Stir Cove

The Stage Awaits Chris Cornell and Co.

Everyone experiences a handful of pivotal moments in life that they'll always recall in startling detail. There are two incidents that I vividly remember occurring while I was riding the bus home during my rebellious middle school career. The first (not chronologically) involved learning that the legendary Tom Osbourne, coach of the national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, was to retire following the 1997 season. Understandably, many of you don’t have the same respect for the original TO as I do, but let me tell you: it was as if my dog had been run over in front of my very eyes. The second on-the-bus incident that I'll never forget occurred while I was drowning out my frustrations by listening to my outdated Walkman. On this particular day, the announcement that Soundgarden were disbanding had just been announced, and I first heard the news on Lincoln's local rock station, The Blaze. Soundgarden is, and always has been, my true love from the grunge era. In my selfishness, I felt that it was incredibly unfair that they would do such a thing to me, especially since I'd never had a chance to see them live.

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Dave Dreiwitz, Gene Ween and Dean Ween of who else but Ween
Several years ago, a friend of mine turned me onto Ween with their album White Pepper. Their catchy guitar riffs mixed with psychedelic, humor-filled lyrics captivated me and my musical taste at the time. Being the music freak that I am, I decided to purchase more of their catalog. What I found was a wide array of music that metamorphosed from album to album more than my little heart could ever have expected. The capability to switch it up like that on each of their 11 releases (and counting) is enough to make any music lover shed tears of joy. Which begs the question: Why did I take so long to see them live? To be brutally honest, I don't hold a valid excuse for you, but as soon as I found out they would be at Harrah's Stir Cove on July 20, 2008, I had a ticket in hand and was ready for a booze filled night of partying while checking out a band I have been craving for years.

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