Musical Legends Landing in Sofia

Probably the single biggest part of my American life that I miss is the plethora of opportunities, nightly in LA, to see amazing concerts. I spent a good deal of my paycheck and nights at various concerts in and around LA.

During my three years in Roma I was fortunate to have seen a few great concerts - the Beastie Boys (a pre MTV Europe award show concert for 5 euro), Simon and Garfunkel + Elton John (in front of the Colosseo), and a random show here or there (Sting and Alicia Keys at a benefit; Thievery Corporation). However, these were few and far betweeen.

One thing that was notoriously absent during my two years in Paraguay were good concert events. Not too many groups tour South America and I didn't have the funds to take me to Buenos Aires, the lone city to attract the big international acts, every other weekend. I did have the chance to see Bryan Adams, but didn't take advantage of the Canadian's presence in Asuncion. The one show that I was able to watch a part of was Mana, but due to poor organization and an overselling of the venue by about 10,000 people, we didn't stay long.

And now I'm in Sofia and we are blessed to be visited by a few legendary music acts. We have already rocked Studentskigrad with our friend Snoop Doggy Dogg, and it only will get better from here on out.

Now we get a wonderful cornucopia of musical styles and legends:

First up is Ice Cube: Although Cube is a pretty big movie star now, and a stand-up kind of fellow, he got his start with NWA and is one of the artists to usher in the gangster rap movement. He left NWA and had a solid solo career. My one wish is for him to play "Jackin' For Beats" - an amazing track off one of his first solo records.




Then come Depeche Mode:

I have heard from others that their live show is amazing. I have always been a fan, although I have never owned a Depeche Mode record. They are another in a long line of groups I feel that I should see before they are done.




And, last but certainly the biggest, is the one and only Madonna.

Rumor has it that she is gettting 5 million a show for this European tour. Paul Oakenfold is opening with a DJ set, but the crowd will be fantastic for what will no doubt be a rockin' show from start to finish. Also of note, if you are 1 1/2 meters or less in height you get in for free. Damn, does that mean I'll be surrounded by 4th grade Madonna fans? Isn't her show rated R?

¡Que Hermosa!

Emerging from the incredibly efficient world of the Madrid underground, we gazed upon snowflakes, the size of a one euro coin, drifting lazily down from the sky, melting quickly on the pavement. Our walk from the subway station to the Prado museum felt more like one of the Dali paintings found in Madrid's other great museo - the Reina Sofia. Tracing the fence line that encloses the Botanical Gardens that lead to the entrance of the Prado, these snowflakes captured our attention, and transformed a cold, wet morning into our most memorable minutes from our weekend trip to Spain. Snow in Madrid - que loco, pero que hermosa! Kate and I both took several minutes, protected by the entrance's massive white columns, to marvel at the thousand falling stars of snow.

Raindrops Keep Falling...

on all of my travels.

Thus far we have traveled to:

Varna - came back a day early because of the rain
Roma - the umbrellas were out every day
Vienna - really wet, bitterly cold
Barcelona/Madrid - It just dumped water on us for three days; how often does it snow in Madrid?

This is why I am called "Bad Luck" Branch.

Don't travel with me if you're hoping for sun.