As always, see Bob Belvedere, Sir Smitty, Theo Spark, and Washington Rebel.
... on Sunday evening I went with my mom & my friend Simone (my brother's gf) to see The Eagles in concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim. It was SO FUN! Seriously, they were so good. I mean, what the hell do I know? They sounded great to me. I had fun. My mama had fun, my friend had fun. What else is there?? I pretty much knew all of their songs with the exception of songs off their new album (which I totally want to buy now!). Those guys are some seriously old, talented dudes. And I mean that totally respectfully. I'm guessing there was some pretty hard partying on their behalves in the 70's, and they earned those wrinkles, amongst other things. They played "Hotel California" just 3 songs in... so of course the crowd went wild. I also thought it was really cool that they played it so early into the set, they really gave the people what they wanted early on & that helped set the mood for the rest of the show. As it turns out we are all old fuddy duddies (technical term) and didn't stay to the very end. I'm sort of kicking myself for that because I didn't get to hear my favorite Eagles song, "Take It Easy".Well, I'm happy to report that those "old dudes" played "Take It Easy" during the encore, as well as Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way." For the finale, Don Henley stepped away from his drumset to sing "Desperado" in the spotlight. We left the arena close to midnight. The band played a 3 1/2 hour set, and they waved goodbyes for what seemed like 10 minutes before walking off stage. As readers know, I've been to hundreds of concerts, and this was by far the best show I've seen in quite sometime -- and that's really saying a lot.
RELATED: At the O.C. Register, "Stagecoach 2010: Toby Keith remains a cut above, fans celebrate 20 years of Brooks & Dunn":
"I don't know why Chuck DeVore has not done better. It is a mystery to me," said Larry Gerston, a political science professor at San Jose State University. "It does shock me that a guy like that, a good-looking guy with a good pedigree as far as the right wing's concerned, who says all the right things about abortion, healthcare, you name it, still he has not managed to move nearly as far as he needs to be considered in the swing of things."Actually, DeVore reported $1.8 million in his first quarter campaign statement, more than Tom Cambell, who announced a $1.6 million haul. And the DeVore campaign has announced that billboards will go up across the state beginning today.
DeVore's voter outreach includes billboards, radio ads, yard signs that supporters can print, mailers and intense use of social media. Some of these pieces show how humble his campaign is: His daughter designed the billboards; his radio ads end "This is Chuck DeVore. Not only do I approve this message, I wrote it."DeVore also notes that state ballot information identifies him as an "assemblyman" and not a "miltary reservist." But when more information about him is available, support surges. See SFGate, "Why DeVore is surging next to Fiorina in new Senate poll: He's a military guy." (At the Oceanside April 15th tea party, vets and military famlies got all fired up for DeVore.)
DeVore has also been an enthusiastic campaigner since he joined the race in November 2008 and has vastly outpaced his rivals on the campaign trail, holding 330 events across the state.
DeVore's Tax Day schedule showed the type of coalition he is trying to build among social conservatives, voters enraged by the Obama administration and long-time committed Republican activists. After hitting the Family Action PAC in Newport Beach, he spoke at tea parties in Irvine and Oceanside and capped the day off with a speech to a Republican women's club in Fallbrook.
By stitching together supporters in these various groups, all of which are vital in a GOP primary, DeVore sees a path to victory.
Polls show that many of Campbell's supporters are conservative Republicans, which DeVore said doesn't square with some of the law professor's positions. At least two independent expenditure groups are already spending as much as $2 million on television ads, mailers and robo-calls to tell voters about Campbell's liberal social stances — he favors abortion rights and same-sex marriage — and about his support for temporary state tax increases.
Once these positions become better known, some Campbell supporters will desert him and find a natural home in the DeVore camp, the candidate believes.
"I'm liking everything where it is and I'm going to press on forward and be the happy warrior because I think I am going to win this," DeVore said.
