Megadeth, Starlite Auto Theater, Fifth District Youth Festival
Megadeth
A friend treated me to see Megadeth at Riverbend for my birthday. It was an excellent concert. I am a huge metal head and this is the second time I’ve seen them play. The set list included all of my favorites including many selections from “Rust in Peace”, one of my favorite albums. Megadeth is one of my favorite bands now, up from the “bands I like” list. I’ve come to appreciate their technical mastery, tight sets, and longevity. They are on the top four thrash metal bands that includes Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer and everyone should try to see them once.
If I were to wax about the state of metal I would not offer much in the way of positive news. It does seem to me that metal is dead. Yes, I realize I just saw a metal show but those four bands I mentioned are long in the tooth. I may get thumbed down for it but there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of interesting metal acts anymore. I believe that today’s “bummer rock”, which is metal where everyone feels sorry for themselves with “confessional” lyrics isn’t really metal. It sounds like metal both in the instrumentation and vocal styling but it’s missing something. You should listen to a medal album and feel ready to take on the world, not feel sorry for yourself. I also don’t like the black metal with it’s growls and breakdowns. It sounds cool at first but then you realize EVERY BAND in the genre does it and it all sounds the same. It is just not unique enough for me.
It was interesting to see so many young people there, many with Korn and Alice and Chains t-shirts. I love the appreciation for the nu-metal scene and grunge as that was my generation’s music. Perhaps this is what the Boomer’s experienced when we were younger listening to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath!
Starlite Auto Theater
One last visit to the Starlite in Amelia, OH, one of my absolute favorite places. The heat did not dissuade us from enjoying an evening outside watching movies. We enjoyed “Transformers One” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”. Of course we enjoyed a double vanilla malt, one of my favorite treats. I did enjoy Transformers, especially the origin story involving Optimus Prime and Megatron. I admit, I knew nothing about this movie going into it so it was surprising to learn the two main characters were in fact two of my favorite childhood toys. I could guess that one of them, in their red and blue attire, was most likely Optimus Prime. I did not foresee the other as Megatron until the big reveal. I did love seeing Starscream, Soundwave and Shockwave, and now that I know it’s these characters, Bumble Bee. I’ll admit I fell asleep during the second act. I just cannot stay up late anymore. Ever since I moved to a morning workout time my evenings end pretty early. I don’t think I missed much, the plot seemed a little grinding at times, which is what attributed to my konking out.
Fifth District Youth Festival
A fantastic time at Youth Fest. For many years I volunteered at this event helping children learn to shoot and fish. I usually worked the fishing side with my fly fishing club. I told myself if I were to become a dad I would bring my child there one day. I realized that wish, now ten years later. I introduced him to many of my friends in the community and showed him off. Ted also won a BB gun at the raffle event, and it is one of the nicer air guns I’ve seen. Plinking targets with it will surely be a lot of fun.
Watching Ted learn how to shoot trap, cast a fly rod, and pull back a bow warmed my heart. I love seeing him enjoy what I enjoy and I hope I can pass on that tradition to him. I am thankful for my friends I’ve met in this community showing him little tips and techniques. Not too many get instruction from the president of the state’s largest fly fishing club, or shooting tips from champion shooters and ex-military firearm instructors, while the president of the League of Kentucky Sportsmen launches birds for you. Great people and I appreciate everything they do!
