Oasis. December 10. Target Center. I've got tickets.

Oasis fan. Seen them a bunch. I’ve said it all before. I didn’t think I was going to get a chance to see Oasis this year, maybe early next year. After the attack on Noel in Canada earlier this month, I figured any chance of seeing the band this year was out the window.

I’ve had a couple vacation days in my pocket on the off chance I’d get to see them this year and wouldn’t you know it — they came through for me and announced a date in Minnesota. The last time I got out to see them I had to drive to Chicago in 2005. They haven’t stepped foot in Vikings country since the Tour of Brotherly Love back in 2002.

I ordered my tickets this morning and while they aren’t front row by any means, I’m happy with the seats I got. They’re comperable to the seats I had in Chicago a few years ago.

Adele – Hometown Glory

I have had this song perpetually stuck in my head since I first heard it months ago. I finally picked up Adele’s album “19.” It is phenomenal. Enjoy a little “Hometown Glory.”

Summer coming to an end

It’s so cliche to say at this point but this year seems to be flying by. It’s already halfway through September. This has been a busy year at work. At the Independent we end each year with a round up of the ten biggest stories that have impacted our region. It’s going to be difficult to narrow it down to ten this year.

The obvious big story is the Cottonwood bus crash. It’s not an over statement to say the crash has had a massive impact on the region. We have also had a missing person, the resignation of a prominent CEO in Marshall and a number of other stories that in any other year would take top billing.

There are some bright spots to this year in the weeks ahead. A new Oasis album is “about to drop” as the kids say. A new Travis album is also waiting in the wings.

There is still a good chunk of the year to go, but the amount of things that has happened in just nine months is astonishing. It is an election year after all.

Speaking of election year, I had the oppertunity to briefly interview Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Friday. You can read my story on the Independent web site.

Noel Gallagher attacked at V-Fest

In the middle of “Morning Glory,” Oasis guitarist/singer Noel Gallagher was attacked from behind and singer/brother Liam was nearly struck by the same individual. Apparently the guy was hiding under the stage and came up, pushing Noel into his guitar amp.

Security quickly grabbed the guy as he was going after Liam who dodged the attack. It was pretty evident based on a few videos circulating on YouTube that Liam quickly went after the guy himself, but security held him back.

ModSuperstar was at the show, but apparently didn’t see it happen, only the aftermath. Oasis are known for putting on amazing live shows that will be remembered for years. I know I remember every Oasis show I’ve seen. This though, might be one of the more memorable moments. Who said Oasis ain’t rock ‘n’ roll?

Note to the jerk that did this, trust me man – messin’ with the wrong band. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was roughed up backstage.

The Hold Steady @ First Ave.

The Hold Steady, “Constructive Summer” from the new album Stay Positive.

Something Anything – Travis video

“Ode to J. Smith” – the new Travis album out in September.

As the vacation ends

For the last week I have pretty much done nothing in particular. From catching up on DVDs to watching the Olympics, I finally got around to spending a week of doing very little.

To say that I haven’t done anything really isn’t accurate. Here is a short list of things I did do this week in no particular order.

• Saw “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” in the theater. Great flick but a few flaws here and there. If you dig Star Wars, you’ll probably dig this Star Wars flick. More on this later.
• Started playing BioShock after picking it up new for $20 on clearance. I’ve been wanting to play this game for a while and it really does hold up. Shaping to be one of my favorite 360 games.
• Watched a boat load of DVDs. From most the first season of “Felicity” to “Superman II” and so on, I made my way through a number of DVD discs.
• Slept, a pretty good amount. I think I’ll do some more of that here in a few minutes.
• Pre-ordered the special edition of the new Oasis album, “Dig Out Your Soul” out in early October. Joy.

That’s the short list of what I’ve done. Congrats to Michael Phelps, amazing job man.

The Verve – "Love is Noise" video

The Verve are back, the world is right again.

Phantom Planet "Raise the Dead" preview

A quick search of iTunes turned up a listing for the new Phantom Planet album “Raise the Dead.” Being one of my favorite bands I’ve been looking forward to the release for a while. The interesting thing about this pre-order for the album is it has a complete 30 second clip preview of every track.

Sliding through it, I think it’s going to be a great album. It has a lot of the feel from the last album “Phantom Planet” but with a little more of the pop flair they became known for with earlier releases. Look for it to hit my iPod on April 15.

Check it out for yourself.

A deluge of good music is coming

Over the next few months a number of bands and artists will be releasing some high profile albums that I’m really starting to get jazzed about. On Tuesday Panic At The Disco will release their sophomore album “Pretty, Odd.” an album I’ve been waiting for ever since I heard a 30 second sample of the lead singled “9 in the Afternoon.” The catchy track has given me high expectations for the entire album.

Phantom Planet, Death Cab for Cutie, R.E.M. and Dido also have albums that’ll be released throughout the year. I also just learned the Weezer album is ready to drop in the next couple months. What’s not to be excited about there?

Oh yeah, and it’s likely we could see a new Oasis album. Nuff said.