Nick Carter - Live in NYC

It is surprising even to myself that despite being a music lover, I have never been to a live concert. The major reason has been my aversion to crowded places. However, it has been one of the important things on my checklist recently. I missed out on the Dream Theater concert in San Francisco while I was there. I'm still hoping they do a second US leg of their ADTOE tour. So, when Nick Carter decided to have a concert at Irving Plaza in NYC, I immediately got my tickets for the show.
This was a pretty modest-sized hall, and the concert was more like a House of Blues show. The doors were gonna open at 8pm, so I came there by 7.30, and the line had already snaked around the block by then. I have to admit I stood out from the beginning, being one of the few guys among an ocean of girls. It was past 9 pm before the opening act came out, some female pop singer named Guinevere. She looked hot in her flashy outfit, but was mostly lip-syncing, and I had to bear through her mini-setlist of around 4 songs. Then, the curtains came down while Nick's band set up their equipment. Finally, around 9.45 the curtain (more like a projector screen) went up and the crowd let out a huge roar. To the background of radio transmission excerpts from space flights, and some epic entrance music, the band members came out wearing white space-suits and settled in their places. Then Nick came, out with a full space-suit and helmet, standing in the center, back to the crowd, a band member equipping him with his guitar. As the lights came down, he turned to the audience as the screams grew louder, approached the mic and launched into "I'm Taking Off", the title track off his new album, followed by "Blow Your Mind" from his 2002 debut album Now Or Never, and "Not The Other Guy" again off the new one. He then paused to thank everyone for their support, and exhorted the crowd to be his 'aliens' he is visiting, and then sang "I Got You" from NON, which is my favorite solo song of his. I was naturally singing along, eliciting a few curious stares from the girls around me. Nick later did an awesome mix of "The Great Divide" (another fave) with U2's "With Or Without You". Later in the show Nick picked up the guitar again to do to BSB's "Larger Than Life", with his guitarist nailing the solo part perfectly. His drummer was exceptional as well, Nick mentioned he was with him during his first solo album tour. After the second break, Nick came out alone with an acoustic guitar in hand, dedicating his next song to his sister Leslie Carter, who had passed away just two days before with the words "I've not done his before and never thought I'd ever have to. I wanna dedicate this song to my sister". And he did an acoustic rendition of "Falling Down", and choking towards the end, he rushed to the corner of the stage as soon as he finished, to compose himself. That was a pretty intense moment, and the crowd went quiet for a while before starting a "We Love You" chant to cheer him back on to the stage. Nick came back, taking the mic and saying "Lets celebrate her life Goddammit" and went on to perform the last two songs of the show, the eternal BSB hit "I Want It That Way" and his new single "Burning Up", pumping up the crowd and ending the show on a high note.
To sum up, it was an incredible night. Nick was amazing throughout, and though I already know this from the countless live videos I have seen, I could witness in person that he (and also the other Boys) know how to deliver an amazing show, most importantly with amazing vocals.  And I am looking forward to checking off the rest from my list: Backstreet Boys, Metallica & Dream Theater. Sadly, I would never be able to see the Eagles live.  (Picture courtesy: user fsquared87 on Photobucket)

Who are we saving again?

Some of those ads about nature conservation & reducing pollution are certainly very powerful and emotive. But  in recent years, I have come to see a fundamental flaw that prevents them from having any lasting effect on the psyche of people and make them actually do something. A lot of it has stemmed from all I have learnt about the universe since childhood. But what made me think about it more is the philosophy of Ian Malcolm, a character in Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park series. 

We as humans are often fooled by this illusion of grandeur. Some religions preach about the 'special' place of humans in the scheme of things. It comes from the technological advances as well. While the scientists responsible for them generally have a sense of nobility towards the cosmic forces, the end-users of the technology are overwhelmed with a misplaced sense of invincibility. So, when they see a slogan like "Save the Earth", they will inevitably have a laid-back attitude towards it. It makes it seem like an act of philanthropy, which it most certainly isn't. Moreover, if you think about it a little more, that slogan itself is false. Yes, we are disturbing the delicate balance in various ecological systems throughout our world. We have caused extinctions of several species, and are still pushing more species towards it. But lets look at the bigger picture. A few hundred years down the line (or probably much, much sooner), we may have caused enough irreparable damage to cause a whole bunch of species, including ourselves, to be extinct. Now step back to see this from the Earth's point of view. For the Earth, this will be just the latest addition to the many extinctions that have occurred in its near 4 billion year history. It is quite likely that in the next few millennia at the most, a fresh batch of ecological systems will replace the ones that were wiped away. As a species, we have achieved a lot, and made phenomenal progress since the first Homo Sapiens appeared 200,000 years ago. If we stretch it to our entire genus, it will make us about 3 million years old. But, take for example dinosaurs, who were the dominant genus for well over 100 million years, and how easily they were wiped out and forgotten. So its funny that people think its the Earth we are saving from being doomed, and that if the worst happens, somewhere in the future, we will fly off to another habitable planet in a ship. Going by how scientists struggle for funding to even look at habitable planets elsewhere in the Universe, I wonder if anyone would have the foresight soon enough for us to develop a reasonable plan of action for that. So, if its a gradual extinction from the extremities of shifting weather conditions, or an instantaneous wipe-out from a nuclear holocaust, its our species that is at stake. The Earth and most certainly the Universe will go on without as much as a hiccup. 

So boys & girls, next time you put that can of soda in the recycle bin, remember, you're not saving the Earth, you're saving your own sorry ass!

Imagine

John Lennon's masterpiece has been covered by many artists. But along with his original, I found two versions perfect to fit together, to create a trilogy.

A silent hope:

A passionate cry:

A gloomy acceptance:

Backstreet Solos

Wanted to compile this for a while now. Here are my picks from the solo efforts by the Backstreet Boys

AJ McLean

Brian Littrell

Howie D

Kevin Richardson

Nick Carter

Prayer to Self

Keep inside me, the desire
To jump and reach the sky
And stars along my way
And help to give me strength
To make the most of each day
I am ready, help me be all I can be
I am ready, help guide me, and keep me free

(Based on the Twelve-Step Suite by Mike Portnoy)

Siberia

I am a huge fan of the Backstreet Boys. Back in 2005, they released their 'comeback' album Never Gone after an absence of almost five years. I had very high expectations from them, and they didn't disappoint. Right from the first single: the power ballad 'Incomplete', and the almost alternate-rock 'Climbing The Walls' to mid-tempo pop/rock numbers like 'I Still', 'Just Want You to Know' and slower tracks like 'Never Gone', 'Safest Place To Hide', I loved every single track, and listen to the whole album from top to bottom to this very day. The album was their experiment with an organic, live instruments only sound.

But one song in particular is most special to me, and is actually my favorite song of theirs of all time. Named 'Siberia', it is the darkest song they have ever done. Its a song about heart-break, but rather than the cliched pleading tone of similar songs, it echoes a sentiment of acceptance of the inevitable end. The lyrics in the bridge even have an accusatory tone to them, something very un-Backstreet. The song is written & produced by Max Martin. The music itself is also equally haunting and makes up the somber mood of the song.

(Credit: YouTube User BackstreetBoysVault)

Invictus - A Poem by William Ernest Henley

Love the movie of the same name. Based on true events surrounding the early days of Nelson Mandela's presidency. He has cited this poem as his biggest inspiration.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.