* I got tickets yesterday to the July 28 summer concert at Citizen's Bank Park. The Eagles ( the rock band ) are back on tour, this time with James Taylor and his all-star band.
Will it be the same without Glenn Frey? The Eagles still have Don Henley and Tomothy B. Schmodt and a bunch of great songs. They always charge top-dollar because they can. But it's a band you gotta see at least one time before they are gone.
"Take It Easy" is still my favorite Eagles' song. "Take It To The Limit", "Hotel California". "Desparado"- the list goes on and on. In fact, their Greatest Hits package remains one of the best-selling "Best of" albums of all-time.
Boston gets a lot of James Taylor since he is from there. Philly, not so much, so it's always special when he comes around. I'm looking forward to seeing who will be in his "all-star" band. Maybe part-time Eagle Jackson Browne?
James Taylor singing under the summer stars on a warm night should be special. "You've Got A Friend", "Shower The People", 'Whenever I See Your Smiling Face"- all classics.
It's close to eight months away, but already it's a jump on next summer, and definitely something to look forward to.
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I saw Hillary Clinton at the Academy of Music last night. It was fun, but an odd event. Not exactly a pep rally, not exactly a book signing; they called it a "discussion".
Hillary is on a tour promoting her book "What Happened" what recounts her reflections on the 2016 Presidential campaign.
Those who paid for VIP tickets were allowed backstage for a meet and greet Unsigned . books were being sold in the lobby for $10
I had never been to the Academy of Music before. We found the handicapped ramp to get in on the left side of the old building, held up by the Secret Service or FBI for a few moments. Well-dressed guys talking into radios were all around, as well a police and security guards.
We soon learned why the security held us back from entering the alley- Hillary's entourage was arriving just at that moment, and we saw three huge black SUVs cruise by us. The tinted windows kept us from knowing which car Clinton was actually in.
About a month ago, we walked with Al Stewart on the streets of Phoenixville, leading to his concert at the Colonial Theater.Now we have a brush of greatness with Hillary.
The Academy of Music is a bigger version of our Colonial. It's intimate and the acoustics are great.
The place was almost full, with mostly a female audience. The news media were there too, and we saw the Action News van parked out front. Cameras were set up in the back of the venue.
The host ( or moderator) of the event was a Philadelphia author named Jennifer Weiner. I've never heard of her before, but the mostly-female crowd sure did, as she received a warm welcome. She was cute and her questions were funny and quirky and light-hearted, which I supposed was a good thing. They didn't want this event to come off like a funeral or a pity-party.
Still, I wished a real news person who was familiar with politics and the 2016 campaign had been on board, rather than ask softball questions like "Did you cook for Thanksgiving?"
Hillary got an expected standing ovation when she finally came out for the hour-long talk. With only two chairs on stage, she tried to speak casually with her supporters, but you could tell she was also glancing down at a tele-prompter.
After a little prearranged speech, she talked with the host. I was disappointed they didn't take questions from the crowd. I was sitting next to a young girl (all age-ranges were in attendance) who clutched a tissue and kept dabbing her eyes, but she may have had a cold, as she was coughing and blowing her nose as well. Or was she emotionally overcome by seeing Clinton live in front of her?
Anyway, two things stood out to make the evening different then the predictable pep-rally, you're our hero worship event: Hillary suddenly started coughing really bad early on. She got a cough drop out of her pocket, drank a glass of water and a cup of something else, then seemed OK. But it immediately brought back memories of Hillary, during the campaign, fighting pneumonia, and Trump seizing on her illness and saying she's too weak and didn't have the stamina to be President.
I felt kind of bad for her up there on the stage, choking, and wondered if they woulds top the event or at least get her some help. She had to be thinking "Oh,n o, not again!"
The second unexpected occurrence happened near the end of the hour, when she guy in the balcony stood up and yelled at Hillary something about her involvement in supposedly trafficking children in the basement of a Washington D.C. pizzeria. it was crazy, and I could hardly understand the guy, but cameras immediately focused on him as Security surrounded the guy.
I was also disappointed the moderator didn't ask about Sen. John McCain's recent remarks about Hillary's book tour, saying that she "needed to move on" and that "she doesn't have anything to do now". The only reference to that recent interview came when Clinton vowed "not to shut up" and that "I'm not going anywhere."
I supposed the wounds are too fresh to ask if she would ever think about running yet again. After Christmas and the end of the book tour, she said she plans to take some needed time-off and "go someplace warm."
It was a fun time, and I give her credit for detailing her side of what happened. I'm sure she is making tons of money from the book and this tour, so that must help to ease the pain a bit..
She talked about how she coped after her stunning defeat, saying that even Fox News was still commenting on her. "I lost!" she reminded the crowd. And even though I agree that Russia didn't help her cause, nor did the former FBI Director, she still hasn't really blamed herself for the ultimate defeat. yes, her emails didn't help. But she didn't admit to take Trump too lightly, nor did she admit to not campaigning in Wisconsin a t all, or why she didn't make a final push in the key battlefront state of Michigan.
So, despite her supporters, and despite all the "healing" and the time that has lapsed since the election, she still can't bring herself to come right out and say "I blew it"
And as we were driving home I thought about how different how world may be right now- and for the next three years- if she had just sealed the deal.
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