Review: Foo Fighters at Milton Keynes 06/09/15

So, I went to the Foo Fighters gig on the weekend. It was their second show in a row at the same venue.
I am only a very casual fan at best (a fan of going to gigs more, really) so was not very familiar with any of their material, outside of their obvious big hits.
The day started off well enough...with a beer in the sun. We then made our way to the venue.

A quick opinion of the venue...this is only the second time I've been to the MK Bowl. The first time was last year for a Pearl Jam gig (which was phenomenal, by the way). I found, at the PJ gig, that it was a brilliant venue. Great food, plenty of space and a nice grass embankment to give you a good view of what was going on. I was expecting the same this year. Only I forgot that the Foo's are most likely more popular than PJ and therefore there were a few more people at this gig than at the PJ gig. A few too many for my liking. Still though, its a great venue.

The support...was not too my liking either. Some 'group' called Royal Blood (which consisted of a guitarist and drummer and thats all) came on made noise which I can only describe as being the same as a lawnmower or weed eater. So yeah, they were shit.

The other support though...IGGY POP! (amen) (good for you if you get that reference) was great. He did Lust for Life, Passenger and some other song that I didn't know I knew. Didn't know anything else but he was fun to watch.

After the support, we were left to wait and watch the sun go down while waiting for the Foo's. As soon as the sun went down, the temperature dropped...along with my enthusiasm for being outdoors with loads of people, expensive drinks and loud music. But I preserved. The stage had a massive Foo Fighters canvas covering the stage. The Foo's opened up with All My Life while still behind the curtain thingy. I do like this little gimmick...it helps build the anticipation and when they finally drop it it is quite a thrill. Beyonce did this at her gig I saw last year as well.

I digress, they opened with All My Life, then moved into Times Like These...then into Learn To Fly. That's about 3 of the 6 (?) songs of theirs I knew. At this rate I could leave before the halfway mark, get home get warm and have a cup of tea!

But then they started playing the stuff I don't know and, quite frankly, all sounded the same (I'll admit, that can be said for nearly every one). Anyway, the only song I really wanted to hear was My Hero....which, of course, they sang...when I decided to go get a cup of tea...so that was well timed on my part.

They played Best Of You at the very end, which I liked. It is a good song. Reading this, it sounds all very ho-hum its shit. That's not at all how it was though...it just wasn't as great as I was expecting but thats not just down to my lack of knowledge when it comes to their music catalogue but also the external factors of the sub zero temperature, expensive drinks (and maybe the fact that I wasn't drinking) all add to it. Also,  saw AC/DC at wembley and, I'm sorry, but NO rock concert can compare to that. THAT was brilliant...but that's another blog to post in a years time.

Batman: Arkham Origins - A (delayed) Review

I got ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’ for Christmas. I had asked for it on the safe knowledge that, given the past two games being fantastic and great (respectively) that this new one was bound to entertain, if not amaze. I was right. And I am sad that I am. Batman in video games was pretty non-existent until the release of ‘Batman: Arkham Asylum’ came out of, seemingly nowhere, and amazed the players and critics. It’s got a fantastic story, graphics, gameplay, fighting engine, voice acting and literally everything about it, were top notch.

Fast-forward to the next release ‘Batman: Arkham City’ and, again the same. Loved by gamers and adored by the critics. I, however, did not care for it much. I’m not sure why but I think it may have something to do with them moving Batman from a nice, tightly scripted prison setting into (yawn) ANOTHER OPEN WORLD SAND BOX TYPE THING! I’ve worn out on these sand box games now. The only time I get excited to play one is when there’s a new Grand Theft Auto coming out, and that’s because they KNOW how to do open world sand box gameplay properly. Moving on…

They then released ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’, a prequel to the first game. Now, playing as Batman was always a thrill. Batclawing your way on top of buildings, taking down numerous thugs with the still fantastic combat system and using all the gadgets at your disposable.  You always FELT like Batman regardless if you were a rubbish player or not.

So what are my issues with the game? It’s hard to pin point exactly, however, maybe one word can give you some idea….boredom. I don’t know if it’s the story, the fact that they’ve not greatly updated anything from the past two games or the fact that their open world they have created is so damn boring. What kind of city is Gotham where the only people to be on the streets are thugs? There is literally no other kind of characters you come into contact with. It’s either a group of thugs chilling on a rooftop or a group of thugs beating up a police officer. And that’s it. Isn’t one of the point of Batman for you to rescue the helpless citizens of Gotham? That would at least give you a reason to beat up the endless parade of thugs they throw your way. But the way they’ve done it, you’re just some guy on a jolly beating people up (kind of how imagine the whole of the North of England).

The superficiality (?) of playing as Batman very nearly hides its flaws; however, maybe it’s not just with repeated playing but periods of long gaming sessions that its flaw really stand out. Maybe I’m just being too harsh. Maybe, I personally, just don’t care for the story which for me, is where the majority of my enjoyment stems from. If the story is rubbish, I’m bound to think the game itself is rubbish, technically amazing as the game may be. Many a game I’ve sat through to just play out the story even though it’s mechanics has been anything less than average. The gameplay of the game is, for me at least, not enough to keep me wanting to play it more, let alone to see the story through.

Now, I must stress (rather a bit late) that I am only about 10%-12% through the game. But I cannot see these flaws being approved on when I’m 40% through (I assume, as with all sandbox games that 100% is only achieved when everything has been collected, not just the story being completed.) Let’s hope they improve the game for the next iteration.

WWE2K14 - A 'review'

The thing with the latest WWE iterations is that, they seem to have hit a technological wall that they just can’t get over until technology itself breaks the wall down. The bugs and issues that arise in the game are the same bugs and issues that everyone used to complain about years ago but now, as they appear here to stay seemingly forever, just casually mention it in passing.

Maybe I am just stuck in the foggy haze of nostalgia? Afterall, WWE2K14 has the phenomenal  30 Years of Wrestlemania mode (the previous year’s iteration had the ‘Attitude Era’ mode that let you play through the big moments of that era.) that lets you play one or two matches from every Wrestlemania from the first to the 29^th, making you complete historical objectives to achieve the golden trophy for each match. These modes are a very welcomed addition to the series and certainly boost the appeal of it. The only reason I’ve bought the last two versions is just to play these two modes. I do hope they continue along these lines and introduce more modes like this and improve the modes they have.

Personally, I find the various bugs and issues very easy to overlook (in any game) if the game as a whole provides an enjoyable and fun gaming environment. My issues with the game is not concerned with the seemingly technologically stunted gameplay but rather the simple fact that after 14 years of the games coming out on a pretty sturdy annual-release basis, not one of the games released has ever matched the majestic beauty of WWE Smackdown 2: Know Your Role. This, for me, is the best wrestling game we have ever had (I do also very fondly remember ‘Here Comes the Pain’ and Smackdown vs Raw 2006.)

It then dawned on me, the reason I feel Smackdown 2, a game released 14 years ago on the PS1, is due to the mechanics of the game (which was a lot faster paced and had a more arcade feel to it) and, one very important game mode that (I think) has been missing on all subsequent releases; PPV Mode. Many hours I spent in a stifling hot room on during summer school holidays, making my own PPV’s, imagining the stories behind each match I made and the way they would play out. Now, I must stress that technically speaking, WWE2K14 is vastly superior in every single way (obviously, how could it NOT be!?) especially with the added ‘Story Mode’ which allows you to create your own story (cut scene’s, text etc.) and then play them out. It’s probably just me but I find this mode to be too complicated and drawn out to use and have fun with.

The beauty of PPV Mode on Smackdown 2 was that you could just throw some matches together and play them out (essentially a list of 7-12 exhibition matches all played out in a single play through), however, the pièce de résistance was that every match and every PPV you made garnered ratings. I was obsessed with getting the highest ratings. I remember, vividly, a Hell in a Cell match between ‘Stone Cold’ and ‘TheRock’ garnered an unbeaten 14.2% rating. Phenomenal stuff! The PPV, however, failed ratings wise as the rest of the matches failed to deliver. Now, this was back in the days before the internet was widely available (for me, at least) so I had no idea if the ratings were just a random number or if there was some sort of checklist system in place to ensure a good rating. I still don’t, nor do I care. The important thing was that I had endless fun with it for, literally, a good few years.

And herein lies MY issue with WWE2K14 (and the majority of all the subsequent releases thereafter), they just don’t have the lasting appeal that Smackdown 2 had. Maybe it’s the fact that it is a yearly annual release now, like FIFA, Call of Duty, Battlefields and Assassins Creed (to a degree) that has seen it, not necessarily floundering, but maybe more like a goldfish; just going around in circles and completely unaware of life beyond the fishbowl. They need to put it out in the open seas (or whatever it is that goldfish live in in the wild) and set it loose. Discover new ways of doing things and inject some much need freshness into the (like the company it’s representing) stale and weary product. With the next release (pretty much guaranteed for Christmas 2014) it will be 2K’s first fully produced WWE title (WWE2K14  was a joint release with THQ as 2K took over the series due to THQ going bankrupt), so maybe they’ll have something different for us…we can only hope.

'Mania 25 vs 'Mania 26

The problem with attending large events is you inevitably wind up thinking the entire thing was better than it really was. The memories you have of it is not just shaped by the event itself, but also everything that lead up to it. How are we then supposed to form a valid critique of said event if we are biased towards it to begin with

My case in point: The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25 compared to
The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26.

Both matches are widely (they really are, I googled and could not find one reviewer who said the matches were simply 'O,K or Great'.) regarded as two of the best pro-wrestling matches in history (I'm discounting Japanese wrestling and Independent wrestling as I don't follow them). The 'Taker and Shawn are also widely considered two of the very best wrestlers out there, especially Shawn. He has, in my opinion, become the greatest wrestler in history. He simply cannot have a bad match!

The match was simply phenomenal. It was literally edge of your seat watching. I've put the full match below for your viewing pleasure (hopefully) and, handily, it includes the pre-match hype detailing the storyline.

Now, honestly, what did you think of it? Would you regard it as the best match ever let alone the greatest match in WrestleMania history? I would, but does my opinion count if I told you that I was actually there and witnessed it live? Surely me being there skews any 'credibility' my opinion has, right?  The reason I'm harping on about this is that it seems more people are in favour of 'HBK' and 'Takers clash at 'Mania 26...something I just don't quite fully get. Again, find the full match below.

So, I would seriously like to know: Which camp do you fall into? 'Mania 25 or 'Mania 26?

Smoke and Ashes by Tracy Chapman

I'd heard rumors and I'd heard talk
About the trail you'd left of broken hearts
About the sea of tears too wide to cross
But a little bad press has never scared me off
So I burned a path to figure out
How to get me some of what you got 

I've got a red hot heart
If the talk is true yours is the same
And we should be together
And let our passions fan love's flame 

When I looked for you I almost passed you by
You were so cool and calm
I thought my friends had lied
But I thought so much reserve must make you wild inside
It was there and then that I knew 
I had to get some of what you got 

I've got a red hot heart
If the talk is true yours is the same
And we should be together
And let our passions fan love's flame 

I thought I'd won your heart when I held you hand in mine
I thought it was true love the way we complemented each other
But my right is your wrong
And when you're right then I'm left with nothing
Your light and your heat have all been spent
Leaving only smoke and ashes
Only smoke and ashes baby 

I've got a red hot heart
And your heart's as blue as the blood in your veins
I say there's fire down below
You say it's only smoke and ashes baby 

I'm crying all the time
Salty stinging tears
And mourning for the past carbon-dated years
But knowing now for certain that you were always right
Because if a breeze could blow you out of my life
It's only smoke and ashes baby
Only smoke and ashes baby 

I've got a red hot heart
And your heart's as blue as the blood in your veins
I say there's fire down below
You say it's only smoke and ashes baby 

I was blinded by devotion
My unwavering love for you
So blinded that I thought all your lies were true
But now I know for certain since you've gone away
It was just a smoldering fire I mistook for a blaze
Only smoke and ashes baby 

I've got a red hot heart
And your heart's as blue as the blood in your veins
I say there's fire down below
You say it's only smoke and ashes baby
Only smoke and ashes baby, baby 

#goalsbefore30

I'm 30 in 249 days (apparently.)

So, in case you don't understand hash tagging (I don't), I'll explain the point of this particular blog.

I am setting myself 3 goals to achieve before I reach 30. I feel motivated to do this as 30 is quite a big turning point in your life (I assume...)

1- Get into shape. This does not neccasrrily mean get ripped and get a 12 pack (though that is the plan for the 30th). I just want to be healthier and feel better about myself.

2- Get a tattoo. I've been toying around with this for a while but can't decide what to get done. I also just don't want to get one for the sake of it. I want it to mean something. Also, I want to be in physical shape to get one. No one likes tattoos on fat arms. And that is where I plan on getting it. So, I need to make sure I achieve goal 1 in order to get goal 2.

3- Put my university degree to use. By the time I reach 30, I want to have written either a complete script, pilot for a TV show or a short story. Nothing may ever come from it (something could) but I just need to do something else with my life other than working jobs that I don't care for.

These are my goals. I will achieve them.

#goalsbefore30

Paris,USA - A Springsteen Review

As we did for Metlife in September '12, we took the (much shorter) journey to Paris for the weekend. It was my mom's Christmas present from last year. She came with me to my first Springsteen show back in '06. It was part of the Seeger Sessions tour so, you know, not a proper Springsteen show(but a mighty mighty fine one indeed!). I've always promised to take her to a 'proper' Springsteen gig. Unfortunately, all the times I've gone I've been standing or its been to festival. And mama don't do standing! So, this was a promise fulfilled. However, not only were we going to take in a Springsteen show, we were going to sight see Paris (also her first time!) but that's for a later blog...this ones for The Boss.

At the beginning of June, I wrote a very below average (is there any other kind) blog about June being the month of my 'return to rock and roll'. Started with Bon Jovi in Cardiff, moved to Wembley for Springsteen and then to Paris, for..er, Springsteen. Having seen a Springsteen concert only two weeks prior, it was still fresh in my mind the mind blowing awesomeness of the Wembley gig and getting 'Darkness In Full'. I went a bit camera happy at this one, for reasons undetermined. I took a lot of photos. Yip, nice blurry zoomed in ones. And also some nice panorama ones (I quite like that feature on the iPhone.) Anyway, on with the show.

What I first noticed, was the lack 'broooooooooooooocing' from the crowd. Maybe the crowd was more casual than hardcore...who knows. Who cares...The Boss was taking the stage! And take the stage he did. He launched into "Badlands', immediately eliminating any chance of another 'Darkness' run through. I love 'Badlands'. It's such a fantastic song and makes a great opener. Better than 'Land of Hope and Dreams'. He next went into 'Out in the Street', one I've heard a few number of times live but never tire of it. It's a good song to warm the crowd up and get them singing! More importantly, during 'Out in the Streets' Bruce walks up to the crowds and starts taking signs...request time! I love the request section. It has a chance to throw a curve ball (Wembley getting 'Lost in the Flood), or in this case, introduce a new song (to me at least), 'Lucille'. Never heard it before but quite liked it. And then...Wrecking Ball followed by Death To My Hometown?Only one request? That could mean only one thing. Except, he threw in one more request. It wasn't that special, 'Cadillac Ranch'. It's only memorable because I had a momentary stupid moment and thought, that's on BITUSA...that means we'll get 'Born to Run' in full...and then I remembered that it was from 'The River' (Oh Goodness, what am I like!?)

The next part of the concert was 'Born In The USA' (the album) from start to finish. There were a few highlights from it for me. I heard 'I'm On Fire', 'I'm Goin' Down' and (a surprisingly touching) 'My Hometown' live for the first time but, more importantly, I heard the best version of 'Born In The USA'. Max's drums pounded a freakin' hole in my chest! It was fantastic. Though I'd heard the majority of the songs live at various concerts, I'm a bit of completist and was quite happy to get BITUSA in full, as I could now mark off two different album concerts...just Born to Run left (good luck with that one!) I won't go on about the rest of the songs as they did follow the same formula he's been using for these latest European shows. Although still mightily enjoyable, it would be nice if he could mix up the end part of the main set and the encore.

I got quite emotional during 'Wrecking Ball' (as I have figured out, I always do) when it comes to the 'hard times come and hard times go' part. It get's me every single time. So, for me between this and Wembley, this was the poorer of the two but, lets be honest,  a 'poor' Springsteen show will be be better than almost anything else! However, set list aside, what made it more enjoyable than Wembley was the company and setting. We were having a great time in Paris sight seeing, doing loads of things, the fantastic weather, and more importantly, finally being able to take my mom to a 'proper' Springsteen show. She loved every minute of it (and thankfully we had good seats, section S7 will live in my heart forever.) As my mom simply put it, The Boss is great!

And that's it for my concerts for the year. There's no one else of interest touring and I've got nothing planned (barring any spontaneous gig going). My month of rock and roll has come and gone. Like Bruce sings...Hard times come and hard times go. No gigs are, indeed, hard times.