Return To London Ten Years Later For EC At Royal Albert Hall
5/23/2025 - London, England - Our return trip to London, England started a day earlier, driving from Hilton to Lockport, to pickup brother Mike, then over the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge being playfully questioned by the most gorgeous female border guard I have ever encountered, then finally onto YYZ Toronto Pearson Airport to catch a red eye Air Canada flight direct to London Heathrow. Mike payed to upgrade our seats for more leg room for the 7 hour flight. We had a smooth flight that included complimentary drinks and new release movies the flight arrived late morning in London. We made it thru customs painlessly and caught the Tube to our favorite hotel in London the Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge. We arrived early for checkin and luckily our Big Ben view suite was ready. The suite was excellent and provided fantastic views of Big Ben and Parliament and included a full living room. We rested for a while and then headed to Picadilly Circus on the Tube for a nice steak dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe at Picadilly Circus. This trip was literally ten years to the day of our trip in 2015 to see Eric Clapton for his 70th Birthday now we are here to see his 80th Birthday celebration. We started our first full day with the great breakfast at the hotel, then we explored the Westminster area including Big Ben, Parliament and the London Eye. We walked the streets and headed to the newly renovated National Gallery and took in some amazing artwork from the likes of Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Micelangelo, Raphael, Monet and Renoir to name a few. We then hopped on the Tube and went to Abby Road Studios and made the same walk the Beatles made some 56 years earlier. We were back on the Tube heading from Westminster to South Kenningston to Royal Albert Hall to see Slowhand, Eric Clapton, perform. We stopped at Five Guys for a quick bite and walked to the Hall. We entered early and for this night we would be seated on opposite sides of the hall but both excellent seats. The show opened promptly at 7:30PM with Andy Fairweather Low and his band the Low Riders. He played an almost hour set of some originals and some covers including Tequila and the Theme From Peter Gunn. His set was well received by the quickly filled in crowd, I thought he was just okay. After a short intermission, EC and his band hit the stage and performed an excellent set. He opened the first electric set with White Room, then Key To The Highway and closed with Sunshine of Your Love. He opened the acoustic set with a surprise of Let It Grow which had not been performed since 78. His band included Nathan East on bass, Sonny Emory on drums, Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon on keys, Sharon White and Katie Kissoon on backup vocals and Doyle Bramhall II on guitar. He played Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out and closed the acoustic set with Tears In Heaven. He opened the second electric set with Tell The Truth and played one of my favorites Old Love. He closed the show with Cocaine and came out for the one encore of Before You Accuse Me. A great show at a fabulous venue and we get to do it again tomorrow!Slideshow[]
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Kick Off World Tour At CMAC
Train Trip Getaway To Explore The Gorgeous City Of Venice
6/1/2022 - Canandaigua, New York - Today, I decided at the last minute to head back to Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (or CMAC) in Canandaigua, New York for the second time this week to see the legendary Robert Plant perform along with Alison Krauss to promote their new album Raise The Roof. The show appeared to be a sellout and I picked up a decent ticket in the back of the arena. The opening act was an American guitarist JD McPherson who entertained with a rock and roll, rockabilly short thirty minute set. Plant and Krauss came out shortly after his set and did a great set that included old, new and classic material. This was the opening show of their world tour and no one was sure what to expect. They played songs from the new album and their first one Raising Sand including songs like Go Your Way, Quattro (World Drifts In) and It Don't Bother Me to name a few. They covered several Led Zeppelin songs including a rearranged performance of Rock and Roll that was well received and was the first time they had ever performed it together. My Youtube video for this song was featured by Rolling Stone and several other sites, going viral for a quarter million hits in a day. They also did a fantastic mandolin filled version of The Battle of Evermore and good cover of When The Levee Breaks. This kept the Zeppelin fans happy. They also did a good cover of a Page and Plant song Please Read The Letter. The band was pretty tight with JD McPherson (who opened) providing the guitar work and upright bassist Dennis Crouch, who Plant stated is "his favorite musician in the world". Krauss provided great vocals and excellent work on the fiddle and Plant proved he can still entertain. They finished with a two song encore that included an Everly Brothers cover of Stick With Me Baby and closed it out with Can't Let Go. This was an excellent show that shows how Plant and Krauss continue to evolve as artists and can can put on a great performance together.Slideshow[]
9/12/2019 - Venice, Italy - Today, we were up early and headed down to the ferry dock in Bellagio to catch a ferry to start our journey west to Venice for a few days. We took the short ferry ride from Bellagio to Varenna, then train one from Vareena-Esino to Milano Centrale and finally train two from Milano Centrale to Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia (Venice, Italy). We arrived in Venice around noon and it was nice sunny day and we walked from the train station to our hotel, Hotel Antica Locanda Sturion, which was a stones throw away from Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto). We checked in and began our exploration of gorgeous Venice. We took in the many iconic places in Venice including Rialto Bridge, St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco), Saint Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), St Mark's Campanile (Campanile di San Marco), Caffè Florian, and Bridge of Sighs to name a few. We spent time shopping the many shops, stopping at Hard Rock Cafe to pickup the must have pin. We took a gondola ride along some of the many canals which took us under the famous Rialto Bridge a great experience. At night, we took a walk down to St. Mark's Square for breathtaking night views of the area accompanied by contemporary and traditional Italian music provided by a string quartet at Caffè Chioggia. The next morning I was up early and captured some epic sunrise drone footage from Piazza San Marco and was almost arrested after being told it was a no fly zone by the police. They were nice about it and I escaped with my footage intact. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then headed back to the train station stopping and exploring more of Venice along the way. We made the long trip back to Bellagio without issue. A tiring but fantastic journey to do a small exploration of Venice. We arrived back in Bellagio and headed back to our favorite restaurant Pizzeria La Grotta for a much needed meal to finish off another excellent adventure.Slideshow[]
The Who Return To Buffalo With BPO During Movin On Tour
5/9/2019 - Buffalo, New York - Today, we headed West down the New York State Thruway to downtown Buffalo to see the return of The Who performing at KeyBank Center. We first saw them at this venue some twenty-three years ago the week it opened as the Marine Midland Arena. Deb won the tickets that were in the upper level but were still okay and again they were free. We arrived early enough to grab a quick bite and take in the opening band the Arkells from Canada, who were not that great just okay. After a brief intermission The Who stepped on stage to perform a good two hour plus set. The band was accompanied by full orchestra comprised mostly of Buffalo Philharmonic members an opened with Overture and went into set of Tommy classics. It seemed a little out of sync for the first few numbers but got better as they progressed. The band was led by founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend who were accompanied by Pete's brother Simon Townshend on guitar and Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey on drums. They played many classics both with and without the orchestra. The set included classics like Join Together, Substitute, The Real Me and 5:15 to name a few. They sounded pretty good and the orchestra helped provide a good sound. They closed the set with Love Reign O'er Me and finished the show with a single encore of Baba O'Riley. A good show that was made better by it being the first of many free shows in this summers concert season.Slideshow[]
Demi Lovato Brings Future Now Tour To First Niagara Center
7/17/2016 - Buffalo, New York - Today my daughter and I headed west to see her favorite artist of all time, Demi Lovato, play in downtown Buffalo's First Niagara Center on her Future Now Tour. We headed up early stopping Lockport to visit recovering grandma and then stopped for an early dinner at Red Lobster. We arrived a little early and found large lines had formed. We got to our seats which were front row and waited for the show to begin. Nick Jonas opened the show to a very enthusiastic crowd. He played a short set and then Demi hit the stage. Demi came out to a pretty loud and energetic crowd to a play a very short set. She opened with Confident and played others like Fix A Heart, Nightingale, Warrior and Skyscrpaer. She was joined by Nick Jonas for a couple of numbers and closed with Cool For The Summer. I have seen her several times and this was definitely the shortest show yet but the Lovatics seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.Slideshow[]
The Legendary Aretha Franklin Gets Some Respect At Artpark
7/22/2014 - Lewiston, New York - The weekly jaunt to Artpark's Tuesday In The Park Concert series continued today to see the legendary soul sounds of Aretha Franklin. It was hot day and the crowd was not as large as usual, but it was still a nice evening to watch the legend perform. Just like a Vegas show the opener was not a music act but Aretha's favorite comedian Jonathan Slocumb. He did a short some what entertaining set having some trouble relating to the crowd. Soon after Aretha, dubbed the Queen Of Soul, hit the stage dressed in a long white dress and played a set containing many of her classics hits from over five decades. The set included such classics as Chain Of Fools, Think, and Freeway to name a few. She was accompanied by a full band and a group of local musicians that made up the horn section. She put on a good show that was well received by the Artpark crowd. She came out and played a two song encore that included her classic Respect and finished with The Way We Were. It was a nice evening of entertainment seeing the legend perform. Thanks once again Artpark.Slideshow[]
Ohio Road Trip Hits Kalahari Waterpark and Pro Football HOF
Celebrating A Merry iChristmas At Home With Family
2/19/2014 - Canton, Ohio - Today completed a road trip with Dom and a couple of his buddies to Ohio for some February fun. The trip started with a drive through a snowstorm to get to the largest indoor waterpark in North America, Kalahari Waterpark in Sandusky Ohio. We checked into the hotel right at noon and proceeded to hit the waterpark for the entire day. The slides were a blast and included the waterslide coaster the Zip Coaster and toilet bowl Tanzanian Twister. The best of all though was the Flowrider wave machine that allowed us to boogie board the day away. After the water park we had a nice dinner at Outback Steakhouse and then headed back to Kalahari to hit the Arcade that had us having a blast mini bowling. The next day we got up and hit the road heading southeast to Canton Ohio to visit the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. The Hall of Fame was excellent and we all enjoyed learning and interacting with the many exhibits to give us and even better appreciation of the game of football. We learned much about the history of the game past and present and the Bills were well represented in the Hall. The room of all the inductees busts was pretty cool and we had nice photo ops with next years Lombardi trophy. After almost three hours there we were back on the road again, stopping at White Castle for a quick dinner and then back home. A fun and tiring get away.Slideshow[]
12/25/2012 - Hilton, New York - The Christmas season culminated today with the arrival of Christmas day. Amazingly all the preparations for Christmas were complete like finding and trimming the tree, decorating the house, purchasing and wrapping gifts, attending Band and Chorus Concerts, Christmas Eve exchanging gifts at Grandmas house and midnight mass at St Leos but the grand finale was today at home with the family. The kids were up almost reluctantly at a decent hour almost too tired to go and rip thru gifts. Grandma Florio was on hand as usual to enjoy and partake in the festivities. This Christmas was an iChristmas as everybody received iPhones and iPads for the kids. We enjoyed the day playing with the many new toys and gadgets which included the iSfuff, PS3 games (Madden and COD), Yamaha keyboard, and a radio controlled helicopter and airplane to name a few. We were treated to the annual Christmas breakfast pancakes provided by chef Nicole. We later feasted on the delicious Turkey prepared by Deb. The Mike Florio family joined us the day after Christmas for more gifts and feasting and joy of the holiday. Another Merry Christmas put in the books for all.Slideshow[]
The Motor City Madman Rants And Rocks At Artpark
Fun In The Sun Continues In Naples And Marco - Part II
8/16/2011 - Lewiston, New York - The Tuesday In The Park series at Artpark in Lewiston hosted the one and only Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent, today. It was another hot summer night with a late arriving large crowd that was entertained by a local girl's band Chakara, who were just ok. After that Ted came out and entertained only as Ted can with kick ass rock and roll jams and comical and entertaining right wing political commentary. Nugent opened his some what short set with Free For All and played other classics like Wango Tango, Hey Baby, Wang Dang Sweet Poontang, Cat Scratch Fever and an excellent jam on Strangelhold to finish the set. He finished with an encore of Great White Buffalo that was just good not great. Here are some of our favorite Uncle Ted quotes from the show, "The World may suck but America sucks less", "If your pissing off the assholes it proves your not an asshole", "We rock and roll all June July and August the rest of the year I just kill shit", If you have a problem with me killing shit then F**K you". Say Thank you Uncle Ted, Thank you Uncle Ted.....
4/20/2011 - Naples, Florida - The fun in the warm south Florida sun continued on both Marco Island and Naples. We spent more time chillin at the house and swimming in the pool, including delicious breakfasts provided by Deb. We also spent more time hanging on South Marco Beach taking in the sun, working on some baseball skills and walking the beach. We then journeyed north up to Naples where we went to Naples Zoo. The zoo was nice and we went on the Primate Cruise which was good and saw a decent giraffe exhibit, my personal favorite. Deb and Dom decided to go on a camel ride. After our time at the zoo we headed a little farther north to take in some Greyhound dog racing at Naples Fort Myers Greyhound Dog Racing track. Everybody got lucky here picking decent winners and making what was a nice profit. In the final race we put some good money on the winning dog, Ricky Nelson, who paided handsomely to make it a worth while trip. After the track we headed back to Marco Island and had dinner at our favorite pizza place on the island Joeys Pizza and Pasta House. Good pizza and excellent garlic bread with cheese a definite hit with everybody. We then headed back to our favorite beach, South Marco Beach and took in another gorgeous sunset and nice walk on the beach. A good day for all with more to come. 13Slideshow[]
Chicas Roadtrip To Hilton For Some Wintertime Fun
Wedding: Carmela M. (DeFranco) & Donato J. Florio
1/29/2011 - Hilton, New York - The Kuligowski's took a road trip to Hilton today for a wintertime visit to Hilton. Lauren and Helena got to hang with their aunt and cousins. The activities included a Nicole cookie baking lesson that Helena enjoyed immensely working the blender as both girls helped concoct some delicious cookies. The morning included Helena jamming on some electric guitar and delicious breakfast provided by Deb. The visit also included a trip to the Quest hill for some awesome sledding and snowboarding. A good time was had by all.Slideshow[]
8/5/1939 - Brooklyn, New York - Miss Carmela M. DeFranco and Donato J. Florio were married today, Saturday August 5th, 1939, at St. Blaise Church in Brooklyn, New York. The Reverand R. Nelson officiated the ceremony. The bride is the daugther of Rocco and Dominica (Lubrachi) DeFranco. The groom is the son of parents Giacomo and Theresa (Grieci) Florio. The ceremony was performed in the presence of A. Cardiello and J. Florio as witnesses.Slideshow[]
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