Phoenix « Cyber5’s Food, Photography & Concerts

U2 Getting Intimate With Glendale Arizona

October 21, 2009 at 4:34 pm | In Concert, Photography, Review, Rock, Social Networking | Leave a Comment
Tags: Arizona, Audio, Cameras, Concert, Glendale, Massive, Phoenix, technology, U2, Video

Have you ever tried to be intimate? With a stadium full of people? U2 has.

U2 Intimate Superstructure

What does it take to get intimate with 50,000+ people simultaneously? Well, as far as I can tell…a whole lot of cash. Way more cash than getting intimate with one or two people for sure. I’m talking the kind of cash even a supergroup like U2 needs to round up a corporate sponsor like Blackberry for.

Once you have that kind of cash you can go about calling up someone like Willie Williams and asking him to come up with some ideas on how to go about it. In this case, it apparently only took him one idea according to the guys over at Live Design.

I’m not going to get into the exacting specs of just how they pull this amazing feat of intimacy off, but here’s a quick list of some of the many things involved and you can follow the links if you have a burning curiosity for all things “concert tech” or an extra $ 50 mil burning a hole in your pocket.

Audio – Incredible 15 zone system Clair i-5 – Yes it goes to 11.
Lighting – Nope. Not what you think. No Vari-lites here. These are Bad Boys from the guys over at PRG. There’s a lot of them.
Spotlights – Coupla dozen for sure
Video – Insane, Custom-designed LED job by the guys over at Barco. Yes it moves. Yes it’s ginormous. Follow the links if you wanna know just how amazingly crazy this thing is.
Cameras – Robotic Moving Awe-inspiring setup from the guys at Telemetrics
Massive Superstructure Stage Rig – Bono calls it a UFO. See the show to find out why. Suffice it to say this rig is the key to pulling off the intimacy-on-a-grand-scale concept. Its big, heavy, expensive and they had to build 3 of them.
Band. Oh yeah – Insert supergroup into the middle of all that technology and Bam! Instant rock concert.

So, there you have a quick breakdown of how to get intimate with a bunch of people at one time. Once you have all the pieces in place the only thing that can stand in your way are traffic problems and social media-ites that like to complain about $20 parking costs.

So, as I close – you are probably asking yourself – did U2 actually pull off getting intimate with an entire city? Look at the pics on their photo page and you tell me. Keep in mind, these shots were from the upper level of the stadium. Intimate enough?

Creed & Staind Hit Jobing.com

October 1, 2009 at 1:11 pm | In Concert, Rock, Tickets, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: Arizona, Concert, Creed, Glendale, Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix, Photos, Pixled, Staind, Vari-lites, Video

I’m all for “rock with a positive message” as long as it’s done by a band like Creed, rather than say Stryper. Not that I have anything against 80’s hair bands in bumblebee spandex outfits…wait…I do if they are Stryper. Just saying. But I digress…

Lo-Pro opened the show, and apparently played a 19 minute set. We walked in as they were playing their last notes…so can’t really comment on those guys. I can comment on the fact that draft beers were $10.25. That is just ridiculous.

Aaron Lewis and Johnny April - Staind

It wasn’t long before Staind took the stage and rocked the house. The lighting designer and soundguy were spot on! Great show both audibly and visibly. Rather than a giant video screen they opted for a seven panel display from pixled from what I gather around the net. Technically and artistically the band was definitely at the top of their game. Of course, they played all of their hits including the ones I didn’t even realize were theirs!

Scott Stapp & Mark Tremonti

Creed put on a rock show. Yes. With fire and pyro and sound system turned up to a hair past 11. I know it was a hair past because there were some moments during the loudest passages that took the system just past its limit and you could tell. Everyone knows you never go past 11. Those moments were few, and for the most part the show was great. You gotta love a tour that includes excellent video screen with awesome imagery, Varilites on suspended elevators and explosives. You just can’t go wrong with explosives and fire.

Did I mention they had fire that we could feel from the back of the arena? Well they did. Brings a whole new dimension to entertainment. In fact some movies have tried to pull off this “4th Dimension” experience with puffs of cold air or rumbling seats. They failed. Why? Because they didn’t use fire! Apparently flames are the key to bringing some of that onstage energy into the crowd. Who knew?

The drawback to random, giant bursts of flame is that they are random and therefore, hard to capture adequately with a still camera. Varilites, giant video screens and elevators aren’t. Check the concert photos page for some of the shots I managed to grab.

Oh! a shout out to @Stang5_0 who asked me to go because he had some tickets from @JobingArenaGirl. Thanks so much!

Pizzeria Bianco

August 10, 2009 at 12:25 pm | In Food, Restaurant Review | Leave a Comment
Tags: Gourmet, Phoenix, pizza, Restaurant Review

Pizzeria Bianco.

Voted by Food Network as the Best Pizza in America! I’m not going to go into a long speel here, that’s been done by so many all over the web. I’m sure you already know that it’s very small, you can’t order “to go” and you have to wait a long time for seating.

Luckily, you can mill around next door at a tiny little upscale beer/wine bar that serves everything from good wine to premium, “real sugar” soda pops.

There are no “misters” to save you from the searing heat while you wait in line. There is some shade provided by trees. You can grab a drink at the bar and sip it while waiting in line. You might as well keep your tab open when you go in the first time for refreshments, you’ll be back before you get seated…I’m almost positive.

Ok – the review!

Food is excellent. Handmade mozz, super-fresh everything on your hand-made/wood-fired pizza. You’ve heard all this before. It is top-notch! Don’t get me wrong. But is pizza and apps for 4 worth $125 when you have to wait for over an hour, maybe more? What if that hour costs another $50 in beverages? What if that hour is outside in 115 degree heat? That’s a personal decision you have to make.

Our service was good. Our food was excellent. We only had to run to the parking meter once. We arrived about 20 minutes too late to get first seating. We learned – go EARLY. Perhaps go when it isn’t 115, although I suspect more people will be willing to brave the line when it isn’t 115.

Yeah, we’ll go back. But I think we have to try Grimaldi’s before then…

IMAX THEATRE ARIZONA MILLS – Theatre Information

August 10, 2009 at 12:10 pm | In Movies, Review, Theater/Theatre, Tickets | Leave a Comment
Tags: IMAX, Phoenix, Tempe, Theater Review

This is the only “true” giant screen IMAX theatre in the Phoenix area that shows Hollywood Blockbuster-type films (IMAX DMR films to those “in the know”). The others are either at the science museum (showing traditional IMAX films shot in IMAX format) or the current trendy multiplex versions which aren’t much bigger than a standard movie screen. You know the ones – LieMAX screens, or Fake IMAX as many like to call them.

This is the real deal, though. It’s a standalone theatre (although it is in a mall), and of course it is reserved seating (tickets can be purchased online). Yes, it has giant speakers hanging from the ceilings (they need dusting badly). Yes it is a rectangular screen showing 15/70. No, it does not have the nanoseam screen.

The caveats are, it’s not the most upscale theatre you’ve been to. The snack selection sucks, the popcorn may be very very stale, and you may feel like you need a sanitizer wipe after leaving the restrooms.

Tickets are pricey, as usual with IMAX. OF course the sound and on-screen visuals are amazing. The rest of the “experience” may leave you heading off to cleaner pastures.

Let’s hope they clean up their act and let new generations of fans learn what a REAL IMAX experience is supposed to be like.

Chicago Gyros – Phoenix, Arizona

May 20, 2009 at 11:46 am | In Food, Restaurant Review | Leave a Comment
Tags: Gyros, Kifta, Mediterranean, Phoenix, Restaurant Review

Chicago Gyros – Exceptional Greek & Chicago Style Cuisine – Chicago Gyros.

Here’s another gem for you foodies in the Phoenix area! I was going to start by saying its in a strip mall across the street from another fave of mine, Roberto’s – but I just realized I haven’t blogged that one yet…

This one is on 7th Street and Union Hills. It’s clean, well lit and serves up awesome food.

We ordered 2 meals – a gyros platter and a kifta kabob platter. Both come with a pretty large salad consisting of lettuces, tomatos, greek olives and some cucumbers with skins decoratively removed. They are dressed perfectly with what I am guessing is a house made vinaigrette and are presented very stylishly, albeit they do come on a traditional “cafeteria plastic tray”. Salt and pepper are in shakers on the tables.

The kitchen staff seemed pretty knowledgeable about timing as our salads were served up first, and ample time was allowed for us to enjoy the salads for their aesthetics as well as their fresh, crisp flavors before they called our order number to let us know our dinner plates were ready.

My gyros plate had what you would expect, nice freshly shaved gyros meat consisting of lamb/beef and well seasoned alongside some tomatos, onions and french fries with just one serving of tzatziki sauce (you may want to order a couple of extras). The pita was thicker than that which was served with the kifta. The kifta plate substituted a yellow rice that was fluffy and tasty in lieu of the fries.

Beverage selections consisted of Coca-Cola products at the fountain, Gatorade, Fuze, a fruit-infused brewed iced tea or a bottled yogurt drink. Drinks are not included with the plates, but are included with some “meal deals”.

Service was friendly and efficient. It was a Sunday night, and right around 8pm the counter person walked over and turned off the OPEN signs in the windows, without making us feel as if we were being rushed to leave.

We enjoyed the place, and I’ll definitely return – although it’ll be hard to decide on whether to stop here or cross the street to Roberto’s…as I love their carnitas!

Dinner @ an Iron Chef Victor’s

April 13, 2009 at 1:00 pm | In Restaurant Review | Leave a Comment
Tags: Arizona, Phoenix, Restaurant, Review, Wine

Mark Tarbell is a legend around the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. He has been for a long time. For the last couple of years, that legend has grown since he stomped Cat Cora on Iron Chef America.

I haven’t been in his place, Tarbell’s in quite some time…perhaps 7 years. Two events made me decide to head back out there and see what was up nowadays. The first one was the fact that my girlfriend and best friends were itching to head on down and battle the crowd at Pizza Bianco to see if it deserved the accolades it was receiving. The second was a Twitter message announcing a replay of that famed Iron Chef episode on the Food Network. I figured, we better strike before the iron gets too hot again with a bunch of FN groupies heading down there. (Those two things plus the fact that 1/2 the reviews from people on Citysearch said bad things about the staff and management at Pizza Bianco were enough for me to singly swing the tide and put Pizza Bianco off until another day).

So…we ventured to the Biltmore area…and a look of despair fell across the faces of my cohorts as I had them pull into a strip mall. The fact that Sportsman’s Fine Wines was in that strip mall didn’t seem to offer them too much hope… Continue reading Dinner @ an Iron Chef Victor’s…

Store-Bought Tomatoes Suck

April 6, 2009 at 4:35 pm | In Food, Gardening | Leave a Comment
Tags: Arizona, celebrity, container gardening, Gardening, patio gardening, Phoenix, tomato

Celebrity Tomato

I love tomatoes. All kinds of tomatoes. I hate the fact that almost every tomato we can get easily in Phoenix, AZ comes from Mexico – although Arizona is the United States’ largest producer of commercial tomatoes due to a hydroponic farm up in Prescott, if I recall.

So, in order to cut back on my Mexican tomato consumption and maybe offset a bit of my carbon footprint in the process – I’m growing a few of my own! Continue reading Store-Bought Tomatoes Suck…