LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

Lest you think all we do is sit around and veg, Saturday night WM and I swung down to Atlantic City to see Michael Bublé (note to self, Lowercase e with acute = 0233) perform at Boardwalk Hall. I’ve been a fan of Michael Bublé since I lost all hope that Harry Connick, Jr. would return to his “Blue Light, Red Light” era. Mind you, Harry’s still GREAT eye candy, but I miss him when he was 25. I miss myself at 25, too.

But back to Michael… a few notes:

The nearby casinos were charging $20 for parking. But if you look one block back from the casinos, you’ll find cheaper parking. We found a $10 lot which smelled like losing bets and pee. But it was $10.

We literally were sitting in the last row. But we had an almost straight-on view of the stage and didn’t have to deal with people standing up and dancing in front of us. They were too afraid they’d tip over and fall to their deaths. See? Fear is sometimes a good thing.

The audience spanned generations. Women from their 20s to 60s and beyond were swaying and swooning.

Golly, Michael Bublé’s a cute one.

Besides being a great singer, he was really funny too. He had the audience in stitches quite a few times in between songs.

The opening act was Naturally 7, a vocal play band. Difference between a capella and vocal play is that in vocal play, the singers replicate instruments. Have you ever heard a guy “beatbox” a harmonica? Yeah. They were great and did a fantastic rendition of Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight.” (Singing starts at :30) Seriously!

And while he didn’t sing either of the two songs we were waiting for — no biggie, as they were three albums ago — we left with our toes tapping and barely noticed the gigantic line of shifting, restless men waiting to enter Bare Exposure LIVE NUDE DANCING as we went back to the car.

It’s time again for the Friday five, and this week’s theme is: Every Sha-La-La-La.

NB: I can’t stand the Carpenters. Their songs are just devoid of joy. They make me want to sleep ’til I fall into a coma. Their Christmas songs are dirges. Moving on../

1. Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?

It has to be the large container of french fries I lug around. Those seagulls are really aggressive! I’ve heard that playing Carpenters music will actually stop most birds mid-flight, causing them to fall to the ground with a resounding thud. Other birds will voluntarily fly into buildings and plate glass windows, trying to end the pain.

2. What always gets you down?

That unrequited love exists. And Carpenters songs.

3. If you had to live yesterday once more (literally yesterday, as in Thursday the 14th), which part might be worth writing a pretty pop song about?

Watching the last of the Chilean miners coming out of the tiny shaft. But then the Carpenters would take my happy pretty pop song and ruin it to the point that the miners would want to go back underneath and I would just cut myself to make the pain stop.

Crap. I cheated and pre-wrote this when the questions came out last night so I wouldn’t be late for work today. Let me re-answer for yesterday.

Plotzing through puddles of a cleansing, soaking rain on my way home from work. But then the Carpenters would take my happy pretty pop song and ruin it to the point where I would drown myself in a puddle just to make the pain stop.

4. Where’s the coolest place you’ve been where you could look “down on creation?”

I rode the Insanity ride atop the Stratosphere when I was in Las Vegas all those years ago for my 9th (and final, as it turned out) anniversary. On top of the world one day, in the depths 3 months later.

Only the Carpenters are more painful than that was.

5. What’s something in your life that has only just begun?

My 2010 baking season! Breads and cookies ahead! Even the Carpenters can’t suck the joy out of eating food.

Oh, wait. My bad.

***
Mood: Rotten. But it’s Friday, which means tonight I’ll have some Bailey’s & Coffee, wrap myself up in a quilt, and leave the stress of the week behind me.

I know what will cheer me up…

Ugh. Erk.

The New Kids on the Block were on the Today show this morning, performing in NYC in the rain. I vaguely recall wanting to take off to see them, but I forgot. I know you guys are SO interested in this, so here’s NKOTB singing their new song, Summertime.

Observations:

1. What is up with the matching outfits? They didn’t even do that back in the day.
2. Donnie completely fell back into his character. The baseball cap, the untucked shirt, the flirtatious pulling up of the shirt…very cute.
3. Poor Jon still can’t dance. But at least he didn’t have a panic attack and die. I wonder what meds they have him on.
4. I cracked up at the hootchie-soccer-mama backup dancers. I don’t think a-one of them is a day under 30.
5. I had some of the merchandise the women in the audience were sporting.
6. This is the best song they did, I suppose because it was written for their voices now. They don’t sound as good when they sing their older stuff.

Now, tickets go on sale tomorrow for their concert in Atlantic City. Tickets are $85/$125. Shit. This is not the time for me to be dropping $125 on a boy-band (man-band?) ticket. And I’ve sworn off the credit cards until they’re all paid. Maybe if my stimulus check was already here.

So as the New Kids realized they can’t do all the old dance moves like they used to and wisely re-choreographed some songs, I have to realize that I’m an adult now in a crappy economy and an uncertain time and I’m going to have to wisely let the party go on without me.

edited at 9:51 on Saturday 5/17 (Jordan’s birthday. Shut up.) to add Tickets are sold out.