Tag Archives: Matthew Donnelly
Donnelly: Biggest Crowd of Season Witnesses Two World Class Sporting Goals
On a hot humid Saturday, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park was packed – even the standing room- for a game against one of the worst teams in the league…
The club reported it was the highest attended game of the season despite that Toronto entered the contest at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with only one win to its credit. And Toronto coach and Dutch legend Aron Winter, was canned just a week or two earlier after failing to bring total soccer to Canada.
Judging from Toronto’s play Saturday, current coach Paul Mariner may not be long for this world either.
Sporting started the game with a bit of a new look due to the fact that Matt Besler had an emergency appendectomy last week, and Kei Kamara is still out for national team duty with Sierra Leone.
Sounds Good: Jimmy Cliff@Crossroads, Alice Cooper@Midland, Outlaw Jake@Barnyard
I got you guys covered for Father’s Day…
Pretty much all dads are into at least one of the following: spliffs, mascara, or dirt-whiskey.
So like I said, I got you covered. Just figure out which one your old man likes and then take him to one of these shows.
If he’s not into any of those things, there’s always Barry Manilow at Starlight on Sunday, but that’s a whole different kind of daddy…
Donnelly: Help KC Confidential Photographer Katie Grogan Climb Roger Water’s ‘Wall”
If you’re Katie "McPansy" Grogan, when it rains it pours…
She’s on the verge of winning a nationwide photography contest to go and be Roger Waters’ photographer for a performance of The Wall in NYC.
The photo that caught the eye of the contest organizers was one of the first that she shot for KCC, Rob Zombie at Sandstone last summer. I must say, it’s a badass pic.
So whaddya say KCC faithful? Can you help a brutha out? Katie needs your votes. Follow this link to the contest website:
http://www.talenthouse.com/creativeinvites/preview/a43aa1fc9931ca447add890ea783d904/573
Sounds Good: Sara Jaffe@Replay, Tea Leaf Green@Bottleneck, Ozark Mountain Daredevils@Crossroads KC
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Not only are there some cool shows, there’s some other events that look interesting, too.
One of them combines two of my favorite things: soccer and beer. Yep, Sporting KC is sponsoring the Summer Beer Festival, which features more than 20 breweries. The event will take place from 5-9 p.m. on Saturday at Pennsylvania Avenue, between McCoy’s and Kelly’s in Westport. The event benefits AIDS Walk Kansas City.
And ladies, I have a feeling that Chance Myers will be there based on his tweet the other day:
“Looking forward to #beerfest this weekend. #raaaaa #SKC”
Follow him @CR_Myers, show up to the beerfest, and he’ll let you touch his hair. On to the picks….
Donnelly: More Ramblings – Saturday at Wakarusa
After a packed Friday at Wakarusa, Saturday was looking to be a tad less hectic.
The cool weather was perfect for us tent-dwellers who are normally driven out of our sweaty dens at the crack of dawn. Not so this time around, and the additional rest sure came in handy.
By the time Balkan Beat Box took the main stage I was rested, recharged, and ready for another 15 or so hours of music. BBB got things going with their unique brand of hip hop infused with a Middle Eastern vibe created by dueling alto sax players, a DJ/drummer, and a bunch of other auxiliary percussion.
Donnelly: Ramblings of a Music Junkie – Friday at Wakarusa
The Wakarusa Festival– near Ozark, Arkansas and atop Mulberry Mountain– kicked off Thursday.
Unfortunately, due to other real world obligations, I didn’t make it down until Friday afternoon. At first glance, it seems like attendance is a bit down from last year, maybe due in part to a little bit of a weaker lineup. But the lighter attendance meant it was easier to get around, shorter to wait in lines, and just more comfortable for everyone in general. Plus, the weather was about perfect, upper 70s and low 80s, a little overcast.
I rolled into the campgrounds and found a spot underneath a tree, threw up my tent, snagged a coldy, and headed for the stages. I was just in time to catch Split Lip Rayfield on the second biggest stage, the Revival Tent. And it was kinda nice to be under the big top since a light mist had started falling.
Sounds Good:Wakarusa Ahead, Blitzen Trapper@Riot Room, Devil Makes Three Crossroads & Buzz Beach Ball
It is upon us…
The Wakarusa Festival is this weekend (finally!) down on beautiful Mulberry Mountain in northeast Arkansas. Who am I most excited to see you ask? Well, here’s my preliminary list, which is sure to change as we go:
Soulive & Lettuce, G-Love, The Avett Bros., Del McCoury Band, SAVOY, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lyrics Born, Ghostland Observatory and Matisyahu.
Anyone else heading down for the weekend? If so, who are you looking forward to most?
If not, here’s what’s happening in the KC/Lawrence area this week…
Donnelly: Sporting Dominate 1st Half, Hold on for 2-1 Win Over San Jose
Sunday afternoon’s game against visiting MLS leader San Jose was one Sporting Kansas City absolutely needed.
After starting the season red hot, the boys in blue had not won a game in over a month. Their offense had been flagging and their defense was becoming more and more prone to suffering breakdowns at the worst possible moments.
On Sunday in front of a sold out LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, KC flashed back to early season form- at least for the first half- and pulled out an important 2-1 win.
But before we get into that, let’s just get something out of the way right now: the officiating was miserable. Total nightmare. At one point in the second half the ref called a drop ball after Zusi was taken down near the edge of the box. No idea why. And that was after he walked around for five minutes and talked to his assistant, had a chat with nearly every player on the field, and, I’m guessing, consulted a magic eight ball.
OK, back to the game.
Sounds Good: Jon Eric@Barnyard, Weir, Robinson, & Greene@Crossroads, Best Coast@Granada
Some cool shows this weekend…
I’ll be taking it a little easy, resting up for the big trip to Mulberry Mountain next weekend for the Wakarusa Festival. I’m planning on talking with festival mastermind Brett Mosiman sometime soon to get the inside scoop on this year’s festivities, which I will, of course, relate to you loyal KCC readers.
And I’ll be reviewing the bands, venue, hula hoopers (or is it hoopists?), etc., live from the mountain top for those of you not brave enough to make the trek yourselves.
In the meantime, here’s where to go…
Donnelly: Mayer Hawthorne at the Granada, May 21, 2012
Apparently, Mayer Hawthorne is taking this neo-soul thing seriously.
When he rolled through Larryville in late 2010 with just one record under his belt, you had to wonder whether this kid’s journey into Motown was real or if it was just a cheeky, ironic hipster wink. I mean, he had already carved out a pretty nice little niche for himself in LA as Haircut, a hip hop DJ, so it wouldn’t have been surprising to find out that Mr. Hawthorne donned the tight sport coat and hit the high notes just for something to do on the side.
Donnelly: Complacent Sporting Team “Satisfied” With Draw on the Road
After starting off the season 7-0, Sporting KC hit a rough patch – a month-long rough patch…
The boys in blue have not won a game since April 18th, and have struggled to replicate the form they showed early on.
Over the weekend at Colorado KC had a golden opportunity to earn 3 points after heading into the locker room up 2-0 thanks to Teal Bunbury’s first half brace. But Colorado notched two goals of its own in the second half and the game ended in a draw.
“I don’t know if there was a certain point in the game where it really turned,” wondered Bunbury, “but I feel like we took our foot off the pedal a little bit after those two goals when I feel like we should have kept pressing them a little more.”
Yes, KC took their foot off the pedal. But why?
Donnelly: Taj Mahal @ Knuckleheads, May 16, 2012
Taj Mahal celebrated his 70th birthday onstage Wednesday at Knuckleheads in front of an enthusiastic crowd that packed the patio and upper decks, and filled about half of the inside area.
Even KC mayor Sly James and his crew found their way into the Bottoms to catch the show, drink some beer, and eat a bunch of fried food. Now there’s a platform I can really get behind.
As Taj took the stage he was presented with a huge guitar-shaped cake and serenaded with a spirited rendition of happy birthday. The storied bluesman seemed to appreciate the gesture, but didn’t say much and quickly launched into the opener, an instrumental jam that displayed his trademark tremolo-soaked, syncopated guitar picking.
He’s still got it, I thought to myself, even at 70.
Sounds Good: Taj Mahal@Knuckleheads, Grant Hart@Tap Room, P-Funk@Crossroads, Bad Veins@Replay, CIB & Ghosty@Replay
For those that don’t know, this week is American Craft Beer Week...
Yeah, I know it sounds like it was made up by American craft brewers. But it does have a few benefits, particularly if you’re in the Larry neck of the woods this Thursday evening. Free State is teaming up with local milk gurus Iwig’s Dairy at the Farmer’s Market near 19th and Mass. Word on the street is that these two local favs will be combining their wares to make the famous Oatmeal Stout Ice Cream Floats.
And that’s just ONE of the benefits of American Craft Beer Week! Trust me, there’s lots more.
By the way, next week is KC Entertainment Blog Week, so you know what that means.
Some good music this week, check it out…
Donnelly: Sporting Self Destruct to Drop 3rd in a Row, Vermes Rips Refs
Sporting Kansas City played a decent first half Saturday at the Chicago Fire.
Bobby Convey notched his first goal of the season with a one-timer that was set up nicely by Roger Espinoza’s cut back cross and KC went to the locker room at the half up on the home side 1-0.
The second half was a completely different story. By the time the final whistle blew, Sporting had conceded a penalty, been shown a red card, and saw one of its alleged leaders attempt a fancy juggle inside his own 6 yard box which resulted in the go ahead Chicago goal.
Yeah, total nightmare.
So after starting the season 7-0, KC now sits at 7-3. Sure, the results have been disappointing, but more troubling has been Sporting’s play of late.
Sounds Good: Spring into Summer@Replay, Delbert McClinton@Knuckleheads, Tennis@RecordBar, Truckstop Honeymoon@Barnyard
All my picks this week are on Saturday, so you’ve got some touch choices to make…
Plus there’s a Sporting KC game Saturday at 7:30. The boys in blue are away at rival Chicago, so if you can’t park it in front of the tube at 7:30, make sure to set the old DVR.
In other concert news: the much anticipated James Morrison concert that was scheduled for the Granada tonight has unfortunately been cancelled. I believe Mr. Morrison will be hitting up Jay Leno tonight instead. His loss, right?
On to the picks!
Donnelly: “We were not sharp enough,” says Vermes as Montreal Shuts Out Sporting
Sporting KC continued their mini-slide Saturday night at home against the expansion Montreal Impact, losing to the visitors 2-0.
Let’s call it what it was, a poor effort from the boys in blue.
But judging from the immediate online reaction you would think that the sky is falling on the Eastern Conference leaders.
A few examples:
@Sporting_Times tweeted, "When plan b is the same as plan a that happens ………….. MLS has figured #SportingKC out."
And then there was this exchange:
@MtRoyalSoccer, a Montreal supporter, tweeted, "@TheDailyWizKC it does not take out anything from #SportingKC but #IMFC have been progressing every single game."
To which @TheDailyWizKC replied, "@MtRoyalSoccer While we’ve been declining… #SMH."
A little knee jerk perhaps? Certainly there are some issues, as there always are with every team. But the sky is not falling… yet…
Sounds Good: Damn Yankees, Til Willis, Hank III, Allison Olassa & Hearts of Darkness
We’ve got lots and lots going on this weekend.
There’s plenty of music to go around, which I’ll get to in a sec. But there’s also some other stuff to keep you out of trouble. Or get you into it.
For example, starting Thursday the team everyone loves to hate- the New York Yankees- roll into town to throttle our young Royals.
Sporting KC plays Saturday at home against expansion Montreal after their much needed week off.
Then there’s First Friday in the Crossroads, which is featuring free music and some art by a pro skateboarder.
And by the time Sunday rolls around I suggest you get your ass to Lawrence’s Burcham Park (it’s by the river) for a free show from some hipster bands like Robocopter, Johnny Booth, Ask an Adult, and Bloody Knives. It’s BYOD (dog) and it’s also BYOB (beverages?) so long as it’s not in glass bottles. Starts at 4:00.
Now on to my awesome and well-informed picks…
Sounds Good: Glen Campbell@Uptown, Electric Guest@Granada, Weston Bluegrass Festival, Shooter Jennings & Cody Canada@Crossroads, Real Estate@Bottleneck, Arthur Dodge@Replay
The summer concert season is heating up…
Artists heading into KC include Phish, The Avett Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Van Halen, Chicago, the Doobie Brothers, Taj Mahal, Pat Green, M83, and many, many more.
And despite the few curmudgeonly commenters that think otherwise, for my money there’s still no better way to see a show than outside underneath the stars.
To that end the Crossroads has the first offering of the season this weekend, with a gritty double bill of Shooter Jennings and Cody Canada & the Departed (more on them after the jump).
On to the picks!…
Donnelly: Sporting Kansas City’s Perfection Comes to an End in Portland
It was a quick turnaround for Sporting KC. They played at Vancouver on Wednesday night, and then finished their Pacific Northwest road trip Saturday night at Portland.
Playing this away game at JELD-WEN Field felt big. The atmosphere there is similar to LIVESTRONG Sporting Park– it was packed to the gills and loud. However the stadium is a fair amount bigger with a capacity of just over 22,000.
KC seemed to thrive on the vibe, rising to the occasion and settling in after a dodgy first 10 minutes.
After 90 minutes, though, the boys in blue were no longer perfect on the season, even though Portland’s only goal came via a charity own goal. More on that in a sec.
Donnelly: “They are the best team in MLS,” Vancouver Coach says After Scrappy Loss to KC
The debate about Sporting Kansas City‘s streak of not allowing a shot on goal was firmly put to bed Wednesday in Vancouver as the Whitecaps peppered Jimmy Nielsen and the KC defense…
“The big difference for us tonight was the play of Jimmy,” KC coach Peter Vermes said after the game. “His saves at the end were tremendous and I think at the end of the day that’s what saved us…”
The home side tallied 17 shots with 7 of them on target, while KC managed only 2 on target for the night.
