Memorial Day Weekend 2022

My whole family (Marilyn, Kristine, Trent, Tashena, Sean, and I) went up to the property over the long Memorial Day weekend and we had so much fun together.  Friday was Marilyn's birthday so we celebrated with cake and yesterday Sean convinced me to go with him into town to get ice cream and then we went off-roading a little bit but the temperatures were a lot cooler than expected (we even had hail at one point) so we spent a lot of time around the fire pit making s'mores and in the trailer playing games and watching movies.  It was so nice to be able to relax!  The dogs were in heaven!

I hope to spend a lot more time at the property this summer!

Beethoven's Violin Concerto, Messiaen & Ravel

Last night was the final Utah Symphony concert of the 2021-2022 season and it was a great one to end with!  The orchestra and soloist Veronika Eberle began with Concerto for Violin by Ludwig van Beethoven and it was absolutely brilliant!  I loved the opening of the first movement because the timpani is so dramatic and the themes played by the oboe, clarinet, and bassoon are very lyrical.  I also really enjoyed the third movement because it features a hunting theme played by the horns.  Many have called this concerto "unplayable" but Eberle seemed to have no difficulty with it.  It was fun to watch her bow flying up and down the strings and I especially enjoyed the extended passage she played at the end of the first movement.  She received the most enthusiastic standing ovation I have heard all season and it was much deserved!  After the intermission, the orchestra, once again, played two movements from Des canyons aux etoiles (From the Canyons to the Stars) by Olivier Messiaen with Jason Hardink on piano, Keith Carrick on xylorimba, and Eric Hopkins on glockenspiel as soloists.  These two movements represent the stars seen from the cathedrals of red rock found in the natural parks of Utah.  I loved all of the percussion, especially the chimes.  This piece will be performed in its entirety at the O. C. Tanner Amphitheater near Zion National Park in a few days (go here for tickets and information).  The concert concluded with Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2 by Maurice Ravel.  I had never heard this piece before and I loved it!  The music was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes and tells the love story of the goatherd Daphnis and the shepherdess Chloe.  I especially loved the flute solo as Chloe dances for Daphnis and the all of the percussion used in the bacchanale featured in the dramatic conclusion.  I enjoyed this concert immensely and I highly recommend getting a ticket for the same program which will be performed again tonight (go here).

Note:  This is the first season that I subscribed to the entire Masterworks series and, even though I had to miss a few concerts because of family responsibilities, I thoroughly enjoyed every one!  I renewed my subscription for next season and I am really excited (go here for more information about next season).

The Eagles at the Vivint Arena

I love the Eagles.  I grew up listening to them because they were my Dad's music of choice for long road trips (along with the Beatles).  My whole family would sing every word of every song at the top of our lungs as we drove down the highway.  I really love seeing them perform live and last night's concert was absolutely amazing!  During the first half they performed the album Hotel California from beginning to end in order.  This included "Hotel California," "New Kid in Town," "Life in the Fast Lane," "Wasted Time," "Wasted Time (Reprise)," "Victim of Love," "Pretty Maids All in a Row," "Try and Love Again," and "The Last Resort."  Before this set, a performer came out on stage and put the Hotel California record on a turntable and then the band started playing when the needle hit the groove.  Another performer came out and turned the record over to play side two after "Wasted Time" and I thought this was fabulous (I own Hotel California on vinyl).  Other than "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane," which are always great to hear live, my favorite song from this set was "Wasted Time" because they hardly ever perform it and they had a full orchestra backing them which was really impressive.  I also really enjoyed "Try and Love Again" because Vince Gill, who joined the group after the untimely death of Glenn Frey, gave an incredible vocal performance.  It gave me goosebumps!  "The Last Resort," another song they don't perform very often, was also really powerful because Don Henley sang it with a lot of passion (I love his voice) and they were backed by the orchestra again along with a choir!  At the end of this set, Henley told the crowd that they were going to take a short intermission and come back to play every song they had ever recorded!  They returned to the stage with "Seven Bridges Road," which is how they often begin concerts, and I loved the five-part harmony.  Then they performed "Take It Easy," "One of These Nights," Peaceful Easy Feeling," a really bluesy version of "Witchy Woman," "Take It to the Limit," and "Tequila Sunrise."  Joe Walsh performed "In the City" and this really reminded me of my Dad.  He loved Walsh and we would sing this song very dramatically (Walsh is very dramatic) during our road trips.  It made me miss my Dad so much!  They continued with "I Can't Tell You Why," (one of my favorite Eagles songs), "Lyin' Eyes," a rousing rendition of "Those Shoes," and then they finally let Walsh off the chain for "Life's Been Good" and "Funk #49."  They ended this set with "Already Gone" and "Heartache Tonight."  For the encore, Walsh performed a epic version of "Rocky Mountain Way" and then Henley sang a beautiful rendition of "Desperado" with the orchestra.  Henley performed his song "The Boys of Summer" and the concert concluded with "Best of My Love."  I had so much fun at this concert (I amused the older gentleman sitting next to me to no end by singing every word and playing air guitar and air drums) because it was over three hours of listening to one of my favorite bands play every song I wanted to hear (and then some).  It was definitely one of the best concerts I've been to in a long time!

Note:  This is the fifth time I've seen the Eagles in SLC.  I didn't see the Hell Freezes Over Tour back in the day because I thought $75 was too much to pay for a concert.  I find this highly amusing considering how much I paid for this ticket!

Top Gun: Maverick

Last night my sister Marilyn and I went to an early access screening of Top Gun: Maverick and to say that we both loved it would be an understatement!  It is the most exhilarating movie I have seen in a very long time!  The large IMAX theater was absolutely packed and the crowd started cheering during "Danger Zone" in the opening credits and kept on cheering through the whole movie.  There was a lot to cheer for!  Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is now a navy test pilot but he is still breaking the rules.  His superior officer, Rear Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain (Ed Harris), wants to permanently ground him but Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer) requests that he go back to Top Gun to train an elite group of graduates for a specialized mission, much to the displeasure of the commander of Naval Air Forces Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson (Jon Hamm) and to the delight of an old flame named Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly).  The mission involves bombing a facility that will soon be capable of producing enriched uranium and it is extremely dangerous because it is located in a deep mountainous canyon protected by surface-to-air missiles.  Maverick is extremely conflicted because one of the candidates for the mission is Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his former wingman Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, and he doesn't want to send him on a mission he might not survive but knows that he will never forgive him if he doesn't.  The story is incredibly compelling and a lot more emotional than I was expecting (I had tears in my eyes three different times).  It pays homage to the original, with a lot of fun callbacks that fans will instantly recognize, while paving the way for a new narrative with a new group of pilots who are easy to root for.  The action sequences are thrilling and incredibly immersive (the audience is literally in the cockpit with the pilots thanks to all of the practical stunts) and the final dogfight in an F-14 Tomcat will have you cheering out loud!  I loved Cruise's performance and Maverick's character arc is a logical progression from the original movie because, even though he is still a bit cocky, he is more mature and feels his responsibility to his team of young pilots (he even has a love interest who is more age appropriate).  Kilmer's performance will tug at your heartstrings (his character arc is executed so well) and Teller is outstanding.  I loved everything about this movie and had a smile on my face during the whole runtime.  It is the perfect summer blockbuster and I highly recommend seeing it on an IMAX screen!

Men

Critics and audiences have been divided on Men but since I am a huge fan of Alex Garland (I loved Ex Machina and Annihilation) I decided to see it last night.  I initially enjoyed this tense and atmospheric psychological thriller until it was derailed by a truly bizarre ending and a message that didn't sit well with me.  Harper (Jessie Buckley) witnesses the death of her estranged husband James (Paapa Essiedu) and is haunted by the possibility that he killed himself and that she drove him to it.  She books a two week stay at a country house in a picturesque village hoping to heal from the trauma.  However, all of the men she encounters in the village, including an insensitive estate agent, a deranged stalker, a troubled schoolboy, a judgmental priest, and a dismissive policeman (all played by Rory Kinnear), seem to want to exact revenge for James' death.  Garland always excels at creating an oppressive and claustrophobic mood (even in nature) in his movies and Men is no exception.  He uses trippy lighting, menacing sound design, and both biblical and pagan symbolism to create a sense of dread that grabs you almost immediately and doesn't let up.  Buckley does an outstanding job at portraying both grief and fear but Kinnear is absolutely brilliant because each of his characters have distinct looks and personalities but they are all recognizably him (and they are all seriously creepy, especially the priest).  I'm not sure how I feel about the gory over-the-top final confrontation between Harper and all of the men (there was much nervous laughter during these scenes in my audience) even though I understand what Garland is saying about the cycle of abuse but I certainly didn't like the message that all men are bad and that women are responsible for their bad behavior.  My take might be completely off base (it is very different from others I have seen) but I don’t think so.  Having one actor portray every male character seems to imply that all men are the same and the repeated references to original sin (Harper even takes a bite of an apple in an early scene so it couldn't be more obvious) suggest that women are to blame.  I really wanted to like this but, honestly, it made me angry.

Note:  I may or may not have uttered an expletive out loud after a conversation between Harper and James at the end of the movie.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Whenever I visit Zion National Park I usually stay on the Mt. Carmel Highway which eventually leads to Bryce Canyon.  I like to drive through the park and stop at all my favorite viewpoints then take Highway 89 home.

I met a couple from Florida in Zion and ran into them at just about every viewpoint in Bryce.  They took my picture at both signs!

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is one of my favorite places on Earth so it is really hard for me to resist driving through whenever I am in St. George.  The park was really crowded yesterday but I was still able to stop at some of my favorite viewpoints.

My best memory of Zion is driving through the park in my Dad's blue Dodge Ramcharger while listening to the Eagles.  Zion is my happy place!