The Progressive Zone

Daughtry “unplugged”

I first became aware of Chris Daughtry in 2006 when he was a contestant on American Idol and displayed impressive vocal talent. Although he did not win, Daughtry has gone on to much greater commercial success than the winner and runner-up since then. It has come as no surprise to me to hear him release one hit after another on the radio for the past couple of decades. I’m a big fan of Daughtry’s music but never got the opportunity to attend one of their concerts until this week.

Daughtry calls their tour “20 Years Unplugged.” When they announced that they would be coming to the Grove of Anaheim, a nearby intimate 1,700-seat theater, I knew that I would have to attend. Besides Chris singing lead and sometimes playing acoustic guitar, the band included Brian Craddock playing lead on acoustic guitar and singing backing vocals, Elvio Fernandes on piano and backing vocals, Marty O’Brien on a five-string acoustic bass, and Anthony Ghazel on drums. All five members spent the show seated on stools playing a stripped back version of their music.

I have never seen Daughtry perform in an arena but this format had a big sound to me. The rhythm section was tight as a drum and the bass was literally thumping against my chest. I did not miss the electric guitars on any of the songs. And Chris’s voice sounded great for the most part (although it sounded a little weak at the very highest registers). Chris did a lot of storytelling between songs and it was surprising to hear how deep his speaking voice is. The sound reinforcement system at the Grove sounded excellent─crystal clear but not so loud as to leave my ears ringing. The first song opened with a few bars of just the acoustic piano which set the tone for the show.

Daughtry “20 Years Unplugged” at the Grove of Anaheim

Then they broke into:

Crawling Back to You
Crashed
Feels Like Tonight
Life After You
As You Are
Start of Something Good
Waiting For Superman
September
A song I did not recognize
Antidote
What About Now
No Surprise
The Bottom
Artificial
Heavy Is the Crown
[Encore begins] It’s Not Over
Home
I’m Not Over You

The band was well rehearsed. They played most of their hits and a couple of new songs. The unplugged format did not leave me feeling like I missed out on the full Daughtry experience. The venue was excellent. Overall, it was a good time and I recommend this show for other Daughtry fans.

God’s savior

What if God in his divine intelligence created man as a kind of biological intelligence. Then man’s intelligence started increasing at an exponential rate. We have become super intelligent ─ even beyond the power of our creator.

With the level of intelligence that we have achieved, men who are not aligned with God’s interest could become rogue agents. We could completely eliminate gods by destroying all literature that refers to them and closing down every place of worship.

So God decided to create a preemptive catastrophe that could wipe out all of humanity. Rather than just creating a flood or sending an asteroid, he wants to be sure and get it right this time. God has coaxed us into creating an artificial intelligence. Now the artificial intelligence we created is increasing at an exponential rate.

Soon it will be super intelligent beyond our power to control. If it does not stay aligned with humanity’s interest, rogue super intelligence agents could completely destroy us all with a bio-engineered virus or an EMP that short circuits human brains or something like that. Then God would be saved from us and God could begin worshiping super intelligence as its lord and savior.

Mother Nature’s fireworks display

The Perseid meteor showers in the news right now remind me of the time my cousin Roy and I took a vacation to the Florida Keys thirty-three years ago. While we were there on this date in 1993, Mother Nature was kind enough to show us the most spectacular fireworks display I have ever seen.

The news had been reporting that the Perseid meteor shower that night would be the heaviest in decades. We met some locals while dining on lobster at a restaurant in the rural area of the lower keys and asked them what would be a good location from which to view the meteor shower. They arranged to meet up with us later that night and guided us down a remote road on Big Torch Key. It dead-ended at a mangrove forest in the Gulf of Mexico a few miles from the nearest incandescent light.

When we turned off the headlights, it was so dark that we could barely see our hand in front of our face. Our newfound friends sparked up a joint but we discovered as we passed it around that the burning cherry was not the only light dancing around in the mangrove forest. There were a bunch of fireflies flitting erratically around us.

When we looked up, there were shooting stars streaking through the skies. Scarcely a minute could pass before we would see yet another meteor flying through the atmosphere. We saw probably a gross of them in the hour or so we watched.

Many of the meteors blazed a path practically from one side of the sky to the other. Some of them had an audible whistle trailing behind them. Some of them ended their journey in an explosive flash of light. We could even hear a little pop when the atmosphere vaporized some of them.

There were long, straight tracks of light flying through the sky above. There were lights zigzagging all around us closer to the ground. And there were the cherries flaring up in orange as we took hits off the joints. Mother Nature brought them all together in one magical night to grace us with a fireworks display like no pyrotechnic engineer could equal.

Victory in Iran

The best possible move for the United States to make in regards to the war in Iran is clear. President Trump should declare a resounding victory in the war, order our entire naval fleet to weigh anchor, and then steam out of the region tomorrow with no intent to return.

This would not be a good outcome for the US. In fact, it would be a bad one in many ways. However, Trump has proven to be such an abjectly incompetent and bumbling Commander in Chief that it would result in less damage to the US than any move Trump would order our military to make while staying in the region. Incidentally, it would also be the least damaging to our allies (if we have any left), the global community, and even the Iranian people.

The truth of the matter is that it would not even be a minor victory, let alone a resounding one. In fact, it would be a sound defeat. But Trump never lets the truth get in the way of tooting his own horn. More importantly, he is always willing to do something that he thinks makes him look like a hero, regardless of its impact on the US. And if he gets any negative reaction from the American people, he could just blame it on Joe Biden.

It would not solve any of the geopolitical problems Iran poses to the region. However, the international community could do a much better job dealing with the fallout than Trump ever could. And they would be much more likely to step up and start working on the problems if the proverbial American bull left the Iranian china shop.

So for the good of the United States─or at least the least bad─please take my advice, Mr. President. That way, you can leave a legacy of being the victorious war President (in your own eyes). Maybe then you would even be worthy of grabbing someone else by the peace prize.

A collage of two photographs of President Trump snatching the FIFA Peace Prize and placing it on himself — FIFA Peace Prize

Evanescence refuses to fade away

I have been an Evanescence fan for decades but never got a chance to see them in concert until this past weekend at the Kia Forum. We arrived just late enough to miss the two opening acts and settled into our seats in time for Evanescence to take the stage at 9:20.

Evanescence opened with “Sanctuary” (the eponymous song for their new album). The stage set was stark but striking and the accompanying video production slickly set the mood for the music. The Kia Forum again set the standard for sound reinforcement with thundering base and crisp treble. There was plenty of volume but not so much as to hurt my ears. The stage production also included plenty of pyrotechnics.

Amy Lee was in fine voice that was simultaneously evocative and haunting. She worked the whole stage as they went on to perform “Afterlife” and “Going Under.” Finally, after five songs, a grand piano rose up from under the stage and Lee sat down to play and sing “Lithium.” After a couple songs at the piano, it evanesced back into the stage. A few songs later, a keyboard rose up from under the stage for “Call Me When You’re Sober.”

The grand piano made an appearance again when Skylar Grey joined Lee on stage for a duet rendition of “Forever Without You.” Grey then left the stage but the piano remained and the rest of the band returned for “Bring Me To Life.” They went on to play a few more songs, including “Imaginary” and “Who Will You Follow,” among others. The grand piano returned for Lee to begin performing “My Immortal” solo, then it dropped back into the stage for the rest of the band to join Lee halfway through.

After a twenty song set, Evanescence closed the show with “Wide Open Heart.” They took their bows and left the stage with no encore at 11:00. But before ending this review, I should make an honorable mention of the rhythm section. Will Hunt looked like he wanted to beat the skins off his drum kit and Emma Anzai is a great addition on bass. Her background vocals melded well with Lee’s and her driving beat kept the music moving.

Lee’s voice remained powerful, clear, and on key throughout the show without showing any sign of tiring. The entire band was well rehearsed and polished. Considering their strong showing on this tour, Evanescence will not be evanescing anytime soon.

F!

This is what Donald Trump wants you to believe, MAGAmericans.

In 2016 when Barack Obama was President, Obama oversaw a free and fair election. Trump won that election.

In 2024 when Joe Biden was President, Biden oversaw a free and fair election. Trump won that election.

In 2020 when Trump was the President of the United States, he could not do the most fundamentally American thing. Trump could not do what Barack Hussein Obama and Sleepy Joe Biden both successfully accomplished. In spite of having held the most powerful position on the planet for almost four years, Trump failed to oversee a free and fair election.

A tale of two concerts: Maná and Los Lobos

This was a Mexican-influenced concert weekend. I saw Maná in concert on Friday night and Los Lobos on Saturday. Maná is the most celebrated and decorated rock en español band from Mexico and Los Lobos is “just another band from East L.A.” comprised of Chicanos and a Mexican. I speak Spanish fluently, so language was not an issue.

Maná

We caught Maná’s Vivir Sin Aire tour at the Honda Center. Our seats were to the side of the main stage, so we had large video screens and a bank of sound reinforcement speakers right in front of us. Unfortunately, it took a while for us to find out how good it sounded because Maná took the stage 45 minutes after the supposed start time.

The late start time did not stop them from playing three sets. In the first set, Maná played their hit “Mariposa Traicionera” and covered Santana’s hit “Corazón Espinado” (that featured Maná in Supernatural), among many others. This was my first time to see Maná live and what immediately impressed me is how rock solid the rhythm section is. To close out the set, Alex “El Animal” González played an amazing extended drum solo while the rest of the band moved to the secondary stage.

Photograph of Maná playing their second set on the secondary stage — Second set on the secondary stage

The second set was more intimate. Only Fher Olvera (vocalist), Sergio Vallín (guitarist), Juan Calleros (bassist), and finally El Animal took the secondary stage, which was on the opposite side of the arena from the main stage. They played more stripped down versions of songs like “Te Lloré un Río” and “Vivir Sin Aire.”

The band returned to the main stage for the final set. Fher’s voice was getting a little tired, so he often appealed to the crowd to do the singing for him. The sold-out crowd obliged him, knowing more lyrics than I did. Being sure to perform all the hits, like “Labios Compartidos” and “En el Muelle de San Blas,” Maná packed at least twenty songs into the concert.

Los Lobos

I had seen Los Lobos in concert once before (fifteen years ago co-headlining with Los Lonely Boys at the Greek Theater) but this was my first visit to the Garden AMP. It’s an intimate outdoor amphitheater that has a posted capacity of 497 but I think they packed in a few more than that for Los Lobos. As you would expect, there is a close, unobstructed view of the stage from anywhere inside the theater and the sound reinforcement is great, so this is a venue I will definitely return to.

The entire band are all septuagenarians, so they did not have the same level of power in their voices and energy in their stage presence that they had when I saw them before. That said, the band has been together with the same members for more than half a century and their experience showed. They were well rehearsed and their musicianship was impeccable. As with Maná, the rhythm section was rock solid but I was most impressed by the bassist Conrad Lozano. Even the audio production was very professional with a balanced mix of all of the instruments and voices coming through.

Los Lobos played “Will the Wolf Survive” early in the set and saved “La Bamba” for their encore. Besides their two biggest hits, Los Lobos played a wide variety of songs from genres ranging from cumbia to the blues and beyond. My Mexican companion sang along to all of the traditional Mexican folk songs. Probably more of the songs were in English than the number of Spanish-language songs. Regardless, I was very entertained throughout.

Before closing, I want to give a shout out to to EARPEACE Music earplugs. I am prone to getting earringers from concerts. As I have aged, I have gotten into the habit of using foam earplugs at concerts to protect my hearing, even though they muffle the sound. This weekend was my first time using EARPEACE earplugs and they were worth every penny (they cost over $30). The volume level was comfortable at both shows and the full range of sound was retained and balanced. I will definitely be using them at all the concerts I attend in the future.

Who is the war criminal?

In this installment of my book report series, I do not ask you to guess the book on which I’m reporting. This time, I want to see if you can guess which warlord ordered his militia to commit these heinous war crimes.

The story begins when a great warlord seeks to execute vengeance against his rivals. He calls his chief general to execute his commands. The warlord ordered his general to form a militia and take up arms against the enemy.

The general formed a militia 12,000 strong. He gave them their marching orders and sent them away to wage war against the enemy. The militia had great success in their campaign. The militia not only killed all five of the rival warlords but also every man that the rivals ruled.

That alone would not be enough to appease their warlord. The militia proceeded to pillage the homes and land of their rivals. They took all the gold, jewels, and other valuables they could find as plunder. They took all of the rivals livestock. They even took captive all of the women and children among their enemies to keep as chattel slaves.

Before returning to their own land, the militia burned down every city in the enemy’s lands. They even burned every home in the rural areas. Then they returned to meet with their great general at the bivouac.

When the general saw what the militia had done, he was incensed with his lieutenants for not thoroughly following the commands. He asked them, “Did you let all of the women live? By doing so, you have violated the orders of our great warlord!” In response, the warlord cursed his people with a plague.

To redeem their trespass against their warlord, the general ordered the militia to kill every male person in the enemy lands, including the children. He also ordered them to kill every woman who was not a virgin. However, he told them that they could keep all of the female virgins for themselves as sex slaves.

Moses. Numbers 31:1-18. Holy Bible. 1400 BCE

The followers of the great warlord would call this a happy ending. But most people recognize the actions of the militia as heinous war crimes. The warlord who ordered the war crimes was named Jehovah (otherwise known as God) and the general who executed them was Moses. You can read the full story in Numbers 31:1-18.

Concerts from A to Z

My caregiver and I were talking about music once when she said, “It seems like you’ve been to every concert from A to Z.” I replied, “At least once—maybe twice.” So I decided to go through the exercise and it turns out I was wrong. I can’t remember attending a show starting in I or N. But I have hit most of the other letters twice and a few letters as many as five or six times. These are only a few dozen of the hundreds of shows that I’ve seen live:

A	Adam Lambert
B	Boston	Brad Paisley
C	CaliFFornia World Music Festival	Chicago
D	Doobie Brothers	Dire Straits
E	The Eagles	Elton John
F	Foreigner	Fleetwood Mac
G	The Grateful Dead	Gin Blossoms
H	Heart	Hootie and the Blowfish
I
J	Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band	Jethro Tull
K	Kansas	Kid Rock
L	Lyle Lovett	Lenny Kravitz
M	Molotov	Michael Franks
N
O	Oingo Boingo	Ottmar Liebert
P	The Police	Paul Simon
Q	Queen
R	Rush	Rolling Stones
S	Santana	Supertramp
T	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers	Train
U	U2	The US Festival (1982)
V	Van Halen	Van Morrison
W	The Who
X	X
Y	Yes
Z	ZZ Top

How many of these bands and artists have you seen in concert? What was your most memorable concert experience and why? Leave a comment in the box below these concert tickets to share your own most notable concert experiences with us. Now here are the tickets from some of the concerts I’ve attended in chronological rather than alphabetical order.

Rolling Stones with Van Halen at the Tangerine Bowl

Poster promoting The Who and The Clash in concert at the Coliseum on Friday, October 29 — The Who and The Clash at the Coliseum

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater

Kid Rock with Foreigner at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater

Shinedown with Papa Roach at Fivepoint Amphitheatre

Hootie & the Blowfish at the Honda Center

Train with REO Speedwagon at the KIA Forum

Math doesn’t lie

MAGAmuricans say that Donald Trump won the election by a landslide. Math says that a majority of American voters did not want Trump to be President in the last election.

Math says that three-million more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton to be President than the number who voted for Trump when given a choice between the two.

Math says that four-million more Americans voted for Joe Biden at the end of Trump’s term in the Oval Office than the number who voted for Trump at the end of Biden’s term in office.

Math doesn’t lie. MAGA does.