So Long Dusty

Today is a very sad day at my house. Not just because I'm not there (I'm currently in New Mexico for the week) but because we had to make a very hard decision yesterday. We made that decision yesterday and today the deed got done.

We had to put our dog Dusty down today. She was 12 1/2 years old. I always referred to her as a yellow lab but she was a mutt in every sense of the word.

I got Dusty in October of 1997. I had recently moved from Los Angeles back to Arlington, TX. I was 27 years old, had just purchased my first home and after about 5 months I realized, that house was lonely.

So, pretty much in the same weekend I changed that. I bought Dusty, I moved my sister from LA to Arlington and I met Stephen through the Big Brothers program.

Pretty big weekend in my life. All 3 events changed the course of my life for the better.

When I brought Dusty home, it took me about 2 minutes to realize she was infested with flea's. 6 weeks old and it just killed me to see her like that. They were all over the place. A flea bag from the beginning.

What I didn't know is that was just the first of a whole lot of obstacles for Dusty.

Dusty was a good puppy from the start when I was around. When I wasn't, issues popped up. All the typical puppy things like chewing bottoms of furniture, pant legs, etc. As I had to travel for work my buddy Dennis would watch her. That's when we learned Dusty didn't like captivity. She pretty much dug a mini-Grand Canyon in his backyard. We also learned about Dusty's fascination with cats.

Man did she love to chase down cats. She started with Dennis' wife's cat and to this day she still did it. She spent most of last night chasing Emma the Cat around the bedroom. She didn't do anything once she caught them but never did a cat pass her that wasn't promptly chased into a corner.

The older Dusty got the more these "quirks" would show up. She hated the broom and the vacuum cleaner.

But that was all little stuff until the spring of 1999 when the tornado hit downtown Ft. Worth and South Arlington. (It might have been 2000, I'm not sure). Everything changed then. Her and I were in the bath tub with a mattress over our head as the tornado came within 2 miles of the house.

After that, the slightest indication of a storm sent her into a tizzy. She just didn't know what to do with herself after that. She tore through sheetrock, carpets, kennel after kennel. She did so much of that it made it to where she basically broke everyone of her teeth.

That's also when I had to stop leaving her outside when I left because no matter what I did, she would not stay in the backyard.

In the spring of 2001 I started feeling bad for her and thought she needed a buddy, so we got Duke. A full blooded yellow lab. That just seemed to make her more miserable. Duke loves Dusty and can't stand to be away from her. Dusty longs for the day that Duke won't be there eating her food or stealing her place in the dog bed.

Dusty has always been a lover of everything female. It started with my sister when she lived with me for a bit, Dusty would protect Sue no matter what. If I ever got mad at Sue, Dusty (my dog) would let me know that wasn't cool.

When she escaped she would always go to my neighbor's house - Janice and Connie.

When Angela came on the scene in 2005 I lost Dusty forever. She was Angela's dog. You couldn't even play wrestle with Angela without Dusty getting mad. She would stay under the bed until Angela would wake up and then they'd come out of the room together. Every single morning.

When Angela went to bed, so did Dusty.

When the boys showed up last June, Dusty loved them like a mother. She always took inventory and made sure all 3 were where she could find them.

She went with Angela to check on them at night and make sure everything was ok.

We had learned to deal with Dusty's quirks. We have sedatives for storms, we know not to grab for her when she's scared. Basically the dog trained us how to act around her.

We were pretty good at it. There have been times over the past few years when I thought it was time but we were always able to work through it.

That ended yesterday when during a small storm, James pulled Dusty's tail. Dusty turned around and bit him in the head. James is fine but the boys are only 8 months old. They aren't going to learn how to deal with Dusty's quirks any time soon and storm season isn't even here yet.



Last night was a rough one on Angela and I as we realized we only had 1 decision to make. We tried to think of alternatives but we just kept coming back to the fact that Dusty was old and certifiably crazy. She hasn't been a happy dog in a really long time.

I blame the tornado of 1999. Of course it was probably just living with me but it's easier to blame Mother Nature.

I wish I was home to hug my dog before she had to go but the fact is, nobody is comfortable with her around the babies anymore. More than that, I wish I was home just to hug Angela and let her know it was time. We are doing what is right.

The fact is Dusty was never going to be the dog the boys remember growing up with.

That's my memory. She was the dog I grew up with. My first dog as an adult in my first house with my first real connection (Stephen) and my first real love (Angela).

Hopefully Dog Heaven is filled with nothing but cats to stalk and Thunderstorms are too far down to hear or see. Oh and no younger dog will try to eat your food every day.

Is It Really Super Bowl Sunday if I Don't Get To Watch It?

Today will be the first Super Bowl I have not been able to watch live in 27 years. You see, I'm still in Charlotte at the Youth Ministry Conference. My flight home takes off at 6:20 PM Eastern time this evening. Yup, exactly when kickoff happens. I arrive at 8:45 central time which will probably be at about the 2 minute warning.

I bet you are wondering how I know that the last Super Bowl I was not able to watch live in it's entirety was Super Bowl XVII (that's 17 for those of you who have issues with roman numerals). Well, I was 12 and my father had recently purchased a van. Not a mini-van, I'm talking a van with captains chairs, a couch and the whole bit. For reasons i can not explain to you, he decided about an hour before kickoff that he wanted to pack up the family and go for a ride.

You what?

So, we all loaded up and drove to who knows where. The thing you have to understand is that we rarely did this as a family. There was a time or two where we'd pack up and go to Tyler for roses or something and we'd complain the whole time but even those were planned trips. This spur of the moment thing was really insane.

As I'm whining about it, I realize, we have a little 8 or 10 inch black and white tv in the back of the van. I say little but the whole thing was actually pretty sizable, it was just the screen that was little. So, as we drove to nowhere, I'm in the back holding the antennae trying to get a signal.

I remember watching the Dolphins run a kickoff back for a touchdown through the snow and static in the first half and just hollering at my dad, how are we missing this? We did get home in the 2nd half to see the Redskins clobber Miami but I'm willing to bet if my dad was looking for a peaceful drive in the country, he must have contemplated throwing me out the window.

Prior to that game in 1983, my first memories of Super Bowl Sunday begin with Super Bowl XII in 1978 when the Cowboys beat the Broncos. My parents were rooting for the Broncos that day, I don't remember caring very much. The next year the Cowboys lost to the Steelers and I remember being interested in that one a little bit more but most of my memories of that game are from highlights. Catch the ball Jackie!!!!!

Super Bowl XIV is the first one I recall sitting down and watching every second of. It was 1980, I was 9 years old and it was the Rams and Steelers. It wasn't much of a game but I watched it and a monster was born.

If you've paid attention to this site and/or listened to the podcast you know my dad and I had the honor to go to the Super Bowl, #38 in 2004. Ever since then on Super Bowl Sunday I think to myself, it's 9 AM, we were eating breakfast. It's 1 pm, we realized I ran out the battery as we got out of the car.

I'm guessing today I'll be thinking, it's 7 pm, should be the end of the first quarter, wonder what's going on.

It is just a game and I'll be fine missing it, but this time I have no one really to holler at about it. Maybe I'll give my dad a call before we take off and blame him for old times sake.

What To Do When You Don't Know What to Do?

The internet and I go way back, not Al Gore back but I've been typing away at the internet for well over 15 years now. I started posting on message boards on CompuServe. I was a regular frequenter in the TV forums discussing shows like My So Called Life and Seinfeld back before the entire world realized it's greatness. I'd go into the music forums where I met a still to this day dear friend while discussing who else but Bruce Springsteen. I'd go into the sports forums and would you believe I talked hockey a lot? I even found a friend there I still talk to from time to time.

That progressed to what is now called a blog that I was doing for NetSport.com back in 1997. All the stories were about the Cowboys and man do I wish I still had some of those, I think a few of 'em were pretty good.

For the last 6 years I've been doing this site, www.bobnewhouse.com and it's original intent was to put stories from newspapers around the country up on a daily basis. These were the stories that at the time I was basically e-mailing to my friends who I thought would be interested in them. I thought the blog would be a better way to do that. Except we didn't call them blogs then.

I would editorialize from time to time but not really all that often, it was mostly stories of the Cowboys/Rangers, with some tv news and a Bruce story thrown in. Oh yea, it had a picture of the day as well.

Last year when news came down that my wife and I were having triplets we started the Holy Crap! We are having triplets blog. I can't tell you how much we have enjoyed that site. We would both post long rambling thoughts about what we were going through during the pregnancy.

Once the boys were born I kind of dropped off that site and Angela became the main contributor. I was always posting my thoughts and fears mainly, it seems most of my writings on that site were about things that concerned me. Angela's have always been more about reporting the facts and telling upbeat stories.

Once the boys were here I just didn't really know what to post there. I'm still really not sure what to post there.

2 months later I lost my job. It is very hard to describe what that did to me. It was devastating. I had worked with Madacy for 16 years and not only was it a job I enjoyed it was a job I loved (still do) with all I had. Selling music has always felt like the job for me. Even though Madacy wasn't hawking the new Pearl Jam album, it just felt right to me that I had a gig in the music business.

It's something I had always wanted and it was really all I've ever done. As the music business began it decline I knew it was very possible I wouldn't be doing that forever but for some reason I kept hope alive. The thought of doing something else or worse yet, the thought of people telling me I couldn't do anything else was just something I didn't want to spend that much time with.

When the hammer fell on me because Wal Mart is just the latest outlet to basically get rid of music I really felt destroyed. For the first week I could barely look at my boys. Every time I did I teared up, hell, I'm tearing up now just thinking about that week.

As I tried to figure out how I was going to support the 5 of us, we packed the family up and headed to Angela's grandparents house in Louisiana. It's a trip I didn't want to take but I couldn't stay in the house anymore. The house was my office and I couldn't fathom just sitting on the couch as the office stood empty on a work day.

Knowing what I know now, it seems that getting laid off when I did was the best thing for my family. I still haven't recovered fully personally but what it did is really hard to measure. We got to spend a great week with her grandparents in what turned out to be a month before her grandfather passed away. We were there really on his last week of complete health. A few days after we left he entered the hospital and never left.

The fact that he got to spend a week with our boys is something Angela and I will treasure forever.

It took me 5 months to find a job. 5 very long months. 5 very quiet months. I got one legitimate phone call on a resume. It's hard to express the feeling of knowing that not only does no one want to hire you, no one even wants to talk to you.

As the money got tighter and tighter and the rejection stung more and more, getting to hang with my boys and Angela everyday was amazing. Believe it or not having infant triplets is hard work. Really hard work. But being there every day playing with the boys, holding them, feeding them and just watching them grow has been amazing.

Today ends the 5th straight day I've gone without seeing them awake. We left them with a sitter Sunday evening, when we returned they were in bed and I was on a plane to Jacksonville before they woke up.

This has been a long hard week only seeing them awake through iPhone videos Angela sends me as often as she can. We did a video chat yesterday that was cool but it was also sad as they kept reaching for the computer where my face hovered.

Monday I began my new job, I am now a division sales manager for Buffet-Crampon. If you need a woodwind or Brass instrument and happen to live in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona or Utah, I'm your man. I can't tell you how great it is to be among the ones drawing a check again.

I've been nervous for a bit about the gig but in 3 days of training/sales meetings at the home office I know this is a job I can do. I'm not exactly sure how long it will take me to get past the learning curve but I know I can be good at this. I'm anxious to really get going with it.

I've spent the last 2 days in Charlotte, North Carolina at a youth ministry conference. Yes, you read that right, youth ministry conference. I would have never guessed that either. There are still 2 days to go (and yes Virginia I am going to miss the Super Bowl) but so far I've been very surprised by the amount of good information I feel I can bring home to our church.

Anyway, the point of this long rambling post is that I'm not sure what will happen with me and the internet. I really enjoy this site as it was but I don't see anyway I can continue doing it as it once was. I stopped posting daily because I was paranoid a potential employer would find it and not like what I was doing. I'm not worried about that now but I know I won't be able to find the 30 minutes to an hour a day it took to update it the way I liked to.

I don't think my ramblings really belong on the triplet site but as you can tell, I still like doing those too.

So, who knows what I'll do but I think you may see more here (and perhaps on the other site as well) than you have the past 5 months. Probably not as much as I'd like but as often as possible.

So, until next time...

What is Your Favorite Record of the Decade?

Pathetic Plea For Attention #152 is online and you can listen to it here. In today's episode I discuss my favorite album of the decade. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast by following the links on the right side of this page.



Yikes, that is pretty but it sure does look cold.



I find this to be an odd story, Floyd Mayweather Jr wants very strict drug testing for his next fight. Manny Pacquiou does not? Why not?

Mayweather seeks strict drug testing for bout with Pacquiao

By Lance Pugmire
Los Angeles Times
December 23, 2009

Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants Manny Pacquiao to submit to Olympic-style drug tests, including a blood test within days of their tentatively scheduled March 13 bout, and failing to agree to these terms could threaten the fight, Mayweather's camp said Tuesday.

Pacquiao has expressed reluctance to submit to a blood test within 30 days of the proposed world welterweight title fight, which will be staged at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

"As management for Floyd, we're insisting this Olympic-style, random [blood] testing take place to assure it's a level field before the biggest fight in history," Mayweather's advisor Leonard Ellerbe said. "We're definitely at an impasse."

Mayweather's promoter Richard Schaefer said a Pacquiao promoter told him the Filipino superstar would not agree to a blood test within 30 days of the bout because of his superstition against testing.

Pacquiao and Mayweather have previously submitted, and passed, urine tests for performance-enhancing and illegal drugs supervised by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Travis Tygart, chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, said a blood test can allow testers to detect use of energy-boosting synthetic EPO, human growth hormone and "a number of potent performance-enhancers not detectable in urine. . . . With a [30-day] window like that, you could dope to the gills and get away with it."

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said Mayweather's push for blood testing is a ploy to avoid fighting Pacquiao, who has won back-to-back fighter of the year awards and has battered world champions Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

"I knew Floyd wanted a way out of the fight," Roach said.

Time to Unveil My 2nd Favorite Album of the Decade

You know you've been waiting for it, it's been 2 whole days without a podcast, well, worry know more - Pathetic Plea for Attention #151 is online and you can listen to it here. Remember, if you'd like to have every episode downloaded to your iTunes (and your iPod) without having to do anything, just click the subscribe to podcast link on the right side of this page.

The 2nd Half of the Countdown Begins

Pathetic Plea for Attention is Online and you can listen to it here.

I'm on a Roll

Look at that, 3 podcasts this week, I'm on a roll. Pathetic Plea for Attention #149 is online and you can listen to it here. Don't forget you can subscribe to the show following the links on the right side of this page.

I'm Glad it's Not 12 degrees in Dallas Right Now

Pathetic Plea For Attention is online and you can listen to it here.



Overall this has been a pretty successful fall tv season. I have to say, we've been impressed with a few of the shows.

Fall season spawned some winners for the networks

By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Though cable TV has been grabbing the spotlight in recent months, holiday cheer is spreading at the big broadcast networks.

The good news: More new shows are sticking than in recent years; just a few have been yanked because of low ratings. The bad: Another fall has come and gone without producing a blockbuster cultural phenomenon.

"There's a lot of good, not a lot of great," says CBS program planning chief Kelly Kahl. "But given where we've been, a lot of good is a good thing," he says. With last fall plagued by the lingering effects of a writers' strike, "there was a void of quality shows coming out of last season."

Overall TV usage is down slightly from last fall, when the election heightened interest and drew crowds to cable news. But the overall picture for the big broadcast networks has brightened: Combined, the five are up 3% from last fall, slowing years of steady erosion. Big growth for NFL games and the World Series also helped.

CBS' NCIS: Los Angelesand The Good Wife, paired on Tuesdays, are the top newcomers this season. Fox's Glee and ABC's Modern Family, FlashForward and V opened strongly, though ratings for the two fantasy dramas have trailed off in recent airings.

Fox won its first November sweeps race among younger viewers and is up 18% this fall.

"It's generally a stronger season," says John Rash of Minneapolis ad firm Campbell Mithun.

Only ABC's Hank, CBS' Three Rivers and CW's The Beautiful Life were canceled after a handful of airings, though ABC's Eastwick and Fox's Brothers are on their way out. "You're looking at fewer cancellations than you've seen year-to-year," says Brent Poer of ad firm MediaVest in Los Angeles, but few shows "are reaching the cultural zeitgeist" on network TV.

The new ratings math is that shows considered modest successes would have been canceled a few years ago. "It's far riskier to replace them than to stick with something you know," Poer says. Networks need "to put time and investment into some of these shows to build an audience, because there's not a lot in the pipeline to replace them," a function of cost-cutting at CW and NBC, where The Jay Leno Showis faring poorly compared with the dramas it replaced.

Holy Crap! A Podcast For You!

Pathetic Plea For Attention #147 is online and you can listen to it here. Don't forget that you can subscribe with the button on the right, it is free!

We've Got A New Podcast For You!

Today I have something different to offer, apparently my 10 year old sister in law Faith got tired of the fact that I haven't done a podcast in awhile, so she did her own. Not only is the only one on the show, she chose the music and was her own engineer. I'm afraid she may either shame me into finally getting better at these things or just giving it up. If you are subscribed to my podcast (which you can do by following the buttons on the right) her show will show up in your iTunes. If you aren't, you can listen to Faith's show right here.

Seems Weird That This is a Holiday Week When All I Want to Do Is Work

Ya gotta love gun owners, don't ya?



It seems people are flipping out about the Cowboys and their crappy offense the past couple weeks. My thoughts are, if this is as bad as it gets, I'd rather it happen now then next month.

Cowboys headed nowhere with this offense

By RANDY GALLOWAY
Ft. Worth Star Telegram

ARLINGTON — Some 46 million turkeys, so say the pilgrims who track such things, will have died this week by the time we get to Thursday. And then there’s the Dallas Cowboys.

"Stayin’ alive," said receiver Patrick Crayton, who was describing his game-winning end zone-improvised route, as opposed to pop songs of the ’70s, or even the shaky condition of his team.

Beating the Washington Redskins by a final score of 7-6 sounded more like a Frankie Francisco bullpen collapse two blocks to the east, but it actually defined the Cowboys in Sunday’s desperate and, finally, successful survival act.

Lose this one, and even with Oakland on the Thanksgiving platter for Thursday, this was a team that was cooked, along with those 46 million turkeys, even before the dreaded December death march.

By winning this one, it was almost historic. The last time the Cowboys won a game scoring seven points or fewer was in December 1970.

Some 40 years later, the Cowboys are attempting to reverse history by, first, getting to the postseason, and, second, winning in the post-season, something the franchise hasn’t done since 1996.

But it won’t happen. No way. Not the way Tony Romo and his receivers have suddenly run out of meat and potatoes, not to mention points. Unless that changes, pronto, forget it.

The math is not complicated. Two touchdowns in the last two games. Fourteen points, period. And totally outplayed by an outmanned Redskins defense on Sunday.

The big local debate after Green Bay a week ago was "giving up on the run." For nearly 58 minutes on Sunday, the Cowboys had plenty of yards on the ground. Except there were no points on the scoreboard.

In the NFL, if you’re not passing to win, you’re not winning. OK, it was Washington, a club with so many issues that anything is possible. So a win became possible.

Romo suffered a back injury early, and he was also awful until late. But when it was absolutely up-against-the-wall Redskin mothers, then Tony delivered, as did his receivers, on a gut-grabbing clutch drive in deep stretch.

Afterward, the locker-room theme was mostly the typical "a win is a win in this league," and if the players and coaches had noticed it, they would have pointed to what happened to the Steelers in Kansas City on Sunday, or, yes, how those incoming Raiders shocked the Bengals.

But until Romo escaped pressure late in the fourth quarter, until he drifted outside to his left, until he signaled Crayton in the end zone (the prearranged "wrong" signal in pointing the other way), until Tony ignored 85,000 voices urging him to "ruuunnn" it, the Cowboys were on the brink.

Bruce and the band wrapped up the Working on a Dream tour last night in Buffalo.

November 22 / HSBC Arena / Buffalo, NY

Notes: When Backstreets interviewed Bruce Springsteen shortly before this Magic/Dream E Street Band trek began, back in 2007, the Boss had this to say: "I envision the band carrying on for many, many, many more years. There ain't gonna be any farewell tour. That's the only thing I know for sure."

True to his word, two years later, that's exactly how he ended this tour: no time for sentimental goodbyes, mentions of a "last dance," or even a glance at the notion of retirement. There were still too many other good stories to tell. Some showgoers were expecting "Blood Brothers" or something like it here in Buffalo, and for good reason, but Springsteen seemed determined not to put any kind of real punctuation mark on the evening. Excepting, of course, the exclamation points spread throughout this 34-song, nearly three-and-a-half hour show.

Of course, everyone in the room, onstage and off, was well aware of the momentousness of the occasion. In "Working on Dream," there was considerably more weight to the usual building-a-house spiel: "The E Street Band has come thousands of miles tonight to be here one last time... for a little while... to fulfill our solemn vow to rock the house!" He soon added, "Really, it's been just about the best time in our band's work life. We want to thank you for supportig our old music, our new music, our tour."

But up next, they plowed forward, doing something they'd never done before — "Tonight! One time only!" — the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album, start to finish. Whatever partciular significance the night's album choice might wind up having — in terms of ending where they began, if tonight was indeed any kind of ending — went unspoken. Springsteen merely put the record in context, as he has with other album performances on this fall leg. "This was the miracle," he said, "This was the record that took everything from way below zero to... one." That got a big laugh. Bruce went on to speak of John Hammond, "one of the great legends of music production," and of manager Mike Appel, whose "incredible talking" got him a crucial audition with said legend. Tonight's album performance was dedicated "to the man who got me in the door. Mike Appel is here tonight — Mike, this is for you." He added, "We've never done it... hope we can do it!"

Each of the full album performances on this tour have come loaded with their own questions. Born to Run — for starters, who would handle trumpet on "Meeting"? Curt Ramm has since elevated every show, through tonight, with the addition of his horn parts. The River — would Springsteen and the E Streeters be able to maintain the intensity required for a 20-song sequence? Absolutely, it turned out. And for Greetings, would Springsteen finally grace "Growin' Up" with a full-blown story once again? The answer came with three magical words: "There I was...."

There have been plenty of near misses in recent years, just as Springsteen almost revisited the "Sad Eyes" portion of "Backstreets," so has he come close to true storytelling in "Growin' Up." But tonight, the interlude was fully realized, and it was one of toight's most powerful moments.

"It was a dark and stormy night in Asbury Park, New Jersey," Bruce began, "Me and Steve were in a litle club on the south end of the street." He proceeded to once again tell the story of his first meeting with Clarence Clemons, starting with the door blowing off in the Big Man's hand. "King Curtis?" Bruce recalled thinking, "King Curtis has come out of my dreams and landed right here!" Here in Buffalo in 2009, Clarence joined Bruce at the center to reenact that fateful night. "He walked to the stage and said" — Clarence speaking now — "I wanna play with you." "What could I say? I said....'Sure!'" Then, step by step, Bruce and Clarence recreated the pose from the cover of the Born to Run album right there on the HSBC Arena stage. It was a wordless act, unfolding slowly, inevitably, engendering one big smile throughout the building. The full-bodied laugh would come shortly, as Bruce concluded the story: "We got into a Cadillac at the end of the nght, drove out to the outskirts of town.... we got very sleepy and we fell into this long, long, long, long, long dream. And when we woke up, we were in fuckin' Buffalo, New York." Crowd goes nuts, in no small part due to the way Springsteen just compressed 35-plus years of E Street Band history. And tonight it does feel like a dream.

A furious solo from Bruce on "Lost in the Flood" has to be another of the night's highlights — Garry, meanwhile, playing complex runs behind him, the bassist being the guy who can easily fade into the background if you let him but who, anytime you choose to pay attention, is always doing some seriously interesting shit — and Bruce's solo contines, building, as Max matches his intensity, the two facing off until the end. Roy brings it all back home, spotlight on the white baby grand.

Another question that came with the Greetings performance: could Bruce actually make "Mary Queen of Arkansas" and "The Angel" compelling? A resounding yes on both counts, particularly "The Angel." With Bruce lit up at center stage, the only other accompaniment for most of the song came from Roy Bittan, who segued right into this number from his "Lost in the Flood" coda. Roy gave the song a Born to Run-era majesty, capped by the surprise addition of a viola toward the song's end. Much of what made it work was Bruce's vocal — as a friend of mine turned to me and said, "He knows how to sing now." Coupled with Roy's piano work, it came off as a beautiful, lost '70s vignette... which I guess is exactly what it is. "Mary," too, was surprisingly successful, with Bruce on acoustic guitar in Devils & Dust mode, accompanied only by Nils on harp.

And of course Bruce and the Band brought all the right moves to the remainder of the Greetings sequence, including a rollicking "Does This Bus Stop" with a stand-out solo from Charlie; a full-band "For You," as opposed to the solo piano version Bruce has been doing lately; "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City," ending with Bruce and Steve facing off, flashing guitars like switchblades, while Max is a perpetual drumroll machine.

And that's just one of the night's stories. After "Sunny Day" and "The Promised Land," it's on to the next: "We've got a birthday boy in the house tonight!" Yep, Steve Van Zandt's birthday just happens to coincide with the final night of the tour, and Bruce decides on an extended fete.

First up: "Restless Nights." "Stevie is... my age, and for years he's been asking to play this one song. This is Stevie's very favorite song of all time, it's very obscure, it's on the Tracks record. We're gonna do this for his birthday tonight." If The River at MSG seemed like a gift for Steve, this outtake performance was the icing on the cake. "By request!" Bruce said at song's end, pointing at his old pal, "Dammit, he might have been right all these years!"

But the party wasn't over. Speaking of cake, guitar tech Kevin Buell emerged with a guitar-topped birthday cake, covered in lit candles. With a little help from Max, the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" while Bruce and Steve blew the candles out together. "For Steve!" Bruce cried as the smoke rose, taking the band into "Surprise Surprise." And while some fans have heard this Working on a Dream song as too frivolous, it was hard not to appreciate the apropos lyrics at this moment:

Well today is your birthday, we traveled so far we two
So let's blow out the candles on your cake and we'll raise a glass or two

Bruce fed Steve a piece during the song, and by the end was still licking icing off his fingers, mouthing to Steve, "Not bad!" Darned if the song didn't serve as a fitting benediction, too:

And when the sun comes out tomorrow, it'll be the start of a brand new day...

But again, tonight there were other stories to tell. After the "Green Onions" sign collection it was a holiday double-shot, with Bruce taking "Merry Christmas Baby" right into "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." In between, channeling Christopher Walken, he said, "I feel Santy fever coming on. You know what this night needs? More Santy. We need more jingle bells...." The second of these came with a sign so nice, "I'm gonna put it on my front door!"

A left-field request from some Italians, Chuck Willis's "(I Don't Want to) Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes," brought us close once again to some closing night sentiment: "This sort of captures the theme of our feelings this evening," Bruce said beforehand. But the song was a blast, blowing away any poignancy with it's full-throttle rock 'n' roll. And followed by "Boom Boom," also by request? We're back in the moment. "My Love Will Not Let You Down" and "Long Walk Home" continued this forceful stretch, Steve shining as always on the latter. Following the setlisted "Born to Run" set-closer, Bruce called an audible of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" for another theme he wanted to hit, hollering, "I wanna tell you the story of the band!"

For the encore, Bruce led off with his take on what the tour has meant to him, a nice reprise from the Magic tour: "It's been a pleasure being out here working for you.... I'll work for your love any day!" By the time we got to "Higher and Higher," with special guest Willie Nile, there was no longer any escaping the inevitable. "We don't wanna go home!" said Bruce from the rear-pit platform. But at the end of the song: "We ain't going home yet!"

And amid speculation about the last this or the last that, talk elsewhere of retirement of the E Street Band, one more song kept the ending on a high note, John Fogerty's "Rocking All Over the World." It was a celebration of the tour, of the band, of rock 'n' roll... not of a band on the verge of retiring, but of a band firing on all cylinders at this very moment. Bruce's final words matched the mood: "We appreciate you coming out to see the E Street Band. So we're gonna say goodbye, but just for a little while... a very little while... because... because..." before singing again, "I like it, I like it, I like it!"

After acknowledging fans who came from all over — other states, other countries — to take part in these shows, Springsteen said, "I want to thank our crew, who work all day and all night to bring this show to you in your town." He thanked the E Street Band, the road crew, the truckers, carpenters, and everyone in every department by name, from security to sound, video, production, management... and while tonight was certainly the end of something, and no one's quite sure what he means by "a very little while," the overwhelming feeling at the end of the show was summed up by a sign that Bruce and Steve grabbed and paraded across the stage during the encore, laying it to rest below Max's drumkit, Steve every once in a while checking to make sure it was still visible:

It's only rock 'n' roll, but it feels like love.

Amen.

Setlist:

Wrecking Ball (with Curt Ramm)
The Ties That Bind
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Blinded By the Light
Growin' Up
Mary Queen of Arkansas
Doe This Bus Stop at 8nd Street?
Lost in the Flood
The Angel
For You
Spirit in the Night
It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Restless Nights
Surprise, Surprise
Green Onions
Merry Christmas Baby (with Curt Ramm)
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (with Curt Ramm)
(I Don't Want to) Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes
Boom Boom
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Long Walk Home
The Rising
Born to Run
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out (with Curt Ramm)

Encore

I'll Work For Your Love
Thunder Road
American Land (with Curt Ramm)
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita (with Curt Ramm)
Higher and Higher (with Curt Ramm and Willie Nile)
Rockin' All Over the World

Once Again, That One Wasn't Pretty

I'm not sure there is much that bothers me more than people treating their dogs like dolls.



2 weeks in a row now the Cowboys have looked like crap. At least they pulled this one out. Romo was having a rough day until the very end anyway.

Romo the problem, solution in Dallas Cowboys' 7-6 win

08:58 PM CST on Sunday, November 22, 2009

Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com

Jean-Jacques Taylor
Archive | Blog | E-mail

ARLINGTON – Tony Romo, still wearing his uniform pants and a sweaty T-shirt an hour after the game, slowly pulled himself out of a chair and gingerly walked out of the Cowboys' interview room.

He was sore – he took a knee to the back in the first quarter – yet satisfied.

In this instance, that's OK, because Romo helped the Cowboys win a game that seemed lost for much of the day.

For more than three quarters Sunday afternoon, Romo was absolutely awful. Sorry, but there's no delicate way to describe his performance.

Those throws that didn't sailed over his receivers' heads landed at their feet. Hopefully, we can blame Romo's sore back for his inaccuracy.

But with the game on the line and all of the feel-good moments the Cowboys had amassed during the first 10 weeks in jeopardy, Romo played his best football.

Dallas 7, Washington 6.

The game was every bit as close and as difficult and as tenuous as the final score indicates. Feel free to blame Romo.

With 7:06 left in the third quarter, Romo had a passer rating of 36.7, having completed just eight of 18 passes for 98 yards with an interception. Romo, though, refused to yield to frustration.

It's a little something he and Tiger Woods have discussed from time to time. It's about performing at a high level during the moment that determines whether you win or lose.

At that point, the past becomes irrelevant. Only the present matters.

Trailing 6-0, Dallas took over at its own 40 needing a touchdown to win.

Romo threw an incompletion on first down. It was the only ball that hit the ground during the possession.

A 7-yard pass to Felix Jones and a 5-yard scramble on third down produced a first down. Then Romo hit Jason Witten for 7. Miles Austin for 9. Witten for 12 and Austin for 11.

Suddenly, Romo found a rhythm, and the Cowboys were at the Washington 9 with 3:26 left.

A false start penalty moved the ball to the 14, but Romo found Austin for 4 yards to the 10. On second down, Romo made the kind of play that few others can duplicate.

Feeling pressure, Romo bent over and spun away from Washington defensive end Brian Orakpo while searching for a receiver. As Romo drifted left, he began directing Patrick Crayton, who was trying to lose his defender in the end zone.

A moment later, Romo zipped a pass to Crayton.

Touchdown.

Romo thrust both arms triumphantly in the air. A fist pump followed. The pain disappeared.

"It hurts right before and right after," Romo said of his back, "but during the snap you're just playing the game. That's part of football."

The best quarterbacks figure out how to win games when they struggle. Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger is the master. No matter how poorly he plays during the game's first three quarters, Roethlisberger plays his best football at winning time.

I've been fairly surprised about the show Cougar Town, it's a horrible title for a show and it's a one trick pony but it's pretty funny. Anyway, apparently Courtney Cox is having issues and they have halted production.

'Cougar Town' halts production
Star Courteney Cox dealing with 'private family matter'

By Nellie Andreeva

Nov 22, 2009, 08:16 PM ET
hr/photos/stylus/106749-cougar_town_341x182.jpg

"Cougar Town"
Production on ABC's freshman comedy series "Cougar Town" was shut down late last week to accommodate star Courteney Cox.

In a statement, the network confirmed the work stoppage, noting that it was done "in order for Courteney to deal with a private family matter."

There is no word when filming on the series, which has been picked up for a full season, will resume.

"Cougar Town" was already scheduled to go on hiatus this week for the Thanksgiving holiday.
'Cougar Town' halts production

By Nellie Andreeva

Nov 22, 2009, 08:16 PM ET

Production on ABC's freshman comedy series "Cougar Town" was shut down late last week to accommodate star Courteney Cox.

In a statement, the network confirmed the work stoppage, noting that it was done "in order for Courteney to deal with a private family matter."

There is no word when filming on the series, which has been picked up for a full season, will resume.

"Cougar Town" was already scheduled to go on hiatus this week for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Bruce played the 2nd to last show of the Workin on a Dream tour Friday night in Baltimore.

November 20 / 1st Mariner Arena / Baltimore, MD

Notes: Truly into the home stretch of the Working on a Dream tour, Bruce and the E Street Band began their second-to-last show of 2009 with a call to "bring on your wrecking ball." But judging by how long this night stretched out — a little past the 3:20 mark — they're not quite ready to pack it in.

This was a long-awaited return to Baltimore, which hadn't seen a Springsteen show since the earliest days of the now-legendary E Street Band. "We haven't played here since 1973, I think," said Bruce, recalling opening for Chicago back then with a ticket price of two bucks. What stayed in his mind was someone saying, "Hey, man, we didn't come here to see you." To which he replied, "Oh yeah? Well, the next time you do, it's gonna cost you five bucks."

With question marks surrounding the post-tour future of the E Street Band, a palpable feeling of finality coursed through tonight's performance of Born to Run — the very real possibility of finality, if not finality itself. Could this be the last time we'd hear some of these songs with the E Street Band? Certainly on this tour, with Greetings slated for Buffalo. Springsteen confirmed it was on his mind, too, at the end of the album sequence: "Born to Run — for the last time." In addition to the album's original players, Springsteen gave an extra shout out: "Produced by Jon Landau... he's in the room tonight."

After chasing the clouds away with "Waitin' on a Sunny Day," Springsteen took note of the newsboy cap worn by the girl he'd brought on stage, and decided, "For you, in honor of this hat.... in honor of this hat, this song." And right into "Spirit in the Night." From there, a spontaneous new sign collecting vamp: "A little 'Green Onions,' everybody, key of E!" Booker T and the MGs transitioned right into "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (for a sign that pictured the Big Man and even provided hats for both Clarence and Bruce) followed by "The E Street Shuffle." "For You" was Bruce alone at the piano — "This is dangerous ground over here," he said, "I only semi-know what I'm doing." And though his fingers may have demonstrated some truth to that statement, his vocal was out of this world.

"Radio Nowhere" led to "My Love Will Not Let You Down," as it always seems to want to. And then, an all-too-rare performance of "Long Walk Home." Building on Steve's solo vocal turn at the end, Bruce began a gospel call-and-response with his old friend, the kind of intimate, spontaneous moment that both depends on and displays the level of wordless communication these guys have developed over so many years.

While "the end" had hung heavy over some of the main set, the mood shifted in the encore as they blew it out with "Ramrod" to start. Instead of saying "You've just seen... for the last time for a while..." as he had at other recent shows, the encore found Bruce not going gentle into that good night. Well, he went with Frost, actually, not Dylan Thomas: "We're shutting down for a little while, but we will see you in the future, further on down the road, because we have miles to go before we sleep!"

A couple laides got to dance in the dark with Clarence; Ali Weinberg guested on both "American Land" (accordion) and "Higher and Higher" (tamborine and vocals). After the now-standard Jackie Wilson closer, it looked like that'd be it once again. Springsteen embraced his bandmates, and most of them left the stage. But after an extended hug and chat with Clarence, Bruce called 'em all back for one more. "Well, we ain't in no rush," he said, kicking into "Glory Days." "Steve, take this thing home!" Sez Steve: "I don't wanna go home!" Bruce: "Are you with me?" Steve: "I don't know!" Stevie, we know just how you feel.

Setlist:

Wrecking Ball (with Curt Ramm)
Prove It All Night
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out (with Curt Ramm)
Night
Backstreets
Born to Run
She's the One
Meeting Across the River (with Curt Ramm)
Jungleland
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Spirit in the Night
Green Onions
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
The E Street Shuffle
For You
Radio Nowhere
My Love Will Not Let You Down
Long Walk Home
The Rising
Badlands

Encore

Ramrod
Hard Times
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land (with Curt Ramm and Ali Weinberg)
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita (with Curt Ramm)
Higher and Higher (with Curt Ramm)
Glory Days

If you haven't figured it out, I've taken to doing the update in the evening rather than the mornings. It means I can post more often as my mornings have become very crowded lately but it also means I don't have much info on games anymore. So, as I type the stinkin' Yankees look like they are about to win another World Series. They are up 7-3 in the middle of the 8th. Have I mentioned that I hate the Yankees?



Roy Williams is getting annoyed because people think he sucks. Does it matter that I get annoyed because he sucks?

Criticism beginning to annoy Dallas receiver Williams

By CLARENCE E. HILL JR.
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
chill@star-telegram.com

IRVING — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams is frustrated with his numbers and tired of trying to defend himself.

He said he is not complaining or pouting and is continuing to do everything he can to still help the Cowboys win.

But he wants everyone to know it’s not all on him_ especially when passes are high or behind him. "It makes me look like crap," Williams said. "The only thing that keeps me going is cause I know I’m not. I know what I am. I know what people are trying to make me be. I know I’m not that."

Williams has no answers when asked to explain the difference between his numbers and those of receiver Miles Austin. Williams has 14 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Austin has 26 catches for 563 yards and six touchdowns.

"He gets the ball thrown correctly," Williams said. "I’m stretching, falling, doing everything. My balls are everywhere."

Williams said quarterback Tony Romo are simply not on the same page _ which is downright shocking to him considering the work the two have put in together.

"It’s stunning," Williams said. "I anticipated us rolling right now. We are rolling in the win column. But as far as me and Romo’s production, we are not even close. I’m not mad or anything by no means. We are just not connecting. I am not going to rant or rave. I’m going to work. I’m just waiting for the switch to cut on one day...boom."

Bruce played Charlotte on Tuesday night.

November 3 / Time Warner Arena / Charlotte, NC

Notes: "Seeds" got things off to a rocking start at the Bobcat Arena, but it was the second song, "Darlington County," that really set the tone. It's one of the obvious choices for a local special (along with "Cadillac Ranch," unplayed this time), but Bruce actually hasn't broken out "Darlington" in the Carolinas in a year and a half. And it was as if everyone there had been waiting for it; a little thrill rippled throughout the arena at the opening guitar riff. An unusual choice for the second slot, but when the crowds sings "blasting off the T-top" as loud as they sing "Baby we were born to run," you know it was a good move. From there, through the "sha-la-las" and onward, energy flowed both ways all night.

The Born to Run album sequence continues to catch fire, not at all dampened by repetition (or by the word, just beginning to circulate prior to showtime, that Bruce would be digging deeper this weekend for his buddies in New York City). "This record... this was the record that started a lifelong conversation between our band and you," Bruce said before beginning with "Thunder Road," adding "Shout if you remember this one!" clearly knowing that this room would shout it out loud. "Night" was particularly intense, and "Meeting Across the River" keeps shining bright, Garry working the frets downstage and Curt's clear trumpet doing all the right things.

Following "Sunny Day," an armful of signs kept the "Darlington" party vibe going: "I Fought the Law" first, previously played just twice in Europe on this tour. Next Bruce hollered, "The biggest sign of the evening!" and he danced across the stage with it: "I'll Have Sad Eyes if You Don't Play Sherry Darling." That might seem like two requests in one, but they just took it literally, with Roy, Charlie, and Nils strapping on their accordions for "Sherry." The requests kept rolling: "We're gonna take one from the upper balcony," Bruce said, pointing up to the rafters, "Get a spotlight on that sign!" It was a horn-heavy "So Young and in Love," Curt Ramm joining back in, Bruce working the stage and dropping to his knees, and the whole band all smiles.

A fourth request was for one that the band had never played before: "Play 'Brown Eyed Girl' For My Brown Eyed Girl," read the sign. "We're figuring it out!" said Bruce, lightly practicing the riff before diving in. It didn't always groove, but it was a whole lot of fun: lights up, all hands in the air, and hey, as Bruce had already figured out, this was a crowd that liked to "Sha La La." "Just like that!"

In the encore, "Cousin" Frank Bruno Jr. joined in for "American Land." Heading from there into "Dancing in the Dark," Bruce was apparently as excited as the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, I've had an erection lasting more than four hours — I should get to the emergency room. But first!..."

One more after "Rosie," and one that's become an instant E Street classic since Bruce and the Band debuted it on night four in Philly: Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher." "You think we can take it any higher? Are you ready to help us take it higher?" They did, and we did, and I'd be surprised if this one didn't appear at every show from here to Buffalo. It's as perfect a show-closer, with sweet horns and killer vocals — even better now that Cindy and Curtis are taking verses, too, as they began to do in DC. The background vocalists are the tour's secret weapons that have never quite felt fully deployed until now; Cindy and Curtis already elevated "Hard Times" at the beginng of the encore, but their solo turns on "Higher and Higher" were breathtaking. Bruce got so inspired, he had to join the crowd to dance — he ran back around the pit, up to the platform in the middle of the floor (from which he'd earlier gone crowd surfing), and practically boogalooed. Soon back on stage — "We ain't done yet! Is the band ready? Is the people ready?" — Bruce took the sucker up like "Jacob's Ladder." "Up to C!" "We got one more build left!" "Up to D!" And if that was the top of Bruce's range, it was more than enough.
- Chris Phillips reporting

Setlist:

Seeds
Darlington County
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out (with Curt Ramm)
Night
Backstreets
Born to Run
She's the One
Meeting Across the River (with Curt Ramm)
Jungleland
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
I Fought the Law
Sherry Darling
So Young and in Love (with Curt Ramm)
Brown Eyed Girl
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands

Encore

Hard Times
Bobby Jean
American Land (with Frank Bruno, Jr. and Curt Ramm)
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita (with Curt Ramm)
Higher and Higher (with Curt Ramm)

Ever Wondered What's Going On?

And we wonder why animals attack.



This is news that will not make my wife very happy at all.

'Flight of the Conchords' might end soon
Jemaine Clement says a decision will be made in a month

By Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters

Nov 3, 2009, 02:25 PM ET

"Flight of the Conchords" star Jemaine Clement has said his offbeat HBO comedy series may not continue for a third season because it requires so much work, but a final decision will be made within a month.

Clement told Reuters that he needs to discuss the future of the show with his co-star, Bret McKenzie, and with the director of the series, James Bobin.

"It very likely might not" return for a third season, Clement said.

"It could come back in a shorter season or like a special," he added.

The largely autobiographical "Flight of the Conchords," an offbeat, cult favorite in the U.S., tells of two New Zealand bandmates named Jemaine and Bret who move to New York to try to make it in the music business.

The show began in 2007 and is based on Clement and McKenzie's folk parody band Flight of the Conchords. The second season ended this past spring on the U.S. network HBO.

This year, the show gained an Emmy nomination for best comedy series, but lost to NBC's "30 Rock." Clement also was nominated for best lead actor in a comedy series.

Clement, who took flight on a solo career last week starring in a new movie "Gentleman Broncos," said he and McKenzie are challenged to keep up with the work required for the show.

"We've got to write the series, but we've also got to write the songs, and just dividing your time into those two writing tasks is really tricky," he said.

Clement, who also told Reuters in January that Season 2 could be the last for "Flight of the Conchords," said its end would be "bittersweet" because "it's so hard" to produce.

"Flight of the Conchords" averaged 3.1 million viewers per episode last season, in-line with Season 1, HBO said.

"We've left their future entirely in their hands," said Nancy Lesser, a spokeswoman for the network. "We would love to have more, and we left an open door at HBO."

Last year, Clement and McKenzie's musical duo Flight of the Conchords won New Zealand's first Grammy since 1984, for their EP "The Distant Future." They won for best comedy album.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are going to host the Oscars this year. Huh, that should be pretty good.

Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to co-host Oscars

By Hanh Nguyen
Zap2it.com

November 3, 2009 4:09 PM

The 82nd Academy Awards will get into the buddy act with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

Oscar telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman announced Tuesday that "the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars. Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event."

In true comedic form, Martin quipped, "I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin."

Baldwin also added, "I don't play the banjo but I'm thrilled to be hosting the Oscars -- it's the opportunity of a lifetime."

Teaming Martin and Baldwin up could bode well for the telecast. Not only are they starring opposite each other in the upcoming romantic comedy "It's Complicated," but they rank at No. 1 (Martin with 15 shows) and No. 2 (Baldwin with 14) for hosting "Saturday Night Live" the most times.

Baldwin is currently starring in the Tina Fey comedy "30 Rock," while Martin, who's hosted the Oscars twice, is currently touring with with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album "The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo."

The 82nd Academy Awards will be telecast on ABC from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, March 7.

Bruce played Washington D.C. on Monday night.

November 2 / Verizon Center / Washington DC

Notes: Bruce began the night dedicating the show to the recently departed Lenny Sullivan, "our brother in arms,” noting "this was his favorite song" before opening with the welcome return of “Outlaw Pete." Other early highlights included a strong rendition of "Night." Often overshadowed by the better-known Born to Run songs that surround it in the set, it really stood out as the top-notch rocker that it is.

Bruce had been picking fewer request signs at recent shows, to the point where it was beginning to feel like an obligation. But in DC he was ready to take plenty of setlist input from the fans in the pit, and he had fun gathering a good number of signs before making his picks. The tour premiere of "Stand on It" segued into "Seven Nights to Rock" in a transition that took the band a little by surprise, but came off pretty smooth regardless — a high octane medley with the sort of energy usually saved for the encores. "Growin' Up" was prompted by a very impressive sign; no story this time, but a great choice nonetheless.

"Pink Cadillac" returned to the set due to popular demand — three separate signs. Bruce had a lot of fun with this raunchy crowd favorite (probably his best known B-side), sheepishly declaring it "a masterpiece" at the song's end. The requests choices were all upbeat and fun numbers, and that was no mistake. The DC crowd tends to take some convincing to party, especially on a Monday night, and the cavernous, skybox-heavy Verizon Center seems better suited to corporate events than rock 'n' roll shows. But throughout the main set, Bruce put on a muscular and fun show despite poor sound quality, and by the encores he was winning over the fans in the nosebleed seats.

The encores had a couple of great moments. Ali Weinberg joined the band on accordion for "American Land," and Clarence's solo during "Hard Times” reminded everyone that he still knows how to bring it. Curtis and Cindy got their usual chance to shine during that song; but the real treat came after "Rosalita." Bruce led the band into a stunning and celebratory "Higher and Higher" and, in a clearly unrehearsed moment, brought the backup singers over to each sing a verse center stage at his microphone. When Cindy initially seemed unsure of the lyrics, Bruce started her out with some call-and-response vocals until she was ready to soar on her own, her soulful voice quite literally bringing the song higher. This was a truly wonderful surprise performance that deserves to be repeated over the next few weeks.

Spotted in the crowd: Rahm Emanuel (back for more Bosstime after catching the DC show this spring), David Axelrod, and Vincent Pastore.

Setlist:

Outlaw Pete
Prove It All Night
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Night
Backstreets
Born to Run
She's the One
Meeting Across the River
Jungleland
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Stand on It
Seven Nights to Rock
Growin' Up
Pink Cadillac
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands

Encore

Hard Times
No Surrender
American Land (with Ali Weinberg)
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita
Higher and Higher

I Wonder What Quiet is Like

Uhm, uhm. Yea, I've got nothing.



The remake of one of my favorite movies as a kid, "V" airs tonight. It's going to be a tough sell to get the wife to approve this one but here is a 3 1/2 star review, maybe that will help.

Re-imagined 'V' continues ABC's red-letter year

By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

When you're on a roll, even your more dubious plans have a way of panning out.

There's no doubt that, creatively, ABC is playing network TV's hottest hand. It has launched fall's best new sitcoms in The Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town, and its most intriguing drama in FlashForward. And now it can add to that list of achievements the season's most entertaining new hour, straightforward division: V.

Think about how easily this idea could have gone south. Apply too little creative thought, and this souped-up updating of NBC's much-loved 1983 miniseriescould easily have become the same cheesy, tacky rehash mess that NBC made of Knight Rider. Overthink the project, and you risk bleeding all the fun out of it and creating an overly dark lump like Bionic Woman.

Tonight, writer Scott Peters, whose The 4400 was one of TV's best recent alien-invasion dramas, hits all the right chords. He adds just enough modern media twists and political/sleeper-cell parallels to contemporize the story without drowning it in paranoia. The clothes and hair have changed, no doubt for the better, but the essentials are all in place – including, we can only hope, the visitors' legendary fondness for hamsters.

What he and ABC have landed on is a show in which the effects are good but not dominant, the characters are strong, and the story is (as it was) crystal clear. Space visitors have landed, and it's up to a few hardy souls to save a gullible world.

Indeed, where FlashForward thrives on ambiguity and complexity, V offers the simpler pleasures of a good guy/bad guy adventure, and skilled actors head up both extremes. On "our" side, you have Joel Gretsch (who proved his sci-fi worth on 4400) as a questioning priest and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell as a smart counterterrorism agent. On "their" side, you have Anna, the V leader played by Morena Baccarin, whose beauty and charisma are as alluring here as they were in Firefly.

Wisely, Peters has also trapped some of his best characters in the middle: Scott Wolf as an ambitious anchor, Logan Huffman as Mitchell's V-enchanted teenage son, and Morris Chestnut, who is on to the visitors' biggest secret.

Yesterday Was a Good Day

Who knew that when a Japanese Destroyer hits a Japanese Cargo Ship the Destroyer gets the worst of it?



Hey look at that, all of a sudden the Cowboys have a big game on the horizon, who knew a few victories in a row would make the season interesting?

Cowboys' 38-17 win helps with Philadelphia trip looming

02:53 AM CST on Monday, November 2, 2009

Column by TIM COWLISHAW / The Dallas Morning News | wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com

ARLINGTON – With each Cowboys victory, the stakes increase and the stages grow larger. It just can't get much bigger than a battle for first place with the Eagles in Philadelphia next Sunday.

Unless maybe it was last year's battle there for second.

The Cowboys mostly like to forget about the season-ending 44-6 defeat that allowed the Eagles to reach the playoffs as the NFC's last wild-card team rather than Dallas. As coach Wade Phillips said about last season in training camp, "It is what it was."

But with a three-game winning streak after Sunday's 38-17 victory over Seattle, and with young playmakers enjoying new levels of success, the Cowboys may actually use the frustration of last year's elimination game as a springboard for success.

"Trust me, that 44-6 game is going to be in our heads," Patrick Crayton said after becoming the first Cowboy to return punts for touchdowns in back-to-back games.

In a league in which teams use free agency to fill gaps and collect draft picks to cut costs, rosters get overhauled quickly. Longstanding grudges don't hold.

But it's not necessarily the history of the Cowboys-Eagles rivalry that Sunday night's game at Lincoln Financial Field is all about.

"You couldn't talk about something that happened in a game two years ago or three years ago," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "There are not enough people in this room that were around. But a ton of players and coaches here remember last year.

"And I think we'll benefit from that."

The Cowboys will need any form of motivation they can find. The Eagles may be just two weeks removed from an inexplicable loss to Oakland. But after coasting through a Monday night win in Washington, the Eagles hit full speed with a 30-point first half in their 40-17 destruction of the New York Giants on Sunday.

If Marion Barber and Felix Jones were good in the Cowboys' backfield Sunday, first-round pick LeSean McCoy and unknown Leonard Weaver were even better in gaining more than 150 yards rushing against New York.

If Tony Romo was very solid in collecting his 256 passing yards and three touchdowns Sunday, Donovan McNabb was just as productive, reaching 240 and three TDs, but with 13 fewer attempts.

But if the Eagles' 23-point victory over the Giants was slightly more impressive than the Cowboys' 21-point win over Seattle, it makes no real difference. Both are 5-2, one-half game ahead of the Giants, and the team that plays better Sunday night hits the halfway point of the season in first place.

"Philly's gonna be a challenge because the last couple of weeks we haven't faced a defense like Philly's," tight end Martellus Bennett said. "But you've got to win three in a row to call it a streak, so we're hot right now."

A streak that began modestly enough with an overtime win at Kansas City now includes the finest run ever by a Cowboys wide receiver. The Eagles may feel like they struck wide receiver gold in the last two drafts with first-round picks DeSean Jackson of Cal and Jeremy Maclin of Missouri.

Both had touchdowns against the Giants on Sunday. But Miles Austin, undrafted out of Monmouth, takes a backseat to no one at the moment.

In his first three NFL starts, Austin has 21 catches for 482 yards and five touchdowns. By his standards, Sunday's production was modest – five for 61, one TD.

So, Miles Austin has a couple great games and now the officials are giving him the star treatment? I'm ok with that.

Officials making a case for Austin’s star status

By RANDY GALLOWAY
Ft. Worth Star Telegram

ARLINGTON — What’s this, another Miles-stone in the suddenly booming career of Mr. Austin?

On Sunday, it appeared Magical Miles had advanced to that next level, the one where all NFL receivers dream to reach.

Star treatment?

Yellow hankies hit green plastic on two separate possessions at the Big Yard in Arlington as defenders were whistled for committing pass interference on Miles.

Both came on third downs. Both led to touchdowns. Add another touchdown for Austin and he was directly involved in three TDs as the Dallas Cowboys, on their seventh Sunday of the season, rested their case.

Yes, an outmanned opponent — in this case, Seattle — was dispatched rather swiftly, erasing a local concern that if you’re going to be a good team, then act like it against the bad clubs.

Not so sure in today’s NFL that it’s a totally valid issue, but Cowboys by 38-17 (and it wasn’t really that close) was the season’s first blowout.

"Hopefully," smiled Austin, when asked if it was "star treatment" on those, well, somewhat borderline interference calls. "I’m just out there running the routes, and I thought both were, yes, the right calls.

"Anyway, they were called, and that was good. Sometimes, you don’t get those, so when you do, I’ll take ’em."

Tony Romo got a good postgame laugh out of the "star treatment" question.

"Now, really, I think those were good flags," Tony answered. "[Austin] put the double move on them. Either you give up the TD or you get a flag."

Austin didn’t go statistical crazy on this afternoon (five catches, 61 yards) but his impact was very vital again in the continuing resurgence of the Cowboys’ offense. In the last 10 quarters, plus an overtime, there have been 10 touchdowns from the offense, and you can say Miles figured in seven of them, catching five.

Not bad for an offense that in early October appeared to be a red-zone field goal waiting to happen.

"I like the way we can score in a hurry," coach Wade Phillips said. "Today, we were just kind of rocking along, then suddenly, we got way ahead."

Oy, How Times Have Changed

We took this picture last night on the iPhone. Sadly it doesn't do it justice so let me get you some background. It was about 45 degrees out and this dude was riding his bike in shorts with boots on. It just seemed very goofy to me so I had Angela take a picture on her iPhone.



Last night was the 2nd of two Hall of Fame shows, this one was Aretha Franklin, Jeff Beck, Metallica and U2 plus a buttload of special guests. The picture above is Metallica with Ozzy.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame turns 25

By Jerry Shriver,, USA TODAY

The event: U2, Metallica, Jeff Beck, Aretha Franklin and a string of sharp guests played Part 2 of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's two-night 25th anniversary concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The attendance: 19,500-plus.

All hail breaks loose: "Hail, hail rock 'n' roll," said the evening's host Tom Hanks, "which sprang from dashboard radios, nickel-a-song jukeboxes and deep-grooved 45s." With that, rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis returned to open the show again, this time with Great Balls of Fire. Just like Thursday, he pounded out a faithful version, but unlike that subdued turn, he playfully picked up the piano stool and tossed it down as he left the stage.

HISTORY: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame timeline
THURSDAY CONCERT: Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and more

What's it to you? If Thursday's show was mostly about rock's sweet soul, folk and country roots, with a hefty dose of New York strut, Friday's acts offered a harder, rebellious edge, leavened by Aretha Franklin's gospel-drenched empowerment anthems and U2's expansive world view.

Queen Aretha: Franklin, a bit unfortunately, was introduced by film clips that showed her in her stage-stomping '60s heyday. This time, she was slowly escorted to center stage and maintained a more majestic presence. Dressed in a bright red gown, black fur-trimmed coat and white pearls, she belted faithful versions of Baby I Love You and Don't Play That Song (in memory of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who signed her to the label). The crowd was flummoxed when she teased to Respect but instead sang a gospel-tinged number (Make Them Hear You) from the musical Ragtime.

Potent pairings: Momentum resumed when Annie Lennox came on to duet on Chain of Fools, then flagged again when Aretha did a showbizzy version of New York, New York— great song but wrong occasion, perhaps. The crowd loved it, though, especially when she said afterward that she was "thinking seriously" about moving here from Detroit. Lenny Kravitz injected needed energy by singing Think in a punchy voice that was clearly influenced by his stage partner. At the end, he escorted her offstage, Aretha sashaying all the way.

Worth the wait: Finally, Respect was cemented with the encore. That once-in-a-lifetime voice filled the Garden, ably supported by nearly 20 backing musicians, including Franklin's son Teddy on guitar, and the crowd gave the diva her due.

Got your back: Jeff Beck had been scheduled to appear as a guest with Eric Clapton but took over the headlining slot when Slowhand was sidelined by gallstone surgery. Beck, a two-time inductee (solo and with The Yardbirds), showed he's one of rock's most proficient, tasteful and appropriately showy guitarists — an axeman's axeman — as he led a quartet in a blistering set of jazz- and blues-tinged instrumentals, highlighted by Drown in My Own Tears.

Just dropped in: Sting came on to lend strong vocals to People Get Ready and nicely played off of Beck's piercing guitar accents. Blues veteran Buddy Guy traded him lick for lick on Let Me Love You. And ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons (he flew in from England, where the band is touring) croaked Rough Boy and cranked out complementary riffs to Beck's lead. The two then exploded into Foxy Lady, a Manhattan bedrock-shaking experience played out under a giant photo of Jimi Hendrix. As the image switched to late-period Beatles, Beck led the quartet in an instrumental eruption on A Day in the Life.

Here is Metallica's setlist:

For Whom The Bell Tolls
One
Turn The Page
Sweet Jane (w/ Lou Reed)
White Light / White Heat (w/ Lou Reed)
Iron Man (w/ Ozzy Osbourne)
Paranoid (w/ Ozzy Osbourne)
You Really Got Me (w/ Ray Davies)
All Day And All Of The Night (w/ Ray Davies)
Stone Cold Crazy
Enter Sandman

Here is a summary of U2's set:

Because the Night
U2.com
30 October 2009

It's not long over in New York, night two of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here's some highlights - photos and more on the way.

From Lou Reed joining Metallica for 'Sweet Jane' to 'Stuck in a Moment' when Mick Jagger joined U2, it was a night when some of the greatest musicians jammed with each other in homage to the traditions of rock'n'roll. Annie Lennox with Lenny Kravitz, Jeff Beck with Sting and Buddy Guy, Ozzy Ozbourne rocking out with Metallica and Ray Davies leading on Kinks standard 'You Really Got Me'.

Edge, Larry, Adam and Bono, arriving on stage for a blistering rendition of Vertigo and a soaring Magnificent, were complemented by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith for the song he wrote with her 'Because The Night'. Legendary E Street keyboardist Roy Bittan was up with Bruce for 'Still Haven't Found' before Black Eyed Peas, fresh from the final 2009 dates of the 360 Tour, got in the groove for a seriously funky Mysterious Ways.

Fergie and U2 were joined by Mick Jagger for 'Gimme Shelter' while Sir Mick took the vocals with Bono for 'Stuck In A Moment'. A beautiful night had to end with a Beautiful Day, when U2 wrapped the proceedings up.

Setlist

1. Vertigo / Rock 'n' Roll High School (snippet)
2. Magnificent
3. Because The Night (with Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith)
4. Because The Night (repeated in full due to missed cues)
5. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (with Bruce Springsteen)
6. Mysterious Ways
7. Where Is The Love? / One (snippet) (with the Black Eyed Peas)
8. Gimme Shelter (with Mick Jagger and Fergie)
9. Stuck In A Moment (with Mick Jagger)
10. Beautiful Day

It seems Like Ages Ago That Life Was Kinda Normal

Did you know you could get Crocodile at Sam's Club? You can at the new one that just opened in China.



This bums me out.

'Slumdog' kids' truancy threatens their trust fund

MUMBAI, India (AP) — A trustee for the child stars of Slumdog Millionaire says the kids' poor school attendance is putting their trust fund at risk.

Trustee Noshir Dadrawala says Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail is only showing up at school 37% of the time and Rubina Ali has only a 27% attendance rate.

He says if the children do not get their attendance above 70%, they will lose their monthly stipend of about $120. They also risk the lump sum payment they are to get at age 18 that is tied to them graduating school.

The filmmakers set up the trust to provide education, housing and a living allowance to the young stars of the Oscar-winning film, who themselves grew up in Mumbai's shantytowns. The fund's amount has not been disclosed.

There will be 10 best picture nominees this year and I think that is way too many.

Will having 10 best-picture nominees diminish Oscar?

By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

At the ripe old age of 82, Oscar could do with a face-lift now and then.

But Jane Campion, among other voters, has reservations about the latest makeover of Hollywood's most coveted prize.

The New Zealand-born filmmaker, one of only three female directors ever nominated for an Academy Award, can't comprehend why the best-picture list of nominees was expanded from five to 10 slots for the first time since 1943, when Casablanca took home the statuette.

"I've heard it's because of the major studios," says the screenplay winner for 1993's The Piano, whose hopes this year are pinned on her period romance Bright Star. "None of their movies are being chosen."

Campion isn't the only one of the 6,000 or so academy members who was taken aback when the switch was unveiled in June.

"I think it dilutes the exclusivity of it," says Willem Dafoe, a two-time acting nominee. "You know, some years there might not be that many movies that deserve it. I just worry it lowers the bar a little bit."

Or, as Frost/Nixon actor Michael Sheen, who joined the academy in 2007, puts it: "The more films you have, the less special it becomes."

It's all an experiment, assures Tom Sherak, newly appointed president of the 6,000-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The decision was made by the 43 members of the board of governors.

The supersizing of the best-picture category was suggested during a postmortem with Bill Condon and Laurence Mark, producers of this year's ceremony, which boosted viewership from the previous year by 13%.

Still, considering the 2008 edition – when No Country for Old Men claimed the best-picture trophy – was the least-watched show ever, the increase was only a mild improvement. Which is why, to continue to draw more eyes, the academy would like Oscar to find room for more popcorn-type films in its diet.

"All the critics' 10-best lists have 10 films," Sherak says, explaining the logic behind the move for the March 7 ceremony. "And there have been 10 nominees in the past. Maybe it would create more interest and allow us to have more fun. Maybe a comedy or a blockbuster would be nominated. The board felt it was an idea that should be tried."

Making it easier for films such as last year's superhero smash The Dark Knight to be recognized doesn't sit well with Campion.

"It's not a popularity contest," she says. "That is box office. We have that. The Oscars should be something else. Whose decision was it? Why didn't we vote on it? Let it be a challenge for these studios rather than just expect to see Batman on the list."

To some, it feels like cheating

"Then 10 small films will be nominated," Sherak says. "The bottom line is, we want to find ways of doing things that people are interested in. We want to do what is good for the show. If it doesn't work, we'll change it."

One voter who enthusiastically supports the five extra finalists is John Lasseter, the big cheese of animation at Pixar and Disney as well as the secretary of the board of governors. Considering the only animated feature to ever make the best-picture cut was 1991's Beauty and the Beast, he's delighted that movies like Pixar's summer hit Up– which earned ecstatic reviews – will have an easier chance of sneaking in.

Last nnight the first of 2 Rock n Roll Hall of fame shows happened in New York. Crosby, Stills and Nash, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen played last night - tonight it's U2, Metallica, Aretha Franklin and Jeff Beck.

Postcard from the road: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts

By Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY

The event: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills & Nash and numerous guests kicked off a two-night celebration, playing both their own songs and the music that inspired them.

TIMELINE: A quarter-century of rock royalty

Envious insider: "I'm a fan — I don't know what to say to half these guys," said Tom Hanks backstage before the show. His production company is working with HBO, which is filming the concerts to air Nov. 29 as a four-hour special. "I grew up with the hi-fi on in the front room, the (Beatles') White Album on — everything that's going on tonight is the soundtrack of our lives."

Banner night: The acts performed under a wood-framed arch adorned with images of Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Sizzling warm-up: As lights dimmed, video clips played on a curved screen above the stage, showing Rock Hall induction speeches and all-star jams of dozens of stars.

Killer opening: Following a short welcoming speech by Hanks ("When we were down, rock 'n' roll lifted us"), the man some consider rock's true king, Jerry Lee Lewis, lit into Whole Lotta Shaking Going On at a white baby grand. Though his manner was subdued, with none of the trademark hellfire menace, his voice was strong and the fingers pounded the keys adroitly.

Double triple whammy: CSN honored the hall's 25th and Woodstock's 40th with an electrifying version of the festival's theme song. Stephen Stills still has the guitar chops, even when not prodded by rival and sometimes bandmate (and double inductee) Neil Young, who didn't appear. Graham Nash showed off his gorgeous tenor on Marrakech Express while David Crosby let his freak flag (now long and white) fly on Almost Cut My Hair, which tripped and soared for five-plus minutes.

Just dropped in: Bonnie Raitt, the first of the night's stream of guests, got strong vocal support from Crosby and Nash as she and her guitar took the lead on an aching Love Has No Pride. The Allman Brothers got a nice shout-out as the four sang a funk-blues version of Midnight Rider.

A dream-team theme: Raitt was followed by Jackson Browne (The Pretender) and James Taylor (Mexico and Love the One You're With). After a CSN nod to Buffalo Springfield via Stills' Rock & Roll Woman, the whole folkie crew reassembled for a Garden-wide singalong on Teach Your Children.

Hometown heroes: Paul Simon — first by himself, then with Dion (DiMucci), then with Nash and Crosby on a magical Here Comes the Sun, and finally with Little Anthony and the Imperials — was just a sweet tease for the outpouring of love that greeted Art Garfunkel's appearance. The duo ran off a string of hits, including a mesmerizing Sounds of Silence. After trading verses on Bridge Over Troubled Water, they mingled their voices rapturously on the bridge before bringing it home alone on a high note.

Wonder of Motown: Stevie Wonder, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his induction, encountered early microphone problems and switched his planned opener from You Haven't Done Nothin' to a Blowin' In the Wind singalong. Then he launched into an unplanned Uptight (Everything's Alright) to get everyone dancing, followed by an unplanned and joyous I Was Made to Love Her/For Once in My Life. The crowd, unaware of the changes, lapped up whatever he and his turn-on-a-dime band offered.

Teachers and students: After dropping to his knees briefly for a harmonica solo on Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours), Wonder returned to his electric piano and welcomed mentor Smokey Robinson for a smoldering Tracks of My Tears, then disciple John Legend for the sensuous and consciousness-raising Marvin Gaye classic Mercy Mercy Me. Blues great B.B. King, the oldest announced performer at 84, strolled out slowly in a vivid smoking jacket, strapped on his guitar Lucille, then spun a spell with The Thrill Is Gone.

Missing Michael: The late King of Pop got his props from Legend and Stevie, who broke down briefly during Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel, then recovered to lead the clap-a-thon.

Trading off: Sting walked onstage playing bass guitar during Higher Ground, then traded helium-voiced lead vocals with Stevie on Roxanne, with the two sounding surprisingly alike. 2009 inductee Jeff Beck made a surprise appearance on Superstition and dropped in a scintillating heavy-metal guitar solo to close the powerhouse set.

Here is the summary and setlist from Bruce's set.

October 29 / Madison Square Garden / New York, NY

Notes: At the first of the two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concerts at Madison Square Garden, Bruce and the E Street Band turned in a fantastic performance to cap off an evening that featured performances from Crosby Stills & Nash, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder with numerous guests each.

Bruce, too, had several friends in the house: backed by a full-strength E Street Band plus a horn section including Curt Ramm, Clark Gayton and Eddie Manion, Bruce and his special guests recreated many of his greatest live collaborations from the past decade. Returning to the E Street stage were John Fogerty, Tom Morello and Sam Moore, plus new friend Darlene Love and surprise guest Billy Joel. Bosstime was an hour and 45 minutes, closing a show that didn't end until 1:30 in the morning.

After Bruce opened with "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," he brought out his mentor Sam Moore, the man from whom Bruce has frequently admitted — including during this show — he's "learned so much about leading a band." "The Original Soul Man" traded verses with Bruce on "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man," instantly elevating the show the way they did in Asbury Park in 2003.

After Springsteen and Fogerty repeated two of their prior duets, Bruce took an opportunity to recall playing with one of his heroes at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1988, Roy Orbison. Bruce admitted, "I wouldn't dare try by myself," but with John present they were able to "take a home run swing at Pretty Woman," a highlight of the evening. Darlene Love brought her "one-woman wall of sound" on "A Fine, Fine Boy" and "Da Doo Ron Ron" while Tom Morello turned heads not only with his now-familiar solo on "The Ghost of Tom Joad" but also with his solo and lead vocals on an exciting performance of "London Calling."

With many of the guest artists' songs being performed, Springsteen songs only made up a small portion of the setlist, yet a very strong performance of "Jungleland" mid-set was not only perfect for the event and the location, it made it clear that Bruce was capable of transfixing a crowd with his own material as well.

The encore opened with a humorous introduction, reminding the crowd that prior to the continental drift, "Long Island and New Jersey were joined in one land mass" and "tonight there will be a reunion," as Bruce welcomed "the king of Long Island," Billy Joel, to "the summit at the garden." Joel played piano at center stage, singing three of his own songs as well as a verse of "Born to Run."

The night's festitivies ended as Bruce brought all of the guests back on stage for another exciting take of "Higher and Higher," with each singer, including Darlene Love and Sam Moore, taking a different verse for lead vocals. Bruce was again at his most energetic and loose as the song provided a fitting cap to an evening not to soon be forgotten by lucky showgoers.
- Glenn Radecki reporting

Setlist:

Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Hold On, I'm Coming (with Sam Moore)
Soul Man (with Sam Moore)
The Ghost of Tom Joad (with Tom Morello)
Fortunate Son (with John Fogerty)
Proud Mary (with John Fogerty)
Pretty Woman (with John Fogerty)
Jungleland
A Fine, Fine Boy (with Darlene Love)
Da Doo Ron Ron (with Darlene Love)
London Calling (with Tom Morello)
Badlands (with Tom Morello)

Encore

You May Be Right (with Billy Joel)
Only the Good Die Young (with Billy Joel)
New York State of Mind (with Billy Joel)
Born to Run (with Billy Joel)
Higher and Higher (with all, plus Jackson Browne and Peter Wolf)