Dragonforce Live 11/25/08

Updated 11/27/08

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dragonforce played at Irving Plaza two days ago. The show was amazing! These guys, if you don't know, have a history of playing live drunk as all hell and being out of tune, among other things. I went to this show a bit skeptical and thinking that it might not blow over so well. Boy, was I wrong; And thankfully so! Herman Li and Sam Totman were nuts; they knew their guitars so well that they could pretty much do their taxes while playing. They talked to each other, made funny faces, jumped around, ran around and interacted with the crowd (Herman crowdsurfed while playing a solo) to make things very entertaining while listening to music so fast, it could get a speeding ticket. ZP Theart sounded very good and there were many people who knew the words to the songs so he had a nice back-up from the crowd. Near the end of the show he was showing signs of fatigue but he sang well overall.

Vadim Pruzhanov was also very entertaining to watch. He pulled out a neon green keyboard ax-thingy (I have no idea what the real name of that thing is) and rushed stage-front to play solos alone or with the guitarists. He and Frederic Leclercq (the bass player) spent some time playing solos in the middle of the set. Only thing is, Fred was playing some killer lead guitar! I thought his multitalentedness was especially intriguing. The drums, played by Dave Mackintosh, were mindblowing. I really can't grasp how people can play so fast, precise and for such a long time! The set was 2 hours long and included many hits from their three most recent albums. They did an encore which comprised of "Valley of the Damned," the single off their first album, and "Through the Fire and Flames."

Images and videos abound below! Enjoy!

Dragonforce 11-25-08

Victory over the Fully Loaded KFC Guitar Hero Crossover Box of Food

Achievement unlocked:

That's a lot of food!

Date: 11/19/2008

Sides: Corn on the Cob, Mac & Cheese. That certainly made consumption much easier!

I know it's been a few days but I've been lazy in sending this image from my cell phone to the blog.

Jetswatch - Week 12

Oh my, what accomplishments have I to tell about the 2008 New York Jets! After a somewhat disappointing first few weeks and surprising losses (e.g. to the Raiders, WTF?), the members are starting to come together and show some real hunger. Victories over their division superiors - the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots - in weeks 9 and 11 have been only the prologue to their most recent achievements. Those would be week 12's dethroning of the Tennessee Titans from their undefeated status in an amazing (in my opinion) 34-13 win, tying for 2nd place in the AFC with the Pittsburgh Steelers and cementing a 1st place spot in the AFC East division. That pretty much all happened at the same time, too.

Brett Favre is certainly forming a fantastic connection with his receivers, in particular Lavernues Coles, resulting in stunning TD catches and some excellent short and long-range connections. Leon Washington is a joy to watch as he shuttles down the field, evading opposing tacklers. Thomas Jones is quite simply a tank, charging into the line and blasting through the pocket to make some yards or simply eat away at the clock. The Jet defense, while I can't really drop any names, is performing much better than many previous years that I've been watching the team. They're forcing fumbles, stopping drives and making interceptions. Sometimes, though, they let the opposing teams just run all over them and make quick points late in the game. Maybe they just get really tired after all that earlier ownage. Really, though, the attention is on the offense and their growing communication and utilization of their combined skills to get the ball down the field.

I'm feeling proud of the new Gang Green, and I hope their continued success brings them Super Bowl rings, or at least a spot in the big game. Oh, what the hell... to victory!

Me vs. The Guitar Hero Fully Loaded Box Meal

Last night (actually Tuesday morning), after not eating anything the entire day I decided to grab some grub from KFC. Remembering the blog on Kotaku about the Guitar Hero meal, I decided to give it a whirl. As you can see, it's rated T for Teen. A healthy teen boy could certain make short work out of the meal which includes two original recipe strips, one dark meat piece (I received a Thigh), one KFC snacker (which is essentially half a strip with mayo and shredded lettuce on a teeny bun), a biscuit, two sides and a large soda. I have read that this box meal is "a lot of food" and from someone who eats quite a bit, I can somewhat agree.

Ready, set, GO!

Mind you, I ate nothing for probably 18 hours before eating this meal. My two sides were mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese - not too filling if I may say so myself but it's got some weight to it. My drink of choice was Dr Pepper, but I like a good Dew any time. I got about this far into the meal before finally calling it quits.

That's half a biscuit, half a strip, snacker bread and half of the mac and cheese. All very, very cold. Makes me a little sick just looking at this pic now (lol). I'm no fan of original recipe and I think I would have cleaned up if it were extra-crispy. I also didn't feel much like a guitar hero before, during or after the feast.

What do I rate this box meal? A hearty 7/10. I wish I had vegetables with this, but KFC isn't really known for its greens, yellows and reds. They were out of vegs that night, so maybe them greens are quite popular? Anyhow, would I buy this again? Sure, but I just wish they had it in extra crispy. Does this make me want to buy Guitar Hero World Tour? Nahh.