Dr. Dirty John Valby Entertains The Degens At The Riviera
2/12/2022 - North Tonawanda, New York - We headed West today to a new destination the Riviera Theatre in downtown North Tonawanda, New York to see the classic degenerate humor of John Valby also known as Dr. Dirty. We stopped off in Lockport to pickup Mike who decided at the last minute to join us for the festivities. We had not seen Valby for many years probably not since when he was a regular at the After Dark. We arrived early at the beautifully restored Riviera Theatre and had drinks. The show was not a sellout and our seats were good about ten rows back right of stage. A local comedian whose name escapes me came out for an opening set in place of Rob Lederman who cancelled due to a medical emergency. He was just okay. Valby came out shortly after and went right into a good set of his classics and some new stuff. Many people in the theater were seeing him for the first time and he played classics like Philsophical Bullshit, Gangbang and Hey Lade to name a few. He even managed to get a couple girls on stage to expose themselves during Barnacle Bill. This was a fun night and definitely brought back some nostalgia watching the seventy-seven year old Valby perform. It appears Valby still has it and everyone left the show very entertained, thanks Dr. Dirty.Slideshow[]
Toronto Road Trip For John Mayer At Scotiabank Arena
7/30/2019 - Toronto, Canada - Today, Dom and I headed north of the border to Toronto, Canada's Scotiabank Arena to see one of our favorites, John Mayer. We crossed the border into Canada at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge with short wait times. A nice day for the drive to Kipling Station to pickup the TTC to take us right to the door of Scotiabank Arena. We had a not so good dinner at Hoops Sports Bar and headed into the show. We had good tickets left of the stage and Mayer and his band would have no opener and they would play two great sets. He opened set one with a nice jam on Belief. The first set included Something Like Olivia, Who Says and Waiting On The World To Change. Set two included lots of classics like the cover of Tom Petty's Free Fallin', the jam filled Slow Dancing In A Burning Room and the set closed with one of my favorites, Gravity. He came out for a two song encore that included Roll It On Home and New Light. A very good show that was enjoyed by the sold-out Scotiabank crowd. We headed back to Kipling via the TTC and then back across the border. The border guard knew me thru my cousin in the Southern tier, whats the odds of that. An excellent road trip well worth the drive.Slideshow[]
Toronto Road Trip Light Show, Cars and Plant At Massey Hall
Exploring Our Favorite Maui Spots And Road To Hana Adventure
2/17/2018 - Toronto, Canada - We headed north of the border today to Toronto, Canada to see the classic rock legend Robert Plant and his band the Sensational Space Shifters perform at the classic venue Massey Hall. They are touring promoting the new album Carry Fire. We headed up early with a short wait on the Queenston Lewiston Bridge. It was a cold day and we hit downtown Toronto a little early parking at the Eaton Centre and walking the city a bit. We headed to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and checked out some awesome cars at the 2018 Canadian International Autoshow. We saw some insane vehicles from classic cars of the 1920's and 30's to Porsches to Vettes to contemporary cars from every car maker in the world, a nice way to spend part of a cold day. After the autoshow we headed to the Toronto Light Fest at the lovely Distillery Historic District. After taking in the lights it was show time and we headed to Massey Hall. Large lines had formed outside the venue that included plenty of street vendors with shirts and scalpers with tickets. We had good seats for the show in this classic venue and it was a sellout. Plant and his band the Sensational Space Shifters came out and did a fantastic set of tunes from his new album Carry Fire to classic Zeppelin. The band was very tight and Plant proved he still has it. He opened with New World and did some nice covers of Zeppelin song's including That's The Way and Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. he finished the set with Misty Mountain Hop. The band came out for two encore songs first the Plant solo classic In the Mood and closing with Zeppelin's Bring It On Home. An excellent show in a great venue, we will be back for sure.Slideshow[]
2/23/2017 - Maui, Hawaii - The next few days of our Maui trip had us all over the island doing some of our favorite things and some unexpected things. We started the days with delicious breakfasts by Deb at our condo at Kaanapali Shores out on the lanai. We decided to hit some of our favorite spots on the west side first stopping at Snorkel Bobs for some boogie boards and snorkel gear. We were then off to the best sea turtle snorkel spot on the island the gorgeous Kapalua Bay. We snuck a parking spot on the golf course parking lot. We hit the beach taking in the nice views of the island of Molakai and some humpback whales not far off shore. Dom got some good underwater Gopro footage of the sea turtles in the bay. We then headed down the road and stopped at McDonalds for some hot fudge sundaes. Then back down the road to the best boogie board beach on the island, DT Fleming Beach. The surf was excellent here and we managed to catch a couple nice waves to boogie board into the beach on. After the beaches we were back to Kaanapali Shores for drinks by the pool and a nice sunset. For dinner this night we headed to Lahaina and had a fantastic steak and lobster tail dinner at the ocean front restaurant Koa's Seaside Grill. The next day we were up early to drive the lovely Road To Hana. We used the Iphone app and Bob guided us to the best spots on the long journey. The first stop we walked the nice Waikamoi Nature Trail. The next stop on the tour was Keanae Arboretum with the highlight here being the Rainbow Eucalyptus trees. We then stopped at the old church on Keanae Peninsula and got some nice drone shots and almost got into it with some locals who pretended to be Homeland Security. We moved on and stopped at Halfway To Hana for some banana bread and something that was supposed to be a cheeseburger. We stopped at several nice waterfalls along the twisting turning drive along the way. We made it to Hana and went right to Waianapanapa State Park to checkout the Black Sand Beach, taking some nice pictures and drone footage there. We moved on as it was getting late in the day and we headed to the Seven Sacred Pools but could not explore there due to falling rock hazards. We jumped on the Pipiwai Trail and hiked a couple miles thru the bamboo forest to the beautiful Waimoku Falls, definitely worth the hike. It was really late in the day and we decided to drive all the way around Haleakala. The drive was rough, a single lane dirt / sometimes semi-paved road along high cliffs with rocks all over in total darkness. We almost made it the whole way when one of our tires was punctured by something probably a rock. So we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, with no cell service in a rental car where we were not supposed to be! We drove until the tire was totally shot and from out of nowhere two cars stopped and helped us change the tire and get us out of trouble, I only wish I had the names of the two guys who helped, just awesome! We made it back to Kahalui and went right to Budget with our Nissan with 40k miles on it and exchanged it for another Nissan, this time a brand new one that would last us the remainder of the trip. Tired and hungry we stopped at McDonalds for something to eat and then back to the condo to pass out. What a day.......Slideshow[]
Cancellations And Delays Don't Stop Our Return Home To Maui
Robert Cray Band Brings Blues In The Afternoon To NYS Fair
2/18/2017 - Maui, Hawaii - The journey back to Maui started the day before driving north of the border in the afternoon to spend the night at the Hilton Garden Inn next to the Toronto International Airport. We stopped for Deb's fix of Swiss Chalet and then we enjoyed the pool and hot tub at the hotel. We were up early to catch our Air Canada / United flight to San Francisco, but of all the flights departing Toronto ours was the only one that was cancelled due to a mechanical problem. So we were rescheduled on a later flight that would still allow us to make our connection but that flight was also delayed by over an hour causing us to miss our connecting flight in San Francisco to Maui. After dealing with poor customer service with Air Canada we used United's customer service to get us on the later flight that finally brought us into Maui about six hours late but we made it there. We stopped at Budget to get our rental car, a brand new Malibu, with a bad transmission and defective driver's seatbelt. The car would be exchanged the next day. We drove across Maui in a light rain to our condo at Kaanapali Shores. We were warmly greeted as returning guests receiving a nice card, some macadamia nuts and a gift certificate to the Beach Club. The room was excellent as always and although only booked as a garden view it provided us with a decent partial ocean view. We passed out and the next day we had breakfast at the Beach Club and chilled by the ocean front pool for most of the morning. We then headed back to Kahalui for supplies at the super Walmart and grabbed the annual fix of Krispy Kremes. We stopped and exchanged the defective rental car for a Nissan with over 40k miles on it. We headed back to the condo and hung by the pool, watched a decent Elvis impersonator, took in a nice sunset and finally had a nice dinner at Java Jazz and listened to some nice live acoustic music. After this back to the condo for some late night tennis. A nice way to ease into the Maui adventure.Slideshow[]
9/4/2016 - Syracuse, New York - Today, we headed east down the New York State Thruway to the State Fair Grounds in Syracuse, New York to see one of our favorite blues guys perform Mr Robert Cray and his band. This was the last weekend of summer and a gorgeous hot sunny day. Robert Cray Band were performing at the New York State Fair's Chevrolet Court in the middle of the afternoon. We arrived a little early to get a spot center stage about fifteen rows back. Robert Cray and his band came out on time promptly at 2 pm and played a good but somewhat short set. They opened with Chicken In The Kitchen and played other classics like On The Road Down, Poor Johnny and Phone Booth. The sun and heat were a factor on the band and may have led to the smaller set. They closed the show with the classic Time Makes Two. Another awesome Cray show they continue to deliver the good stuff a great way to spend the day.Slideshow[]
Rik Emmett Rocks Along The Niagara River At Gratwick Park
Muse Brings Drones World Tour To Toronto's Air Canada Centre
7/1/2016 - North Tonawanda, New York - Today, I headed west to North Tonawanda's Gratwick Park to take part in the 2016 Rockin' The River Concert Series to see the awesome talents of the classic rock guitar player Rik Emmett. I arrived early and purchased a VIP pass prior to the concert start. The clouds moved in and it rained for about an hour and I waited it out in the car. The sky cleared and the show started on time with a Lockport band, Wanted By The FBI, who were okay. They were then followed by a Niagara Falls band, Klear, who were pretty good. Soon after Rik Emmett and his band hit the stage. They did a short but good set. He opened the show with the Triumph classic Lay It On The Line. He played many classic Triumph tunes including Hold On and Rocky Mountain Way with a big dose of Led Zeppelin> He closed the short set reminiscing about his career start in Western New York and closed with Magic Power. Rik and guitarist Dave Dunlop traded guitar licks throughout the show. Rik is starting to show his age a bit but proved without a doubt he can still jam, a very good show.Slideshow[]
1/16/2016 - Toronto, Canada - Today we headed north of the border to Toronto, Canada to watch the band Muse perform on their Drones World Tour at the Air Canada Centre. We left a little early driving to the outskirts of Toronto to pickup the TTC at Kipling to take us right to Union Station and the Air Canada Centre. We stopped for a quick cold view of the CN Tower and stopped and had a decent meal at Hoops Sports Bar and Grill taking in some NFL Divisional Playoff action. After dinner we headed to the Air Canada Centre and got our VIP tickets to the show that included a private reception with drinks and snacks in the exclusive Platinum Club. This also included a private viewing of the Muse-eum display of Muse memorabilia. We went to our seats which were excellent first row center stage. The X Ambassadors opened and did a good forty minute set that included their hit Renegades. Soon after Muse hit the stage which encompassed the entire ice of the Air Canada Centre. They came out and did an excellent show with a setlist of both old and new songs. They opened with Psycho and played an excellent version of Hysteria that included and outro of AC/DC's Back In Black and Rush's YYZ that required a guitar lesson for guitarist Matt Bellamy from bassist Chris Wolstenholme. They had great visuals and effects that included huge bouncing balls, confetti machines, and even a spaceship that flew around the arena and that topped off with great sound. They played hits like Starlight, Time Is Running Out and Uprising. The crowd was very much into it cheering and singing along. They came out for a two song encore that started with Mercy. They then had a nice intro of Ennio Morricone's Man With The Harmonica leading into the final song of the evening Knights Of Cydonia. This was a great show all the way around.Slideshow[]
Doing Our Typical Maui Thing As We Usually Do - Part II
REO Speedwagon Keeps Pushin The Jams At Artpark
3/30/2015 - Maui, Hawaii - After easing in on the first day after the long day of travel we began to do what are now are normal Maui daily activities. Maui really is our home away from home. We start the day with the daily beach walk watching the sun come up on Kaanapali beach and checking out the whales playing just off shore. We had the Florios, Mike and Dee, tagging along for this trip. They would see the island our way, we started them out with a drive to west Maui all the way to Kahakuloa Head. On the way back we stopped at Nakalele Blowhole for the annual climb down to see the blowhole upclose. Although the winds were strong the blowhole was somewhat quite. We headed back to the condo and were greeted by a couple of nice rainbows. We chilled by the pool a bit then headed to Kaanapali Beach at the Old Airport site to do some snorkeling. We took in the sunset back at the condo and headed back to Lahaina and had dinner at Bubba Gumps. The next morning we headed back to Lahaina and went on Pacific Whale Foundation's boat the Discovery for our first whale watch of the trip. As usual we encountered many whales and tails a good watch that included my favorite panoramic views of Maui from the ocean. After the whale watch we had a nice lunch in Lahaina at the Pioneer Inn. We headed back to the condo again to relax by the pool and have drinks. We were greeted by more beautiful mountain rainbows and took in a nice sunset. We then had a nice dinner at our favorite new pizza place in Maui, Pizza Paradiso, which was excellent. Much more Maui to come. 1345Slideshow[]
6/18/2013 - Lewiston, New York - Today the classic rock band REO Speedwagon was the headliner at our first summer concert of the season at ArtparkTuesday In The Park series. It was Dom's last day of school and as soon as he got out we decided to buys tickets and Get Back On The Road Again to Artpark in Lewiston, New York. We stopped in Lockport for a quick dinner at Dom's favorite burger joint in the world Reids. We arrived a little later than normal but still got a decent spot for the show. It was a perfect evening and the show opened with the great blues of Nick Moss and his band. They played some tasty blues guitar. When REO hit the stage the place was packed it looked very close to sold out. The band came out and played a very energetic set opening with Don't Let Him Go. They played alot of their hits in the almost two hours including Keep Pushin, Time For Me To Fly, Like You Do one of my personal favorites and closed the set with Roll With The Changes. The band was tight and the vocals were excellent. The band came out and played three encores Keep On Loving You and an excellent jam on Ridin The Storm Out. They finished with a cover of Gloria. All appeared a little older but they still put on a great concert. A great start to the summer concert season.Slideshow[]
Little Ol Band From Texas ZZ Top Jams At Artpark
Robert Cray Band Jams In Downtown Buffalo
8/2/2011 - Lewiston, New York - Today the excellent Tuesday In The Park at Artpark in Lewiston series continued with that little ol band from Texas that's right ZZ Top. The weather was threatening rain but never did and the crowd was large and there early, but Dom and I got a perfect spot, next to some Canandiens. The show opened with a local act the Jony James Band. They were not that great just ok and in between acts the crowd was entertained by a low flying helicopter that flew around the crowd for quite a while. ZZ Top came on and jammed a very good set opening with Got Me Under Pressure. It also included classics such as Jesus Just Left Chicago, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide, Cheap Sunglasses, Just Got Paid, and finishing with Legs. They followed up with two encore songs with an excellent jam on La Grange and the finale of Tush. Another great free concert with several more to come.Slideshow[]
8/16/2008 - Buffalo, New York - Downtown Buffalo New York on the Harbour front was the scene for a blues jam fest. The night of music featured Robert Cray Band and Keb Mo. Keb Mo opened the show providing some excellent blues jams with Robert Cray sneaking out to perform a number with him. Robert Cray came out and played all his classics and some awesome blues covers including Sitting On Top Of The World by Cream and Bad Influence by Eric Clapton. Cray also played an excellent version of his contemporary blues classic Time Makes Two. Dominic had a front row seat thanks to the nice people around him who offered him front row for a good view. Prior to the show we explored the Buffalo Harbour front area checking out the Buffalo Naval Park's many Air Force aircraft, Navy ships and tons of boats in the Harbour. An excellent night of Blues.Slideshow[]
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