly run and very poorly secured. I had toyed with the idea of bringing James at one point and I am sure glad I didn’t. It was no place for kids. Even having said that …. it was oddly interesting (or nostalgic?) to see this place in the world where people were still OK with letting it all hang out. I had not been to a concert in maybe 15-20 years where people were openly smoking marijuana. I usually can’t even smoke a cigarette in public anymore with all the laws and changing social mores. Not at Pearl Jam. It was like stepping into a time machine. I hadn’t seen so much beer, pot and long hair in many years. And the band was superb. They are incredible live. Vedder has a voice that just works well over a big, loud PA system. McCready played spot-on through the songs and then extrapolated some of the bluesier stuff as instrumentals and long interludes between songs. The weather held on well enough for us all to stay dry and warm. I think Melissa enjoyed it as much as I did.

Because Glenn and Suzanne were home with the kids Melissa and I were able to spend the night at a nice hotel in Indy. We had a great meal before the show and had an excellent breakfast the morning after. Once we got home, Glenn, James and I worked in a round of golf that Saturday and then we all visited, ate and relaxed for Mother’s Day. I gave Melissa a new Flip HD Slide video camera and the children made sure to shower her with love and appreciation for what a great Mommy she is.

Fast-forwarding a couple of weeks, on May 21st James became a teenager and celebrated his 13th birthday. He is acting like a teenager too. Nuff said on that. James did receive some new games and assorted gaming paraphernalia and Melissa made him an awesome turtle cheesecake which was rich beyond description. It was so dense you could only eat it in small helpings – but it was a true work of art. Melissa and I also gave him a nice pull-cart for his golf clubs. We have been walking the course when we play since we both need the exercise and since his matches are all walking matches.

The next day, on May 22nd, Stella turned 4. She was very happy with all of her gifts and made sure she told everyone she spoke with that she was now four. As she imparted this information she would hold up four fingers just in case there was any confusion.

As the school year wound down and the weather turned from warm to hot, everyone’s spirits were lifted at the prospect of summer fun at the swimming pool and not having to rush around in the morning to get everyone off to school. It was a month full of good stuff.

All the May photos are here. We took them with a small point-and-shoot camera that we apparently have not yet mastered. Even though they are blurry, grainy and red-eyed we still like them.

BB is 84 years old and in Jim’s words, “He’s out there playing at an age when most people are dead.”

So I figured this was probably my last chance to catch him perform unless I made a trek to his club in New York.

The show was short and BB did more chatting with the audience than he did singing and playing the guitar. Some of what he had to share with the audience was in the form of funny, charming stories but at several points in the show he stopped to share wisdom that he had accrued over the years. He talked about treating people with respect and love (women in particular) and also talked about gratitude for the gifts in life and not taking the present for granted. He didn’t get into politics but he did take a moment to remind the younger of us in the audience not to get too bogged down in bad news and that things had been tough before in the past and he had always seen our society pull through with a combination of hope and hard work.

And when he played he still gave his picking a lot of feeling and intonation. He sustained and bent notes in the signature BB King style. His vocals were brief but still packed punch and had 84 years of experience behind them.

It did sadden me though because I realized that I had missed the opportunity to see him and hear him when he was at his best musically. He performed the entire show from a chair and his backing band (kickass players in their own right) played more than he did.

No regrets though. It’s not every day you get to sit 20 yards from a living legend and hear his thoughts on life as he picks a few of his favorites and lights up the room with smiles. Hearing him play “The Thrill is Gone” sent chills up and down my spine and made all the hairs stand-up on my forearms.

I took a few photos with our small point-and-shoot camera. They didn’t turn out well and are all pretty blurry but it’s hard to get a digital SLR into a concert these days …

On Easter Sunday we made a ham, potato casserole, rolls, baked asparagus and baked brussell sprouts for dinner. Justin made crab-stuffed mushrooms and crab-stuffed shrimp for munchies during the day. The egg hunt went pretty smoothly as the weather was perfect and all the kids were fairly well rested. Dad and I caught some of the NCAA tournament on TV in between naps.

On Monday, the boys all went out and played golf (I played poorly) and the weather was also great on Monday. After golf we all went to Buca Di Beppo and sat at the “Pope Table” for a very large meal of family-style Italian food. I was pretty stuffed and then we came home to an apple pie that Melissa had ready in the freezer. I couldn’t eat any pie but the kids did and they were pretty impressed with it.

The rest of the photos for the Easter festivities are here.

James also beat me in chess for the first time in March. The night before the state tournament we played a game and I had him down by about four pieces when he pinned me out of the blue. I never saw it coming and it was an elegant counter. Pretty soon he will be beating me in golf too.

Sharon is taking guitar lessons at the Oldham County Arts Center. I bought her a nice Fender practice amp at Mom’s Music. I also got her an 1/8″ to RCA adapter so she can plug her mp3 player into the amp and play along with her music. She has been working on both the piano and the guitar pretty consistently.

Kayleigh is starting golf lessons and Stella is very excited that she will be starting pre-school in a few months.

Here are the photos for March. I have included some pretty photos of Texas wildflowers that my Aunt Ann shot and sent over to us. I love the bluebonnets.

Melissa and I attended a wedding for some friends of ours on Valentine’s Day and we had a nice time. It was the first time we left the kids alone with James as overseer.

Most importantly of all, in February we were starting to see the end of Winter and all of us had cabin fever hoping for Spring to come soon.

The rest of the February photos are here.

Kayleigh Singing

Sharon Singing

Stella Singing

Sharon applied makeup to Stella and Kayleigh to glam them up a bit. Don’t worry. I would never allow them to leave the house like that. I am not looking to parent the next Jon Benet Ramsey.

They do like to dress up and sing along to their kiddie-pop though. They are Disney Channel kids. I was an MTV kid. They will grow-up to be a lot saner than I did.

It wasn’t hard finding a home for that second ticket.

Justin said he would kill me if I sold it to anyone else and he came down from Cleveland for a couple of days and we caught the show together.

I remember clearly when their second album (Dirt) came out and that sort of visceral connection I felt with it musically and thematically. Many of the songs were about addiction and depression but in a lot of ways it was just a blues record to me and I loved wailing to it. I was in college and was starting to get interested in playing guitar again and before long, with Garth’s help, I would be playing a lot of AIC songs (badly). I had already been listening to AIC’s first album “Facelift”, and grunge was a movement in full force. Heroin was making its comeback and claiming more than its fair share of young artists, particularly those in the Seattle scene. Then came Kurt Cobain’s suicide, Layne Staley’s struggles and how he shared them in his lyrics and how the music media gossiped about his heroin problem. By the time Layne died, the grunge era was well on its way out. In the aftermath of Kurt and Layne, as if their passing wasn’t bruising enough, it also struck me as tragic what it did to their friends and band-mates. It seems Dave Grohl used the losses as a life lesson, as if it were a call to kick life in the ass before it kicked his. Dave went on a creative tear like a man living on borrowed time. He started a family and became a positive force in the world of music. But guys like Kris Novoselic and Jerry Cantrell seemed to sort of step back and lick their wounds (I don’t know, this is just my impression). In Jerry’s case it was particularly hard for me to take because he was always such an original composer and his playing always had that bluesy feel even though he was characterized as a grunge player. Jerry had also picked up more and more vocal duties for AIC over the years and I thought that there was no reason that Alice In Chains couldn’t move on without Layne and keep making music. Jerry’s solo records after Layne’s death were interesting but they didn’t get picked up much by the public or by radio. I don’t know if it is was grunge backlash or that people wanted him back where he belonged, fronting Alice in Chains.

Anyway, last night was cathartic for me. It was good to see them together again, drinking water, hitting every note, playing tight. William DuVall has his own voice and style but he can belt out all the Layne Staley vocals on the old stuff. Not some caricature of “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll”, but as a group of friends doing what God meant for them to do. I fist bumped Jerry Cantrell and I managed to get one of his guitar picks as a momento. I shook Mike Inez’s hand. I thanked them for coming to Louisville and for playing the best show I have ever had the privilege of seeing.

Click here to see all of the photos Justin and I took with our camera-phones.

My customers released a lot of pent-up demand from the holidays that kept me extra busy at work – which is good but it also made January a blur. Not being able to do much outside (aside from some shoveling) had me dosed with cabin fever. I don’t get the winter blues but I do miss golf and every time I walk past the bikes I get a slight ache in my loins. TMI I know.

Melissa and I are both working through some of the books we received as gifts. I don’t know that she is using the Kindle much now since she has several real books stacked-up.

The kids (and adults) enjoyed getting their Christmas box from Uncle Justin. Stella wasted no time in pasting tattoos all over her body from the kit he sent her. She seems to like putting on makeup quite a bit too. I don’t feel either of these bode well.

All the January photos are here.