The Greatest Night of My Life?

To answer the question posed in the last night wasn't quite the greatest night of my life, but it really had a lot going for it.

Ordinarily last night would have been all about the Mets. Opening Day comes but once a year, after all, and under ordinary circumstances that's where all my attention and energy would have been focused.

Ahh, but this is no ordinary year. On March 22, my favorite band, The Strokes, released their long-awaited fourth album, Angles. How long-awaited was it? A good five years. The band's touring in support of the album, and last night that meant an epic set at Madison Square Garden.

Last night's show was the third time I've seen The Strokes in concert. I saw them twice on their First Impressions of Earth tour in 2006-07, and last year I saw lead singer Julian Casablancas on the tour supporting his solo album, Phrazes for the Young (which is terrific by the way, and sold for only $4.99 on iTunes; highlight tracks are "Left and Right in the Dark," "Out of the Blue," River of Brakelights," and "Glass").

Me and my friend Mangy got to the concert late. Under normal circumstances this would have been a great idea, but last night they had a surprise opening act, Elvis Costello. I don't know much of Elvis Costello's music, but I appreciate that he's a music legend in his own right and it would have been cool to see him play.

Anyway, we got there just in time to use the restroom, buy brewskis and find our seats. We started off way in the upper deck, which gave us a good perspective on just how large a crowd had turned out. I had previously seen The Strokes at Hammerstein Ballroom and someplace in Boston (maybe the Fleet Center?); I saw Julian at Terminal 5. I'd never seen them with a crowd this big and this energized.

And they delivered. They played a mix of old and new, getting a huge cheer when they started off, as they did lo these many years ago now, with the slight, alluring guitar open of "Is This It". From there they burst into "Reptilia" and then into "Under Cover of Darkness," the crowd eating it up and singing along furiously to each "So long / my friend" in the chorus of the latter.

One thing that's different about The Strokes now versus even the last time I saw them is that they have so many songs to choose from. The full set list is below (yes, I kept track on my blackberry specifically for this purpose).

They hit most of the songs I'd wanted to hear. I really could have done for some "12:51," "Red Light," and "Two Kinds of Happiness," but I really shouldn't complain (for her part, Mangy was bummed they didn't play "Razorblade").

Is This It?
Reptilia
Under Cover of Darkness
Hard to Explain
Last Nite
Life is Simple in the Moonlight
Juicebox
Someday
You're So Right
Under Control
You Only Live Once
New York City Cops
Games
What Ever Happened?
Taken for a Fool (with Elvis Costello)
Ask Me Anything
The Modern Age
Gratisfaction
I Can't Win
Take It or Leave It

All in all, great to have the boys back.

* * * * *

Speaking of having the boys back, what's that you say, the Mets season started last night? Oh yes, of course...

Well, they got drubbed 6-2. Mike Pelfrey (not an ace, nowhere close... but a heck of a chef evidently), gotten beaten by an ace.

 As I've written before, I don't mind when the opposing team wins its home opener. Good for those fans.

More to the point, I'm going to officially enter my prediction of a 76-win season. If there were any chance of this team completing the season as currently constituted, that number would probably be in the 80-83 range, but that seems incredibly unlikely.

Maybe that's not such a bad thing. Look at the other teams in the division. They're all really good and/or getting better (not the Phillies, actually; they probably have a 2-year window to win again before they start declining).

I love Jose Reyes. The idea of trading him pains me. But if that's what has to be done to make this team competitive again, that's what has to be done. At the company I work for they say that the graveyard of the place is filled with "indispensable" people.

It's the same with ballclubs. Look at the '04 Red Sox with Nomar. You CAN'T trade Nomar, for chrissakes! Well, sure enough you can, sure enough they did, and sure enough things worked out really well for them.

Anyway, Jon Niese takes the mound for the boys tonight. I'll be watching, preferably in a lower east side dive somewhere. New Mets!

- A.F.O.M.G.