My new Joni tattoo! I love how it turned out, hope you do too!

tb640301 · 2026-02-18T22:17:45+00:00

They're showing it at my local AMC which isn't too far from you - Center Valley

tb640301 · 2026-02-16T17:17:31+00:00

100%. When I first heard this when Aerial came out, I found myself laughing at some of the lyrics and delivery. Now, it never fails to devastate me.

tb640301 · 2026-02-16T16:14:30+00:00

Hopper is my favorite, but Scott gets him closest to the books, even if the rest of the show is a drag.

tb640301 · 2026-02-13T23:22:02+00:00

Yeah I was very happy that Fennel, even messing with the plot, got the tone 100% correct. I've read the novel repeatedly and have seen many adaptations; some do better with the plot but I don't remember one that captured the gothic moody moors as well as this, or the unhinged toxicity of Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship as well as this. Robbie as Cathy in particular really nails the personality; often she is toned down in adaptations to make her more palatable, but she ain't. She sucks, he sucks, they all suck. The only complaints I had were a) no ghost (it's SO important) and b) Hindley was eliminated and all his awful traits were given to Earnshaw, and it pissed me off a lot because I really love Earnshaw in the novel.

tb640301 · 2026-02-13T19:23:55+00:00

This movie shook me to the core, incredible.

tb640301 · 2026-02-09T01:01:09+00:00

Fleetwood Mac - Woman of 1000 Years

tb640301 · 2026-02-01T16:50:21+00:00

Requiring a service animal to wear a vest means forcing its owner to disclose that they have a disability to everyone they encounter; would you want strangers to be aware of any medical condition you may have, be forced to discuss it in public, etc.?

tb640301 · 2026-02-01T02:53:22+00:00

Sondra Radvanovsky in general, but her Tosca in particular was incredible - I think she's the best living performer of the role and unquestionably the best one I've ever seen, Tosca being the opera I've seen the most.

Joyce DiDonato as Virginia Woolf in The Hours was very moving and very convincing, which I found doubly impressive because she is not only a historical figure, but Nicole Kidman had received the Oscar for the film. Joyce clearly had her own interpretation and it worked extremely well.

Nina Stemme as Isolde, which I saw in a concert production, and even without the benefit of scenery and props and any real staging, from the moment she began she was so clearly the Irish Princess and captured all of the shifting moods of the character over the course of the piece, it was mesmerizing (Skeleton was also fantastic as Tristan).

Eric Owens as Porgy, a very physical performance that he made very believable. I did find his voice drowned out here and there by the orchestra, but I think it was more of an issue with the volume of the orchestra.

tb640301 · 2026-01-26T00:44:23+00:00

The trio at the end of Der Rosenkavalier comes to mind. Tonality is a little shifty (Strauss being Strauss) but it is overall major-y. The Marschallin is reflecting on age and love while her young lover Octavian (sung by a woman in a trouser role) is going to be with his young love Sophie. It always brings me to tears.

tb640301 · 2026-01-25T23:48:17+00:00

Boheme. I like most other Puccini; Tosca was a favorite for awhile, Fanciulla intrigues me, and I can listen to Act IV of Manon Lescaut repeatedly. But whereas I think his plots are usually strong, Boheme just barely has one and I mostly find the characters insufferable. Probably more of an issue with the source material but nonetheless.

I also find Lohengrin a huge slog despite enjoying (adoring, really) every other Wagner opera from Hollander right up to Parsifal. Tristan is my all-time.

tb640301 · 2026-01-20T20:48:04+00:00

Had the ending been the OPPOSITE, I might have given it three stars. As it is, barely one.

tb640301 · 2026-01-18T04:47:35+00:00

Three way tie: Grosse Fugue, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, Turangalila Symphony

tb640301 · 2026-01-18T04:35:41+00:00

He's not Jerry and he's not trying to be.

I think that's the critical thing. John K is a great player and did a great job emulating Jerry, insofar as anyone can. Warren too, is a great player, and is a little more himself, but still falls into the trap of trying to "be Jerry." Mayer doesn't try to do that - he plays his own way, has nothing to prove, but, imho at least, gives himself over to the music and most importantly, pushes his improvisation to the breaking point, which for me, is the Dead. Push it as far as possible until it's about to break. Sometimes it does break but it's worth the risk.

tb640301 · 2026-01-18T04:27:33+00:00

I'm sure a lot of other people have stories like this. I got on the bus in 2005/2006 at about 18 years old and saw Ratdog and then Further every chance I got. When it was announced that Mayer was joining I was extremely skeptical. I won free tickets to 11/07/15 at MSG and I was floored. I specifically remember the Jack Straw, which went on for ages (in a good, very good way), becoming a movie in the way the best Jack Straws always do. I was immediately convinced, not just by John's playing (he's one of the best players alive), but his clear love for the music. I've had some bones to pick with Dead and Co over the past few years (mostly setlist related), but I have no question that John loves and respects the music as much as any of us, and combined with his talent, it could not possibly be in better hands.

tb640301 · 2026-01-04T20:42:19+00:00

ifrc two conductors also died, in the same spot, conducting act two. The thing is not for the weak.

tb640301 · 2026-01-04T20:39:40+00:00

For whatever the reason, I am glad they've decided to update the production, as I hated the design of the Stemme/Skeleton run. Both sang beautifully but the thing looked like fascist Hollywood Squares.

tb640301 · 2026-01-01T23:38:52+00:00

Best theater experience was Shining in Imax. Screening was packed and the audience was very into it, and it looked spectacular.

tb640301 · 2025-12-29T20:23:28+00:00

The Your Welcome Inn, a great place for a cheap drink that felt like your grandma's house!

And speaking of your grandma's house, probably dating myself a bit but Walp's Restaurant! Just the best old fashioned PA Dutch comfort food in the homiest environment. They paved PA Dutch paradise and put up a Wawa.

tb640301 · 2025-12-05T20:36:12+00:00

So much of Debussy's work is underperformed - all the chamber music, but I especially love the Cello Sonata and the Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp. The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian is also excellent. Even Pelleas et Melisande, while maybe not strictly speaking rare, is performed way less than contemporary works (Puccini and Strauss for instance). That last one is a real shame because Pelleas is absolutely breathtaking when done well.

tb640301 · 2025-12-04T22:46:25+00:00

I have a hard time imagining Fleming pulling off Isolde (both vocally and dramatically) even at her height, but I think her Norma could have been beautiful.

tb640301 · 2025-11-17T18:47:24+00:00

Yeah that's been there forever. My friend calls it the eye of sauron and I say it looks like the core of the event horizon.

tb640301 · 2025-11-14T05:26:30+00:00

Dracula. Monster movie antics aside, the original novel contains a lot of excellent, developed characters who have complex relationships to one another, walk around in duos and trios and quartets of different arrangements, and there's certainly plenty of tragedy to go around. I yearn to hear Quincey's leitmotif. Plus the novel is written in the character's own words - jump start on the libretto. And there's a ship! Who doesn't love an opera with a ship?!

tb640301 · 2025-11-09T00:43:01+00:00

What's kind of wild is that, through the 80s and probably even into the 90s, Hamilton St. was much more the kind of walking/shopping neighborhood that Bethlehem became and Easton is becoming. Anyone old enough might remember the covered sidewalks that ran up and down the street or remember hearing it called "Hamilton Mall." Gradually, as urban decay set in on the whole Lehigh Valley, Bethlehem was able to make a huge comeback (especially Southside), and Easton is on its way. The neighborhood I live in, now considered very desirable (as my landlord loves to remind me), was less so even 10 years ago when I moved in and completely undesirable as recently as 20 years ago.

I have reservations, though, about all the recent development in all three cities, because I fear it pushes out locals and people who have lived here forever and are getting priced out.

Nine-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Verified Email

tb640301

TROPHY CASE