2003-06-01 - 11:52 p.m.

Supposedly, there is a reason for everything and I don�t know why my week seemed so shitty but tonight made up for a lot of it.

First, I was packed and ready to go on tour with the Polyphonic Spree. I was gonna visit my folks and then meet up with the great Spree in Austin. I dropped off my cds at my day job which is not far from Penn Station. I went back to Brooklyn to get the rest of my things and called my agent to see if I could get some money from a show the previous week. I was broke. In the hole broke.

I called and she says, �I got bad news. Part of the tour has been postponed. New Orleans, Atlanta, Philadelphia and the first Boston show.�

My heart sank. I�d already sublet my room. I wanted my good times to start. So, I went back to work and finished out the day and went on to the Mission to make grilled cheese. The night was good and I made new friends with my Foreman griller. So, the next night I reserved for sulking.

Then, my cell phone broke. Then, my service got shut off. Sprint sucks. My $34 plan is costing $200.

So, Saturday, I tried writing songs and couldn�t. I�m too fucking sad sack. I went to Magic Brian�s and drank and ate some cookies and chips. That was cool.

Today, I felt sick. I just laid in bed all day trying to get better.

Then, Jake called, �Hey, Mo. What are you doing tonight?�

�I don�t know.�

�I got two 5th row seats to David Lee Roth!�

�I�m in.�

When I did my first show fronting a band in high school, I went to Blockbuster the day before the show and rented a David Lee Roth video that had �Yankee Rose�, �California Girls� and brilliant commentary by The Picasso Brothers in between. I studied his moves and kicks and tried some out at my first show as a singer.

The first time I heard Van Halen was in 9th grade and my friend Alvin sent me a copy of Van Halen at the �83 US Festival. It had an interview with Dave that I�d memorized that summer.

�Bopbopbopbop Van Halen in Glen Halen regional park baby. Sea of faces, oceans of beer, heard you missed me I�m back, Diamond Dave is here.�

Are you going to do anything different tonight?

�I�m getting the tailor lady to suck the air out of my cups. That way you can see what you�re getting for your twenty smacks baby. But it�s undulating.�

�I�ll tell you what. It�s doesn�t matter if you win or lose. It�s how good you look, honey.�

It�s cool to finally see someone that you�ve admired for so long and ripped off.

And it�s cool to be in a place where there are 30 and 40-somethings that haven�t changed their look for 20 years. I felt a good normal.

I tried to write his set list but I was too into it.

Here�s what I remember

Hot For Teacher

Mean Streets

Just Like Livin in Paradise

Runnin� with the Devil

Girl You Got Me

Ice Cream Man

Crazy From the Heat

California Girls

Ain�t Talkin� Bout Love

Dead or Alive

Panama

Dance the Night Away

Everybody Wants Some

Cradle Will Rock

He encored with Jump.

He did 2 jumps off the drum riser. He did his karate kicks. He talked to the ladies. He had a rhinestone cowboy jacket, a rhinestone cowboy shirt, leather pants, and a shitload of bandanas. He fucking rocked that crowd. Some of that crowd was tired, sitting but smiling. And he rocked me. I smiled real big watching one of my heroes up close, throwing my fists in the air, clapping above my head, forgetting why my week was shitty.