黄 嘉 維

This was a tough show all-around for everyone involved. The audience was packed into the backyard amphitheater at Stubb’s, making for a massive sweaty, hot mess. Spoon, meanwhile, was on stage under hot lights and even hotter temperatures as the thermometer held steady at close to 100-degree heat. They somehow managed to play an energetic set that lasted over 90 minutes. It was heavy on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and classic albums but almost no cuts came off of the album prior to Ga, Gimme Fiction – a shame really since that was also a pretty good record.

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I cannot begin to describe how terrible this movie was. If you can’t make a sequel that’s at least half as good as the best film in the series, why bother? Just remember this: in the future, organ transplant will no longer require matching for blood type. See, the future is bright!

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It’s been a long time since I read the sixth book in the Harry Potter series but, in a way, I’m glad that’s the case. Without knowing for sure what was cut or reinterpreted, I was able to enjoy the movie the way director David Yates wanted the audience to. Like each successive film from the third on, it’s darker than the last and the amount of time spent in the Hogwarts classroom is further diminished. What’s left is a satisfying action movie spectacular and not a by-the-numbers adaptation.

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I had just seen these guys back in November so why did I plunk down nearly $50 to see them again only seven months later? Seeing them perform The Hazards of Love live from start to finish, that’s why. The album, when performed this way, is as Colin Meloy intended it to be – a rock opera that tells a story in just under an hour. After they finished performing the album in its entirety, the audience was treated to an amazing cover of Heart’s Crazy on You – Shara Worden belting out the lyrics might just have been better than Heart’s rendition.

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With a set list light on the somewhat inferior second album, Eddie Argos and company closed out their sold-out five night run at New York’s Mercury Lounge with a show that lasted over 90 minutes. As always, Argos played to the crowd, even jumping into the crowd during a few songs as fans surrounded him while he attempted to sing.

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This movie is for the guys, ladies. I Love You, Man follows in the same vein as the recent rash of Apatow-ish dude flicks – crude at times but with a sentimental center. Jason Segel and Paul Rudd play well off each other while Rashida Jones isn’t too much of a wet blanket.

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Let’s get this out of the way – this wasn’t a good Star Trek in the sense that it essentially shit all over everything that’s happened post-Enterprise (the last television series). What it is, however, is a really good movie from director JJ Abrams who does enough to make Trekkers happy while not catering to them to the point it alienates everyone else. It’s the best movie with Star Trek in the title in a long, long time.

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After getting the heave-ho from the employer, I found myself with a lot of time off. In a fortuitous coincidence, my brother was shipped off to Austin for two weeks bridging June and July. I joined up with him for his second week there.

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Down in Philadelphia to catch a Mets-Phillies game, there was time to kill before the game so, of course, that meant some bar hopping. The game got out of hand pretty early (not in the Mets’ favor) so that meant another bar before hopping on the train back to New York.

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I went up to Boston a few weeks back to volunteer at Beer Advocate’s American Craft Beer Fest. Surprisingly, outside of the fest itself, there was little drinking that took place outside of where I stayed.

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