An Evening With Judas Priest

Last Friday evening, an energized crowd shuffled into the concert pavillion at Pier Six in downtown Baltimore. Consisting largely of middle-aged "metal-heads", the attendees anxiously made their way to their seats. They knew that it was just a matter of time before Judas Priest would be taking the stage and unleashing their rock and roll beast.

When Priest eventually took the stage around 9 pm, the crowd went absolutely nuts. The sight of Rob Halford and the boys taking their familiar positions instantly transported the crowd back to 1983. And although they started with a "non-classic" and lesser-known song off of the new album, the crowd didn't seem to mind at all. But when they followed up with the more widely recognized "Metal Gods" from the British Steel album, a chorus of ear-splitting whistles and cheers filled the pavilion.

Perhaps the most anticipated moment of the evening came a little earlier than expected. There was a brief pause as the band prepared to launch into their fourth song. A moment later, the silence was shattered as the classic dual-guitar intro from "Victim of Changes" echoed across the Inner Harbor. As the band transitioned into the signature power chords of the song, the crowd responded as if it had been hit with a defibrillator. This, of course, paved the way for Halford's powerful vocals. As the Metal God belted out the familiar lyrics, Pier Six was rocking like a hurricane. Seeing Judas Priest perform this song alone was worth the price of admission. The hair on my arms was standing up when they went into the bridge ....

Once she was wonderful
Once she was fine
Once she was beautiful
Once she was mine.......

Wailing like a harmonic banshee, Halford closed down the song like only he could. All I could say was, "Wow!" As I scanned the crowd, everyone else appeared to have the same reaction.

Photo courtesy of John Dixon 

They played a few more songs from the new album and mixed in a few classics. "Beyond The Realms of Death" from the Stained Class album was a pleasant surprise. As they prepared to play the final song of the set, the distinct roar of a Harley Davidson engine blasted through the pavilion. And anyone who's ever been to a Judas Priest show knows what that means. Rob Halford cued up the band by driving his famous motorcycle onto the stage. The twin guitars launched into the beginning riff of "Hell Bent For Leather" and the crowd went crazy. Like the band members themselves, this song never seems to get old.

They followed up with a couple of encores which consisted of "You've Got Another Thing Comin", "Livin' After Midnight" and "Defenders of the Faith".

As satisfied as I was, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed that they didn't do "Green Manalishi" or "Diamonds and Rust". In my opinion, these are two of the best covers ever. Most Priest fans know that "Diamonds and Rust" is an old Joan Baez folk song. Yeah, I know, hard to believe, right? But many fans might not know that "Green Manalishi" was originally done by Fleetwood Mac. OK, that's enough trivia.

I can remember practically wearing the vinyl off of my "Unleashed In The East" album. To me, it was the ultimate live record and I couldn't get enough of it. I saw Judas Priest several times through the years and they have always delivered the goods. Although the core members (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton and Ian Hill) are all in their mid-60's now, age doesn't really seem to be slowing them down.

To sum it up, Judas Priest still kicks ass and that's exactly what they did on Friday night. I'm not sure how much longer these guys can do it. But as long as they do, there will be no shortage of fans who want to see them.....

kw

Halloween Costumes - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Every year, as the Halloween parties starting kicking into gear, there will inevitably be a costume or two that will raise eyebrows. For instance, this year, infamous knock-out artist, Ray Rice, is getting even more unflattering exposure as party-goers don his number 27 jersey and drag around a female blow-up doll. Although many people will likely find this humorous, I'm sure there are plenty of others who find nothing funny about trivializing domestic violence.

Another costume that seems to making it's rounds this year is the Haz-Mat suit. Of course, this is in reference to the recent Ebola incidents in the US. It's actually kind of freaky to see people in these yellow suits and big goggles. No matter how you feel about this one, it's got to be uncomfortable walking around all night in the equivalent of a plastic bag.

A couple of years ago, I saw a guy dressed up as a mammogram machine. He walked around all night offering to give free breast exams to any interested woman. It seems like harmless fun with a sexual innuendo. But should this guy have encountered a woman who had battled breast cancer, it sets up a rather uncomfortable situation.

Controversial costumes are really nothing new. I can remember back when I was in high school and we had a dress-up day for Halloween. Keep in mind, that I went to a private high school where we were expected to be on a little better behavior than our our public school counterparts. Anyway, this one guy shows up for dress-up as a Klansman. Yes, that's right, as in the triple-K type. If he was trying to draw attention to himself and that's exactly what he did. The blacks guys were lining up to kick his ass while the white guys were scratching their heads wondering if this guy had completely lost his mind. It didn't take long for the word to make it down to the principals office and our resident Grand Cyclops was whisked away. Today, this kind of incident would have probably gotten the guy expelled and would have surely become, at the very least, a local news story. But was the early 80's, and he was let off with a verbal warning and told to trash the costume.

At a Halloween party a few years ago, I dressed up as a priest and Tina went as a nun. I really wanted to push the envelope with my costume but Tina talked me out of it. So, I behaved and simply went as Father Ken. It was probably best as I didn't really want to piss everyone off and  start a religious war at Le Fountaine Bleu.

Having some fun with our friend, Kathy. It took about 20 tries
to get this photo because we were both laughing so hard.

Attending a Halloween party last night at a local VFW, I didn't see any controversial costumes, but there were a few rather interesting ones. One guy was dressed as Twisty The Clown (from this season's American Horror Story). Not only was the guy's costume spot on, but he stayed in character most of the night. I saw him sneak up on several people throughout the night. When the person eventually turned around, he/she was greeted with this twisted-looking clown staring them in the face. He wound up taking first place in the costume contest and it was well deserved. Tina, who went as the one of the Three Blind Mice, along with Toni and Fran, took second place.

Tina and Twisty The Clown

There was also this guy who dressed up in the classic pink bunny outfit that little Ralphie was forced to wear in A Christmas Story. The guy completed his costume with a large pair of "Ralphie" eyeglasses. Watching this guy bust his moves on the dance floor in the pink bunny outfit was hysterical.

As you can can see, there are many ways you can go with a Halloween costume. Some are funny, some are scary and some can be downright offensive. Decisions, decisions......

kw

The Story That Got Away

Lately, I've been struggling with "writer's fatigue". It's been a real effort to come up with new stories. Over the past few years, I've written over 500 pieces. So, I'm starting to wonder if my "creativity juices" are drying up. With this being said, I'm always trying to find a catalyst for a new tale.

Last night, I find myself at the hotel bar. I consider myself a relatively sociable guy. So, I can usually strike a conversation with almost anyone. Among the guys, the quintessential icebreaker is sports. Preparing to launch, I casually position myself between two guys sitting at the bar. Looking up at the television, which happens to be broadcasting the Jets/Patriots game, I ask, "So, who do you guys like in this one?" And just like that, a conversation was born......

It turns out that one of the guys happens to be a corrections officer. Jackpot! I was really looking forward to "interviewing" him. The potential stories that I could get from this guy were endless!

He was a large black man with a bald head who looked a little like the actor, Michael Clarke Duncan. He was sipping on a glass of Crown Royal. As we exchanged comments about the football game, I signaled for the bartender to get my friend a fresh glass of Canadian Whisky. I figured the looser he got, the more he would share about his jailhouse experiences. Yeah, I know it's a cheap tactic, but like I said, I'm having a hard time coming up with new stories.

Well, just as the conversation starts to transition from football to the big house, the guy on the next bar stool butts in with a political comment. Knowing that my window of opportunity is closing, I intercept the guys comment by saying. "You know what, it really doesn't matter. All politicians suck."

Officer Duncan raises his glass of Crown Royal and says, "I'll drink to that." I instinctively tilt my Dogfish 60-Minute IPA to him and join him in a drink.

Figuring it was now safe to go back to my plan, I start to ask the corrections guy a question. But no sooner the first word comes out of my mouth, the political guy chimes in with, "What's up with this Redskins' name bullshit?"

Really? We're going to talk about the Redskins name controversy now? At this crucial moment?

Normally, I would love to engage in this conversation. But I have another agenda here and this guy is doing everything he can to f*ck it up. He orders another beer and then turns his body towards us. This was a tell-tale sign that he wasn't going away anytime soon. The corrections guy happened to be a Redskins fan, so this added the unwelcomed fuel that I dreaded. From there, things shifted from the Redskins to Ray Rice to Owe'Malley "the asshole". My opportunity was lost. All I could do was accept it and drink my beer.

I'm hoping that the corrections guys are in town for another day. If they are, I promise you, I will be better prepared to fend off any potential story-blockers....

kw

The 2014 Orioles - What A Ride!

The hourglass finally ran out of the Oriole's effort to win it all last night. Although they had an impressive run, they ran into a hot Kansas City team at the the wrong time. And now the Royals move onto to play in the World Series and the O's will be watching with the rest of us.

As a fan, I'm naturally disappointed that the O's didn't advance. I, along with may other O's fans, thought the this was "the year". Displaying an ample supply of exciting plays and dramatic comebacks. the O's almost seemed to be a team of destiny. So, seeing them make it to the ALCS only to get swept in four games by a wild-card team is going to take a little time to absorb.

While I may be disappointed with the ALCS outcome, I am far from disappointed in the team itself. These guys played their asses off all season. They were in almost every game until the very end. The tenacity that the O's showed this year can't be ignored. Bottom line, this is one hell of a baseball team that any city would be proud of.

How many teams could lose three All-Stars and really expect to contend? When Matt Weiters went down, we figured that it would have a big impact. But when Manny Machado went out for the season, many fans said that there was no way we could compete. But somehow the Oriole's kept on truckin' and started to move away from their rivals in the AL East. And then, when we found out the Chris Davis would be suspended for 25 games, right before the playoffs, you could almost see a black cloud appear over Camden Yards. But instead of collapsing, like many people anticipated, the O's actually played harder! They opened up a massive lead in the AL East and then bulldozed through Detroit in the Division Series.

And while its natural to be disappointed that the season is now over, I think it's a bit unfair and disingenuous to bash the O's for their performance against the Royals. Every game was close and we were within one big hit until the final out. In four games, the O's lost by a total of six runs. Kansas City just played a little bit better than Baltimore. It happens sometimes. The Royals played great and deserved to win. What else can you say?

The main wish for O's fans is that they have a team that can contend. After so many legitimate disappointing years, we finally have a team that not only can contend, but can also go deep into the post-season. That's something that we should really appreciate. It's great hearing sports people around the country say, "I think Baltimore has a shot at the World Series."

Since the core group of players will likely be back next season, the Orioles should resume another playoff run in 2015. Although they fell a little short this year, they represented Baltimore proudly all season. My hat is off to the birds for a tremendous effort and countless hours of excitement. See you in April!

kw

O's vs. Royals - Game One Recap

Like many other Oriole fans, I'm waking up a little late this morning. Last night's first game of the American League Championship series ended in Kansas City's favor just before 1 am. Yes, it was a indeed heartbreaking loss after Baltimore clawed their way back from an early 5-1 deficit.

While the game didn't quite work out for Baltimore, I don't think anyone can say that it wasn't exciting. The Royals' big hit came off of a broken bat double by Alex Gordon in the 3rd inning. It was one of those things. O's pitcher, Chris Tillman jammed the Kansas City left fielder with a 93-mph fastball and Gordon somehow fought it off and deposited in a vacant piece of real estate in right field. As luck would have it, the bases were loaded and all three runs scored on the hit.

The Orioles had their big inning in the bottom of the 5th when they put three runs on the board. The most disappointing thing about that inning was, even after scoring the three runs, they still had bases loaded with nobody out. They had an opportunity to break the game wide open. But Kansas City went to the bullpen and was able to escape the inning with no further damage.

However, the following inning, the O's tied the game on an infield pop-up by Alejandro De Aza that somehow dropped in front of the Kansas City shortstop. Displaying some brilliant base-running instincts, Jonathan Schoop managed to score from 3rd base on the play.

The game remained knotted up at 5-5 for the next few innings. In the bottom of the 9th, O's closer, Zach Britton took the mound. He seemed to be having serious issues with his control. It was raining pretty steadily, so maybe this had an impact? Nonetheless, most of his pitches were clearly below the strike zone. At one point, he missed the strike zone with twelve consecutive balls and he wound up walking the bases loaded with no one out. Fortunately, the next batter grounded into a force play for the first out. Fielding the ground ball, O's first baseman, Steve Pearce, made a heads-up play to force the go-ahead run at the plate.

Darren O'Day was brought in to face KC's Billy Butler with the bases still loaded and one out. As the announcers put it, "The Oriole's are going to need to perform a Houdini trick to get out of this one." Well, that's exactly what they did as O'Day got Butler to hit into an inning-ending double-play. This visibly energized the Orioles and O'Day was greeted with a hug from Zach Britton as he came off the field and entered the dugout.

But the celebration was short-lived for the O's as the Royals hit two bombs in the top of the 10th inning to go up 8-5. The O's, never giving up, made a valiant effort to come back in the bottom of 10th. But thier effort fell a little short and the game ended with Kansas City winning 8-6.

Perhaps the most ironic thing about last nights game is that Kansas City, who had the least amount of homeruns in the Major Leagues during the regular season, hit three last night. The Oriole's, who led MLB in homeruns, hit none.

Here's what you have have to remember about this series. Like the Orioles, the Royals are a scrappy team that never gives up. Neither team has been to the World Series in roughly 20 years. Now, that both teams finally have the Promised Land in their sites, they will stop at nothing in their efforts to get there. No matter who you happen to be pulling for, you have to respect the way both teams play the game. You can put up all of the impressive individual stats that you want, but it pales in comparison to a hungry team that believes in itself. For baseball fans, this year's ALCS matchup is about as good as it gets.

With that being said, Buck Showalter will have his guys geared up and ready to go for Game Two. Although it's disappointing to lose Game One on your home field, don't think for a second that O's are going to be discouraged by it. They have played with heart and tenacity all season long. That's what got them this far. Expect to see that same determination throughout the remainder of the post-season.

If last night is any prelude to what the rest of the series is going to be like, we're in for an epic contest between two teams on a mission. Go O's!

kw

Hairy Food

Earlier this week, I'm out with the gang for trivia night at a local bar/restaurant. Meticulously following our protocol, we rush to get our food order in before the Happy Hour cut-off. You see, come 7 pm at this particular Glen Burnie restaurant, the happy hour prices vanish quicker than an IRS hard drive.

Well, my buddy Rip gets his food first. I think he ordered the shrimp tacos. Anyway, after a couple of bites, a look of panic forms on his face as he slowly pushes his plate of food aside. Confused, I give him the "WTF" gesture. He informs us that he just swallowed a long piece of hair. Instantly, everyone at the table let out a harmonious, "Ewwww!"

Now, the only thing worse than finding a hair in your food, is swallowing a piece of hair in your food. And for some reason, it always seems worse when it's someone else's hair. What made this particular situation even worse was that my friend has the same hairstyle as a bowling ball. So, he knew it wasn't his hair that was slowly making it's way down his esophagus.

Moving on......

Several years ago, Tina and I stopped off at an Eastern Shore crab house. We ordered the crab dip as an appetizer. After a couple of bites, Tina looks at me and says, "Ken, please tell me that's not a hair in there."

Looking at the bowl very closely, I saw that it was indeed a hair. So, trying to keep Tina happy by fulfilling her request, I said, "Nope. There's no hair in there."

Of course, there was indeed a hair in there. And right on cue, the waitress comes over and says, "So, how is the crab dip."

I answer, "It's actually not bad, but I think it could use a shave."

She immediately apologized and offered to get us another order. We told her that it wasn't her fault and that we appreciated her offer but we were done with the crab dip for the day. We would just wait for our steamed crabs. Aside from being delicious, an added benefit of steamed crabs is that it's virtually impossible for a hair to find it's way under those shells.

Well, about a year later, we found ourselves back at this same crab house. The previous hair incident was a distant memory, so we decided to try the crab dip again. When we placed our order, we joked with our waitress about our hairy experience from last time. She got a kick of how cavalier we were about it. She said most customers would have absolutely freaked out. As she walked away, she joked, "Ok, let me put your order in. And we'll try to make it without the hair this time."

A short time later, a server brought us our food. Before we even took the first bite, we noticed a long black hair contrasting perfectly against the cream-colored crab dip. I'm not making this up. We couldn't believe it. At first, we thought our waitress might have had a twisted sense of humor and put it there on purpose. We looked toward the kitchen half expecting to see the wait staff giggling while peeking out of the kitchen to see our reaction.

Our waitress eventually came by and asked the familiar question, "So, how is everything?"

Tina cut right to the chase, "You're not going to believe this. There's a hair in there."

The waitress had a genuine look of shock on her face as she said, "Oh my God, are you serious?"

She was probably thinking that we were just trying to get a free meal. But we assured her that it wasn't this case. Our only request was to get an appetizer without hair in it. The first time, although still a little grossed out, our attitude was, "Oh well, sh*t happens." But to have it happen again on our very next visit was a little hard to absorb.

Our waitress assured us that we wouldn't be charged for the hairy crab dip. Wow, really? We didn't make a big deal about it. We just finished our drinks and then headed off to another restaurant where, thankfully, we found some hairless appetizers.

And last year, while dining at a Delaware brewpub, my sister-in-law had her own brush with hairy food. While we all sat around the table, we noticed that something was going on with her. She looked like a cat trying to cough up a hair ball. It turned out to be pretty close because she was actually trying to hack up a hair that she had just swallowed. I'm not even sure what kind of food she was eating. But it was definitely garnished with a long piece of hair. I never know what to do in these situations. Should I have performed the Heimlich Maneuver? It seems a bit extreme. After all, it's a piece of hair, not a semi-chewed chunk of ribeye.

I must be getting immune to this stuff. I was eating dinner at a local restaurant a month or so ago and discovered a short, straight hair on my plate (Thank God, it wasn't curly!). The meal was really good and I had already eaten about three-quarters of it. In fact, it was was so good that I just brushed the hair off of my plate and finished the entire meal. Now, there's a serious compliment to the chef!


kw