Struggle from Mediocrity to Stardom

KOL - Kings of Leon - Columbus, OH

Should we risk it? The rewards would be worth the trouble if the weather made it possible. "Work hard, play hard," my friend says.

100 miles away. 6 hours until it begins. Inches of snow accumulating in Cincinnati. Cancellations are happening. This just might be a good night!

My friend and I made the trip to see Caleb and Co., the Followill Bros. or what-have-you. We met up with some friends prior to the show at Lifestyles near the brewery district in downtown Columbus.

The Whigs opened up the show. A three piece unit out of Detroit I believe. Much enjoyment and prosperity is hopefully in their future as they filled their roll as a quality "warm-up" band.

KOL comes out, clean cut and casual as if they were unimpressed with the meager sold-out crowd that they used to get when they were virtually unknown. Now they have a pop hit, a following, and more than a few albums of work. They've traveled the planet, amassed huge supporters at festivals overseas, but still haven't gained the respect in the states that they think they are due at this point in their careers.

The hardest rock song from their latest album - Crawl - begins the show. I must have been expecting 10 foot high, David Lee Roth leg-kicks, pyrotechnics and naked showgirls off the get-go because I thought one of my favorite songs would have been amazing live. Nope. Just average for me. Did they slow it down? Am I not that big a fan? I was all jacked up looking to get my fill of KOL down-south-dirty-bluesy-rock. What happened?

I liken this feeling to meeting a girl that you've talked to on the phone, but have never met face-to-face. Maybe even a job interview, where the position sounds too good to be true. Excitment is swelling. First impression is solid. In reality, it's a little fake, pretentious, and border line annoying. Then I remember the old saying, "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." She isn't that cute. The job is a glorified data entry job. Expectations, in reality, are false hopes of perfection.

Don't get me wrong. I still remain a big supporter of KOL. A little let down though.

The rest of the show was fun and very respectable. I'm not a tough critic. I see the glass-half-full. Closer and Cold Desert were fantastic as well as many oldies but goodies they played within their 22 song set. $45 for tix. Alright, maybe a bit pricey, but overall, glad to see them doing well. As long as the frontman stops calling the crowd "you people."

The Other Paper Review

BTW - the pic represents what I was expecting, even though I knew what I was getting. I gotta quit lying to myself.

Back For More

I was gone for awhile.

Why Blog?

Don't worry b/c I'm very loyal and try to have some integrity that keeps me bound to the public eye. I started to blog almost a year ago, but wasn't happy with the vision of my writing. I'm refocused and zeroed in. My word to my readers is to have regular posts for the peeps that are looking for a silly, informative, maybe even a colorful and inspirational read, if I can make sure to take my Omega-3 and get a good coffee buzz! Comments are welcome, good or bad. As long as there is a conversation rolling along, I'm content.

I Hate the Store Hot Topics

I have revamped my ideas for my web blog. Yes, I will still be a part of this blog since I am the sole reason it is being created, but it won't be about just me. It will contain tid bits of everything surrounding me, such as my family and friends and what's up in their lives. Stories for and about the communities I live within and visit, subjects that I am interested in such as music, photos, politics, volunteering, soccer, musings, food, fung shui - seems odd, but true - and a plethora of more crud for your eyes to feast on!

Same Difference

Agreeing to disagree is something that I am fine with, seeing that many unique people walk the earth. Having lived for 28 years - going on 29, yikes! - I have gotten to know many different peeps, for better or worse. One trait that people are amazed by is my ability to see past all the masks and really see the person for who they are - not to get too cheesy or make the personal assumption that I am Ghandi-esque - but it does come naturally. I feel I can relate to most people and I like to be involved whether it's helping, guiding, facilitating, educating, or just plain learning from the vast knowledge and subjects that people can give a new perspective on.

Simple is Better

Three words that seem insignificant at first. Not mind-blowing or spellbinding advice, but I do try to live by this simple adage. If I get too wordy, that's probably me trying to grow as a blogger, bloggist, bloggy or Blagojevich.

I Have a Problem. (First step is the hardest, right?)

I want to do everything. I would pray for you if I was a 'believer', but I do not wish this upon anyone. Reason being, is that I can't make a decision to save my life. I want to know everything about everything and I am finally realizing that it's just not in the cards. So I need to wittle my little knowledge base down so that I can consume more quality info and less quantity of crap!

So, that being said, this is my little personal space that the entire galaxy can get a glimpse into my soul, find out what makes me tick, and the rest of the more significant and interesting realms that revolve around
All Things Sam.