Heart at USANA

I have been a huge fan of Heart for as long as I can remember.  I listened to their 1985 self-titled album on repeat for hours when I was in high school, especially the song "These Dreams" which I absolutely love.  They toured with this album and made a stop in SLC but I wasn't able to go to the show.  I thought that I had missed my opportunity to see them after their acrimonious split so when I heard about their latest tour I got really excited and bought a ticket immediately.  It seems like I have been waiting for so long but I finally got to go to the concert at USANA Amphitheatre last night and it was fabulous!  Ann Wilson told the crowd that they were going to sing songs from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and I loved them all.  I particularly liked their renditions of "Magic Man," "Dog & Butterfly," "Straight On," "Crazy On You," and "Barracuda" from the early years.  I was thrilled when they played "These Dreams" and "What About Love" from my favorite album.  I haven't heard these songs for years and it was amazing to me that I could still remember every single word!  They performed a beautiful cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" featuring the lovely harmonies of Ann and Nancy together and they also performed an epic version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" which had the entire crowd singing.  For the encore they performed an incredibly powerful version of "Alone."  I have always really loved Ann's voice but her amazing vocal performance during this song gave me goosebumps!  Before Heart took the stage, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (my favorite song was "Bad Reputation") and Elle King (I loved her cover of the Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty song "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around") performed lively sets.  This concert was extremely nostalgic for me and I am so glad that I finally got to see Heart perform live!

Dave Matthews Band at USANA

Last night I saw Dave Matthews Band at USANA Amphitheatre with Kristine and Trent and it was so much fun because, while I consider myself a casual fan, the two of them are hard core and I loved watching their excitement (my sister was positively giddy).  Dave Matthews is known for putting on a great live show but this concert was especially amazing because it seemed so spontaneous!  I looked up the previous setlists for this tour and no two shows have been the same.  Last night they played a very eclectic mix of old and new songs, mixing hits along with deeper tracks. There were pauses in between songs and it almost seemed as if the band was deciding what to play next right there on the stage!  Even though they only played three of their really big hits ("Too Much," "Everyday," and "Ants Marching") it didn't matter!  I enjoyed the songs I didn't recognize because it looked like the band was having so much fun jamming (every song featured long extended solos which delighted the crowd) and they sounded great, especially the horn section.  I have been listening to Come Tomorrow a lot lately and I was hoping that they would play "She" which is my favorite song from the new album.  I was thrilled when I heard the opening notes and I sang along to every word!  Other highlights included a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," an acoustic version of "Here On Out" from the new album, and an epic rendition of "Don't Drink the Water" during the encore.  It was a perfect late summer evening and, even though I will be really tired after seeing a concert on a school night, I'm so glad I got to go with my sister and brother-in-law!  We all agreed that it was one of the best concerts any of us have seen!

Note:  Kristine and Trent had never been to USANA before and I told them that it was sometimes a lot of fun getting out of the parking lot after the show.  Of course, Trent got us out in less than five minutes!

Angel Has Fallen

Saturday nights are perfect for an action blockbuster and a big tub of popcorn so I went to see Angel Has Fallen last night.  After saving the world in Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) must now save himself.  He is tapped to be the next director of the Secret Service but the years have definitely taken both a mental and physical toll on him.  While on a fishing trip in a rural area, there is an assassination attempt on President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) which incapacitates him and kills the entire protection detail except for Banning who is framed for the incident.  After Banning escapes from police custody, he enlists the help of his estranged father Clay Banning (a hilarious Nick Nolte) to elude FBI Agent Helen Thompson (Jada Pinckett Smith) and the real perpetrators in order to prove his innocence, protect the president from another attack, and confront an old friend.  The narrative is incredibly predictable (I figured out who was responsible for the attack before it even happened) but that doesn't really matter.  Although the story about a man dealing with the consequences of his past has more depth than its predecessors, I went to this movie for the action sequences and they are a lot of fun, particularly a spectacular attack by drones, Banning's escape from a moving van with four guards while handcuffed, a high-speed police chase with a semi, an epic firefight in the woods against a group of mercenaries, a shootout in a hospital, and a knife fight on a rooftop.  As previously mentioned, Nolte is fabulous in the role of a man tormented by war and he steals every scene he is in (stay for a hilarious mid-credits scene).  It is Clay's relationship with Mike that gives the story its heart.  This movie is definitely not going to win any awards but it is a lot of fun on a Saturday night and I recommend it to fans of the franchise.

Luce

The first week back at school has concluded and, other than feeling exhausted (getting back into a routine after a summer of playing is very difficult), it went extremely well!  Last night I decided to celebrate by going to the movie Luce which I have been anticipating for weeks.  It is one of the most thought-provoking movies I've seen and it is sure to feature on my end of year list!  Amy (Naomi Watts) and Peter (Tim Roth) adopted their son Luce (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) from war-torn Eritrea when he was seven years old.  After a violent childhood as a gun wielding soldier, Luce has become an outstanding student, a champion debater, and an all-star athlete.  His parents are understandably proud and his teachers hold him up as an example of excellence to the other black students.  He is almost too perfect.  When Harriet Wilson (Octavia Spencer), Luce's history teacher, becomes alarmed at some extreme views expressed in one of his assignments, she searches his locker and makes a shocking discovery.  This calls into question everything his parents believe about him and brings a crisis to their marriage.  It is an incredibly powerful and somewhat uneasy exploration of identity that challenges preconceptions and I am still thinking about it.  I was especially struck by the juxtaposition between Luce and another black student who is vilified for a minor mistake because he has been labeled a delinquent.  The tension, augmented by a truly menacing score, becomes almost unbearable as the mystery of who Luce really is unfolds with no easy answers.  Harrison, Jr. gives a brilliant performance as a young man feeling the weight of living up to expectations.  A scene where he tearfully practices a speech about how lucky he feels to live in America, a place where he can be anything he wants to be, is almost overwhelming in its intensity because of the irony.  I was also impressed with Roth's chilling performance as a man who just wanted a normal family not a political statement.  This is definitely a provocative movie that will spark a lot of conversations and I highly recommend it!

The Art of Racing in the Rain

The book club that I once belonged to also read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and I loved it so much that I recommended it to everyone.  I have been eagerly anticipating the movie adaptation and I finally had the chance to see it yesterday.  A golden retriever named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) has been with Denny (Milo Ventimiglia), an aspiring Formula One race car driver with an affinity for driving in the rain, since he was a puppy.  He likes watching television while Denny is away from home and learns from a documentary about Mongolia that some dogs are reincarnated into humans after they die.  Enzo hopes that he will be able to become a man so that he can be a race car driver himself.  The story is told from Enzo's point of view as he learns everything he can about driving from Denny and, as time goes by, applies these lessons to life as Denny gets married to Eve (Amanda Seyfried), becomes a father to Zoe (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), suffers an unspeakable tragedy, and overcomes adversity.  As a huge fan of the book I was happy that the movie followed the source material pretty faithfully (other than changing a minor subplot which, frankly, worked much better in my opinion).  I loved the way the relationship between Denny and Enzo is portrayed, especially Enzo's jealousy when Eve vies with him for Denny's affections and his protectiveness when Zoe is born.  I loved Costner as the narrator and I think he makes Enzo into a really believable character.  I also liked Ventimiglia as Denny because he is very appealing and Seyfried does very well in a role that is not as developed.  The story is, admittedly, quite emotional but I think everyone who has ever had a dog will relate to it and, after all of the tears, the ending will put a smile on your face.  I recommend this movie to everyone who loved the book and to everyone who loves dogs!

Note:  I've been thinking about all the books my former book club read and I've decided that I need to join another one!