John (Cougar) Mellencamp played to a packed house at Chicago’s Northerly Isle Pavilion on Tuesday night, July 22nd, in the outdoor venue that is just right: not too big, not too small. If the concert is on a Wednesday or a Saturday, you’re also going to be treated to the fireworks from Navy Pier, and it is one of the best concert venues in town, bar none. The “Chicago/Doobie Brothers” concert just a week or so ago was similarly good on a wonderful night for a concert outdoors, rain or shine.
There was a lead-in singer who was a Sheryl Crow wannabee. She was unimpressive, singing a song with a lyric about “taking my joy” (If you want to know who was ‘taking the joy,” it was the singer, whose name was Cindy or Lucinda Williams) and also singing about bumblebees. The crowd did not seem to get in to her set, but, mercifully, it was short.
Then, some comic from Los Angeles came out and wanted to read the crowd a poem. The poem primarily consisted of repeating the lyrics to John Mellencamp’s well-known songs and he was a perfect example of an L.A. Ego Gone Wild. His “poem’:was not good and the crowd wanted him to quit with the pontificating and get off the stage. It soon began to resemble the Apollo Theater talent competition, where those lacking in talent are booed off the stage. It was hard to feel sorry for the guy, though, as he even was in to discussing how tall he is (like anyone cared.)
We were in the bleachers this night. The thing about Northerly Isle is that, in the bleachers, you have plenty of room. On the main floor, they pack the folding chairs in so tight at times that you feel like you’re on a bad airline. I’d rather be in the bleachers, and it has nothing to do with the price of the tickets, although they are cheaper there. There is also a staircase that leads down to the VIP room and to the rest room trailers, which are among the cleanest and best maintained concert rest rooms anywhere. (The worst I have ever encountered were at a Rolling Stones concert in the Metrodome or Hubert Humphrey Dome or whatever it is dubbed in Minneapolis, years ago, which were filthy; that is the inflatable dome that will collapse if everyone leaves at once, supposedly.)
Mellencamp did not disappoint on this balmy spring night, and he sang almost all his hits. He even brought out his 13-year-old son, whom he referred to as “Speck” to play near the end of the show. The only song that this Mellencamp fan did not hear was “Hurts So Good.” He opened with “Little Pink Houses” and closed wth “The Authority Song.”
All-in-all, it was a great concert on a slightly breezy night, but one that seemed to please everyone present (except possibly the guy who tried to read the boring poem that had nothing to do with anything and held up the appearance of the headliner while he hogged the spotlight.)

   Good friend and Associated Content buddy Tyler Mills, a fellow Iowan (or is it Iowegian?) asked me to post this link, which is a charitable fundraiser. Being the kind, compassionate soul that I am, I said, “Sure.” (I didn’t tell him that nobody is reading this blog, based on the clicks on the ads, which would have been a real downer for us both.)

Prove me wrong about the readership. A couple of you have written some very nice things on my Charlie Crist for VP piece. I’m just surprised that I’m getting these comments now, when I wrote that article months ago, but, hey! Take it where you can get it, right?

Good luck with this charitable endeavor, Tyler, and kudos for “doing the right thing.”

Here’s the link:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/898939/alonzo_mourning_charities.html?cat=48

“The Pineapple Express” was sneak premiered for members of the Chicago Cinema group, and I was there (on Thursday, July 24^th). As Seth Rogan’s new film (“Superbad,” “Knocked Up”) my companion and I had high hopes for humor.

Unfortunately, while there are some laughs to be had, the overall storyline is weak. It has to do with a very rare breed of pot called Pineapple Express, which Seth buys from his dealer, a badly miscast James Franco.

Here’s my question: James Franco, who is a dead ringer for the young James Dean when he is cleaned up (and has played him on film) is cast as the scrungy-looking drug dealer. There would have been comic possibilities in the casting of “McLovin” (from “Superbad”) or, really, anyone who looks “funnier” than James Franco, who merely looks unclean in this film.

Seth Rogan, who is a process server, unwittingly witnesses a murder committed by crooked cop Rosie Perez and her boyfriend, drug lord Gary Cole. He can be tracked because he throws a half-smoked roach out the window of his car, and the Pineapple Express brand of Mary Jane is being sold only by one dealer (Franco) and has been sold to only one customer (Seth Rogan).

The problem is that the movie seeks to be an outright comedy, but there are shootings and deaths galore, which don’t add up to Com-e-dee. There is also one character who is repeatedly shot and yet remains upright and ambulatory. Not only does this defy logic and believability, it isn’t really that “funny.”

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I was disappointed in this new film, because I really loved both “Knocked Up” and “”Superbad.”

My home county (Buchanan County, junction of Highways 218 and 150) in northeast Iowa was declared a disaster area, as were Black Hawk and Butler Counties in the same part of the state, as severe thunderstorms struck in the evening of May 25th, killing at least 8 people in Iowa and Minnesota.

Although I do not remember the tornado that ripped the roof off St. John’s Church 2 blocks from my home in Buchanan County (Independence, Iowa) and dropped it in my back yard when I was 2 years old, I’ve seen pictures of myself as a child after that particular event, which occurred in the same approximate area of the state.

Still, as the Iowa Homeland Security Administrator said, “Occasionally we have a death, but we have a warning system. Seven deaths! It’s been a long time since we’ve had those kinds of injuries and deaths reported.”

Five of the victims lived in Parkersburg, which is located 80 miles northeast of Des Moines; two of those killed lived in nearby New Hartford.  Said one female resident of New Hartford, being interviewed on MSNBC, “We’ve lived here for 21 years and we’ve never had anything like this happen.”  There were approximately 50 injuries reported, with Parkersburg—in particular the south side of town—reduced to rubble. Most of the high school and nearly all of the town’s homes were destroyed. Communications with the town were completely cut off and all residents were ordered to evacuate. Early film footage of the destruction looked like footage of cities destroyed in a war zone.

A tornado also struck just to the east in  Dunkerton, Iowa, (population under 800) and in other areas of Black Hawk County.  New Hartford has fewer than 700 residents.

Governor Chet Culver issued a disaster proclamation for the three Iowa counties and Dave Miller, the Iowa Homeland Security Administrator, said that officials would be monitoring reports of storm activity, which  included large hail and wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour in the Des Moines capital city area.

In Minnesota, Hugo, a suburb of St. Paul, was struck, damaging about 48 homes, according to City Administrator Mike Ericson. A two-year-old child was killed and the child’s sibling critically injured. The children’s parents were also hospitalized.

Hugo Public Works Director Chris Petree described shielding his wife and 2 and 1/2-year-old daughter with his body in the basement of their home as the storm tore the second floor from his residence. “All you hear is glass breaking and wood tearing and breaking in half. I put my daughter down first, my wife on top of her, and then I bear-hugged on top of them,” said Petree.

In Illinois, there were tornado warnings for Rock Island County, where I currently live, and for all  surrounding counties (Henry County in Illinois, Scott County in Iowa, etc.).

There have been three days of violent weather in the Midwest, with rural Oklahoma getting hit hard on Saturday and Kansas being struck one day earlier, with two killed there.

So far this year, nearly 100 people have died in tornadoes in the United States—the worst death toll in ten years—and the tornado season typically peaks in the spring, summer,  and late fall. If you are an Illinois resident, you can view the tornado strikes in central Illinois at www.weeklywilson.com, where they are mapped.

Weather History of Tornadoes in Illinois:

(Tornadoes Kill 8 in Iowa and Minnesota)

Central Illinois

Details:

1. 5/26/1955: Struck the southeast part of Pekin.
2. 8/13/1956: Moved through the Sunnyland area, destroying a building and causing two stores to lose their roofs.
3. 4/16/1960: Touchdown near Delavan, causing damage to a few farmsteads.
4. 5/16/1960: Part of a severe weather outbreak which produced tornado touchdowns from near Keokuk, IA, to Peoria. This tornado caused damage to homes at North Pekin.
5. 5/25/1960: Touched down 2 miles southeast of East Peoria, unroofing several homes.
6. 1/24/1967: Touched down 2.5 miles southeast of Washington, and moved east-northeast for 3.5 miles. Caused some tree and roof damage, especially to farm buildings.
7. 10/10/1969: This tornado affected a 2-block area of Deer Creek, before moving into Woodford County.
8. 9/4/1973: This tornado first touched down in Mapleton, in Peoria County. It was aloft before moving through the Morton area.
9. 6/19/1974: Reported by a pilot near Morton.
10. 4/18/1975: Destroyed 2 machine sheds just south of Hopedale.
11. 4/30/1975: Brief touchdown 6 miles south of Hopedale.
12. 3/26/1976: Information not available.
13. 9/7/1977: Touched down on the west edge of Deer Creek, damaging 30 homes. It also produced 4.5 inches of rain in half an hour.
14. 9/16/1980: Touched down near East Peoria, and traveled to Sunnyland, uprooting 20 trees.
15. 6/8/1981: Touched down between Tremont and Pekin. Intermittant funnel sightings and tornado touchdowns occurred along an 80 mile path, before finally ending in Champaign County.
16. 9/29/1986: This tornado was on the ground for 2 miles, destroying the Hopedale fire station and damaging 30 houses.
17. 6/2/1987: Brief touchdown 5 miles northeast of Minier.
18. 6/19/1990: On the ground for 1 mile at Green Valley, causing a fire which damaged several stores.
19. 11/27/1990: Touched down at the Waddel Airport in extreme southwest Tazewell County, destroying four hangars and 32 planes.
20. 5/14/1991: Information not available.
21. 5/14/1991: Information not available.
22. 5/31/1991: Brief touchdown 2 miles east of Minier.
23. 10/4/1991: Touched down twice approximately 5 miles south of Hopedale. Roofs were torn off several homes. A few buildings were damaged at the Indian Creek Industrial Park.
24. 5/4/1992: Touched down 4 miles southwest of Hopedale, causing damage to trees and outbuildings.
25. 8/23/1993: Brief touchdown near Minier.
26. 6/26/1994: Brief touchdown near East Peoria.
27. 7/20/1994: Brief touchdown near the Powerton plant.
28. 7/20/1994: Brief touchdown near I-74 just west of Morton.
29. 5/9/1995: This tornado touched down 3 miles southwest of South Pekin, and moved northeast across town. It destroyed several garages and and a railroad barracks.
30. 5/13/1995: This strong, long-track tornado touched own along the Illinois River northeast of Goofy Ridge in Mason County, and traveled 25 miles before lifting in Tremont. Two dozen homes were damage or destroyed in Tazewell County, and numerous silos and farm buildings were destroyed. Two people were injured near South Pekin.
31. 4/19/1996: This tornado first touched down just south of the Logan County line, then moved northeast into Armington, destroying a home. It traveled for 4 miles across extreme southern Tazewell County before moving into McLean County.
32. 4/30/1997: Touched down 7 miles southwest of Pekin, and was on the ground for 1 mile.
33. 6/29/1998: Touched down in Marquette Heights, and moved through Groveland before lifting on the southwest side of Morton. It did significant damage to a shopping center and two dozen homes. This was part of a major severe weather outbreak called a derecho, which caused extensive wind damage from Iowa all the way to southern Ohio, with winds frequently gusting as high as 100 mph.
34. 6/4/1999: Touched down on the northwest side of Delavan, uprooting several trees. Some building damage was also noted in Delavan, especially due to falling tree limbs. It was on the ground for 3 miles before dissipating southeast of Delavan.
35. 5/8/2000: This tornado touched down on a farm 1.5 miles west of Parkland. It destroyed 4 grain bins and blew away a machine shed.
36. 5/10/2003: This tornado was on the ground for 18 miles and devastated South Pekin. Click here for details.
37. 5/10/2003: Touched down 3 miles north of Morton, after the long-track tornado dissipated in Morton. It was on the ground for 2 miles, causing major damage to 3 homes and a business.
38. 5/10/2003: This tornado touched down 3 miles southeast of Washington, then moved northeast into Woodford County. Click here for details.
39. 5/28/2003: This tornado moved in from Woodford County north of Washington. It blew down trees and power lines, and destroyed a shed.
40. 5/28/2003: Brief touchdown 3 miles west-northwest of Mackinaw.
41. 5/28/2003: Brief touchdown 1 mile southeast of Armington.
42. 5/30/2003: This tornado touched down in northeast Mason County near Forest City, then moved into Tazewell County southwest of Green Valley. It destroyed several sheds in Tazewell County.
43. 7/8/2003: Touched down near the Powerton power plant, destroying the roofs on a couple sheds.
44. 5/8/2004: Touched down just west of the Fondulac Dam, and was on the ground for a quarter mile. Several buildings sustained roof damage from falling trees.
45. 5/8/2004: Brief touchdown 3 miles west-northwest of Washington.
46. 5/30/2004: Brief touchdown 1 mile south of Green Valley.
47. 6/22/2006: Brief touchdown 3 miles south of Morton.

The Davids Continue to Rule on “American Idol”

David Archuleta started off the evening on “American Idol” on May 13^th with “And So It Goes,” a Billy Joel song that Paula Abdul had selected for him to sing. It was the perfect choice and my favorite song of the evening.

Syesha Mercado went next, with an Alicia Keys song that Randy Jackson picked for her. She looked gorgeous (Simon’s exact adjective) in a gold and silver beaded dress and sang like an angel. Paul agreed that Syesha looked “absolutely stunning,” but Simon was the wet blanket who said that Syesha’s singing was “not enough, in my opinion” to put her through to the Final Two.

David Cook was handed “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Simon Cowell. Odd. (It was just ok for me, dog.)

David Archuleta tried to change it up by singing a more contemporary piece, “With You” by Chris Brown. It drew faint praise from Simon, but he did comment that he thought the younger David had done enough to go through to the Finals.

Syesha tried an old Peggy Lee favorite, “Fever,” and used a chair as a prop during her performance. Randy commented, “Again, a great performance.” Paula didn’t really seem to like it and Simon said, “I think you will probably regret that performance tomorrow,” dubbing it “a lame cabaret performance.” In this, her second song, Syesha was clad in a short silver-y dress and looked beautiful.

David Cook sang something entitled “Switchfoot.” Enough said.

Back came David Archuleta with the Dan Fogelberg song “Longer Than With You,” which is right up his balladeer alley. Simon said, “The song and the lyrics are absolutely gooey.”

That left the night’s closer to David Cook with the Aerosmith theme from “Armageddon,” penned by Dianne Warren, as he crooned, “I don’t want to miss a thing.”

For me, David Archuleta and Syesha were the best of the evening. I did not enjoy “Switchfoot” and the end of the final (best) piece was screechy, as Cook went up for a high note.

That said, I expect Syesha to be voted off. She was in the bottom three too many times to escape now.

I’ve said from the beginning that the Davids were the ones to beat. It’s just a matter of whether “A” comes before “C” only alphabetically or across the board.