Tag / Joe

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Travelling The 50 States – Wisconsin

Over my 48 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we wrap things up today with the 30th state to be added to the Union: Wisconsin.

State: Wisconsin
Joined the Union: 1848
Visits: 15

Over the years, I’ve made fifteen trips to the Badger State, first in 1993 and most recently in 2019, the majority revolving around sports.

I made my first trip to Wisconsin, and my only visit to County Stadium, with Scott and Joe for a White Sox/Brewers tilt on July 18, 1993.  Back in the days before cell phones and GPS, we were left to our own devices as far as directions.  I remember one of the signs for the highway saying it would take us to Madison, and, not wanting to go to Madison, Scott decided to get off the highway.  Which put is somewhere in Milwaukee with no idea of how to get to the ballpark.  Eventually we made it in time to see the White Sox pull off the victory thanks to a 2-run single by Bo Jackson in the 9th inning.

At some unknown point, I made a trip up to the woods of Wisconsin with my friend Mike, his father and brother, and Scott to clean up an old family cabin.  I have no idea where we were or how long we were there, but it was certainly an experience.

My next trip came in April of 1995.  When Michael Jordan returns to the NBA and every game in Chicago is a sellout, the next best thing is to take the long drive 90 miles to the north to see the Bulls battle the Bucks at the Bradley Center.  Despite 33 points from Michael Jordan, Glenn Robinson led the Bucks to a 104-100 victory, scoring 36.

With the opening of their new ballpark in 2001, the Brewers drew me back to Milwaukee in May.  In a pitching battle, the Cubs outlasted the Brewers 7-6 as closer Tom Gordon picked up his first save with the team.

I returned to Milwaukee in April of 2022, when Tina and I drove north to see The Kids In The Hall reunion show at the Riverside Theater.

My next three trips to Miller Park came in May of 2003 and July of 2004.  On May 12, I saw the Cubs, behind home runs from Damian Miller, Moises Alou, and Troy O’Leary, beat the Brewers 11-5.  The next July 5, Ben Sheets outdueled Matt Clement as the Brewers topped the Cubs 1-0.  Three weeks later, the Brewers topped the Cubs once again, winning 6-3.

After nearly a decade away, I returned to Wisconsin in October of 2013 for Keith Longwell’s bachelor party.  I travelled to the faraway land of Kewaunee, where the festivities included nights of video games and cards, nine holes of golf, where I mostly sat in the cart, and a trip out to some local bars, until we were asked to leave due to some drunken tomfoolery.

In July of 2014, Danny, Michael, and I stopped in Madison on our way to Minneapolis to do some miniature golfing at Vitense Golfland.  The highlights of the stop include Michael falling into one of the water hazards and plenty of picture opportunities, like with the Bucky Badger figure above. Continue reading →

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #8

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

Formed in 1990 after the demise of Mother Love Bone following the death of singer Andrew Wood, Pearl Jam checks in today at #8 as we continue with the top 10.  The new group burst onto the Seattle grunge scene in 1991 and, by the second half of 1992, became a world wide sensation#8: Pearl Jam
iTunes stats: 653 plays
Previous ranking: #9

The grunge godfathers move up on spot thanks to an 88% increase in plays, thanks in part to my attending their 2018 show at Wrigley Field.  Their 653 plays come from 42 tracks and 12 different albums.  Go, tied for their most listened to song, earned additional plays after being used as the walkup song for White Sox star Paul Konerko’s final seasons and its inclusion on my various victory playlists.

I’ve seen them in concert twice: at Soldier Field back in 1995 and the aforementioned Wrigley Field performance in 2018.  The first show took place during the tour they put on without using Ticketmaster, which led to a lottery for tickets. Pearl Jam came out and performed an astounding 29 song set, including 2 encores.  My favorite memory of the night was during the performance of Better Man, when my friend Joe, not understanding the meaning of the song, said that all of the girls sang it about him, that they couldn’t find a better man.  Ironically, this was my last visit to old Soldier Field, which would be “renovated” in 2001 and 2002.

The second show, more than 20 years later, came a long time since I had last considered myself a Pearl Jam fan.  The show, while entertaining, certainly dragged for long periods between songs that I knew as the last album that I owned came out prior to the 1995 show.

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Concert Flashback: Alanis Morissette

96alanisLabor day weekend of 1996 brought what seemed like half of the people in my major up to the New World Music Theatre for a scheduled performance by Alanis Morissette.  If I remember correctly, I attended with Joe, Tina, and their younger siblings.  I don’t recall there being an opening act, or, if there was, we showed up after their performance.

I don’t remember much of the show itself, but I’m pretty sure the setlist consisted of the first album on shuffle.  I do seem to remember a post-show visit to the Dennys in Orland, because what is more classy than that.

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Concert Flashback: Pearl Jam

95pearljamWhen Pearl Jam announced that they would try to put on a tour without using Ticketmaster, they had a lottery for tickets, and, thanks to my sister, I found myself with 2 tickets to the show.  With my friend Joe along for the ride, we headed out towards Soldier Field, taking the Orange Line from Midway to avoid the traffic.

If my memory holds, the opening acts for the show were The Frogs and Bad Religion.  I don’t really remember anything about The Frogs other than Jim DeRogatis tearing them apart on an episode of Sound Opinions.  Bad Religion put on a full-on set, performing 17 songs, 2 of which I’ve even heard of.  I’m not sure if I did at the time, though.

Pearl Jam came out and performed an astounding 29 song set, including 2 encores.  My favorite memory of the night was during the performance of Better Man, when my friend Joe, not understanding the meaning of the song, said that all of the girls sang it about him, that they couldn’t find a better man.

After the show, we had missed the last Orange Line train back to Midway, so we had to take the Archer bus down to Cicero and then walk back to the parking lot by the train station.

The local alternative radio station, Q101, recorded the show and put it out on CD as a station giveaway, which put the concert out in the world to live forever.  I had a copy on cassette back when that was a thing and now have an MP3 version of the show.  Ironically, this was my last visit to old Soldier Field, which would be “renovated” in 2001 and 2002.