Category: Manhattan

In the span of a week, P and I went to two epic concerts at Madison Square Garden — last Tuesday with the Foo Fighters, and last Thursday with Linkin Park. We got tickets for both shows for Christmas. While both of these Grammy winning bands have been around for more than a decade each, these were their first times playing at MSG. Both groups acted like they had gotten to the final gig on Guitar Hero II, peering down from the pinnacle in awe at the sellout crowds of over 19,000 people.

While P- is the one that tracks their albums and playlists on the radio at work, I kind of just know their “sound” – the Foo’s being the inheritors of Seattle alternative, and Linkin Park being fusion scientists, mashing up rap, rock and techno, while not being afraid of being harmonic. Of course we here have to recognize a band with two Asian American members (DJ Joe Hahn and MC Mike Shinoda).

Foo Fighters took out all the stops for their fans, going for 2 hours without intermission, bringing for the first ever in MSG a “triangle solo”.

Their encore began with a wonderful acoustic version of “Big Me”, which has become my odds on favorite for wedding song. They had a secondary stage in the back of the hall connected by a long thin runway so that the people in the “cheap seats” could get up close to them.

Linkin Park designed their stage in the round, and the band members rotated around so that the people in the “obstructed” back seats had intimate views. Of course, the crowd was looking for their seminal rap-rock songs, such as “In the End”. However, their latest stuff, such as “In Pieces”, really grew on me. They held two encores, interspersed with dark waits, causing spectators to yo-yo to and from the exits. The second encore merited a surprise guest appearance by Jay-Z, who came out of retirement to perform songs such as “Numb” from their mash up album.

We’ll be getting the live albums/DVDs for both of these events when they come out.

Sunday we went to a friend’s house for the traditional Oscar party. P- won the night with 16 correct picks, besting actual Entertainment Weekly magazine staff members at the party, which earned her a screenwriter’s script for “Juno”. Viewership was down because of a combination of a generally lackluster field and the writer’s strike aftermath, but I thought that Jon Stewart did an excellent job hosting the show. This time around, he actually was in charge. Not just for his general wittiness, and the fact that he got the show done with 10 minutes to spare, but he had the presence of mind to bring back Marketa Irglova to the stage to let her speak after she was cut off by the orchestra.

Watching the Oscars as of this writing. Jon Stewart’s pretty funny so far; the writers are doing well!

Time’s Joel Stein invites George Clooney to his house for dinner. George Clooney, former contractor, helps out by looking for the source of a beeping sound in the house… Well, either way, George Clooney’s still The Man!

This past week’s “Law and Order” – an interesting episode, but glaring plotholes. Some thoughts from the episode, in the order that the thing appeared in the episode:

So far as I can tell, the episode isn’t quite ripped-off-the-headlines, unless one counts the Real Life US Supreme Court’s future decision on death penalty by injection. (well, the S. Ct’s decision to hear oral arguments came sometime late last year, so it might have been around the time that they made the episode, I’m guessing).

Anyway, about the plot:

doctor visiting NYC is murdered; matter of mistaken identity – the wrong doctor was murdered, and it’s connected to a botched death penalty case in South Carolina;

Detective Lupo flirts with the girl at the South Carolina hotel desk;

Lieutenant Van Buren and D.A. McCoy seem to enjoy ordering their subordinates to hop on down to South Carolina, perhaps to get Lupo/Green/Cutter/Rubirosa from irritating them (well, actually, Cutter seems to both irritate and impress McCoy; can’t tell what kind of reactions the others inspire);

D.A. McCoy argues a point of law in the judge’s chambers because Exec. A.D.A. Cutter suddenly felt that there was an argument he couldn’t argue (which made no sense to me);

anti-death penalty judge allows the defendant to bring in the vegetable brain-damaged convicted killer (victimized by the botch death penalty punishment) as an exhibit in the trial of the defendant who killed the wrong doctor (what? in real NYC, this would have had a media circus coming);

A.D.A. Rubirosa seems to be Cutter’s conscience – it’ll take awhile and she’ll challenge him, but he’ll listen to her and agree to negotiate a plea instead of continuing to prosecute a lousy case;

and last but not least, I still don’t know where Cutter stands on the issue of death penalty because of the not-making sense parts of the episode.

Hmm. Well, at least Jesse L. Martin, Jeremy Sisto, and Linus Roache were all easy on the eyes.

Sat night: dinner with the alumni group at Woo Chon in the stone’s throw of K-town. Some Korean bbq. Delicious food.

Well, speaking of Korean food, kimchi’s being shipped into space, to feed a Korean astronaut. What’ll they think of next?

Weird experiences:

• Met a Survivor. Turns out he’s a real nice guy.
• Got mistaken for a waiter (maybe it was because I was wearing a tux).
• Witnessed a cugine making several faux pas in a sushi restaurant, such as trying to order drinks from the sushi chef, but otherwise having a good time.
• Realizing the said cugine lived down the street in the old neighborhood and went to school with my sister.

Places eaten out this week:

Cantoon Garden,  22 Elizabeth Street, Manhattan. Good when not rushed.

New York Marriott Marquis Times Square. Banquet services were good, if pricey.

Mura, 369 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn. Recommended

Kim Paris Vietnamese Grill, 128 Montague Street, Brooklyn. Lunch menu excellent value.

Fresco Tortilla Court Street, 113 Court Street, Brooklyn. G0od cheap Tex-Mex made by Chinese people.