The Lexington Convention Center had the pleasure of hosting a very inspirational leader on Friday night, Dr. Mehmet Oz.  He has appeared on many of Oprah’s talk shows and just recently completed his last show with her to start his own.  I know this is corny, but I was really excited sitting there in the crowd knowing he was just standing to the side waiting to come out.  I was excited to see what he had to say, since I have watched most of his shows and read two of his books.

A good way to summarize the night’s performance was to help us connect with the many objectives he always talks to us about.  He wanted to give us a very broad overview of his appearances on Oprah, his books and even things we have heard him preach before.  And you know what, that is exactly what I needed.  It’s sometimes hard to remember all of the points from many lectures and sometimes I just want a one sheet reminder of what I need to do every day.  I think that is why I enjoyed this so much; because I knew what I was supposed to take away from this and how I could, for the most part, sustain a healthy life forward.

I think his biggest message was remember to keep YOU in the equation.  You cannot be there to help someone else, take care of other people or animals or make a difference in someone else’s life, if YOU are not there to do it.  He described the 5 things that are 70% within your control for living an extended life and how you are 4 times more likely to live past 100 years of age.  The biggest of the 5 things he talked about was exercise.  You just have to exercise 30 minutes a day, which can even include just walking.  It is so simple to just get out and walk every day and it has such impact on your overall health.  If you are like me and hate doing any type of physical exercise, a good way to keep yourself motivated is to either walk with a friend or even take a dog with you!  Dogs are great walking companions; even on the days I desperately don’t want to get off the couch, I feel bad not exercising my dogs.  I don’t want my bad decisions and habits to be a negative effect on their life, so I get up and walk them for 30 minutes a day.  Whatever might be your inspiration for exercise, if you want to increase your chances to living to 100 or even past 100, just get up and walk 30 minutes every day!

He actually started out and ended the evening with the same message.  He convinced us that we are an army.  He has equipped us with the knowledge, not just the messages from this talk, but also from his appearances on TV, his books and the Internet as well.  We all need to live a better life; it’s important to educate ourselves with the knowledge to make a difference in our own lives, but it is equally important to help make a difference in others’ lives.  We all know how hard it is to continually be motivated to work out or to even sustain eating right, so try to make a difference in someone else’s life by also giving them the information and mostly importantly the pep talk they need to keep going. “Emotion drives change,” quotes Dr. Oz, so let your emotion help you drive the change in others and most importantly, yourself.

Guest Blogged by: Julie Johnson

Nine Inch Nails played a nearly packed house in Lexington’s Rupp Arena last night. Trent Reznor, being something of a role-model for me as a visionary, one who embraces emerging technologies better than anyone else, and one who makes utterly incredible music, I had been excited for months since I first learned of it and began strongly promoting the show. I’ve said it before, Trent Reznor is a visionary, and I think unequivocally the most important man in music today. This was the show I had been the absolute most excited to see for the summer, because after being a lifelong fan since Pretty Hate Machine, and seeing them in 2006, I knew that this show would be artistic buffet of incredible sound, visuals and energy. Naturally, I was not let down in that regard.

Similar to the 2006 experience, the first song of the set, 99,000 began as the stadium lights were still illuminated, so as to catch people off guard. In 2006, it had been pinion which silently crept into our ears. I recall at that time recognizing it immediately and to begin getting into it. Last night, the crowd didn’t take quite as long to recognize the song being played and the crowd erupted as the stadium lights quickly faded to black and the blue and red stage lights revealed Trent and the rest of the crew.

In 2006, I was in the first row on the floor and the experience was surreal with the energy and angst of the crowd flowing along with the music. With this experience, detached from the energy of the crowd, I was able to give perhaps greater appreciation to the visual elements of the 3 layered LCD screens, and the beautiful imagery they created. Nine Inch Nails knows how to use a stage better than any band I have seen, fitting a wide number of instruments from the normal guitar, drums, mics, to less conventional things such as a dulcimer, marimba, water jugs, chimes, timpani, keys, multiple interactive LCD screens and more. As everyone was able to see, Trent set an electronic drum sequence using a large touch sensitive LCD screen just prior to Echoplex. What most people may ot have realized was that during The Great Destroyer, Robin Finck, Trent Reznor and Alessandro Cortini all appeared to be live mixing the LCD screen from white static to blue and green, incorporating several other visual elements into it, including the Microsoft blue screen of death. Each of these had a monitor in front of them with a touch senstive LCD screen on it which they appeared to be controlling. The visual element to this show blew away what they had done in 2006. It was magical.

Watching this show and realizing that Pretty Hate Machine was released in 1989, you can’t help but feel while Trent has been a rock god for years, that his evolution quickens, and never moreso than in the last two years. Having released the operatic Year Zero, alongside the incredible campaign he initiated to elevate the expereince of new media, to his later ran in Australia where he encouraged the Aussie’s to download his albums for free online, to dropping his record label and adopting what is in my opinion the best current and most sustainable method of distribution with Saul William’s album, as well as his release with Ghosts I-IV, to his thank you in The Slip. It has been a big year for music, and at the forefront, Nine Inch Nails. I mention this because you can see it in the way that the performance ran last night. From everyone I have spoken to, whether they’ve seen NIN once, twice, or twenty time, last night’s show has been the best. Trent’s energy commanded your attention, and the amount of time each of these guys have spent in studios and touring together has left them with incredibly tight and precise coordination, whether it is bringing walls of sound to a suddent and abrupt hault in the blink of an eye or putting together the beautiful pieces that is Ghosts.

I’ve heard a lot of people talk about Ghosts as though it were some major departure for the band, but can’t help but wonder if they don’t recall hints of what was to be Ghosts in tracks like A Warm Place from The Downward Spiral, arguably one of the more beautiful songs of the time. As the series of Ghosts songs began is when the LCD screen really came into the show. Serene piano-heavy music set to what might have been post Year Zero industrial landscape just before leading into the second best visual display of the night, a rain storm which hid the band from us only until a patch cleared up for us to see them, and finally, shattering. The best visual display of the night was no doubt a blue screen on The Greater Good, which showed what looked like a topographical map and the image of portions of Trent’s face and mic as he sang the subtle beauty of the that song. At the conclusion of the song, someone with a flashlight came to the stage to wipe the screen clean using a flashlight. As the person flashed the light at certain areas of the screen, the blue of the screen cleared away to reveal NIN again to us.

During Survivalism, a series of live feeds were set up showing various areas of the arena, namely Camera 1) Trent, 2) Crowd, 3) Bathroom sink, 4) Sound Guy, 5) Stairwell, 6) Crowd, and 7) Toilet. While some of the feeds were definitely live, we all have our doubts about the Camera 3 feed because during the song, it depicted a guy having sex with some girl from behind directly on the sink in focus (picture below). Also, the sound guy seems an odd choice, particularly since he happened to be going NUTS, but nevertheless, the feed was wonderful and played into the theme of the Year Zero very nicely. I would love to catch an all Year Zero show, even while fans are generally coming to hear their favorite Downward Spiral and Pretty Hate Machine songs, I think there would be so much room for a really creative set for Year Zero only.

The show ended with a fury of fan favorites, namely Only, The Hand that Feeds, and Head Like a Hole. By this time, the frustrations I had dealt with before the show were wiped completely from my mind and all I could do was appreciate what was happening as the NIN logo climbed its way down the LCD screen before standing prominently before us. For some it is merely a logo, and for others of us, a symbol of strength, edurance, innovation, and brilliance.

As Echoplex opened the encore, Trent created the aforementioned electronic drum sequence using the touch sensitive LCD. As an electrical engineer and patent attny, I was mesmerized. My personal favorite and has been one of my favorite songs since 1994, was Hurt. As soon as the introductory swirling wind sound began, I started jumped, excited to know what was about to happen…and then it kicked in, Trent’s confessional plea “I hurt myself today”. The crowd went nuts. As the end of one of the greatest concept albums of all time, I cannot find a place for it anywhere than at the very end of the set, particularly when the last suicidal blast happens at the close, and the power struggle is lost. While I enjoyed In This Twilight, I felt its placement was poor. The sentiment of Hurt is so powerful, and although out of context from the rest of the album, it loses some of the cumulative meaning of the concept of Downward Spiral, anyone with familiarity with the album is surely aware enough to pull it together themselves.

All in all, the show was incredible both visually and musically. I missed a large part of the energy being a wallflower stuck in the stands, but the music more than made up for it.

Setlist:
99,000
1,000,000
Letting You Get Away
Discipline
March of the Pigs
Head Down
The Frail
Reptile
Closer
Gave Up
The Warning
The Great Destroyer
Ghosts 21
Ghosts 14
Ghosts 19
Ghosts Piggy
The Greater Good
Pinion
Wish
Terrible Lie
Survivalism
Ghosts 31
Only
The Hand that Feeds
Head Like a Hole

Encore
Echoplex
The Beginning of the End
God Given
Hurt
In This Twilight

By Cory from BackseatSandbar.com
Photos by James Crisp

I’ve always been a fan of American Idol. It provides some pretty quality entertainment at the beginning of the year after the holiday season ends. Usually I’m able to choose a favorite to root for, but I must admit I’m not one to pick up the phone and actually vote, nor would I ever actually pay money to see the contestants perform live… but oh how very different this season was!

So even though the product-placement was becoming increasingly heinous and the group numbers actually made me cringe, I never missed a Tuesday or Wednesday night this season. Overall I thought the contestants were a very talented group of musicians. Even with the performers I didn’t care for as much, my disinterest seemed to stem more from stylistic choices rather than actual voice quality. And slowly I found myself starting to emotionally invest in the show, and more specifically in David Cook. I called in and voted for him. I secretly found myself worrying about his safety on the show. I broke my cardinal rule of reality T.V. – to actually become involved.

And now here I am months later waiting at Rupp Arena for “Poptarts Presents American Idols Live.” I’ve driven over 5 hours to be here and stalked Ticketmaster for the best seats I can find. What on earth has gotten into me? As I enter the arena to an announcer and what appears to be a patron having a dance competition with a life-size Poptart I once again question my sanity. But as I look around and see people of all ages, excited, with t-shirts and signs promoting their favorite Idol I feel very happy to be here and glad to find that I am not the only one who was so captivated by this group of contestants.

Speaking to friends who have previously attended the concert, I am already aware of the format of the show. The idols will be performing in the order in which they were eliminated. This suits me perfectly, considering the main attraction of the event—in my mind, at least—is David Cook, and this will line him up to close the show.

The house lights dim and I take my seat as Chikezie opens for us. I am pleased with his renditions of the songs he covers. He is lively and energetic. He works hard to get the crowd involved. I find myself thinking he was a good person to be in the 10th-place spot because he has managed to set a nice tone for the show.

Up next is Ramiele. She is so tiny. I really can’t reiterate this enough. On T.V. she looked small, but in person I think that I—at 5’ 2’’—would swamp her. Her voice is not exceptionally strong to me. She doesn’t always stay in key, but she’s working it out on the stage. Still, I do not find myself disappointed when her set of three songs concludes.

Finally someone I am really looking forward to—Michael Johns—commands the stage. On the show I was a fan of his, but I found his dancing to be a distraction. If I closed my eyes and listened to his voice I really enjoyed it, but watching him dance always cracked me up to the point where I couldn’t take him too seriously. Still, I thought his departure at #8 was quite premature. On this stage he is on fire, no silly dancing, just very passion filled performances. By the end of his set I am ready to go buy his CD.

Kristy Lee Cook is next. I love country music and think with the backing of 19 records she has a shot at being a good recording artist, but I prefer Carrie Underwood’s style to her own. I wasn’t familiar with two of the songs she sang, which I think detracted from her set to me. However, her rendition of “God Bless the USA” was amazing. Her voice was well suited for the song and since I didn’t think she was singing it for sympathy votes this go-round I could really enjoy it.

Carly Smithson, another favorite of mine, now takes the stage. I am thrilled with her song choices – Evanescence, Cindy Lauper, and Heart. Carly is well defined in her style, and her voice is so intense and powerful. Her set passes by entirely too quickly. Also, on a completely superficial note the girl has lost a ton of weight since Idol. She was never really overweight, but she looks beyond amazing now.

Speaking of beanpoles, Brooke White takes the stage next. Oh dear Brooke, “Mrs. Don’t Forget the Lyrics” what a huge difference not being judged makes on you. The girl is incredible. She is the first person to arrive on stage playing the grand piano and it is truly breathtaking. You can tell she pours her heart into her performances and she proves to be the perfect end to the first half of the show.

At this point I prepare myself for the group number that is upon us. The bottom six all sing “One” by U2. It actually isn’t as bad as on the show. The choreography is not nearly as cheesy and everyone is in tune and harmonized. I’m actually quite impressed. I expected much worse from a show that prides itself on arm swaying and features the Charleston as a primary dance move.

Intermission time! I excuse myself from the arena; I’ve had my fill of “product pimping” on the show. I feel no need to see Poptarts and Guitar Hero shamelessly plugged further.

The concert is in fact very professional and I don’t want this to take away from it. The graphics in the background are excellent, the transitions between artists is smooth. I am becoming increasingly delighted with my decision to attend this event.

Jason Castro takes the stage after intermission. To be completely honest I don’t remember much about his set. I’m starting to get excited about David Cook being just a few performers away and Jason is really just providing background music for me. I apologize I don’t have a better description for his number, but that’s the honest truth of the matter.

Syesha is the last lady to take the stage. Her sound does not coincide with my taste in music. She has a diva-ish voice, loud and filled with runs. I spend a large majority of her set trying to decide how the people who are positioned at the catwalk don’t see up her dress—it is quite short.

Again the grand piano emerges from the stage with David Archuleta playing his heart out. The crowd goes wild; the excitement is infectious; David is adorable. On the show I couldn’t enjoy him fully because he was my favorite’s competition, but watching him live I am mesmerized. His voice is unearthly and he is so impassioned I actually think he might be about to break down and cry on stage. My favorite song he sings is “Apologize” and his version in my opinion surpasses the original. I can’t actually see myself buying this kid’s album—I know it will be a bit too pop-tastic for me—but I have to admit he is truly gifted.

Finally it’s the moment of truth. The crowd is going nuts. I am loving this. I’m really impressed at just how loud everyone has gotten all of a sudden. I didn’t know if Cook’s applause would surpass Archuleta’s by much of a margin but the stadium is roaring as David emerges singing “Hello.” This man is a natural. I can only surmise that he was meant to do this. He is so comfortable on the stage and with the crowd. He works the audience seamlessly with his sense of humor and truly insane vocals. I sing along to every word of every song and I am not the only one. Almost everyone in the stadium is on their feet. Somehow David has managed to turn an American Idol event into a rock concert. It is obvious why he won American Idol, at least in my opinion, but of course I am biased. Even with five songs, the most given to any performer, his set goes entirely too quickly. As he departs the stage I already feel excited for his CD, which is scheduled to drop in November.

The concert concludes as all 10 idols sing “Please Don’t Stop the Music.” This is kind of a joke. The vocals are not as good as the bottom 6 group number, but thanks to some highly amusing dancing antics on part of many of the Idols, mainly David Cook and Michael Johns, it turns into one of the highlights of the show. The people who look like they are goofing off and having a good time make this the perfect ending to the evening. The couple of individuals who seem to be taking the song seriously look a bit out of sorts. As the idols leave the stage, David Cook asks us to “Give it up for the band, give it up for Poptarts, and give it up for Guitar Hero.” I guess his job can’t be all glamor.

Overall, I had an absolutely amazing time at the concert. It far exceeded my expectations and it was an awesome platform for some of these artists to gain greater exposure. I went in knowing for sure I would purchase David Cook’s CD but I left considering purchasing 3-4 of the other artists’ works. I look forward to seeing what this group of people can bring to the music industry. However, after breaking my cardinal rule and becoming attached to this group of contestants I have made it my resolution not to watch American Idol again next year. I don’t think it would be possible for it to surpass this season for me and to be honest I wouldn’t want it to. So I think I’ll stop while I’m ahead. Here’s hoping I can keep my resolve and not go back on another promise I’ve made to myself.

Nine Inch Nails has been on the ball with still keeping their site and fans up to date despite them being in the middle of their tour. They have been posting mobile photos every day from various places they visit along the tour. In addition to that they have actively been updating their Flickr page with photos from their performances at various venues.

If you are still on the fence about going to the show then this would be a great way for you to get a better grasp of the visual elements and the feel for the performance. If you already have your tickets then this will only make you salivate more than you already are.

(Written by Shaheem Reid on MTV.com) Plies insists a trio is better than a duo. After his first single, “Bust It Baby Pt. 2,” featured only one guest star (Ne-Yo), he’s going in for the kill by giving fans a pair of collaborators (plus himself, of course) on his next two tracks.

“That record, I feel, is a helluva second single,” he said of Definition of Real’s “Please Excuse My Hands,” which features Jamie Foxx and The-Dream. “To come behind a #1 record and have a person who’s currently relevant in Dream, one of the better songwriters to come through this industry, and then do the Jamie Foxx thing, the boss of all bosses — I wanted to try something differently than I did on my last album.

“Even my third single, ‘#1 Fan,’ with Keyshia Cole and J. Holiday,” he added. “I wanted to load up two big features on that record as well. Try something different. A lot of times you get a feature, and it’s just you and that other artist. I wanted to see if I could bring something different to the game, see if I can force people to follow my trend.”

The video for “Please Excuse My Hands” is almost here, and Plies said he’s getting positive reviews thus far. He said the record describes a scenario we’ve all been through: when lust takes over our minds.

“I think at some point in time, we always see that person from afar or in a club or in an elevator that allows us to look at them, and in our mind, we already lived that [sexual] situation out,” he explained of the cut. “To run with that whole concept, ‘Please Excuse My Hands,’ the male embracement of that record has been crazy to me. When I go to radio stations, I hear DJs, jocks tell me, ‘Man, I love this way better than “Bust It Baby.” ‘ I thought it was gonna be a female-driven record.”

Agile, athletic and full of fun, that master of merriment Bello is back like you’ve never seen him before, bringing loads of laughs and daredevil hilarity to The Greatest Show On Earth®. Whether bungling into another performer’s thrill act and scaring himself silly or doing battle with a bouncy bungee, the madcap Bello always succeeds in making the perilous look funny. His hair-raising antics and lighthearted way with danger have won him the affection of audiences young and old. No wonder TIME Magazine named him “America’s Best Clown.”

Born in 1968 in Sarasota, Florida, this seventh-generation member of a Swiss circus dynasty brings excitement and comic appeal to the ring. Bello’s days of performing began at age three when he dressed as a clown for the first time and acted in a Dumbo circus routine.

At age six, Bello was cast to play Little Michael Darling in the touring version of Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby, and at age nine his family began performing in the Tommy Bartlett Thrill Show in Dells, Wisconsin, that is still playing today.

“I always want to capture the attention of children,” says Bello. “After my performance, adults will remember being a kid again.”

To stay energetic and inspiring to Children Of All Ages, Bello always remembers what his father taught him: “Never think you can’t improve — you can never learn enough.”

Bello married his high school sweetheart, Jenny, and has one son, Alex, two daughters, Amariah and Analiese. Bello feels very strongly about instilling the many morals he has learned from his family and he also influences his children with Bible stories.

DID YOU KNOW?
Bello acted in his first clown act on a nine-foot low wire at age nine and performed in his first tent show in 1998 for the Big Apple Circus.

Source: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

Plant and Krauss Rock the House

If you’ve spent any time listening to Robert Plant and Allison Krauss’ collaboration, Raising Sand, I’d say the show at Rupp Arena was just what you were looking for. After all, with two such talented musicians (not to mention their supporters and back up band members), watching the orchestration of all the sounds into the familiar jams is a great part of the enjoyment. And they certainly didn’t disappoint.

T-Bone Burnett, a country/rock-n-roll songwriter/producer/musician was stand-out, even as a supporter, Krauss brought her trademark fiddling and soulful voice, and mandolins, steel guitars, banjos, acoustics, electrics all added to the country-rock-symphony–and then there was Plant.

Even having heard the album, there is something more than faintly odd about seeing Robert Plant singing gospel. Perhaps pleasingly odd, but odd nonetheless. And, what about the dirge-like backcountry cover of Black Dog? The harmonies, the haunting qualities, the surprise–embodies the character of this collaboration.

Many in the seats next to me were enthusiastic about the performance and yelled out their sentiments. I even saw a few lighters going. I’ve also heard comments on the other side of things with attendees citing an uneven pace or stating they just kept waiting for it to pop.

While I personally couldn’t disagree more, I can see where they’re coming from. I think that this particular kind of collaboration is one that takes both the artists and their audience outside a comfort zone–and the reactions are bound to be mixed. Overall, though, the performances were stellar, and we in Lexington are exceptionally fortunate to have the opportunity to see a show of this magnitude.

Thanks Allison, Robert and Rupp arena for a great night!

The Horsemen had a big game this past Saturday against the Green Bay Blizzard. Winning it would secure them a place in the playoffs. This was probably easily the best game I have seen all season. Both teams were on top of their game and almost equally matched. The game was close near the beginning, but then Green Bay got a lot of scores and were leading 34-14 at half time. Things looked very grim. the horsemen really turned on their ‘A game’ when they came back on the field for the second half. It seemed like the team as a whole was cohesively working together toward a win that they really wanted, and that they really needed.

Coach Mike Harmon had this to say on HorsemenFootball.com:

“I’m typically not a big yeller, but I challenged our guys at halftime,” Horsemen head coach Mike Harmon said. “We told our players at halftime that Green Bay was playing for the title and we were just watching. Everyone got their minds right and really performed in the second half. We had a lot of great individual efforts.”

The Horsemen came back from their 20 point deficit and tied the Blizzard sending the game into overtime. Fans were going crazy. the players were really excited and provoking the fans to make more noise. The Horsemen won the coin toss and elected to have Green Bay receive the ball first. Greenbay battled hard and ended up coming up with a touchdown, making them ahead of the Horsemen by seven points. The Horsemen struck back with some amazing plays giving them a touchdown for themselves. Now came the clutch decision, should they risk a loss and go for the two point conversion for the win? they opted to go for the two point conversion. When they got a penalty it put everyone on their edge of their seats. Luckily it wasn’t bad so they set up for an attempt. With an amazing play they managed to get the two point conversion and end the game.

The Horsemen’s win against Green Bay put them in a tie for first place in the af2 American Conference Midwest Division. I have to give credit where credit is due and say that the Green Bay Blizzard really brought an amazing fight. I don’t think anyone likes to see one team walk all over the other and I think what made this game so good was that both teams were playing at their best and really challenging each other. This Saturday’s game is sure to be excellent as well. It also happens to be the Horsemen’s last home game of the season, so I would highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t made it out to a game before.

Below are photos from the Horsemen vs. Blizzard game:

This past Friday WWE Raw was at Rupp Arena for their Summerslam event. It was my first wrestling event I had ever been to, so it all seemed a bit new to me. Although I am not the biggest wrestling fan, I actually did enjoy the show quite a bit. Some of the lesser known wrestlers overdid things a bit and mouthed off at the crowd a few times, but as the night went on, and the wrestlers became more interesting, things were more entertaining. It seems as if as wrestlers become more famous they grow into a trully unique identity. The lesser known wrestlers both looked the same: average muscular bodies, a simple personality, and overly bright one-piece costumes. Match after match the wrestlers became more interesting. They each had very different dynamic personalities and often very different body builds. One wrestler was small, skinny and wearing what looked like an Arabian costume. His opponent came out in dress pants, a top hat (looking so much like Slash), and was a HUGE man, both tall and muscular. That is just an example of the variety which allows for the viewers to pick their favorite and get invested in their success instead of picking between to very similar people.

It was cool seeing various people who’s names I recognized. People like Shawn Michaels are known of even by those that don’t watch wrestling, so I had an appreciation for seeing him in person. It amazes me at the amount of moves people can pull off, especially after they have been throwing each other around for 25 minutes. It amazes me that after all of that they can still manage to climb one of the corners and do a backflip and land on someone. It makes me think about how challenging it must be to be a professional wrestler and how much endurance and strength it must take.

I must say that I was a bit surprised at how entertaining the event was and how much it drew you into the show. It was also great seeing Mickie James face off against Beth Phoenix and win her match. Mickie was such a nice person and great to hang out with earlier, so I was really cheering her on.

If you were at the show, we would love to know what you thought of it. Feel free to post any comments (good or bad) about the show. Also, if you have any photos you took then we would love to see them. Please email them to rupparenablog(at)gmail(dot)com.