Horse Manure Park

For any other act, selling out a 17,000 seat venue is an accomplishment. For Paul McCartney, it's a "cozy evening with a few friends." I can scarcely believe it, but I am going to see my all-time favorite artist again.  This time in Fargo, North Dakota... of all places! Frame of reference:  Paul McCartney holds the Guiness Book of World Records for largest paying audience to see a solo artist:  184,000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 21, 1990. According to the 2012 U.S. Census, the population of Fargo is 109,000. Think about that. The last (and only time) the Wife and I saw Paul McCartney was on a crisp Monday night in September 2002.  And I have to admit it was the only time I've truly been star struck. In fact, I vividly remember thinking to myself, as McCartney took the stage, "Holy sh*t!  He looks just like  him !" (Sounded just like him, too.) McCartney in Verona, Italy.  That crowd is pretty much the population of Fargo. ...

I've never been an Elvis Presley fan, so it is more than a little surprising that I've just spent more than two months and 1,600+ pages reading about The King of Rock and Roll. I've just closed the cover of Peter Guralnick's two volume series detailing the explosive rise ( Last Train to Memphis ), and tragic disintergration ( Careless Love ) of Elvis Presley.  It took Guralnick more than 11 years to research and write this terrific biography, which I found easy to read and kept me turning pages from beginning to end. You could say with complete accuracy that this is the War and Peace of Elvis biographies. But since I wasn't a fan, what on earth made me want to read about Elvis Presley?  After all, I've always maintained he was a rip-off artist with a pretty face who stole black music, whitewashed it, shook his ass, made the girls squeal and made millions doing it. (Yes, I have a tendency to have rather strong opinions.) However, a part of me f...