The Day Batman Came to Work

I always get a little nervous when I pull into a parking lot and see the flashing lights of a police car or ambulance. Clearly someting's going down, and (unless I'm on the clock) I don't need to be any part of it, so I have no problem turning around and peeling out to a safer location. That being said, I wasn't sure how I should react when I saw this parked out front of the office today...

At first I was excited, as I am a fan of Batman and his extensive catalog of work (excluding Batman & Robin, of course). But then I realized Batman doesn't usually make public appearances, so perhaps he was here on business? Could a local TV anchor have a super-villan alter ego? Perhaps The Newsmaker, who goes out into the world and creates chaos so that there will be stories for him/her to cover in the evening news? It was so stupid, it just might be true....

But of course it wasn't, because nothing cool like that ever happens in the real world. Turns out there's a local guy that built this sucker as a hobby, dedicating it to the men and women of the US Armed Forces. It regularly makes appearances at fundraisers and such, along with local TV morning shows.

But that's not the guy's only ride... He's also got this beauty, tricked out in Fire Engine Red and dedicated to the fine folks in the line of duty for police, fire and EMT.

This one was always my favorite Batmobile. All the others seemed kinda silly, but this one was actually a car that I would be proud to drive. Tough to park, I'm sure, but when you've got machine guns mounted on the hood, no two-bit jerkwad is gonna be cutting me off in traffic!

A few years back I got the chance to check out the original Batmobile and chat with legendary designer George Barris. While I haven't seen the "Forever" model in person yet, I think I can honestly say that this ride was his finest work, and while the "Begins" model has its perks (that motorcycle is pretty sweet (this replica did not have one, by the way)), this classic is flat-out Batmobile perfection.

Batman was nowhere to be seen, but I know he's a busy guy and doesn't have time to meet all of his fans. At least, I assume that's why he hasn't returned any of my letters...

The rest of the work day was much less eventful.

Incubus Returns

Back in high school, I was a regular patron of rock concerts that came to town. In my various outings, I came across a band called Incubus twice... once as a member of the OzzFest 2000 line up, and once a year before as an opening act for the Black Sabbath reunion tour (along with Pantera). Both times they were outweighed by their metal counter-parts, and both times I was a little underwhelmed with their performance. To be honest, all I really remember is some dreadlocks and a bongo drum or two...

But that was a different time. I was much more of a metal-head back then, and it'd be nearly impossible for any young band to go on before a legend like Pantera and leave with any sort of dignity. That being said, I was curious to see how they'd do a decade later when they made an appearance here in SacTown.

I wasn't really sure what to expect all these years later... and to be fair, I often confused them with The Deftones (who I saw at OzzFest '99, around the same time). They managed to draw a decent crowd for an outdoor concert in October (it rained the day before). Several thousand showed up for the gig, and they seemed pretty amped to check out the band.

Screams of "Take off your clothes, Brandon!" were heard as I mingled about during the performance. I'm not really sure who Brandon was (I assume a member of the band?), but I am pleased to report that all males in the vicinity remained fully clothed.

And speaking of the audience, I couldn't help but notice that pretty much everyone in the crowd was at least in their 20's. That made me feel a little bit better, in that I'm not the only one who hasn't heard much from these guys since high school. But then, music these days isn't what it used to be... perhaps I'm just getting old?

But I will say... after checking out their performance, these guys have aged well. Their sound was solid and tight, with a good amount of energy and some quality audience interaction. I recognized a good handfull of their songs, which is saying a lot considering I was never really a fan, and those songs that I recognized sounded great.

They've got a long way to go before they reach Pantera Status (and let's be honest, they never will)... but they made fine background music to a beautiful Fall evening under a full moon in Northern California.

Plus I got my ticket free, so it's hard to complain! Check out my full photo gallery here.