Hurricane Survival

Well, the trip down to Florida seemed like a good idea at the time. Next time, I'll have to check the weather reports first. Nothing like driving down through one hurricane then sitting around waiting for the second.

I'm here in Bonita Springs where hurricane Charles came oh-so-close to wiping out the surrounding area. We were impacted, but nothing like where the damage was greatest. We lost power for about 12 hours. Luckily it came back on last night around midnight.

Not much is open today; the beach is closed and the pool in my parent's complex is littered with floating branches and leaves. Oh well, the kids are behaving and that's making this little experience a bit easier.

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In the spirit of other bloggers who have been posting their musical concert experiences, I now offer up my top 5 concerts that I've ever attended:

Number 5: Monsters of Rock Tour, 1987 - Some racetrack in Maine

My friends and I flat out missed the opening band Kingdom Come, who many of you probably never heard of. They were at the time a middle of the road metal band whose claim to fame was how eerily the lead singer sounded like Robert Plant. See if you can download a song by them called Get it On and you'll hear for yourself. The next band was Metallica, right before they released their ...And Justice for All album. The highlight of their set was playing Harvester of Sorrow, a track from that forthcoming album that had been previously unheard by me. Third on the list was an unremarkable Dokken followed up by Klaus and The Scorpions. A Sammy Hagar-led Van Halen closed the show and it was about that time that I sobered up.

Number 4: Spinal Tap, 1992 - Massachusetts

While the majority of the Spinal Tap experience is far from serious, I am totally serious when I say that this concert absolutely rocked. In support of their 1992 album Break Like the Wind, I went to this concert not really expecting much. I should have known better when Nigel Tufnel decended from the top of the venue from wires as they opened up with Tonight I'm Gonna Rock Ya (Tonight). They played for over 2 1/2 hours and it was an amazing experience.

Number 3: In Flames, Soilwork, Chimaira, 2003 - Atlanta

Being hammered for such a thrashing, headbanging concert can only mean one thing. A very, very, very sore neck the next day. I love In Flames and this concert was the closest they would come to Greenville during their tour supporting Reroute to Remain.

Number 2: Metallica, Queensryche, 1989 - Worcester

While I used to be a huge, and I mean huge, Metallica fan, their current work leaves a lot to be desired. I stopped buying their CD's after the black album in 1991. But during their tour for ...And Justice for All, I still really liked them. Add to that Queensryche playing the entire album Operation Mindcrime and you have a awesome concert experience.

Number 1: Slayer, Hatebreed, Arch Enemy, 2003 - Atlanta

The only remaining member of the three top thrash bands of the late '80's (Anthrax and Metallica being the other 2), Slayer still dominates the scene like no other. Personally, though, Arch Enemy stole the show. Their guitarist, Michael Amott - formerly of Carcass, is amazing. I love their riffs and their female lead singer Angela Gassow is nothing to sneeze at either. If you can, take a listen to any song from Wages of Sin or Anthems of Rebellion. You'll be amazed at the sounds coming out of that woman's mouth.

That's it then. Driving back to SC tomorrow. Registering for the WBT 3 happens the minute I get back. I just have to double check what email address I used when I regestered at Pacific Poker.