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The Grammy Experience Jan 26, 2014

22 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by FlightTracker in GAA / Gaelic Football, Grammy Awards, Ireland in the United States, Pub Crawl Ireland, Uncategorized

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#GRAMMYs, 56th Annual Grammy Awards, Best Dressed, Boyz II Men, Daft Punk, GRAMMY AWARDS 2014, Grammy Nominees, Grammy Performers, Grammy Winners, http://grm.my/1eb0LdF, Lorde, Paul McCartney, Pharrell Williams, Pink, Red Carpet

This afternoon, Monday Jan 27th, at  about 11AM as I am sitting in my hotel room post grammy experience day 1, I get a Facebook message from my friend Noel in Ireland:  “Grammy awards are on Irish telly now !!!!! We will b keepin an eye out for u !!!”

LL Cool J as Host

LL Cool J as Host

I’m glad everyone in Ireland got to witness this historical music event. I’m ecstatic that I was invited to go this year.  We started the day meeting up with another set of  annual Grammy attendees for some lunch then off to the Pre-Show at the Nokia Center. It was casual but some big artists there too and hosted by Cyndi Lauper who did a fantastic job. Then after those awards, we went through a special entrance to the Staples Center where we were seated for the 5PM Live Telecast.  The seats were amazing. Row 13 and section 112 right by the stage. Seeing this event live makes you truly appreciate what goes into making such an event

grammy set building

grammy set building

happen. While a performer is on one side of the stage, prop guys and art department are literally building a set from the ground up on the other side of the stage virtually in minutes. This years event was star studded and historic with Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, Stevie  Wonder, Carol King, Lindsay Buckingham all present and performing. LL Cool J did an amazing job as host,  and there was not a bad or even mediocre performance, everyone was energizing, spot on and truly AMAZING!! It was a juxtaposed  feeling of surreal and yet seemingly natural to be there all at the same time.

imagine dragons

imagine dragons

(And yes, as I am writing, I’m once again brought back to experience each moment watching snippets of my own video clips once again re-living the night while sitting in my girly grammy t-shirt that came with the ticket.)

After a change of clothes for the after party which was a bit surreal, animated, full of acrobatic performers, and dazzling lights, nothing spared and you could want for nothing here.  There was gourmet food and drinks, performers and MUSIC!! I opted to stay in the main room vs. the JAZZ room. The jazz room featured a performance by Big Bad Voodoo Daddys and the main room  featured a former Grammy artist named Ciara who was tremendous and YAY!!!! BOYZ II MEN!!!! I got right  in front for that one. It was the highlight of my night, and I only made a few people mad squishing my way to the front. I got to shake their hand, and play with balloons that fell out of the ceiling at

Boyz II Men rocked the house

Boyz II Men rocked the house

the end of the show. I felt like a little kid again. Funny enough, I had JUST gotten done speaking with the guitar player in Boyz II Men maybe 20 minutes before the show about the younger generation, vinyl records, 8-tracks and having a bit of a laugh. Of course it was a fluke how we crossed paths to even get into that conversation and I didn’t know he was their guitar player, although I had a feeling. I wanted to ask him if he was going to play with Boyz II Men because I just felt that vibe. But of course I didn’t, and sure enough, there he was, up on stage with them. What a performance and a super great musician this guy was. But you would expect no less from such a superb group who has stood the test of time.

“Boyz II Men were the complete highlight of the Grammy after party and super charged the end of a great night. They engaged the audience with a flawless performance and had amazing musicians in the band. Felt like a kid again playing with balloons that fell from the ceiling after the show. The guitar player was a kindred spirit that I was lucky enough to cross paths with, if only for a moment in time… a great musician, great band, outstanding performance.” – Gina Dagostino on Grammy.com 

Written originally on January 22, 2014:

Even the Gramm’y are going to make the news in Ireland. I shall be in attendance this year. Check out the shenanigans on twitter @ginadag, on my blog, irishchatroom.net and my FB ”LIKE” page : Facebook.com/ginadagostinoinireland

http://grm.my/1eb0LdF #GRAMMYs

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Pub Crawl day one: Whats the Craic? (The Late bar)

23 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by FlightTracker in Pub Crawl Ireland

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Craic, Ireland, Irish, Irish Chat, Irish Times, Irish Tourism, Pub Crawl, Pubs, Tourism

Traditional Pub vs. the late bar

Traditional Pub vs. the Late Bar

One of the many great things about Ireland is the pub on every corner. (and in between every corner) There have been estimates of anywhere from 9,300 to 17,000 pubs in Ireland. I’m sure there has to be a register somewhere, but look…who’s counting anyway? You tend to lose count after 2 or 3 pubs and 4 Blue WDK’s anyway.  As long as you can still walk (or crawl), you are sure to find one pub more unique then the next; each with its own character and charm.  From pubs to clubs, they are all different in atmosphere and vibe and full of interesting people.

Commonality: just as we Americans like our Sunday football gameday, you can always find a game on the weekends, be it horse racing, Rugby, Hurling (and I don’t mean what you do after too many drinks) or Gaelic football. (which funny enough is referred to as NFL as well). But I will save the GAA/sports talk for the moment. Back to the pub/club scene.

Flannery's

Late Bar

The clubs in Dublin are all very diverse in atmosphere, however they share a common thread. Great DJ’s playing great dance music. You cannot help but get your groove on in these places. I’m referring here to the late bars of course… like Copper Face Jacks, Flannery’s and countless others.  Ireland is interesting with their drink system. Some bars close early, while others ,”the late bars”, stay open till 5am as long as your in the door by 3AM. These are the dance clubs. There is fun to be had here at any age.

This is a whole different animal from the traditional irish music bars, which are plentiful and have some of the most amazing musicians in the world. Check out my post on traditional irish music.  As a side note, for those places that don’t have music at all, you can always count on the “sing-song” that always breaks out just before closing time.

But after all the dancing…and the drinking…and the dancing, getting your very late night greasy food fix from Supermac’s, then off to bed at the wee hours of the morning (if you can find your way home that is… ) you suddenly find a new appreciation for the neighborhood bar. Although Dublin has its share, the outlying suburbs are the best places that truly give you a feel for what the Irish culture is about. Dublin buzzes with a large mix of cultures as one of the great hubs of Europe. But travel 30 minutes or more in any direction and you are very much in Ireland.

Shall we take a moment to speak about Irish drinks? I found that shots, are not all the rage.  At least not our American version of  “extra large put as many alcohols into that moderately sized glass and chug” shots. Which is why I took the liberty of bringing my “ULTIMATE SHOT BIBLE” with me, giving it to my favorite bartender at one of my favorite neighborhood pubs called Madigan’s.

Shots???

Shots???

Madigan’s is in Dublin right on O’Connell Street, in the heart of city center.  The Ultimate Shot Bible was a book they did not quite understand. “Are these cocktails?” “How would we charge for them?” “How do we fit all those ingredients in this little glass?” were the first of many questions posed by the very good but perplexed  barmen. Trying to explain as best I could that we have shot glasses that are about 3 times the size or more of a normal shot glass and that you somehow need to fit all that alcohol with fruity substances in there and chug it down as fast as you can remained a mystery to them. But the good barman himself spent some time studying the book and did utilize a recipe to make a perfect shot for me with 3 liquors … fitting it all in a regular sized shot glass. That was talent, and it was yummy.

Then as fast as you can say “d’yaknowwhatimeanlike?”  I’m traveling  out of the city to spend some time in the country in search of the Irish suburb neighborhood bar, more friends, great music, landscapes history and anything Irish. First stop, Athboy, Co. Meath….

Next post… Traditional Pubs and Traditional Irish Music

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PubMan

23 Tuesday Apr 2013

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Craic, GAA, Gaelic Games Football, Ireland, Irish, Irish Chat, Irish Times, Irish Tourism Board, Pub Crawl, Pubs, Tourism

PubMan

Its always time for a Guinness…

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Posted by FlightTracker | Filed under Pub Crawl Ireland

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My personal and humorous insights into the land of Eire.

Visit my personal blog about Ireland.

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  • Do the Irish like or even Eat Corned beef and cabbage? The following article prompted me to use my secret ability of super sleuthing to find out.
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  • Do the Irish like or even Eat Corned beef and cabbage? The following article prompted me to use my secret ability of super sleuthing to find out.
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Recent Posts

  • Do the Irish like or even Eat Corned beef and cabbage? The following article prompted me to use my secret ability of super sleuthing to find out.
  • Only at Easter time in USA but ALWAYS… in Ireland
  • 56th Annual Grammy Awards
  • The Grammy Experience Jan 26, 2014
  • GAA Irish Games. “Fair-Play” to Them!!

Recent Comments

barry hendrickson on Experiencing Ireland in the…
Pub Crawl day one: W… on Pub Crawl day one: Whats the C…
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