Mohegan Sun Retrospect: 5/20/2018-William Michael Morgan at the Wolf Den

Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den holds free shows for its casino’s patrons.  Its placement in the center of the gaming floor gives everyone nearby a chance to hear music on any given night.   By its entrance and exit, an animatronic wolf keeps watch as it moves its head and tail and occasionally howls.

On May 20^th, 2018, Warner Bros. Nashville recording artist William Michael Morgan and his band were the concert of the evening.  The security guard inspected the bags of those going in before and then the hostess greeted them.   There were seats set along the sides for this show as well as standing room in the middle of the venue. A crowd had assembled by the stage, patiently waiting for the 7:00pm show to start. Those on the sides were conversing amongst themselves and ordering drinks.

The Show: After the band took their places, William Michael Morgan emerged, guitar in hand. His set was an hour and half of entertaining country music.  He acknowledged the music he grew up on, performing songs from artists such as George Strait.  Besides paying homage to classic country music, the show also included songs from his debut CD “Vinyl” and some contemporary songs; plus a 3-song acoustic set.  The nice surprise of the evening was a test run of concept material for the follow-up album that the band was currently working on. During the banter between songs, William Michael Morgan looked up to address the audience with his hat in his hand. He introduced the songs with a story or a fun aside. 

From my seat, I could tell that the audience members enjoyed the concert. People got up and walked over to the standing room section to dance as the show progressed.  William thanked them in a way by hanging out after the show to meet them.  He signed autographs and posed for pictures.  It was nice to meet the singer after the show, which made the night even more memorable.

Thanks to @wmmorgan for the photo-op

Partial Set List: “Vinyl”; “Missing”; “I Met A Girl”; “Somethin’ To Drink About”; “Lonesomeville”; “People Like Me” ; “The Chair”(George Strait classic); “Chasing Cars”(Snow Patrol ); “Mama Tried”(Merle Haggard); “Keep Your Hands To Yourself” (Georgia Satellites)

Not Such A Long Time Ago in a Nearby Galaxy… “Solo: A Star Wars Story” Fan Event

 This past Thursday Night -5/24/2018-New Rochelle, New York… “Solo: A Star Wars Story” Opening Night Fan Event at New Roc City Regal Cinemas

Star Wars fans gathered to see an earlier showing of the latest movie in the franchise.  The theater gave those going in a free mini-poster and a set of buttons commemorating the occasion. Concession stands offered a combo deal for a limited edition soda cup and popcorn tin. Seating was assigned, and audience members walked in hoping this film would meet their expectations.

6:00pm-the trailers started. A wide assortment of movies seemed to be represented.  The action genre was represented by “Mission Impossible:Fallout”,Marvel’s anti-hero flick “Venom”, and  another Marvel entrant “Antman & The Wasp”. Disasters, man-made and natural, were the respective subject of “Skyscraper” and “Adrift”. The extraordinary took center stage in the trailers for the “Fantastic Beasts” sequel, Disney’s “The Incredibles 2” and the Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. After the trailers, it was time for the Opening Night Fan Event.  Director Ron Howard thanked those in attendance in a pre-taped video.

Following the introduction, it was time for the main attraction.  This film shows Han Solo’s beginnings working for one of the galaxy’s 5 crime syndicates.  Han (Alden Ehrenreich) wants more out of life than the hand he’s been dealt and sets out across the film to become something more: a pilot.  The journey will begin to make him the reluctant hero/smuggler that the audience knows and appreciates.

The people Han Solo encounters change him as well as provide insight to the “how” of certain aspects of the “Star Wars” Universe.  Han’s first meeting with the Wookie Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) is amusing, and sets up the dynamic the pair would grow to have.  The newly acquainted duo is recruited by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and Val (Thandie Newton) and their expert pilot (voiced by Jon Favreau) for a job.

Solo crosses paths with old friend Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke of “Game of Thrones”) and a gangster with a grand vision Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany of “Avengers: Infinity War”).  Vos places an ultimatum in front of Han’s new alliegance, which is essentially a second chance mission. To complete the assignment, they turn to Captain Lando Calrissian (a charismatic Donald Glover), his droid L3-37(voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and the famed Millennium Falcon.  What follows is a combination comic caper/action-filled adventure that can please newcomers to the “Star Wars” Saga while providing others with hidden references to the films they grew up on.

People left the “Solo: A Star Wars Story” Opening Night Fan Event happy.  The film was funny and set-up further adventures for Han Solo and his Wookie co-pilot Chewbacca.  Those who figured out where the story would progress discussed theories as they left. Those slightly less familiar left with a general impression in regards to Han’s character.  Regardless of your level of knowledge, though, one thing is certain:  as the Millenium Falcon set off to its next destination, it can be assured that adventure-and misadventure- will be sure to follow Young Han as he continues his journey.

Marvel Universe Assemble!...Thanos Commands It: “Avengers: Infinity War Part 1” Fan Event

This is the spot where the customary SPOILER ALERT comes in any Marvel blog/article.  I saw this on the night of April 26^th, 2018, and have taken a week to process what I have seen.  Some on social media are probably experiencing the same feeling of shock and awe as I did when the movie had ended. It is hard not to tell too much about what happens in this film…but that is what this blog will attempt to do.

Allow me to journey back to 1 Week earlier…Thursday April 26^th, 2018 to be precise.  The place was the New Roc City Regal Cinemas in New Rochelle, NY. Marvel fans assembled in the theater for a 6:00pm Fan Event screening. They were given a collectible coin to commemorate the occasion, and offered a deal at the concession stand. The seats were assigned and the excited people entered ready for the movie; one even came in for the occasion dressed as Captain America-complete with the shield!

At 6:00pm, the preliminary content started.  The trailers started to roll, including the ones for Fox’s “Deadpool 2”, Lucasfilms Ltd’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and Marvel Studio’s “Antman & The Wasp”. After the previews, a featurette honoring the 10 years of Marvel Studios movies followed that showed how far the film series has come. 

Following the featurette, “Avengers: Infinity War Part 1” started. The audience was deeply engaged in the film as it kicked off where “Thor: Ragnarok” left off.  Thanos and his army appear in all their glory and continue their quest to possess the 6 Infinity Stones.  The galaxy’s biggest threat really does seem as imposing as he looks, creating chaos where he goes.  His agenda is evident in the desire for power reliant upon obtaining the stones capable of manipulating Reality, Soul, Space, Power, Time, and the Mind.

In Thano’s way are the heroes that have been introduced over the course of 10 years. While the presence of Thanos is the clear threat, the Avengers are a team divided by now. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) are planning their future.  Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) have been fugitives after the Sokovia Accord was enacted; they went rogue instead of signing the document.  Newest entrant to the Marvel Universe T’Challa /Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is now King of Wakanda and has granted sanctuary to a de-programmed Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sabastian Stan)…And of course, there’s your friendly neighborhood Spiderman/Peter Parker (Tom Holland).

Thanos will need to get through the Avengers to achieve his conquest. Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been in his New York residence protecting his Time Stone from those who would seek to take it from him. Vision (Paul Bettany) - created with the Mind Stone-has been off the grid in Europe with Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Amongst the Guardians of The Galaxy, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax(Dave Bautista) have deep grudges and scores to settle with Thanos.

The battlefields are set across the universe and are well-crafted.  In the theater I was in, the crowd reacted enthusiastically during the amusing interactions between characters.  Plotlines intertwined in such a way that promised a well-developed confrontation.  All the chaos on the screen created a wide range of reactions in the theater. The audience was fully drawn into the film.

Now, I will not divulge any further information about “Avengers: Infinity War Part 1”.  Based on its $1 Billion+ worldwide box office take, it can be said that this latest installment in the Marvel franchise united the audience in a shared experience that left social media buzzing. Some have taken to the internet to discuss their feelings about the film, being careful to note SPOILER ALERT as I have done while others are counting down the days until 2019’s “Avengers: Infinity War Part 2”. However fans expressed their feelings, they are looking forward to Marvel’s next project.