Thursday, December 31, 2009

My Favorite Posts of 2009

It’s that time of the year, a time of reflection. Next month (January) will mark the one year anniversary of the Rock and Roll Guru. As 2009 is winding down, I thought it would be good to look back, sift through all of my posts from the past year, and present you with my ten favorites. Think of it as a “greatest hits” package to close out the year. Disagree with my choices? Got a post that you like better? Feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment.

Here’s what I feel were my strongest posts of the year. Enjoy!

The Changing Of The Guards (Parts 1,2,3)
This was a fun post to write. I looked at bands that were near retirement, bands that were ready to take over as the top live acts, and bands that were moving into the spotlight. This was a well received series that most readers thoroughly enjoyed.

Part One: http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2009/11/changing-of-guards-part-one.html
Part Two: http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2009/11/changing-of-guard-part-two.html
Part Three: http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2009/11/changing-of-guards-part-three.html

Garage Bands From My Youth
In this post, I reflect on the glory days of my garage band youth. This was when I thought I was going to hit the big time as a rock and roll singer. I guess being a rock and roll blogger isn’t too bad either.

The Summer Concert Wrap Up
This post found me recapping the great festivals, the strong concerts, reunions and farewell tours that took place over the summer. The winners, losers, heroes, and duds of the season are all covered here.

Part One: http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2009/09/summer-concert-wrap-up-part-two.html
Part Two: http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2009/09/summer-conccert-wrap-up-part-one.html

What's Your Guilty Pleasure?
This is the post where I admit my love for Ashlee Simpson and Perry Como. See? I’m not all about rock and roll and heavy metal. Everyone has a guilty pleasure that they turn too when no one else is looking. I love to listen to the opera on a cold winter’s night too.

Seeing Concerts For A Discounted Price
Everybody had their eye on the bottom line and how it affected their wallet this year. Over the summer I put together a post showcasing how to save money during the concert season. Tips on how to save a buck or two plus all of the promotional discounts offered are covered here. I enjoyed sharing this information so much that I am going to make it annual post as I learn new ways (and offers) that will save the concert fan money.

Why Ticketmaster Totally Sucks
Anytime that I have a valid reason to bash Ticketmaster I take advantage of it. They had a tough year (not that I feel sorry for them) between stalled mergers and government investigations, but they deserve it. I still think they are the bane of the concert industry and the sleaze of the Earth. They will NEVER be able to justify to me why a 40% markup in the face value of a ticket is reasonable. In this post, I went off on them because I got shut out of Bruce tickets but immediately could buy them from their sister (scalpers) site for a huge increase. I hate Ticketmaster!

The Independent Record Store
For “Record Store Day” I put together a little ode to a record store of my youth. Oh how I miss that store, those carefree summer days, and the endless amount of time I spent in there. Fortunately, I still have all the records that I bought there, so listening to them can instantly transport me back. Please support your independent record store. They are on the verge of extinction and we really need them to stay around.

Poison's Summer Setlist?
This post got a LOT of views. Everyone wanted to know what Poison might play before their tour kicked off. Some people even put together their own Poison wishlist. All of them were good and all of them were different which goes to show the different tastes we all have.

The Easter Eggs Of Rock
A trip down memory lane, remembering my youthful days of examining Iron Maiden posters and Album covers like they were the Holy Grail. Of course, back then, they were. I hope there’s a new Maiden record this year. I need knew artwork to stare at for hours at a time.

A Guns N Roses Reunion
This was a pure fantasy post on what it would take to pull all the original members of the band back together for one mega-tour. Basically it would require a lot of pride and ego swallowing on the part of one W. Axl Rose, which is why this tour will probably never come to fruition.

How It All Began
Discussing how my obsession with music (particularly rock and roll) began. One of my first posts and still one of my favorites. My mother likes it a lot too.

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