A tale of two roses

My mother taught me how to preserve dried flowers during high school prom days — though I only recall a single wrist corsage, and that hardly seemed worth saving. Later in life two bunches of red roses made the cut — the bridal bouquet I carried down the aisle and flowers thrown by Bruce Springsteen into a crowd of fans during his “Tunnel of Love” tour.

When tickets went on sale this morning for new “Wrecking Ball” tour dates in New Jersey, I was on it. My dialing finger was stuck in a nifty pulse ox device meant to screen for blips in breathing during sleep, so I suspect there’s a medical printout somewhere with proof that my heart rate spiked when my turn at the Ticketmaster slot machine finally paid off.

I hunt for new Bruce vinyl every year during Record Store Day at Hoodlums in Tempe

After learning that Springsteen performed my favorite double album, “The River,” during the NYC concert I missed while in wet washcloth mode earlier this month, I wasn’t about to let another opportunity slip through my hands. When one door closes, my mother always taught me, another one opens. It helps when you turn the knob.

Turns out I snagged just a single seat, meaning I won’t get to take my NYC baby along. I tried first for a pair, but that’s a tall order with so many folks ordering multiple sets for friends or more nepharious purposes. I’d be ruined by rumination if I didn’t take the one, and have to hope that good karma will somehow see her by my side that night.

Newark is nothing but an airport to me now. But I expect that to change come September, when I mix up my taxi to Manhattan M.O. by snagging a place to stay near the MetLife Stadium and enjoying a weekend laced with New Jersey arts and culture. I spied signage for the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City while cabbing it to NYC last time around, and I’m eager to give it a whirl.

There’s also a New Jersey Children’s Museum in Paramus, and a Newark Museum complete with more than 80 galleries, a planetarium, a sculpture garden and much more (I’m told it began more than 100 years ago as two galleries atop the Newark Free Public Library). To date my strongest Newark memory is getting doused with gasoline  while refilling a rental car, then losing a favorite earring while hosing down in a tiny airport bathroom.

I’m also eager to explore the Community Food Bank in New Jersey. Fans of Bruce and band know they support local food banks while on the road, and I’m eager to pay that forward in the opposite direction for a change. Even far from home, we’ve got to take care of our own.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to explore St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance in Arizona, here to explore the Arizona Science Center and here to explore the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Get the scoop on Hoodums here and Record Store Day here.

Coming up: Let it rain, Musings on “Much Ado”

I’d rather be…

It's "Plan B" time as a bout of bronchitis has me reading "Blue Like Jazz" and watching the "Olivier Awards" online during a weekend I'd hoped to spend at Valley theaters

I did something last week that surely shocked the folks who know me really well. After learning the second leg of my Southwest flight between Newark and Phoenix was delayed, I ended up spending another night in NYC. Too frugal to pop for another night at a hotel, the wheels started turning. What to do with an extra night in NYC?

Too tired for Springsteen? That should have been my first clue.

I remembered that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were performing at Madison Square Gardens, and daughter Lizabeth quickly jumped online to discover that StubHub tickets were posted for prices lower than your average hotel room.

Then things got really weird — becaused I just didn’t have the oomph to get up and go. I love me some Bruce and the band, and was especially eager to see young musicians in his new brass section rock the house, but figured hiking all those arena stairs might be the death of me. (There are worse ways to go, but “gone” is one place I’d rather not be.)

Lizabeth suggested other options more suitable for a mom still recovering from recent knee surgery, including mother-daughter craft time at Make Meaning — but decided to save that adventure for her summer back home since the NYC-based company also has a Scottsdale Quarter location — which buys us more time to choose between glass, soap, jewelry, paper, candles, ceramics and other creative options.

Folks in Arizona can enjoy the Tribeca Film Festival online

We ended up taking the subway to Tribeca — where this year’s Tribeca Film Festival (which has an online component for folks like me who can’t get to the NYC event) opens in just a few days. We enjoyed a splendid stoll, stopping at some her favorite NYC haunts — including Strand Book Store, where I wistfully admired the black and white photo of Springsteen she’d spotted weeks before on a postcard rack near the entrance.

Also dinner at a diner with festive orange and yellow walls that’s called “S’MAC” because the only dish they serve is macaroni and cheese. Think oodles of noodles delivered skillet-style in endless gourmet variations. When I texted James to tell him where we’d landed, he shot back a brief “How hipster of you” reply. I quickly responded in praise of sporting a vocab that includes “hipster.”

Let's hope someone tells the Mother's Day fairy about this baby

I wasn’t hip enough, apparently, because I’d forgotten that it was my last chance to see Simon Callow perform Jonathan Bate’s “Being Shakepeare” at the Brooklyn Music Academy — which prides itself on being America’s oldest performing arts center (think 1861). Silly, really, considering that my last trip to NYC opened with a glorious exploration of Keith Haring works exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum.

After dropping Lizabeth off at her dorm after dinner, I played “musical Starbucks” until the last of them located near Pace University shut out the lights. I was ready to move on after enduring far too many boisterous barista solos. I hailed a cab for the Newark airport, where I snagged the lone electrical outlet at a Dunkin’ Donuts and curbed the urge to indulge as the smell of freshly baked glazed goodies wafted through the air. It beat sleeping on the floor.

I landed at Sky Harbor Airport just as James was hopping a flight to NYC for his turn at Liz time, but realized later that day that pulling the all-nighter was a serious mistake. I was pooped, and in the early stages of the bronchitis that now finds me bedbound during a weekend I’d hoped to enjoy nearly back-to-back shows from a long list of options.

Think Childsplay’s “Tomas the the Library Lady,” Theater Works’ “All Through the Night” and/or “Sakura no Ne” (a collaboration with the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix), Cookie Company’s “Charlotte’s Web,” Valley Youth Theatre’s “Freckleface Strawberry,” Rising Arts’ “Sleeping Beauty,” and Desert Stages Theatre’s “Altar Boyz” and/or “How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying.” They’re all places I’d rather be at this point — but nobody wants to sit by the constant cougher, it’s never nice to share such things.

I'm rooting for RSC and Roald Dahl while watching the Olivier Awards online

Instead, I’ve developed a bit of a plan B. Watching streaming video of Britain’s Olivier Awards, especially eager to see how the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Matilda the Musical” (based on the book by Roald Dahl) fares. Cuddling up with Donald Miller’s “Blue Like Jazz” and Paul Torday’s “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” (hoping I’ll bounce back enough this week to catch them on the big screen). And reading online guides for upcoming productions like “Red” (Arizona Theater Company) and “Much Ado About Nothing” (Southwest Shakespeare Company).

Those of you with more bounce in your step can find plenty of ways to enjoy the rest of your weekend by exploring the Raising Arizona Kids calendar in print or online. If you experience an especially nifty concert, art exhibit, dance performance or show — feel free to comment below to let our readers know.

— Lynn

Coming up: Art meets Earth Day, Musings on Mental Health Month

Note: Remember too that you can explore a comprehensive list of summer camps on the Raising Arizona Kids magazine website — click here to find this and other resources for readers. (Final shameless plug — Subsciptions to Raising Arizona Kids magazine make easy, practical and affordable Mother’s Day gifts.)

We take care of our own

Work by 8th grade student Luis Velasquez exhibited by Young Arts Arizona

Springsteen’s “We Take Care of Our Own” topped the set list at last night’s Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem. I sat spellbound in Scottsdale as Springsteen and the band rocked their way through 19 tunes heavy laden with tales of upheaval and undying optimism.

Work by 6th grader Elias Galvin Rendon

The Apollo Theater concert was broadcast live by Sirius XM in celebration of its tenth anniversary, coinciding with the recent release of Springsteen’s “Wrecking Ball” album. Yes kids, that’s what some of us old timers call them. Without apology.

Critics have weighed in on both, and I find those from The New York Times most intriguing. But my own read on the concert has a different vibe. The Apollo Theater concert was simply Springsteen taking care of his own. Like all the best storytelllers, Springsteen listens. And he hears people hurting.

Work by 3rd grader Elizabeth Navarro

Hold tight to your anger. Don’t fall to your fear. Put old skills to new uses. Seize the break of blue in a long cloudy sky. Remember those dealt injustice, and help those suffering now. Be the change. Make the change. And enjoy the rock and roll ride — Springsteen’s vehicle for soothing the soul while calling heart and hands to action.

As Springsteen wove older works into newer “Wrecking Ball” fare, the continuity of his decades-long drive for social justice was clear. So too was his genuine gratitude for those who came before — including many an artist who’s graced the Apollo Theater stage. Springsteen is a soul man. And soul must be shared.

Some folks are especially gifted at simultaneously running with and passing the torch. Springsteen is among them. After longtime friend and fellow musician Clarence Clemons died last summer, the torch went to nephew Jake Clemons — now part of “the E Street horns.” The Apollo Theater concert was rich with brass, choral music and strings that make the band’s heart beat just a little louder.

Work by 3rd grader Gabriel Ramirez

Gospel. Soul. Rap. Rock and roll. Irish jigs and mariachi melodies. It’s not your mother’s Springsteen. Or perhaps it is. I remember taking our two daughters, then in high school, to Springsteen’s last concert in Phoenix. They were equally moved by the music and the food collection boxes scattered throughout the venue’s main hall. Music feeds the soul. But it takes more to feed the hungry.

Hence Springteen’s shout out, near the end of the Apollo Theater concert, to fans who support the work of WhyHunger — and to its executive director Bill Ayres, who co-founded the organization with singer/songwriter Harry Chapin (whose brother Tom Chapin recently performed here in the Valley).

Work by 5th grader Victoria Anchondo

Like plenty of Springsteen fans, we won’t be in the house for any “Wrecking Ball” concerts, but there’s much we can do to move our own communities past hard times. Learn more about WhyHunger. Support our local food banks. Advocate for just public policies. Promote the arts that sustain us. And rise up.

Wherever this flag’s flown, we take care of our own. — Bruce Springsteen

— Lynn

Note: Saint Mary’s Food Bank Alliance presents its 11th annual “Kids Cafe Open” on March 30 to raise funds for battling child hunger in Arizona — click here for details. Artwork featured in this post was part of the Young Arts Arizona “Living the Dream, Passing the Torch” exhibit celebrating MLK Day 2012 at the Arizona State Capitol.

Coming up: Rising Youth Theatre shares diverse youth perspectives

Everything’s coming up Rosie

Rosie's House holds its 2012 Anniversary Celebration this Friday

Everything’s coming up music at Rosie’s House, a Phoenix music academy for children founded in 1996 to serve low-income families by inspiring social change and helping students develop a committment to personal and academic achievement.

Their “2012 Anniversary Celebration” takes place this Fri, March 2, from 6-8pm at Scottsdale Artists’ School. Folks who attend are encouraged to don “festive attire” for the event that’ll span both gallery and patio spaces.

Cello student at Rosie's House

Rosie’s House will honor three individuals during the event — including Michael Christie, music director of The Phoenix Symphony, jazz pianist and arts advocate Charles Lewis and Rosie’s House piano faculty member Erin Crawford.

Both Lewis and jazz singer Alice Tatum are performing “musical selections” at Friday’s shindig, as are Rosie House students.

Music advocacy and jazz stylings are all good and fine, but some of you may feel motivated to attend by the prospect of acquiring an amazing bit of rock and roll bling — an electric guitar signed by Nils Lofgren, who has performed with Bruce Springsteen as a member of the E Street Band. Also Neil Young and Ringo Starr.

Other auction items include a California vacation package (think $500 US Airways gift card and 3-bedroom vacation home in Encinitas), an Arizona hiking package (think 6-night stay in a log-sided cabin in Overgaard) and a musical performance by violinists Dian D’Avanzo and Karen Bea of The Phoenix Symphony.

Sounds like lots of hip eateries — including The Vig, Il Postino, Beckett’s Table, Downtown Public Market and Cibo — have donated raffle basket items. Others supporting the cause with donations include Harkins Theatres, AMF Bowling, Arizona Diamondbacks and many more.

Tickets runs $75 and are available by calling 602-252-8472 or clicking here.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn more about Rosie’s House and here to learn more about Scottsdale Artists’ School

Coming up: Art meets cell phone