Bills Beat Dolphins 31-21 In Thursday Night Game At Highmark
9/18/2025 - Orchard Park, New York - In another game time decision, I decided to head West down I90 to the 219 South and finally to Milestrip Road to Highmark Stadium for the nationally televised Thursday Night Football game featuring Sean McDermott's Buffalo Bills hosting Mike McDaniel's Miami Dolphins or so thats how I thought it would go. I purchased my ticket for this game just a couple hours before kickoff paying less than face value at Ticketmaster for an awesome ticket 36 rows up on the 40 yard line on the visitors side. I attempted to get to the stadium early and ran into a traffic jam on Route 90 and had to detour onto Route 78 to get into one of the secondary lots in time, so much for my original plan. I managed to make it in time to get one of the last spots at the car wash at the corner of California and Soutwestern Blvd for 60 bucks! I hooked up with the old California Rd tailgate crew and it was good to catch up on the old and new stuff. I headed into the stadium early and went up to the top corner for the panoramic views of the stadium, downtown Buffalo in the distance and the new Highmark Stadium in the shadows. A perfect night for football and I made my way to my excellent 40 yard line seat. The Bills beat the Dolphins by a score of 31-21 in front of the sellout Highmark Stadium crowd. The game was highlighted by Josh Allen throwing 3 touchdowns, James Cook running for over a hundred yards and a touchdown and a timely interception by Terrel Bernard to help seal the victory. This would be the last time the Bills will meet the Dolphins at Rich Stadium, I mean Ralph Wilson Stadium, I mean New Era Field, no I mean Bills Stadium, oh no it's Highmark Stadium. Definitely the end of an era here in Buffalo sports history.Slideshow[]
A Last Minute Detour To Metlife Stadium For Bills Jets Game
Road Trip Continues Next Stop Philadelphia For Sites & EC
9/14/2025 - East Rutherford, New Jersey - In a truly last minute decision, we were headed North on 95 this morning leaving Philadelphia, after attending an awesome Clapton show at Xfinity Mobile Arena, heading to East Rutherford, New Jersey's Metlife Stadium to watch our Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets. We had just left the EC concert last night and decided we were so close that we should go to the game. So, I want on Ticketmaster and picked up a couple good tickets twenty-seven rows up on the ten yard line for a decent price but parking was 85 bucks! We left our hotel in Philly early anticipating possible traffic or parking availability issues but neither was a problem and we got to the stadium early and parked very close to the stadium. We had no tailgate stuff or even Bills gear but we enjoyed the summer like day with sun and temps in the mid to upper 80's and even won some free stuff at the Jets tail gate. We headed into the stadium early and basked in the sunshine drinking plenty of liquids to stay hydrated and watched warmups on this gorgeous day. The crowd had a large amount of Bills fans in attendance and they made their presence known before, during and after the game. The Bills came out and dominated the Jets on both sides of the ball, beating them by a score of 30-10. The highlights included Josh Allen getting knocked out of the game for a few plays with a busted nose, James Cook running for a 132 yards and two touchdowns and the Bills defense shutting down the Jets offense with 4 sacks and a turnover. The game was well in hand and we decided to leave a little early to beat the traffic for our long drive home, a quick and painless drive that took about five and half hours. A great detour Bills trip that ended with the easy victory and was an excellent way to end a perfect weekend.Slideshow[]
9/13/2025 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The Clapton 2025 Road Trip continued today with the final stop for us in Philadelphia, PA to see EC for the third time in a week, seeing him in Cleveland just two days ago and Columbus seven days ago. We left the house early on another lovely September day and headed East down NYS I90 catching I81 South and connecting to I476 South taking us into downtown Philadelphia in just around five and a half hours time. We arrived early afternoon at our nice hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Philadelphia South at The Navy Yard, just a stones throw from tonights concert venue the Xfinity Mobile Arena home of the Flyers. We managed to get an early checkin to our nice room, rested a bit and then headed into the city for some preconcert site seeing. The first stop was the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where we ran up the 72 steps the same as Rocky did in the movie and got excellent pics with the Rocky Statue and the city scape. We then cruised over to view the Liberty Bell and Independance Hall the birthplace of our Constitution. We made time to stop at the infamous Geno's Steaks and enjoy a delicious Philly cheese steak sandwich. We headed back to the hotel and then walked a 10 minute walk to the arena to see Eric Clapton perform. The arena complex had Xfinity Mobile Arena, Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park all in one spot. Today we entered the arena early and grabbed some beverages and snacks and headed to our excellent seats just right of stage up a dozen rows, an excellent location. The opener would be The Wallflowers again being led by Jakob Dylan and Chris Masterson on guitar for a good set. They played their staples 6th Avenue Heartache and One Headlight. They did a decent cover of Cat Steven's Wild World. After the setup intermission, Clapton and his band hit the stage for another good set. He opened the show with Cream's White Room, then some Derek & The Domino's Tell The Truth and closed the first electric set with more Cream Sunshine of Your Love. The acoustic set opened with Driftin' Blues and featured staples Can't Find My Way Home, Layla and Tears In Heaven. EC's band was solid as always with the same lineup as Columbus and Cleveland with Nathan East (bass/vocals), Doyle Bramhall II (guitar/vocals), Sonny Emory (drums), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Tim Carmon (Hammond organ/keyboards), and backing vocalists Sharon White and Katie Kissoon. The second eletric set opened with Badge and featured Old Love, Crossroad Blues and set closing Cocaine. EC returned for the customary single encore of Before You Accuse Me. A good show that once again shows the 80 year old Clapton can still bring it with solid vocals and excellent guitar licks. Another entertaining road trip in the books.Slideshow[]
Slowhand Rocks The Rocket Arena On Cleveland Road Trip
An Evening With Eric Clapton in Columbus Launches US Tour
9/11/2025 - Cleveland, Ohio - For the second time in a week, I was driving down NYS Route 90 West on my way to Ohio to see one of my favorite guitarists perform in Ohio, Slowhand, Eric Clapton. I saw EC open his tour in Columbus six days ago and today's destination was downtown Cleveland's Rocket Arena. A nice day for a drive and I arrived early enough to explore the city a bit on foot during this lovely September day. I walked to Voinovich Bicentennial Park for nice views of the city of Cleveland and Lake Erie with a stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for some photo ops. I headed back by Progressive Field and then on to the Rocket Arena for a night of EC with openers The Wallflowers. I had a good ticket for this soldout show, down lower inside of center ice, a good spot. The Wallflowers opened the show and played a good set that was well received by the sellout crowd. It included their hits 6th Avenue Heartache, One Headlight and a nice cover of Tom Petty's The Waiting. Lead singer and guitarist Jakob Dylan was in good form and was assisted by the excellent lead guitar work of Chris Masterson. They closed the set with The Difference. After the setup intermission, Clapton and his band hit the stage for a great hour and forty-five minute set. They opened with White Room then into Key To The Highway closing electric set one with Sunshine Of Your Love. The acoustic set was brilliant with EC opening with Bell Bottom Blues and playing classics like Kind Hearted Woman Blues, Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out and Layla. He featured Nathan East on lead vocals on Can't Find My Way Home and finally closed the acoustic set with the staple Tears In Heaven. The band was good on this night and was the same lineup as Columbus with Nathan East (bass/vocals), Doyle Bramhall II (guitar/vocals), Sonny Emory (drums), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Tim Carmon (Hammond organ/keyboards), and backing vocalists Sharon White and Katie Kissoon. The second electric set included great jams on Tell The Truth and Old Love. He closed the show with Cocaine and came out for the single encore of Before You Accuse Me. Another great EC show at a nice venue, definitely worth the trip. I got out of the city easily and made the drive home in good time. See you Philly in couple days EC....Slideshow[]
9/5/2025 - Columbus, Ohio - Today, we took a road trip West down I90 to South on 271 and 71 to Columbus, Ohio a nice day for a drive just about 4.5 hours to see Slowhand, Eric Clapton, kick off his 2025 US Tour at the intimate Mershon Auditorium at The Ohio State University campus. Eric announced his US Tour initially with Nashville being the opener but then added the Columbus show after. I was fotunate to get in on the presale on Ticketmonster and managed to get two single tickets eleven rows back right and left stage. Mershon is a small hall with seating for just under 2500. The night was being billed as An Evening With Eric Clapton and sold-out quickly with the proceeds going towards Eric's Crossroads Centre in Antigua. We booked a nice hotel the Graduate Columbus by Hilton which was just down the street from the venue. We arrived in time to grab a quick meal at Shake Shack and then headed to the auditorium. Again our seats were excellent and Eric and his full band hit the stage and played a typical EC set. He opened the show with Cream's White Room then jumped into Key To The Highway and closed the first electric set with a jam on Sunshine of Your Love. The band sounded good and was pretty tight on this night. EC had all the usual suspects Nathan East (bass/vocals), Doyle Bramhall II (guitar/vocals), Sonny Emory (drums), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Tim Carmon (Hammond organ/keyboards), and backing vocalists Sharon White and Katie Kissoon. The acoustic set was excellent with Eric opening with Bell Bottom Blues and playing a nice version of Layla and closing the acoustic set with Tears In Heaven. The highlights of the second electric set included a ten minute jam on one of my favorites, Old Love and a nice version of the Derek and the Dominoes, Tell The Truth. He ended the show with Cocaine and came out for the single encore of Before You Accuse Me. A great show in a very small venue that had everyone leave entertained. Let the tour commence, see you in a few days in Cleveland and Philadelphia. On the way home we stopped in Hudson, Ohio for a nice visit with our cousins who provided some delicious wood fire pizza. Another most excellent trip in the books.Slideshow[]
Tedeschi Trucks Band & Gov't Mule Jam At Toronto's Bud Stage
9/3/2025 - Toronto, Canada - I headed North of the border today into downtown Toronto to see one of my favorite bands Tedeschi Trucks Band perform at the Budweiser Stage accompanied by their good friends Gov't Mule opening for them. I drove up early and crossed at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge with no problems and short wait times. I made it into Toronto painlessly and found a lot close to Budwieser Stage off of Fleet St. I walked the city a bit on this gorgeous early September day and grabbed some snacks at Timmy Hoes. I walked over Garrison Crossing and ended up touring the historic Fort York. An interesting and educational tour of the Fort that housed members of the British and Canadian militaries and defended the entrance to Toronto Harbour during the War of 1812. After visiting the Fort, I headed to my favorite park in Toronto, Trilium Park, for exceptional panoramic views of Toronto, last flower blooms of summer, sailboats navigating Lake Ontario and planes landing at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. After relaxing in the park I was off to Budweiser Stage to see a great evening of music. I purchased my ticket for this show long ago to see the first show of these two bands playing together on this tour. My ticket was excellent forth row just left of center stage. Nolan Taylor was the opening act a country singer/songwriter with his intimate tales of heartache, family, good times, and small-town struggles playing a well received short set. Warren Haynes and his band Gov't Mule was up next and played a good set. They opened with Hammer and Nails and did a good jam on Sco-Mule. The band was pretty tight on this evening consisting of Warren Haynes (guitar, vocals), Terence Higgins (drums), Danny Louis (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), and Kevin Scott (bass). They closed thier set with a good version of Soulshine. After the setup intermission, Tedeshi Trucks hit the stage and entertained the Bud Stage crowd with a typical TTB set. They opened the set with Anyhow and jammed on Who Am I and covered Derek and the Domino's classic Keep On Growing and Prince's 1999. Derek Trucks and wife Susan Tedeschi were in pretty good form tonight and the band was tight as usual. They closed the set with Made Up Mind and came out for two encores being joined by Warren Haynes on the Allman Brother's Stand Back and closing the show again like last show with a soulful Beatle's cover of With A Little Help From My Friends. Another good show at the Bud Stage, see you next season for sure.Slideshow[]
Celebrating Anniversary With Heart & Todd Rundgren At CMAC
Tedeschi Trucks Band Rock Syracuse Empower FCU Amphitheater
8/29/2025 - Canandaigua, New York - Today Debbie and I decided to celebrate our 33rd Wedding Anniversary by heading to our favorite summer concert venue, CMAC, to see a double dose of classic rock with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Todd Rundgren and Heart. We headed down early on this very cool day and made a stop at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack for a little preconcert gaming action. I managed to win a few bucks on video poker and then we headed to CMAC for the show. We entered the venue being greeted by my old Kodak work friend who has worked at CMAC for years. We stopped and picked up the mandatory popcorn and RC Cola and headed to our excellent seats dead center stage about nineteen rows back. Todd Rundgren would open the evening playing an almost full set of a little of everything. He played some Utopia songs like Secret Society and Rock Love and some classic Nazz songs that included Open My Eyes and Hello It's Me. He did a medley of hits and plenty of solo stuff that included a good jam on Buffalo Grass and closed the set with Worldwide Epiphany. A good set by Todd and his band who sounded good on this cold Canandaigua night and the crowd appeared to have enjoyed it. After a small intermission, Heart hit the stage for thier Royal Flush Tour and played a good set of classics and covers. They opened with Bebe Le Strange and played classics like Crazy On You, Little Queen and Magic Man. Ann Wilson sounded good and sat in a chair the whole show still recovering from an arm break she suffered recently. Nancy also sounded good and still provided excellent guitar licks although the majority of the heavy guitar work was done by three other guitarists Ryan Wariner, Ryan Waters and Paul Moak. The band also included Tony Lucido on bass and Sean Lane on drums. They sounded pretty good on this night and played several tasty Led Zeppelin covers including Going To California, The Rain Song and closed the set with The Ocean. They came out for one encore of Barracuda. A good show at one of our favorite venues allowing us to have a very good 33rd Anniversary !Slideshow[]
8/28/2025 - Syracuse, New York - In a last minute decision, I picked up a cheap ticket on Ticketmonster at the Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, New York to see one of my favorite bands perform the Tedeschi Trucks Band. I headed East down NYS Thruway on this overcast August day and managed to get into the venue pretty early despite the fact the New York State Fair was also in full swing. The show was close to a sellout and my ticket was excellent seven rows back right stage. I grabbed a very good wood fired pizza from the vendor Toss & Fire Wood-Fired Pizza prior to the show start. The opening act this evening was a rock and roll band from Palestine, Texas called Whiskey Myers. They hit the stage promptly at 7:30 and played a good full set of rock. The band had three guitarists, Cody Cannon, John Jeffers and Cody Tate and sounded good and was well received by the near sellout crowd. They closed their almost hour and forty-five minute set with a jam filled version of Going Down. After the brief setup intermission Tedeschi Trucks Band hit the stage and played a good set of covers, new and old material that was surprisingly shorter than than the opening band. They opened the show with Crazy Cryin' and played new song I Got You with some tasty jams by Derek Trucks and great vocals by Susan Tedeschi. They did a nice jam on Beck's Bolero and the mandatory Derek & The Dominos cover of Keep On Growing with Trucks wailing on the slide and Tedeschi did a nice jam on Just Won't Burn They closed the some what short set with a soulful jam on the Beatle's With A Little Help From My Friends. They surprisingly did NOT come out for an encore and again their set was shorter than the opening act. It was still a good performance by the band but it definitely left the crowd feeling slighted on this night and wanting more.Slideshow[]
Blue Jays & Neil Young At The Bud Stage On Toronto Road Trip
Todd Rundgren Brings Still ME/Still WE To Artpark Main Stage
8/17/2025 - Toronto, Canada - The day started early today driving into Lockport to pickup brother Mike to head north of the border into downtown Toronto for some Toronto Blue Jays baseball and the classic rock of Neil Young in concert at the Budweiser Stage. We crossed the border at Queenston-Lewiston Bridge with no issues. It was a nice day and we drove to Kipling Station on the TTC an took the train into downtown Toronto to avoid CNE traffic. We took the Skywalk from Union Station taking us right to Rogers Centre for the ballgame with red hot Toronto vs Texas Rangers. We had decent tickets and the dome was closed to start the game. The Rangers bats were cranking today and they beat up the Blue Jays 10-4 to avoid a 3 game sweep. They opened the dome during the game which was pretty cool to see as it seemlessly retracts in multiple pieces. After the game, we headed to Trilium Park on Lake Ontario and took in nice views of the Toronto Skyline, the summer flower blooms at the park, planes landing at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and sailboats navigating the lake. A nice August summer day. Soon after we headed to Budeweiser Stage to see Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts perform. We had great seats about sixteen rows back in the sellout crowd. The openers were Astrid Young, Neil Young's half-sister, then Reverend Billy And The Stop Shopping Choir who both were not really that great in my opinion. Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts hit the stage after a brief intermission and played an excellent set on this evening as part of thier Love Earth World Tour. They opened with Ambulance Blues and played a little of everything like Cowgirl In The Sand, Southern Man and Harvest Moon to name a few. The band consisting of Spooner Oldham on organ, Micah Nelson on guitar (Willie's Son), Corey McCormick on bass, and Anthony Logerfo on drums were pretty tight on this evening. They did a good cover of CSNY's Ohio, Buffalo Springfield's Mr. Soul and closed out the set with Old Man. They came out for a two song encore that included a classic This Note's For You that included not singing for Bud to the Budweiser Stage sellout crowd's delight and then closed the show with a nice version of Rockin' In The Free World. A great show that was not as heavy as last years show with Crazy Horse but still very good. We got out late and had a long walk to the TTC station catching the very last train getting to Kiping Station and back home without issue. Another excellent Toronto day.Slideshow[]
7/3/2025 - Lewiston, New York - Today, I headed back down Route 104 West bound into Lewiston, New York for the second time in three days, on this night I was on my way to see the incomparable Todd Rundgren perform during his Still ME (Still WE) Tour at Artpark's Main Stage. I headed to the show early and stopped at Pizza Oven for slices that I ate in the parking lot at Artpark talking with a nice local couple waiting for brother Mike to arrive. I purchased tickets for this show weeks ago and managed to get fifth row dead center for this show that was tremendously under sold. Todd would play a similar set on this night to the show we saw him perform last year at the Riviera during his ME/WE Tour. His band included Kasim Sulton on bass, Bruce McDaniel on guitar, Prairie Prince on drums, Gil Assayas and Bobby Strickland. He opened with I Think You Know and threw in a couple Utopia songs including Secret Society and Rock Love. They did a nice jam on Buffalo Grass and closed the set with Worldwide Epiphany. They came out for a three plus song encore, first a Medley of Hits (I Saw The Light / Can We Still Be Friends / Hello It's Me) to the small crowds delight. Then a nice version of The Last Ride and closing the show with Fade Away. A good show again that replicated the show last year as Todd always plays what he wants but I still prefer the hits. See you next time Todd...Slideshow[]
Robin Trower Returns To Sold Out Asbury Hall For Jam Session
Deja Vu When George Thorogood & 38 Special Return To Artpark
7/2/2025 - Buffalo, New York - Today, I headed to downtown Buffalo, New York to Asbury Hall to see the master guitarist Robin Trower perform. This was Trower's return to the Hall having played a great sold out show there in 2019. Today's show was again a sell out and I arrived to Asbury Hall early and found a small line waiting for entry to the general admission seated show. The doors opened and I was able to secure front row seats directly in front of Trower. Trower and his band ,consisting of Chris Taggart on drums and Richard Watts on bass and Vocals, played a great set. He opened with The Razor's Edge and jammed classics like The Day Of The Eagle, Bridge Of Sighs and Daydream. The eighty year old guitar master Trower put on a clinic with his signature licks and tone. The mix was guitar heavy although it may have been us being front row directly in front of Trower. He closed the set with a Little Bit of Sympathy. The sell out Asbury Hall crowd loved it and they came out for a two song encore of Rise Up Like The Sun and Birdsong. Another great show at a good venue, please keep these good acts coming.Slideshow[]
7/1/2025 - Lewiston, New York - It's another beautiful Summer Tuesday in Western New York and today, I headed to Lewiston, New York to catch a double dose of classic rock from George Thorogood & the Destroyers and 38 Special at Artpark's Outdoor stage. It was deja vu all over again as I saw this exact same lineup perform at Artpark almost 8 years ago. Today, it was a hot day, and I arrived pretty early to small lines that grew quickly awaiting for the doors to open. I managed to get my normal spot just behind the premier seating left stage. The opener was 38 Special, with only original member Don Barnes on lead guitar and vocals, winging thru a very good set of thier classics. The set included Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, If I'd Been The One, Fantasy Girl and closing the set with Caught Up In You. They came out for not one but two separate one song encores, first was Chain Ligtnin' and the second show closer was Hold On Loosely. The band made up of Bobby Capps (keyboards, vocals), Gary Moffatt (drums), Barry Dunaway (bass), and Jerry Riggs (guitar) were pretty tight on this evening and the quickly filled in Artpark crowd enjoyed them. After the brief intermission George Thorogood & The Destroyers hit the stage and did their typical set. The band included Buddy Leach on sax, original Destroyer Jeff Simon on drums, Bill Blough on bass, Jim Suhler on guitar and 75 year old lead man George. They played their classics like I Drink Alone, Bad To The Bone, Cocaine Blues and a crowd pleasing One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer. They closed the set with the classic Who Do You Love? and came out for one encore of Born To Be Bad. A good show that really does not get old for me and gets me nostalgic every time. See you next year George or maybe 8 years from now.Slideshow[]
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