Kings of Leon rock out Vancouver!

Almost everyone I knew was gonna party with the the Kings on Saturday night but me. I hate getting double booked. Luckily; however, KoL took to GM Place for two sold-out nights. My friend “Apu” & I jumped at the chance back in June to get tickets for the Sunday show; albeit were left with really crappy seats. Doesn’t matter — we were happy just to be in the same building as the family of four Followills.

I decided to do some research on the opening act – The Whigs – before going to the show. I checked out some vids on YouTube and I wasn’t too impressed with them. Not that they’re horrible, but they’re just not my cup o’ tea. We arrived at GM Place fashionably late and waited in the concourse checking out the merch tables until the Whigs ended their set. It was the first time that I missed the opening act for a concert. And we weren’t the only ones. (But in all seriousness, go check out The Whigs… maybe you might like them.)

Soon after The Whigs left the stage, most of the crowd found their seats. It was a full house. I didn’t see an empty seat, nor did I see any breathing room on the floor (general admission). It was amazing to see the type of people that came to rock with KoL. My friend who went on Saturday told me that nearly everyone there fit the rock-n-roll bad-to-the-bone stereotype. I noticed differently, though, with the Sunday crowd — there was the classic cookie-cutter rocker fans, but also the young and old, preps and punks, and even families (with the standard 2.5 children)… Yes! No need to be a poser here. This day, The Kings appealed to all!

After almost a half-an-hour of waiting, the three brothers and cousin from Tennessee filed onto stage one-by-one with Caleb – the front man – appearing last. At that moment, GM Place shook and vibrated caused by a sex-filled i-wanna-have-your-babies roar lead by thousands of women (and some men too). I think Apu stopped breathing for a while.

The show was perfect in every single way. The stage presence KoL had warranted for a very intimate feel; yet, at the same time there’s still that feeling of knocking sweaty elbows with thousands of your closest friends. They’re not about running around and jumping up and down the stage; but more on putting their heart and soul into every vocal and instrumentation.

The stage setup was different than most concerts I’ve attended. The band was bathed in a solid-coloured light – depending on the song they would be under red, green, blue, etc… lights. Four small video screens bordered the top of the lighting rigs. Playing on the video screen were shots between the band and colourful graphics that interchanged at the speed of light that anyone watching could have had a seizure.

But with a perfectly planned 100 minute set-list mixing between throaty hard ballads and power-fueled hooks, the crowd was extremely enthralled. Drums + bass + guitar + sexy voice = perfect.

Caleb Followill - Kings of Leon

My most i-wanna-take-off-all-my-clothes-and-throw-it-on-the-stage moment was during near the middle of the set when the boys played six of my favourite songs in a row, including: Charmer and The Bucket.

I had to restrain myself from jumping over the railing in front of me.

Caleb Followill - Kings of Leon

Between songs, Caleb showed his appreciation — thanking us and God every chance he got. Son of a preacher man. At one point, Caleb thanked our beautiful country of ours. He said between all the boozing and partying, they went fishing up in the back country and Matthew (lead guitarist) caught a 25-pound salmon! Yeah, I was pretty imprese

A little more than halfway through the set, The Kings blew up GM Place with their hit Sex on Fire. I have never seen GM Place electrify with just the first strummed note on a guitar. Everyone must have been antsy throughout the whole night. There was not one person not singing along. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

Apu is under red lights aroused by "Sex on Fire".

With the hot crowd still wet, near the end of the set, KoL threw back with Use Somebody. It was nuts. Caleb stood back and away from the mic – all of GM Place sang in unison. Intense.

Caleb, playing to the crowd teased that Saturday’s show got more love from the ladies than tonight. All the ladies screamed in protest trying to win his heart back. He then observed that tonight (Sunday), the men are showing more love than the ladies. The men cheered (and so did most ladies disguising in male hoots and hollering).

To sugar-coat it further, Caleb said tonight’s crowd was better than last night’s (Saturday). What a suck up… but we all loved it (and believed him too).

Caleb Followill - Kings of Leon

The boys played two more songs and left the stage with the crowd absolutely under their spell. Men, women, boys, and girls screamed to the top of their lungs wanting more. The standing ovation lasted several minutes. This was probably the longest standing O I’ve experienced.

KoL came back and played another six songs for their encore.

Caleb Followill - Kings of Leon

Caleb thanked the crowd several more times. He said he was thankful that he could do this everyday — because of us. He then wished that one day concerts will be free and we will enjoy music with him every day.

Perfect.

[Stay tuned for video footage of KoL from Sunday night.]

Riding the Rails!

Canada Line train crosses over the North Arm Bridge

[Source]

Monday embarked the grand opening of the Canada Line – the rapid rail service linking Metro Vancouver to Richmond and YVR totaling 16 new stations to the SkyTrain network. TransLink invited all to test out the new line mid-afternoon on Monday for free. With free music, food, & fun guaranteed at some stations – how could one refuse?

Map of the Canada Line stations

“TayloredMyPants” and I jumped at the opportunity and started our Canada Line journey at the Broadway-City Hall station. But first – a pit-stop at Freshslice where they were handing out free pizza and orange Crush. The line-up for that took all but five seconds. Good thing too, since we needed our energy to fight the vicious crowds that we’ve been hearing about.

As we headed towards the Broadway station, we were having second thoughts. The line-up was long and grueling. Our friend “Puma” who was passing by the Oakridge-41st station observed that some people were waiting there for 90 minutes! Good grief. Luckily, though, our wait didn’t even take ten minutes.

Broadway-City Hall Canada Line station

While waiting, music was blaring in the background and people were handing out Canada Line “passports”. For fun, you could get your passport stamped at all 16 stations. So of course we had to get one; but refused to get off at each stop — we didn’t want to line up in long lines for hours again and again.

Both TayloredMyPants and I were thoroughly impressed with the design of the Broadway station. It seemed something out of a sci-fi spaceship — or maybe we thought so because it was still very spic `n span. Metallic, grey, fresh, with intricate detailing painted along the walls… I felt right at home! There was even two-walled glass viewing areas where you could look down and view the trains coming into the station.

“Wow,” is all I could vocalize.

In the corridor of this station in the corner – and from what I understand most of the 16 stations – sits a FasTrack self-service check-in kiosk. So convenient. Now it won’t be as much of a hassle for checking in at the airport.

FasTrack self-service check-in kiosk.

We finally made it to the platform. The signs were visibly clear – especially the electronic ticker that shows how much longer the next three trains will be arriving to your platform. Two more minutes ’til ours arrive!

Electronic ticker displays when the next three trains will be arriving.

We heard ‘whooshing’ sounds and were immediately excited knowing that our train is coming.

Here it comes!!

Canada Line train arrives at the platform.

The train was already full from the travelers from previous stations that refused to get off – smart like us, they wanted to experience the full line without getting on and off. With us and about sixty other people piling into the train, the comfort level was not pleasant.

Thank goodness for air-conditioned carts.

The train ride was very smooth with very few – or none at all – bumps along the way. There were no buzzing or humming sounds coming from the train itself, unlike the old Expo line.

Canada Line underground

I felt more tension on the train after an idiot decided to open his mouth. He joked to his young children, “I wonder how long it will take for our cart to collide head-on with another train.” Good job, buddy. Way to be comforting to your already nervous children. Idiot.

Stop after stop more people piled in. Influx of random people being your new sweaty armpit buddy was the worst at the Oakridge-41st station — yes, the one with the 90 minute line-up. At that point I asked TayloredMyPants if the air-conditioning was suddenly cut-off. She then explained that it was still on and it’s was just the accumulated body heat that was tricking me.

I needed air….and fast.

Staring into mostly darkness out the window didn’t help me either. From the Waterfront station to the Langara-49th station, the train rode underground. After the Langara stop, the tracks were finally above ground.

Richmond Olympic Oval in the distance.

We rode to the end of the line, Richmond-Brighouse, then returned taking the train that detours to YVR.

I found this part a bit confusing – not for me, but tourists or visitors with limited English. The Canada Line has two train lines, from Waterfront to Richmond-Brighouse and back and Waterfront to YVR-Airport and back. You can catch the train that heads to the Airport at any platform station; however, it does not arrive every single time as it alternates every so often with the train that heads to Richmond-Brighouse. You must listen to the PA announcement or read the ticker listings and pay attention if the train arriving is indeed the train going to the airport.

Confusing? Maybe in my explanation. But not so much if you go out and do it yourself.

Canada Line YVR-Airport station

We killed some time at YVR after hearing from one of the Canada Line volunteers that free ice cream were being handed out in the airport. Sweet – more free stuff! We each got two: ‘Frog Spit’ and ‘Sour Wowers’ (lemme tell ya, they don’t call it sour wowers for nothing!).

Sadly, I found the line-up for the ice cream much more violent than an episode of Itchy & Scratchy. Calm down people! Queue up like civilized folk, quit budging and pushing… GOSH! Manners much?? It’s just ice cream!

End rant.

After devouring our ice cream and perusing around the airport, we decided it was time to head back to the SkyTrain and head towards downtown before free-day was over.

The Olympic rings viewed from the Canada Line.

On our way back to downtown, the carts were not as empty as earlier in the day. At least this time I can breathe and see outside clearly without obstruction. There were also several visitors from other countries (Sweden and Germany) using the Canada Line to full advantage already both with two full-sized luggage in tow. The luggage were not in the way of anyone as the train was very roomy. The seats had incredible leg-room that can fit you and your luggage.

The Canada Line

Most riders left at the the Vancouver City Centre (downtown) station as more celebrations were promised here. Finally, TayloredMyPants and I got to sit down. I was quite impressed again. Seats were blue and plastic – yet, soft and cushioned. From the back grey and simple, but modernly designed. My butt thanked me. It was probably the most comfortable TransLink seats I’ve sat on ever – every part of the seat contoured to my body. No complaints there.

We spent some more time at the Waterfront station and the vicinity. At this point, it was nearly 7:30pm. Our feet hurt from so much walking and grabbing free stuff.

It was time to go home.

But we weren’t the only ones. Several hundred people made it back to Waterfront station probably heading home too. Free-day ends at 9:00pm and no one wanted to pay fare.

The long corridor leading to the Waterfront platform had two improperly constructed queues. One for YVR-Airport and one for Richmond-Brighouse. We kept switching back-and-forth between the two queues going with whichever one was the fastest since we only needed to return to the Broadway-City Hall station.

The amount of people in queue was scary going back. And we were near the front.

Canada Line Waterfront Station queue

After another near thirty minutes in the confusing and disorganized Waterfront queue, we finally got back on the train and headed home.

There was another idiot in this cart. I dub him “Idiot #2”. He, too, couldn’t stop talking and at one point while underground Idiot #2 stupidly asked the people standing around him, “So… how much longer do you think til we see a tidal wave rush towards us?”

Soon, annoyed heads shooked and dirty looks at him followed. Idiot #2 guffawed, “Oh, but don’t worry… Keanu Reeves will come and save us. Haha.” Idiot.

I was glad I only had to share one stop with the idiot.

My train pulled into the platform and I got out with a handful of others.

Canada Line arriving into Broadway-City Hall station.

Canada Line Broadway-City Hall platform.

Despite the idiots, rude, and uncivilized people; I was thoroughly impressed by the Canada Line.


A few things to point out, though…

There needs to be hand loops hanging from handles in the carts for us ‘vertically-challenged’ people. What do we hold on to if we can’t reach?

There are not enough ticket vending machines. Most stations only had an average of two or three machines. Come 2010 Olympics, the queue to buy tickets to ride transit will not be pretty.

So far, the $2 billion Canada Line lives up to and exceeds my expectations. But, it is still too soon to tell.


If you haven’t rode the Canada Line yet, I encourage you to do so – preferably between non-peak hours. Do try out the seats. You will not be disappointed.

Clip of the Week & Music Mondays – 8/17/09

Since yesterday was a crazy busy day for me,  I couldn’t update my Clip of the Week. So today’s post will be a combined Clip of the Week & Music Monday song/video. (Stay tuned for my Kings of Leon concert post later today this week.)

Short clip of “Sex on Fire” – Kings of Leon in Vancouver

[Video Source]

EXCLUSIVE: DQ Miracle Treat Day with Mason Raymond

August 13th was Miracle Treat Day — Blizzard® Treats purchased at participating Dairy Queen® locations benefit the Children’s Miracle Network.

Last year, Dairy Queen® locations all across Canada and the U.S. raised approximately $4.5 million just in Blizzard® proceeds from this one-day event. Combined with ‘Miracle Balloons’ and loose change canisters, nearly $5.7 million was raised helping children in Canada and the U.S.

“By selling balloons we raised money for the Children’s Miracle Network. THANK YOU!”

– Siew Lim, Yaletown Dairy Queen® store owner

This year, my friend (who incidentally is also a DQ® employee) “Apu” and her boss – Yaletown DQ® store owner, Siew Lim – asked if I would like to help out with Thursday’s event. I happily obliged and invited my friend “TayloredMyPants” to come along.

We also had another ‘friend’ volunteer with us — Vancouver Canucks forward Mason Raymond!

From left to right: A customer buys a Blizzard® supporting the Children’s Miracle Network; Mason Raymond & me; “Apu” & me.

As ‘ambassadors’ for Thursday’s event, we promoted Miracle Treat Day on downtown sidewalks and collected donations by selling Miracle Balloons. We got to be behind the scenes, too. Not gonna lie, Mason was a pro at his cashiering skills. Sometimes catching customers off-guard, he got a lot of “Hey… aren’t you?….”, speechless stares, and cougar-puck-bunnies galore! But most importantly was seeing the smiles upon children’s faces. It’s for the kids afterall.

“I’m so happy I can help out today. All proceeds go to a great cause for the kids. Anything I can do to help out — it feels great to give back a little bit.”
– Mason Raymond, #21 Vancouver Canucks

It was our first time helping out during Miracle Treat Day and I would not hesitate to do it again next year. We got to meet a lot of different characters from various organizations and walks-of-life — young, old, professionals, and hardcore ice cream fans. It was an awesome opportunity to help the people at the Children’s Miracle Network and support sick and injured children have the best medical care available. Not to mention, Blizzards® are mmmm so good.

Left: Mason Raymond, the Yaletown DQ® crew, & myself

Right: Mason Raymond & TayloredMyPants

For more information regarding Miracle Treat Day and the Children’s Miracle Network, visit the link here.

[All photos and quotes are property of canucklehead07. Do not use without prior consent.]

Sad Woman Blues

Today was the day I was supposed post my epic blog on last night’s Bobby Long concert at the Backstage Lounge in Vancouver. But because of a major fail on custom Canada’s part at the border, BLong was denied entry according to his MySpace and Twitter.

TayloredMyPants (formerly known as Michelle+1) and I were supposed to be grooving along to BLong’s sexy raspy voice. Instead, we drowned our sorrows in greasy – yet, oh so yummy – McDonald’s, a bag of M&Ms, and popcorn. We shake our fists at you Canada customs!

“It feels like I just got dumped/stood up by a really really hot guy with a British accent who can sing with his sexy raspy voice.”

– TayloredMyPants

Thankfully, though, according to a phone call between @RobPattzNews and BLong’s manager, Phil, he stated that the show will be rescheduled likely for November and tickets from Tuesday’s show will still be honoured.

I guess we’ll just have to wait until November. In the meantime here are some Sad Woman Blues by Bobby Long.

UPDATE!!

The rescheduled Bobby Long show will be held on Monday, September 7th @ 8pm at the Backstage Lounge located in Granville Island. Tickets from the original show will still be honoured and some tickets are still available for purchase (as of August 23rd). If you are not able to come to the rescheduled event, and have your original tickets, you may return them to the Backstage Lounge for a full refund as soon as possible before the day of the event.

Music Mondays – 8/10/09

Dedicated to all the paparazzi currently invading my hometown.

“Paparazzi” – Lady GaGa

Clip of the Week – 8/09/09

You’re in luck my friends! This week you will have not one, not two, but THREE clips of the week! In case you missed *cough*my husband*cough* Jason Mraz perform on the Today Show on Friday… or you just wanna see it again and again and again — like I do — then you’re in luck! Oh how I wished I were there. Mesmrazing!

Jason Mraz peforms “Make It Mine” on The Today Show

Jason Mraz performs “The Remedy” on The Today Show

Jason Mraz performs “I’m Yours” on The Today Show

Review: Orphan

Orphan (2009)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writers: David Johnson Alex Mace

Vera Farmiga… Kate Coleman
Peter Sarsgaard… John Coleman
Isabelle Fuhrman… Esther
CCH Pounder… Sister Abigail
Jimmy Bennett… Daniel Coleman
Margo Martindale… Dr. Browning
Karel Roden… Dr. Värava
Aryana Engineer… Max Coleman

The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt a child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there’s something wrong with Esther–this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late-for everyone.

– Synopsis from the Official Orphan website.

A lazy Sunday afternoon, my friend (‘Apu’) and I decided to watch the horror flick Orphan after being intrigued by the trailer and hearing only good things about it. I love my horror movies… no matter how scary or cheesy they may be.

Personally, I get scared by anything; even by the predictable-scary movie… But Orphan was on a whole ‘nother level. Without saying anymore, Orphan WAS that cheesy horror movie. I don’t think I can remember laughing so much from a ‘horror’ movie in my life. And I wasn’t alone — the entire theater had a good laugh for all two-hours. Not because it was supposed to be a comedy, but the creepy events that surrounds Esther is just hilarious.

The first ten minutes however was promising. The opening sequence was based on thrill and suspense, and not just cheap scare tricks. I can’t exactly pinpoint the moment when the film turned cheesy, but it happened gradually eventually becoming silly.

On the upside, the acting and cinematography was great. One of the taglines for this movie is that you’ll never guess her secret. That’s pretty much true. The twist at the end of the movie was amazing; however, it didn’t really have anything to do with the plot.

Nonetheless, we had a great time. It was a good movie in a sense that we enjoyed ourselves, got creeped out here & there, and it wasn’t a crappy movie. Enjoyable, but not too much of a horror film.

• “That girl is sick!”  –‘Apu’ on Esther
• “Peter Sarsgaard plays the dumbest dad in the history of dads.”  -canucklehead07
• “Thanks buddy, for wasting two hours of my life that I’ll never get back.”  -Teenage boy who sat behind us.
• “Haha! That was pretty amazing.”  -Lady in front of us.

• canucklehead07’s rating: 2.5/5

Watch the trailer for Orphan here:

Is that your final answer?

Today marks the 10th anniversary of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”!!! I cannot believe it’s been ten years already.

This makes me feel old. Ten years ago:

• I was thirteen years old;
• A litre of gasoline cost $0.60;
• Lance Armstrong was the comeback kid winning the Tour de France after his battle with cancer;
• People were freaking out about the Y2K bug… the world is gonna end!!;
• MySpace was officially created;
• Millions of children were introduced to “Harry Potter”;
• Britney Spears was still that wholesome girl next door…

Where has the time gone?

Well, if you’re feeling nostalgic you can gyrate along with your Ricky Martin CD that’s been collecting dust OR you can turn on your TV and watch Regis Philbin return as host of the 10th anniversary edition of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”. Today’s premiere episode had already aired… ahhh, brings back memories. It’s exactly like the original (complete with the infamous Regis Philbin neckties and ‘fastest finger’ element); however, with slight improvements to the game. Additionally, every episode, 11 celebs will play one question to benefit their charity of choice.

If you’ve missed the premiere… not to worry. The 10th anniversary runs eleven episodes for two weeks from Sunday thru Thursday @ 8:00pm (check local listings). The finale airs Sunday, August 23rd.

Regis Philbin returns to host the 10th anniversary edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

Paradise in The Couve

Who needs to live on a tropical island when we’ve got a good one right here in Vancouver? Well… West Vancouver to be exact.

This luxury dream home just went on sale. I would totally live here if I had a cool $12,000,000 to shell out. Yeah, I said 12mil… Canadian.

[Source]