Feature Review

Welcome to the Feature Review Section. Here you will see a variety of special events. Each review is written honestly and based strictly on the opinion of the writer. Each writer is listed and has a right to their opinion as do you, so if you don't agree, please post it in the Forum. If you have been reviewed, don't take it personally if it is negative, and if it is positive, bravo to you! Readers, this is only an opinion and although we may not have had a great experience please assume our experiences are isolated. Also, we can hope that if we did not have a good time maybe the vendor or organizers can take some constructive criticism and fix whatever it was that was lacking. In the event that you wish to be re-reviewed let us know and someone will be there to check you out (anonymously, of course). All reviewers identities are kept private to ensure unbiased reviews. Would you want to waste your time reading an influenced review?

        I admit to not following hockey; what? That's correct I am more at home 
coaching soccer or reviewing a local band. So when I was asked to review a 
game I took my time. Now I have lived in Sarnia most of my life and I also 
worked in Chatham. So when a game between Sarnia and Chatham was playing at 
my back door it was a no brainier. (This works well for me as I try not to 
use my brain more than I have to.) I called some old Chatham friends that I 
haven't seen in years and we met at the game. We all had a blast as they 
explained the rules of the game to me. Then we (by we I mean the 
Legionnaires) gave Chatham a thorough work out. Attendance was huge with 
nearly 1,200 screaming fans. Final score Sarnia 4 Chatham 3. I was screaming 
like a school girl at even the slightest action. Watching a hockey game live 
is like potato chips, bet you can't eat just one. The excitement radiated 
through the stands like an earthquake. My friends trying to out scream me 
when Chatham would score. Any more fun and it would be illegal or even worse 
regulated by the government like tobacco and alcohol. Sarnia came out 
swinging with 3 goals in the first period and another in the second period. 
Chatham played hard and scored a goal in each period making for a nail 
biting good time for all. I was a nearly perfect host and hardly ever asked 
my Chatham friends what the score was; well ok maybe I asked them like a 
couple times but that's just in good fun. I sent my Chatham friend an e-mail 
the day after asking if they knew what the final score was and strangely 
enough they haven't replied, lol.

Sarnia's HHH 21st. Anniversary run was the best we have had for many years. A short bus ride delivered us to a private location where right off, we were awed at the gardens and buildings but what was even more incredible was the actual trails laid out by Scorecard, M.C and B.C. plus friends.

Perfect weather, visitors from the newly formed London HHH and of course welcoming two world traveling hashers, MTM and Rambo from Rawanda.

The logistics to pull this off were also unbelievable. The Down Down's and ON ON were at the abandoned log house way out in the bush and just how Sweat@Eat and Scorecard was able to deliver a hot meal out there baffles even me.

Thanks to the new boots for just showing up, not really knowing what to expect and hopefully for the next run, we can all bring one more new person and who knows, with all this 'new blood' that attended this event, we'll still be here another 21 years from now.

For the 33 people who did attend, I'm sure this one will stay in your memory for a long time.

For those who missed this run, well to damn bad.

Well done, well done.

Here is a link to a few pictures.

Gypsy

Even though Sarnia has been facing one of the wettest July's I can remember, I was able to make it down to Ribfest 2009 for two nights of music, food, and excitement.

On the Friday night, I went down to hear 54-40 play. The band that opened up before them, called HydroSmith took me by surprise. They were excellent! They had so much enthusiasm and you could tell they were happy to be there. It was a very rainy day and I expect that they were pleased to see such a good turn out. When 54-40 took the stage, they were amazing as always. However, I don't think the crowd was as appreciative as they should have been which such a great performance.

The event, as most know, was free of an admission price, however they do appreciate donations at the gateways. There was a small carnival set up complete with a kangaroo with which you could get your picture taken for $5.00.

I walked around by all the rib stands to see all the trophies from previous judgments and line ups of hungry Sarnian's who have been waiting a year for this day to come back. There was a ton of space set up for people to sit and eat, however it did not seem to be enough. For such a potentially messy meal, there should have been more areas designated to those purchasing the vendors' food. I'm sure there are a few who can agree that eating ribs standing is risky business, especially during the 5 minute downpour where everyone stood shoulder-to-shoulder huddled under the tent.

On the Saturday night, I noticed that the crowd was a little thinner. It had rained a lot that afternoon and the ground was thick with mud and puddles mixed with straw. The music for that night included The Barnburners and a talented band called Shelly Raskin. The headliner for the night was an eccentric lady named Amanda Wilkinson. She had the crowd really touched by her performance and her dedication of songs to different things and people. However, it was Shelly Raskin who I felt owned the stage that night. She was so full of energy and her songs were very catchy!

Overall, these entertaining nights seemed to satisfy both a hunger for a tasty meal, and for a good night out.

I went on my first run of the season last week-end. I have been a member of the HHH for 5 years now and it is one of my favourite social activities. Our meeting spot was the Walmart parking lot, west side. It was a perfect day until about 1/2 hour before the run when the clouds came in fast and covered the sky and it got really dark. Any feeble

hasher would have been deterred but not us! We waited it out for about an hour until a brutal rain accompanied with some hail passed over then we were on our way. The group was about 14 strong which wasn't bad considering the elements. It was a live run because the rain had washed all the trail away so Duc-sucker stayed just in front of us laying the

trail so we knew where to go. Our hares were Doc-sucker from Marysville Michigan and our local member I-need-a. Doc-sucker brought some hashing virgins also from Michigan and Leaky Faucet brought a chap from England who is staying with family for the summer.

What a brutal first run for the virgins! We covered just about every type of terrain! We went up hills, through mud, dirt, water, you name it we went though it. Only one wipe out, way to go I-need-a, lol. It was a long run with no beer at the beginning which was different for us. Every hashing group has their own way and with us we always start with beer, at least a couple to loosen us up, makes you more flexible for running, lol. I think us starting off 'dry' made the terrain more antagonizing, lol. Once we did get to beer it improved steadily. There were quite a few false trails and that makes the run more interesting so I liked that part. It was a fun run overall and I think everyone had a good time. The run lasted a couple hours total with one beer stop before we got to our final destination, Roadhouse Route 66, where the beer was cold and the staff was awesome as usual.

Scorecard led the down downs as we closed another successful run. The weather by this time was perfect and we were starting to dry up a bit. Doc-sucker had taken his socks off and they clearly deserved nothing

less then a quiet burial in the garbage can. We sang some songs for the hares, the virgins, the travellers, those without HHH shirts and just about everybody until the beer was gone, lol. We also named a couple people, welcome "Bobin" and "**** it, I'll do it." We are looking forward to a summer with many more runs. The Michigan crew of hashers has invited us there for some runs and we are looking forward to seeing them more on our site. The Hash House Harriers are a world-wide organization and you can attend runs in any other city. We have had hasers come run with us from all parts of Michigan including Detroit, Ann Arbour and Marysville. I have also hashed with Hashers from Edmonton, Windsor and Toronto in Sarnia for either work of pleasure.

"Hashing . . . it's a mixture of athleticism and sociability, hedonism and hard work; a refreshing break from the nine-to-five routine. Hashing is an exhilaratingly fun combination of running, orienteering, and partying, where bands of harriers and harriettes chase hares on trails through town, country, jungle, and desert, all in search of exercise, camaraderie, and good times." http://www.half-mind.com

"The Wall" was recreated on stage this season by Glenn Kennedy and an array of local talent at the Imperial Theatre. When we were invited to go and do this review I was honestly unsure what to expect. I was born in the 60's, spend many a party night singing aw

ay to the best of Pink Floyd and my worst fear was to watch someone slaughter this classic music. Boy I have never been so pleased to be wrong. They had the stage set up with the band appearing on the sides of the stage behind a man made wall. The wall was built out of various rows of 'bricks' and the sides of the stage were complete but the middle was empty and that is where Glenn belted out his strong voice. As the show continued 'School Kids' kept adding to the bricks to the middle. Finally they filled in the whole wall and eventually the kids knocked the wall down. It was very well done. There were a number of student actors involved that marched around during the classic "Another Brick in the Wall". A professor followed them proclaiming "How can have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" If you are any kind of Pink Floyd fan, or not, it is worth seeing if they do it again next year.

The show was stellar and the cast did an excellent job recreating the movie on stage. Glenn sounded just like Syd Barrett, his voice never waived as he sang the classics that we all knew and sang along to. The band that supported him did an outstanding job, at any given time I could have closed my eyes and felt completely like this was Pink Floyd live. The crowd was mixed in age and gender and they all seemed to enjoy it equally. This show also had another interesting side, they used multimedia projectors to show actual movie footage on the completed brick wall of both the original movie and participants of this actual show. It was very well done and a nice touch.

Friday: Wow, what a line up!!! Bobnoxious, a band out of the London Ontario area, had a large fan base from London follow them out to the Friday show, a very aggressive band, in their music and their vocals. Neverending White Lights, featuring the lead singer from Alexisonfire didn't have a lot of fan fair at the show, although I feel this band produced a very dull live performance, the music sounds fun and somewhat melodic at time with the higher vocals, but the rest of the stage show was lacking in intensity. Pilate was a band I could take or leave, I don't feel I really enjoyed their performance at all, in fact I'm not sure if I really enjoyed the music of their latest singles. Buckcherry, on the other hand, a very high strung performer, bouncing around and gyrating his hips to infections tones of the guitar and drums, 'Crazy Bitch' his latest single was a huge success, the crowd went crazy when Buck fell off side with that single. The Headliner of the show, Cypress Hill, just blow out on stage like a little mini super nova, and they just didn't stop, with almost two decades of hits on the bong that would make the sanest person 'insane in the membrane'. I would definitely have to say that this band had the best stage presence, they've had a lot of time to perfect their stage show, and as the old pro's they are they really knew how to worked the audience participation. I feel it was a good thing Cypress Hill was the last act because where I was standing they definitely stole the Friday night show.

Saturday: This line up was just amazing. I like the Friday line up, but for what this review looks for when it comes to personal tastes, I would have to say if Cypress was in this line up it would have made for an ultimate Saturday evening show. However, Febe Dobson was at her best on this night going from punkishly guttural vocals with 'Boyfriend' and moving on to more melodic vocals here an there, high energy performer we love to see at open venues, hope to have her back again, soon. Tonic, even though these troopers have been around the block, I guess the old adage ' You're Only As Good As Your Last C.D.' applies here, although they've enjoyed success with a couple a few hits, and do command a stage presence they were billed to open for relative new comers Default, I guess with hits like 'The Mountain' 'If You Could Only See' 'Lemonade Parade' 'Open Up Your Eyes' and A Casual Affair' couldn't match up to the more recent hits from Default like 'Wasting My Time' and the new one 'Win Win'. Yes, I know they have a few more hits and they had an awesome show, but give respect where its due, okay, okay I guess that I can chalk it up to my own personal tastes again. Both bands Tonic and Default put on awesome shows none the less, both provoked audience participation and were about equal in stage presence. Switchfoot, was one awesome band to hear live, they've produced a live energetic sound in their music that pays off large dividends when they perform live, I myself wasn't familiar with a lot of their music, but I'm a fan now from the Saturday show. A very live electric sound, good on you guys, keep up that electricity an you'll go a long way in the business.

When I took on this assignment I wasn't sure if I was going to just do interviews all weekend with crowd or just enjoy the Friday show as a fan of music and then conduct my interviews on the Saturday show. Well I opted on the latter. Friday, I did what most Canadians like to do when they're outside enjoying good weather and good music at a live venue. I drank as much beer as I could in the 8 or so hours I was at the park. I moved around all night talking with friends, and observed the performances of the bands and the actions of the audience, just to be able to feel the enthusiasm of the crowd. I'm not sure why I felt that if I just interviewed the members of the crowd and critiqued the show, some how I would lose out on the experience, but either way I believe the show was Cool to say the least and I would hope to believe I'm not the only that feels that the all new Canadian Bash Weekend is going to be a really big hit if it becomes an annual event. The only slight down fall to the whole weekend was, in my opinion, and with not so many words from the crowd, that K 106.3 could have showcased the bands at the show more. More play copies from the bands featured, selections both old an new. I'm under the impression that this event was put together rather quickly, but being the biggest noise in the music industries around these parts, they're the only ones we can count on to get our information to us before the show, to know whether we like the new or old sounds.

A rainy opening night, Dads! the musical, Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia. There was a buzz of excitement in the packed house, as the casual to elegantly dressed men and women sat patiently waiting for the first notes of music to be played, and the house lights to be dimmed. Suddenly, to our surprise, the Artistic Director, Robert More appeared before us to announce there has been a problem with the lighting, so there will be a delay. In attempt to quell the anxiousness of the crowd, Mr. More nervously, but successfully presented us with his "best joke" to bide time, and then asked of the crowd if anyone else had a joke to share. The crowd was amused. When the "light guy" shouted that they would have to go on with the house lights on, there was not a moment's hesitation. The show was on!

Tom Doyle, Musical Director made his way to his piano, which turned out to be the only musical instrument required for this playful, hilarious musical. Tom interpreted the music well, and his timing was perfect. And we all know that timing is everything with comedy!

The story begins as three men, of different social backgrounds and careers find themselves immersed in the fast-flowing river of fatherhood, without a raft! The scenes move very quickly, as we discover how they have found themselves in their situations.

"Kirk" (Mike Nadajewski), a young, average married guy, finds himself out of a job, which, in turn, forces his wife back to work as a waitress. After the initial shock has worn off, he decides he is comfortable with being a "stay-at-home-father", but doesn't care much for his wife's new midriff-baring uniform!

"Charles" (David Rosser) is a driven, successful executive married to a corporate lawyer. Obviously accustomed to a fast-paced, luxurious life, he convinces himself that it will be just another challenge to be home when he loses his job. He plans to do all of the things that he has always wanted to do, which includes breathing new life into his "Beef Wellington" recipe. As his newborn daughter is placed into his arms, he promises to teach her about all the finer things in life.

Garnering the majority of the crowd's giggles was "Joey" (Eddie Glen), a nervous, bow-tied English teacher, who is counseled by his superior to stay at home for a year and rid himself of the stress that plagues him daily. "Joey" is under the care of a psychiatrist, and agrees that it might be a good thing for him and his family. He and his wife have twin boys, Horace and Virgil.

The "women" (Desiree Beausoleil), all return to work with enthusiasm, and are eager to become the "bread winners".

As the story unfolds the fathers meet and begin relating the stories typically depicted by stay-at-home mothers. Among the crowd there were men and women of different ages, and the tales of messy diapers, "firsts" and plans for the future provoked giggles and fits of laughter from all! Everyone seemed to relate to the situations the men had found themselves in called parenthood.

From an "Elvis" style lullaby, to an operatic ditty concerning male testosterone, the audience was treated to a delightfully visual journey of the three men, as they discovered being at home with children was not as simple as they originally thought it would be. The stereotypical macho edge was gradually peeled away, while maintaining their masculine pride and dignity.

Each man dealt with traumatic issues whilst persevering with diaper rash, teething, and crying fits. Joey, whom for the most part was happily married, seemed to be dealing with his feelings of inadequacies while fantasizing about every woman who crossed his path! With his expressive, quirky gestures and comedic timing, Joey tickled the audience's funny bone repetitively! Probably the funniest moment came when Joey tried to feed his twin boys! The babies (puppets) were quite realistic in their actions and Joey responded accordingly, sending us into fits of laughter, seemingly thrust into our own past similar situation.

Charles became quite stressed when he realized he could not keep up with the pace of being the "perfect" husband and father. He lost sleep, and ordered gourmet food to continue the façade. All the while, his successful wife boasted about his abilities! Eventually his act caught up his exhausted body collapsed.

Kirk, in the meantime was acutely aware of his wife's absence around the home, and became increasingly irate, feeling emotionally far from his wife. A dreamy duet was performed by Kirk and his "wife", with sweet, romantic, heart-wrenching tones.

The "women" of the musical were outstanding! I can't even begin to imagine what backstage was like, a flurry of activity as each costume must have been thrown on hastily in preparation for the next "wife" to appear. But she appeared onstage with not a hair, or thread out of place. She positioned herself into each character with ease, and we weren't even aware at first that it was the same person fulfilling all of the female roles. In between the "wives" she also narrated the story as the nurse. Her (Desiree's) songbird voice accompanied her "husbands" beautifully.

The group rounds out the story with a western-themed song about pampers, and how to get the job done. Once again, the costumes and dance moves riveted us until the very end. Likely the funniest song of all was Joey's rendition of "The Savage is Back". We learn that he has restored his lost confidence and is ready to take on life again as he once had. A bold, new assertive man emerges, and his wife seems to appreciate the change!

As each man becomes comfortable with their life at home (even Charles who had a stress attack earlier!), they each receive a call to go back to work. They ponder the possibilities, then decide that they need just a little more time to be at home. The "tour of duty" hasn't been all bad, and they have bonded with their children!

This story was touching, hilarious, and so much fun to watch! The audience responded with resounding applause, and a standing ovation! Bravo! To all the cast, crew and direction of Dad's! the musical. It was truly an honour, as a mother, to see the other side of the coin, as it were.

Afterward, the beautiful, historical rooms of the Playhouse were overflowing with lively conversations about set design, costumes, and the funny bits of the story. Everyone had their own favourite part of the play, and laughter could be heard throughout the main meeting room. A magical evening indeed!

I went to see Alice Cooper at the Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Center. Frankly I was unsure what to expe

ct so I was a little apprehensive. Sure I know all Alice’s songs, just like everyone that grew up with Alice’s shocking image, but I didn’t really know what I was going to see this night. We got there and there was basically no lineup although the place was quite full. They had Alice’s merchandise for sale and although I didn’t notice the price I saw a lot of people wearing t-shirts so I must think they were not too outrageous. We found our seats no problem and although it was a little cold on occasion from the air system they were fine. The stage was at one end of the arena but they had somewhat centered it, which seemed to create the illusion that the place was fuller then it was because we were all at one end. That was good planning as that is much better then having people sitting miles apart. Alcohol was available all through the arena but we didn’t have any so I really don’t know about the prices but the cups I saw people with were huge! Looked like 2 beers in one, Kodiac would have been pleased! If you were a drinking they ‘banded’ you at the door and from what I saw the beer lineup was moving at a steady pace and never too long.

From what I could see the private boxes were about 80% in use this night and you could see Christmas lights and other accessories up above along with masses of people hooting and hollering. These shows offer ideal conditions for my favorite pastime of ‘people watching’. We saw such a variety of people! Lots with faces painted white with the black makeup around the eyes. Tons of people with Mohawks and vibrantly coloured wild hairstyles accented with lots of facial jewelry. With all people dressed in black with the long black jackets I could have thought it was a vampire convention but the folks 35 and older gave the place a nice balance. Although it was a colourful crowd to say the least I can honestly say no one looked freaky or scary, they looked like a bunch of kids expressing themselves. Everyone looked to be having fun!

The first band started, right about on schedule I think and I had never heard of them. They were called Supagroup and they were a young, pumped heavy band. They reminded me of another band but I just can’t put my finger on who it was. They played nothing I’d ever heard of before but they had a catchy beat and their members could really play exceptionally well. They gelled together and there was one young bassist that kicked into some powerful solo’s that were amazing. They seemed to play a long time before Alice Cooper came on but that was ok because the crowd really seemed to be enjoying them.

Then the moment we were waiting for… Alice Cooper! He started out with a medley of bits and pieces of his greatest hits and sang everyone through the course of the evening. He looked exactly like every picture I ever say of him, only a little older, a little more worn. He rocked the arena with School’s Out, Billion Dollar Babies, Is it My Body, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Only Women Bleed, I’m Eighteen and many more! The sound system was ok but not that great. In some songs there was much too much bass but it was fixed quickly. They had a great lighting system and it all collaborated with the show perfectly.

I was told previous to the show that Alice didn’t do any of the gimmicks anymore and that when he was in London in the summer just sang, although very well. Pleased to announce he did tons of stuff here!!! He has a huge yellow snake that wound around him for at least one song and he also he brought out dollar bills he dangled into the crowd from his poker for Billion Dollar Babies. He also had a team of actors that came out a few different times and they played out various scenarios. In one scene he ended up pretending to kill a girl and in another he ended up in a straight jacket, which of course he escaped later on. The girl actor was very good and did some gymnastics on the stage. The people in the front area sure got their share of souvenirs as they threw out guitar picks constantly; drum sticks and the fake (I assume) money! Another neat thing they did, that I have been waiting to see since the beginning of Bayfest, is use concert size beach balls! They must have rolled out about 6 blown up to the max with some water in each. As they bounced though the crowd Alice stabbed them with his poker and they blew up spraying those underneath with water. Very awesome effect!!!

Alice’s band played together like a well-oiled machine and I heard the longest drum solo of my life! The drummer was totally amazing and what was even neater is that hanging from each end of the drum kit was additional drums so 2 of the guitarists could join in. I have never seen anything like it! I can’t even explain the power in the room as these 3 men beat these drums and rocked the house! It was something else!

Only thing negative that I don’t mind commenting on is people that brought their young kids. There was such a diverse crowd, from gray haired seniors to gothic teens but there were a few parents that felt it necessary to bring young kids. I saw some as young as 7 or 8 or less. It wouldn’t surprise me if some parent is going to write into the Observer that the show was too violent or they smelt pot and bash the artist or the SSEC. Although I don’t recall any swearing or even fake blood the violence in the actions was there and the crowd went nuts cheering as Alice pretended to kill his victim. Any parent that has an inch of knowledge of Alice Cooper should have known it wasn’t for young kids. Just my opinion.

I must say this was one of my favorite concerts so far and I’ve seen many. As far as presentation and stage presence Alice rules! I’ve always thought the SSEC charged too much for their tickets but this time the show was well worth every cent!

Syliva & I headed out to Hiawatha Friday Night to see what we thought was a tribute to 3 Stars: Cher, Reba and Celine. Cher was the big draw for me as I remember many school nights begging my Mom to let me stay up to watch Sonny & Cher on television. We went to the dinner show and enjoyed an amazing dinner buffet prior to the show. This was the first time Sylvia & I had ever gone to a dinner show and we thought it would make for a good restaurant review. When you go there and your a party of 2 they sometimes seat you at a table of 4 with 2 other people you don't know which is sort of neat. We sat in good

seats with an excellent view with a hilarious couple who we hit it off with right away. The service was good and the staff friendly as always.

I didn't realize it was all one person doing all 3 impersonations until I got there and wasn't sure what to expect. When Karen came out she started off with a Celine Dion song. She then introduced the show and explained that she did much more then the 3 stars advertised, and that she did! She stood centre stage with 2 tables of wigs/coats/props and entertained us for 1 ¹/₂ hours non stop! From my memory alone she impersonated Celine, Cher, Reba, Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, Sinead O'Connor, Alanis Morrisette, Dolly Parton, Tracy Chapman, Shania Twain, Tina Turner, Julie Andrews plus Neil Young, Joe Cocker Michael Bolton, Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy. That is just what I can remember and I know I missed a bunch! She was so awesome! I really think next time she comes they need to change the title to reflect how great a 'variety' show, and a singer, she is! I knew 95% of the songs and her voice was so amazing I could close my eyes during any of the female stars and think it was real. She sang these people's strongest most challenging songs and made the notes. The band was also very good and they all did their own impersonations and had very strong voices also.

It didn't end there, she was very funny and had funny parts all during the show. She also interacted with the crowd and got them singing & clapping. It was very upbeat and progressed quickly as she didn't ever sing a complete song, but for most it was at least 1/3 which was perfect. She also did a funny little show. She got 3 people from the audience to sit in chairs in a row on the stage and she stood behind them. She then gave them instructions to open their mouths when she bonked on the top of their heads or act like a head banger if she bonked them on the shoulder. She had two blown up balls on her hands that made her arms look almost like sledge hammers. Then they played Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and she proceeded to bonk them to the music and they did the actions!! The crowd was killing themselves laughing, myself included! What a show! Next time Karen comes to town I will be first in line to see her. She was totally awesome and very talented!