Sunday, February 28, 2010

Nickelback Headed to New Jersey

Canadian rockers Nickelback are riding through the United States on their Dark Horse tour and you can see them perform live in Atlantic City on April 3. Musically inclined Bluegreen owners should make plans to attend the show at Boardwalk Hall Arena for all the right reasons — to be entertained! Your plans should also include a vacation getaway to Bluegreen at Atlantic Palace.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Slowhand Tuned Up for Orlando

Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Eric Clapton will be playing the Amway Arena in Orlando on March 13. It’s a great time to vacation in Orlando so roll up your wintry bell bottom blues and head to The Fountains. Bluegreen’s world-class resort is overflowing with onsite amenities.

Branson's First Show

If you’re looking for things to do in Branson and need a good laugh, be sure to check out the Baldknobbers. Their zany performances started an entertainment revolution that’s been going strong for 50 years. Opening night of their 2010 season is this Friday (March 5).

Yep, I like side-splitting humor just as much as smashing guitars and Colorful Places to Play.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Eagles in the Desert

The Eagles are landing at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, April 21. Don’t forget the after show party — Bluegreen’s Cibola Vista Resort and Spa is a great place to take it easy and have an authentic southwest vacation experience.

Bon Jovi in Sin City

A shout out to all my fellow Bluegreen rockers in Las Vegas — Bon Jovi is on tour and he’ll be there for you March 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Reserve your vacation villa at Club 36 have a nice day!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

This Day in History

Van Halen’s “Jump” jumps to #1 in 1984.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Sir Paul of Success

In 1964 Paul McCartney brought Beatles to the United States and helped launch a British music invasion. We loved them yeah, yeah, yeah; but then they broke up. He spread his Wings with his wife Linda and had 12 top-10 singles in a band on the run through 1981. His resume also includes a solo career and duet with Michael Jackson. With so many accomplishments, it’s no wonder he’s finally ready for his Up and Coming tour in 2010. Bluegreen owners on vacation in Miami can catch him April 3 at Sun Life Stadium.

Not on Permanent Vacation

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is the Brett Favre of rock and roll. And he’s back in the saddle — at least for now.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Dinner Drum Roll, Please ...

I recently discovered the perfect place to satisfy my appetite for head banging and BBQ — Nicko McBrain’s Rock n Roll Ribs restaurant in Coral Springs, Florida. If you don’t know Nicko, he’s the drummer from Iron Maiden. It was busy the night my son and I went, but we were seated quickly and the ambiance definitely put us in a metal mood. The walls were decorated with guitars and autographed posters from past tours; and flat screens tuned to music videos had us lip-syncing the words. There were many rockin’-inspired menu items to choose from and all were reasonably priced. My son had the Rock n Roll Baby Back Ribs and I ordered the Hot Backstage Chix Sandwich.

Nicko definitely knows how to keep a beat — and his customers happy. He brought extra napkins to our table and took time to chat with us as he signed the Powerslave album cover for my son. (Yes, it was just a coincidence that I happened to have an Iron Maiden album cover and a Sharpie with me at the time.) It was refreshing to see someone who has enjoyed years of fame be such a regular guy. I’m already flicking my lighter for an encore!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Rock the Date

Back in the day when kids still had paper routes, I was the kid responsible for delivering the news in my neighborhood. I made pretty good money delivering those papers and I spent it all on myself. (I was too young to have expenses and I was still living at home.)

My money went to a good cause — rock and roll concert tickets. I didn’t even have to be a huge fan of the group on tour. All I cared about was that it was live and loud. But getting to the concerts wasn’t all that easy. I first had to find out the groups were coming to my town.

Checking the Entertainment section of the newspaper I delivered was a decent source, but like most teenagers, I preferred keeping my ears tuned to the radio. So I listened intently to the ads and the DJs in hopes that they would make a big concert announcement. If I was lucky enough to hear something, I’d gather up my friends and convince my mom to drive us to the record store to get our tickets.

A lot has changed since those days in Michigan. (Although I still go back often ‘cause I love to rock the ski slopes at Bluegreen’s Mountain Run at Boyne.)

Now all I have to do is check my iConcertCal app. This free iTunes plug-in scans my music library and then creates a personalized calendar of upcoming concerts in my city — so I never have to worry about missing my favorite artists on tour. This cool little app even links me up to virtual ticket windows so I can purchase my tickets online.

If iConcertCal had been around when I was growing up, I would have needed to take on a second job …