Just another trip to the city.

This past weekend my friends and I drove to Taconic State Park in New York for our first major hike of the year. We took the South Taconic Trail, which brought us along the top of Brace Mountain and then over to Mount Frissel, Connecticut’s highest point.

It was a steep climb when we first started off but the views were rewarding.  From the top of Brace Mountain we could see clear across the Hudson Valley and even as far as the Catskill Mountains.  At the top we came across three paragliders who were having a bit of trouble due to the strong winds.  We stuck around about 20 minutes or so to watch a launch only to see the guy spin upside down and then crash into the bushes – a firm reminder why I avoid doing that sort of thing.

From the top of Brace Mountain we continued on for about another 2.5 miles along the ridgeline towards Mt. Frissell, the highest point in Connecticut. The peak of Mt. Frissell is actually in Massachusetts, but the south slop lies across the Connecticut line and is slightly higher than Bear Mountain, the highest peak in the state.

It wasn’t the most enjoyable part of the hike.  Along the way the trail dipped down a bit and suddenly we were walking through a foot of melting snow. We made a quick stop at the tri-state marker and at the CT high point before eating a late lunch and heading back towards Brace Mountain for a few more great views of the Hudson Valley.

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the “Change Begins Within” benefit concert with headliners Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at Radio City Hall in NYC.  The show featured performances by Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Donovan, Paul Horn, Moby, Ben Harper and others.  There were even some unannounced people on stage such as Mike Love (who became teary eyed while reflecting about their famous 1968 trip to India), Jerry Seinfeld, and Howard Stern.

There were some really cool performances during the opening acts, such as Eddie Vedder’s experimental performance of “Arc”, as well as his collaboration with Ben Harper for a cover of the Queen/David Bowie song “Under Pressure”.  But for me, the key moment of night was when Paul McCartney introduced Ringo as the one and only “Billy Sheers” for a side by side performance of “With A Little Help From My Friends”.  McCartney performed one of his typical sets, although it was a bit short.  The only unusual song was “Cosmically Conscious”, a song he wrote while in India during 1968.

The setlist:

• Drive My Car
• Jet
• Got to Get You Into My Life
• Let It Be
• Lady Madonna
• Blackbird

• Here Today
• Band on the Run
• Can’t Buy Me Love
• With a Little Help From My Friends (with Ringo at mic with Paul)

  Encore

• Cosmically
  Conscious(with Ringo on drums)
• I Saw Her
  Standing There (with Ringo on drums and Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, Donovan,
  Moby, Sheryl Crow and Bettye LaVette and other artists singing backing vocals)

Afterwards, my friends and I headed out to a pub to finish out the night with a few drinks.  Matt’s uncle joined us and offered let us crash at his apartment near Central Park for the night.  This led to another eventful day, but I’ll post about that tomorrow.

I found myself browsing through my massive stash of old photos this morning for no particular reason.  There’s thousands..  It’s amazing how many I’ve taken that I’ve never even seen.

Here’s two from the Paul McCartney concert I went to two summers ago.  Might not be the best shots I’ve ever taken, but if you’re one of his fans you’ll probably enjoy them.

I really like this one. I just wish that the microphone wasn’t in the way.

Had a similiar one of these show up on bootlegs.  This one is a bit more crisp.

Thanks to Brother Justin, Brooke, Mindy, Jenn, Brett, Mickey, Patti, Marci, Holly, Mike, Matt, Megan, Heather, Melinda, Paul, Adam, Domo, Christina and everyone else who joined me in New York and at the Seven Seas yesterday!  And thanks to everyone else for all the messages you sent me.  It was a great time. One of the best…