Today has brightened up. I get into these deep funks and stay that way for a while. Sunday is notorious for that as there's nothing else to do except be alone and just ruminate. When I think too much I get really anxious and depressed.

Rollins Band was opening for X at the House of Blues. I've seen both bands before and both have had stellar performances. X in particular has been amazing.

A band from Texas called the Riverboat Gamblers opened the show. Rollins is notorious for having little heard bands that aren't that good but put on a great show open for him and this band was that. They put on an amazing show and I wouldn't mind seeing them again and could get into their stuff if I heard it more. The singer ran the show. He constantly jumped down to sing with the audience and even got on the floor to run through the crowd. At one point he climbed the stacks, walked on the balcony and made his way around to the other side to climb down.

The Rollins Band came out and immediately began posing. If you know Rollins you know his image and he hasn't much deviated from that since day one. He was a contorted, grimacing, sweaty mass covered in tattoos and dripping wet jogging shorts. The band he played with was billed as classic Rollins Band, which I guess is true if you consider the band that only recorded his two most radio friendly albums. His current band, which is just him fronting the instrumental group Mother Superior, was replaced for this tour. Who knows why. Rollins goes through lineups the way most people go through socks.
The band was good and played all their old hits. The newest song was from 1997. Unfortunately it felt like what it was, a nostalgia show. The band seemed to be going through the songs like they've done it a hundred times and were still on the same tour many years ago. Rollins was the centerpiece as usual but relied too much on posturing and mean looks at the audience, as well as a variety of weird hand gestures. The worst Rollins show is still better than most other concerts but I found myself laughing at bits that I would have awed me years ago.

During the solo of Civilized he had his scary man monologue while the bass pounded. It went like this.
The man walking down the street
He gets into his helicopter
(Unintelligble)
The helicopter is splitting!
America is tearing itself apart!
It's all the same.

The best part of the show- when people were yelling out songs during the break and the guy behind me screams out "Play the songs that set my soul on fire!!!"

X came out after a few Rollins die hards, all the ones screaming MACHINE! or MECHANIC! for Rollins, had gone home. X is one of the most underappreciated bands and even during a show like tonight's where they played thirty year old songs I've heard hundreds of times before, I'm reminded why. John Doe put his heart into each song, moving like he did when he was a kid on the Sunset Strip. Billy Zoom played the fiftes rocker with his boots and leather jacket. I could even ignore his ogling and winking at every girl in the front row. That and Exene still dressing like the homeless nymph in threadbare dolly clothes. She didn't look too happy to be there.

On the way home I found a piano keyboard someone left next to a dumpster. I don't usually dumpster dive but it looked good and had no problems so I took it home, figuring if anything it will be interesting to drop from my balcony but it works. Now I have a keyboard. Maybe I'll learn how to play. I don't really need one but I figure having a keyboard is better than not having one.

**This ad was postponed to add the pictures which, unfortunately, never came through**