Recent Stories with tag key arena

I think I heard somewhere that good writing usually divulges some dark, personal secrets. I can't claim to be a good writer, but here are two secrets I shouldn't tell anyone.

1. In 4th or 5th grade, my mom walked in on my friend Mike and me. We were in front of the mirrors in the living room, playing air guitar and singing. The tape playing was Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet.

2. I like Dashboard Confessional.

There, I said it. Now that these horrible secrets are out in the open, we can have an honest conversation about what happened last night at Key Arena. According to the three young girls that sat next to me, what happened was "awesome."

Dashboard Confessional opened the show to an arena about half-full. Whenever I mentioned this lineup, my friends thought the combination of bands was strange. Perhaps it was some sort of attempt by Bon Jovi to attract a younger crowd. Judging by the reaction of the audience, they weren't there to see Chris Carrabba sing about his ex-girlfriends. A couple ladies in the front were up and dancing, but in general, all I saw were people sitting and politely clapping or the red cushion of an empty seat....

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Do not be afraid to admit it--I know you're as excited as I am for this.

Eighties rock legends Bon Jovi are resurfacing once again with their recently-released album The Circle, and the North American tour kicks off here in Seattle tonight. Even if you didn't grow up in the '80s, surely you know that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year and The Circle has spent some time at #1 on the Billboard charts. This alone should be enough motivation to get you down to Key Arena to see what rock from the '80s is really all about.

For the kids who were born after Bon Jovi's second round of popularity (the "It's My Life" era), Dashboard Confessional will be opening both shows. Chris Carrabba and crew also have a new album (Alter the Ending, released on the same day as The Circle), and I daresay that it might get some of the older folks in the crowd to become fans.

The tour will be in town for two nights and it looks like lower level seats may still be available for both nights. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster and range from $33 for an upper level seat to $500 for a VIP experience. Shows start at 7:30 p.m.

If you can't make it to the show, you can also watch the first couple songs live via webcast on Ustream at 8:30 p.m. Look for the hand permanently formed into a "rock on" sign--that will be me.

I took a photo of this morning's procession in honor of murdered Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton, as it passed through Capitol Hill on the way to the memorial at Key Arena.

A 2- to 5-inch tsunami hit the Washington coast, but it was commercial developer Michael Mastro who continued to make waves locally, after a suit filed in federal court alleged Mastro was hiding assets to defraud investors. I hear through the grapevine that, barring the surprise appearance of buckets of money, Mastro's default may bring about the demise of more than one local bank.

CHS reported on the First Hill streetcar progress, which is slated to begin service in 2013, three years before the Link light rail extension from Capitol Hill to the U District. Speaking of transit, we unearthed a way to turn a $5 roundtrip light rail ticket into an all-day transit pass.

In conjunction with the eviction of Nickelsville from its latest refuge (12 people were arrested), a group of homeless activists began camping outside of city officials' houses: so far Mayor Nickels and the city council's Tim Burgess and Richard Conlin have been...

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Some digits you may or may not have added up after witnessing—or regrettably only hearing about—one or both of this week's legend-building Pearl Jam shows:

0 Beers allowed in KeyArena's bowl. Signs at all lower-level entrances proclaimed the venue's dryness. The irony of this wasn't lost on Eddie Vedder. Between encores on night two, he pointed out that when the Key was actually used as a sports arena, alcohol could be consumed anywhere. He recalled being in the audience for a Paul McCartney show, frustrated that the authorities apparently worried that alcohol and "All You Need is Love" was a dangerous combo.

1 Cigarettes lit and quickly puffed by Vedder during an extended PJ jam each night. Also the number of songs played from the band's early '00s Binaural ("Insignificance") and Riot Act ("Save You") records.

2 Eyes exposed on both nights by the normally bespectacled Stone Gossard. The guitarist's usual tight haircut was also eschewed for a late-'80s Steve Turner-style shaggy 'do. Check the cover of...

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As Clint mentioned yesterday, Pearl Jam's new album Backspacer comes out this Sunday, and Eddie and company kick off their fall tour with two dates at the Key Arena next week. The SunBreak has a pair of tickets for next Tuesday's show for one lucky winner--enter to win below!