Steel Of The Night

It's hard to believe it was 30 years ago that I first heard Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight" on AM radio. What? Heavy metal on the radio? Their album, "British Steel," was actually radio friendly, and it wasn't so long before that such music was simply called "hard rock." But wow, Heavy Metal on my radio!

Judas Priest (like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and soon thereafter, Iron Maiden) paved the metal brick road. It's not surprising, then, in this day of legendary music artists resting a bit on their laurels, to see Judas Priest cash in on what made them legends, too. The band is celebrating the 30th anniversary of that landmark album, British Steel, with a world tour, one that passed through Houston on Friday, July 24. It was less than a year ago that I first took Lisa and the boys to see them, so you know we were all present and accounted for at the Verizon Wireless Theatre show, as well.

The Metal Gods played the "Steel" album in its entirety. What a treat to hear it live, with track after pounding track, including "Breaking The Law," "You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise," "United," and the one that set the whole metal genre in motion, "Living After Midnight."

The tour is the band's way of thanking fans for the last 35 years, but they didn't just play songs from the British Steel album. They have a new live album out, called "A Touch Of Evil: Live," filled almost entirely with live versions of songs not previously put to disc. But many classics were represented Friday, too, including Kevin's favorite, "The Ripper," "Diamonds and Rust," and "You've Got Another Thing Coming."

This show was even better than the last one (and we were in the 4th row then!), with so many classics being churned out. Great show, great sound, and a great performance.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. David Coverdale and his current lineup he calls Whitesnake opened the event. Not bad, but um, that wimpy 80s hits stuff has gotta go. Ah, but Lisa, and a whole lot of other girls liked 'em, so... yeah.

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Inquiring Minds: Judas Priest's Rob Halford

Thank You, Metalheads. Sincerely, Judas Priest

Photo Finish

Sometimes, a lot goes into taking a photograph, and the process still goes wrong. Photographers can painstakingly gather all the subjects, get them to stand still for 5 or 10 seconds (maybe), force them to smile, set the focus, aim, and set the automatic timer, run and jump in the shot, have a happy accident like the family dog cruising through the camera frame just in the nick of time -- all to have some pretty girl close her eyes when the camera flashes!

Yeah, if you've ever taken a picture of Lisa, more than likely her eyes were closed. I have many such photos, myself. So, what the heck, I might as well share one with all of you!

Ya know when you look at pictures, no matter where you stand, it seems like the person in the photo is looking at you? Well, rest assured, Lisa ain't looking at anybody.

Isn't she just the cutest? (And she sure does have a nice new home, don't ya think? And how about those gentlemanly boys of hers? Even Aggie was up for it, bless her heart.)

A Night At The Opera

Lisa got tickets for us to see Broadway Across America's lavish production of "The Phantom of the Opera," on Thursday night. We got each other new duds just for the occasion, and off we went downtown to The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Sarofim Hall is exquisite, with it's 3-tiered lobby, and 60 ft walls, framing the stage.

This was no low budget play, by any means. The sets were beautiful to gaze upon, the costumes were lush, and the actors/singers were highly gifted. How they sing like that for a couple hours a night is beyond me.

The "Phantom", for those who don't know, is a tragic love story of a beautiful opera singer named Christine and a young composer shamed by his physical appearance into a dark existence below the Paris Opera House.

I was most impressed by this production, but the idea, and the night out, were all due to Lisa. Because the show ended so late, I wined and dined her at the very reliable and still-open Birraporetti's, afterward. Just a couple of fun-seekers out on the town.

One Glove

They Don't Care About US

Say what you want about the King of Pop. (Seemingly, everyone has.) I watch this powerful video, and I can only wonder why a human being can be so eloquent in his art, and so lost in life.

Emotional Rescue

A few days ago, as I am wont to do, I foisted some music on Lisa. (Not that she's all that unwilling, mind you.) We watched the classic album series dvd for Elton John's, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." The amazing documentary series gives the inside stories on the making of great albums, with interviews, archival footage from the recording sessions, and my favorite, extra features where the musicians explain the hows and whys in intimate, new demonstrative performances.

So, there's Elton, in a studio, playing the piano part for the song, "Funeral For A Friend." To hear it this way, pouring out of my 5.1 surround sound system, is at once stunning, revelatory, and emotionally gripping. As we listened, I had Lisa stand in a part of the room to hear the cascade of sound like I did, to let it flow over her. And then I said, "Do you hear that?" Of course, what I really meant was "Do you FEEL that."

Absolute magic, it was. One of those moments where words don't explain the emotions that kidnap your mind, body and soul. That is exactly what music is to me, and I love sharing it with people who will let me take them hostage.

So, then, comes a new article called "Why Music Moves Us," from Scientific American (read here) to scientifically explain all this, best as they can. Here's a favorite bit of mine from that article:

Throughout recorded history, people have attempted to explain music’s sway over the human spirit. Music has been labeled everything from a gift of the heavens to a tool of the Devil, from an extension of mathematics to a side effect of language processing. Charles Darwin was famously stumped by music’s ubiquitous presence around the world: man’s predilection for music, he wrote in 1871 in The Descent of Man, 'must be ranked among the most mysterious with which he is endowed.'

Indeed, music is the universal language.What do you think? Have you ever heard a song or piece of music that spoke to you?