Ok the Stones and Bon Jovi were never exactly the 'alternative face of music', their ambition and optimizing of earnings are not the best kept secrets in the world, but I don't recall so many 'fleece the public' packages on offer for tickets as at this years shows! The 80's was the age of merchandise, the 2010's the gig ticket. I don't know if it is a symptom of the desperation that corporate music is slipping to, but tickets for their Hyde Park gigs (a gig that for the Stones in '69 was free) are now selling for anything from £200 to £10,000. For Bon Jovi you can get suitably named Diamond Circle VIP, Rock-Star Red Carpet VIP, Hot Seat VIP tickets, whilst the Stones are doing something similar to optimise earnings in their final few years. The options include Dinner Packages, General Admission (nothing new in either of those) - but Tier's 1 - 3, then the 'Rock Garden' (also tiered!) and if the 'Unwind Backstage' package doesn't tempt you - perhaps live the dream with the 'Kings of Rock' package! And only this week you could have seen the Stones for about £10 at their usual intimate warm up show, this year at the LA Echoplex nightclub (what i wouldn't have given for was a chance to see that!). But having seen them before on Arena tours I certainly won't be rushing to go. The set is pretty standard and formulaic with almost the same generic moves. Miss You will feature part way through, Keith will do a 2 song interlude which will probably feature Connection, and Jumpin Jack Flash, Brown Sugar and Satisfaction will close the show.  It is still a great experience - and anyone who hasn't seen them i would say pay - but as with lot's of things in life - once is enough. 

Just sitting listening to a collection of classic punk tunes (Alternative Ulster by SLF at the moment) - and was listening to this song - it hit me in both knee caps! Just read these brilliant lyrics!
Written back in 1977 it may be old now - but it is still relevant!

Tom Robinson Band -

"The British Police are the best in the world
I don't believe one of these stories I've heard
'Bout them raiding our pubs for no reason at all
Lining the customers up by the wall
Picking out people and knocking them
down
Resisting arrest as they're kicked on the ground
Searching their houses and calling them queer
I don't believe that sort of thing happens here

Sing if you're glad to be gay
Sing if you're happy that way

Pictures of naked young women are fun
In Titbits and Playboy, page three of The Sun
There's no nudes in xxx News our one magazine
But they still find excuses to call it obscene
Read how disgusting we are in the
press
Telegraphs, people and Sunday Express
Molesters of children, corruptors of youth
It's there in the paper, it must be the truth

Sing if you're glad to be gay
Sing if you're happy that way

Don't try to kid us that if you're discreet
You're perfectly safe as you walk down the street
You don't have to mince or make bitchy remarks
To get beaten unconscious and left in the dark
I had a friend who was gentle and short
He was lonely one evening and went for a walk
Queerbashers caught
him and kicked in his teeth
He was only hospitalised for a week

Sing if you're glad to be gay
Sing if you're happy that way

So sit back and watch as they close all our clubs
Arrest us for meeting and raid all our
pubs
Make sure your boyfriend's at least 21
So only your friends and your brothers get done
Lie to your workmates, lie to your folks
Put down the queens and tell anti-queer jokes
Gay Lib's ridiculous, join their laughter
'The buggers are legal now, what more are they after?'

Sing if you're glad to be gay
Sing if you're happy that way"

While the Space Shuttle era has come to a close at NASA, Space Exploration has only just begun! Only yesterday The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) 'Curiousity' rover, launched in November 2011, landed on Mars.(August 6, 2012). 

It's not often I feel compelled to celebrate a music video (though there are a few classics out there I should mention at some point on this website!) - But just watched a video of a band due in Dublin next month. Kopek. The music seems ok (at best) - very much like a new 'Cult' - Hard rock with very little substance - but might be cracking live! Anyway a big up for the sexy lady in the 'Love Is Dead' video - but love the youtube comment from Crimson band 008 -  wish i was a girl so i can dance around in my under wear and not get any funny looks.  But more importantly - LOVE this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVORINr2fBo&feature=relmfu . Unlike your normal Sunday afternoon video show which laughs at people getting hurt in doing the mundane this celebrates how great it is when humans succeed at something challenging! Through hours of practice or magnificent fluke these videos, which have probably all done the rounds on the net and email, really do celebrate some great (and lucky!) feats! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVORINr2fBo&feature=relmfu 

Oh and the song is alright too!! 

Happened to flop in front of the telly whilst i was away - and was watching Shrek. Dont know if it was One or another (1 judging from the music listed below). It and the series are good films - but it is amazing how much the production team have snuck in classic songs into the mix. I think i heard a bit of Queen, as well as the soundtrack featuring classics like Joan Jett, The Proclaimers, Neil Diamond as well as Rufus Wainwright covering Leonard Cohen. I see from the web that in fact the other films feature some greats as well! David Bowie, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tom Waits, Counting Crows plus the eels, Ramones, Led Zep Wings and Harry Chapin. How good is that? Kids of all ages are getting a subliminal injection of classic music! Keep up the good work! 

Def Leppard are one of only five rock bands with more than one
  studio albums selling over 10 million copies each in the US. The others are The
  Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Van Halen.Quite justifiably both
Pyromania and Hysteria feature in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest
Albums of All Time. And there I was walking around Sheffield taking a break from
the snooker at the Crucible – which was fantastic by the way – and I walked past
a few buildings with their shutters down. A sign of the times unfortunately. But
  anyway – some bright spark had done this fantastic homage to Sheffield’s
  greatest export – except perhaps cutlery and The Human League. Joe Elliot and
  the boys are reviewed live in Dublin elsewhere on this website- 
but just thought I would celebrate them again! Great rock act – or NWOBHM
if you will.