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JON ZAL

Your front-row seat to my nervous breakdown

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Van Halen (or, The Band That Ate My Life)

April 9, 2006 18 Comments


On the first day of the first class of my freshman year in college, my College Writing 101 professor instructed us to go home that weekend and write a paper about the person whom we would most like to meet if given the chance.

And I could have bullshitted him. I could have written about wanting to meet JFK or Martin Luther King Jr. or some other revered, sociopolitical icon … but I wasn’t an 18-year-old freshman just out of high school; I was a 22-year-old freshman who had recently spent nearly four years in the Army, and my inclination to sling bullshit in order to impress a college professor was, by that point, quite nonexistent. And as I looked down at the blank notebook in front of me that weekend, I saw stretching out before me four long years of higher education … and I knew that the only way I was going to make it to the finish line was to figure out how to marry my own personal interests to my academic pursuits.

So I wrote the “I want to meet Eddie Van Halen” paper.

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Filed Under: Greatest Hits, Music, Portfolio, Van Halen

Interview: Gene Simmons of KISS

April 23, 2002 Leave a Comment

Photo by Jon Zal

Originally published on April 23, 2002 at SoundSpike.com

In addition to being the singer, bassist and marketer extraordinaire for rock juggernaut KISS, Gene Simmons is also a self-proclaimed egomaniac.

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Filed Under: Music, Portfolio, SoundSpike Tagged With: Interview, KISS, SoundSpike

Live Review: Billy Joel and Elton John in Boston

January 25, 2002 Leave a Comment

Originally published on January 25, 2002 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

Billy Joel and Elton John’s current Face to Face tour features a spectacular light show, video screens, and two talented backing bands … all of which were completely overshadowed Thursday night (1/24) by two chubby, balding, middle-aged guys who know how to play the hell out of a piano and whose voices are as powerful as ever.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Billy Joel, Elton John, Live Review, LiveDaily

Live Review: Björk at Radio City Music Hall

October 8, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on October 8, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Björk’s Friday night (10/5) performance at New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall was an amalgam of extremes that, despite the distinct potential for disaster, were masterfully combined to produce a mesmerizing musical experience.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Björk, Live Review, LiveDaily

Interview: Seal

September 25, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on September 25, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

A decade ago, Seal broke through on the American music scene with the hit single “Crazy,” a song that helped propel the British singer’s self-titled debut to sales of over 1 million copies in the U.S. alone. Even greater success followed with his 1994 release, also titled “Seal,” which spawned the massive hit “Kiss from a Rose” and went on to ship over 4 million copies in the U.S.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Interview, LiveDaily

Gary Cherone puts Van Halen behind him, forges ahead with Tribe of Judah

July 18, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on July 18, 2001, at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

Almost two years after his short-lived gig as the third frontman for Van Halen ended, Gary Cherone has reemerged with his new quintet, Tribe of Judah. And while the pairing of Cherone and Van Halen was deemed a mismatch by many fans and critics alike, the singer’s new project seems to be a perfect fit for his theatrical stage persona and eclectic musical tastes.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Extreme, Gary Cherone, Interview, Live Review, LiveDaily, Van Halen

Live Review: Depeche Mode in Massachusetts

July 3, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on July 3, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

MANSFIELD, Mass. — On its studio releases — particularly this year’s “Exciter” — Depeche Mode’s synthesizer-heavy music is often a mellow affair that does not hint at the trio’s proclivity for the kind of bombastic and energetic live performance it gave its Boston-area fans on Sunday night (7/1).

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Depeche Mode, Live Review, LiveDaily

Live Review: Aerosmith in Massachusetts

June 27, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on June 27, 2001 at LiveDaily.com

MANSFIELD, Mass. — Aerosmith has been hitting cities throughout the U.S. since early June, but only at the Boston-based band’s first Massachusetts stop could you see a fan waving a banner proclaiming that guitar god Joe Perry’s mother “Mary Perry was my gym teacher.”

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Aerosmith, Live Review, LiveDaily

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Van Halen (or, The Band That Ate My Life)

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Jon Zal @ The Massachusetts State House, Boston

I was born in 1970, raised just outside of Boston, and now live near Philadelphia. As a child, I thought I was going to be…
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8 Mar 1633596279757639680

Guys, no need to worry about rising energy costs here in Pennsylvania; Big Electric is looking out for the common folk.

I will try to not squander my new monthly windfall.

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10 Feb 1623836552982851586

When you impersonate Taylor Hawkins and do drumeoke with the @foofighters.

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17 Jan 1615495856526094336

53.
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25 Dec 1607047694270484485

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, everyone. Wherever you are, whomever you’re with, I hope you’re feeling safe, warm & loved.

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11 Dec 1601783691688435712

The only football game I look forward to each year, and this year’s was the best I’ve ever seen. Way to go, @ArmyWP_Football!
#GoArmyBeatNavy

The only football game I look forward to each year, and this year’s was the best I’ve ever seen. Way to go, @ArmyWP_Football!
#GoArmyBeatNavy
U.S. Army @USArmy

Army Wins!

Incredible game and effort by both teams! Proud of @WestPoint_USMA's @ArmyWP_Football, and we salute the @NavalAcademy for a hard-fought game.

#ArmyNavyGame #GoArmy #BeatNavy @CBSSports @NavyFB #USArmy #GoArmyBeatNavy

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jon_zal avatar; Jon Zal @jon_zal ·
9 Dec 1601292680784277505

Can confirm. Mail in the greater-Philadelphia area continues to be a complete and utter clusterfuck ever since Trump hired DeJoy to dismantle the USPS and disrupt mail-in voting.

Can confirm. Mail in the greater-Philadelphia area continues to be a complete and utter clusterfuck ever since Trump hired DeJoy to dismantle the USPS and disrupt mail-in voting.
ChesterCtyRamblings @ChesCoRamblings

Hey @USPS @USPSHelp @OIGUSPS @USPSNewsHQ @CareersUsps @USPSbiz WTF? Why don’t you try to help your individual post offices instead of trying to destroy the Postal Service day by day? @washingtonpost @nytimes @PhillyInquirer FIRE DEJOY ! @POTUS @WhiteHouse

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jon_zal avatar; Jon Zal @jon_zal ·
9 Dec 1601200554180415489

tl;dr: “I crave attention. The 51-seat majority gave me less of what I crave, so now I’ve found a new way to get it.”

tl;dr: “I crave attention. The 51-seat majority gave me less of what I crave, so now I’ve found a new way to get it.”
Kyrsten Sinema @kyrstensinema

In a natural extension of my service since I was first elected to Congress, I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent. 1/3

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jon_zal avatar; Jon Zal @jon_zal ·
9 Dec 1601200554180415489

tl;dr: “I crave attention. The 51-seat majority gave me less of what I crave, so now I’ve found a new way to get it.”

tl;dr: “I crave attention. The 51-seat majority gave me less of what I crave, so now I’ve found a new way to get it.”
Kyrsten Sinema @kyrstensinema

In a natural extension of my service since I was first elected to Congress, I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent. 1/3

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When the @celtics & @nhlbruins both have a playoff When the @celtics & @nhlbruins both have a playoff game on the same night. 🙄 (Might put the @redsox on my iPhone after I post this.) #BostonStrong
The kind of Type-A madness that compels me to hang The kind of Type-A madness that compels me to hang 700 lights on a tree of this height and size is both a curse and a blessing. Love having this spectacle in my yard & spreading the holiday cheer. Enjoy! 🎄
We did it! The last time I ran an official 10K ra We did it!

The last time I ran an official 10K race, I was 18 and in Basic Training/Military Police School at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Let's just say I'm a bit longer in the tooth and wider in the waist than I was then. 🥵

Proud to have legged it out with my boy yesterday to support @travismanionfoundation. Thanks to all who donated. (FYI: Donation link, which is in my IG bio, remains open through the end of the year.)

Official time: 55:28

#RunWithTheMarines
#MCM10K
The last time I visited the Marine Corps War Memor The last time I visited the Marine Corps War Memorial with my son, he was in utero. 😳 This Sunday, I’ll visit it with him again after we cross the finish line at the MCM 10K.

I’m running in honor of my late grandfather, Finn, a Marine who fought on Saipan, Tinian & Iwo Jima with the 4th Division during World War II.

My son and I are are also running to support the great work of the @travismanionfoundation. If you would be willing to help me reach my fundraising goal, I’d really appreciate it. Link to my fundraising page is in my bio. Thanks!
Took over the State House in Boston today with my Took over the State House in Boston today with my sis, @repjamiebelsito!
Insta vs Real Life: How I looked 20 minutes after Insta vs Real Life:

How I looked 20 minutes after finishing yesterday's 5K vs how I looked immediately after finishing yesterday's 5K. 🥵

Happy to have my boy home for the weekend ... except for the part where he passed me mid-run, did the Steve Rogers "On your left" thing & finished two minutes ahead of me. 😜

Him: 24:17
Me: 26:21

Glad we did it.

#911 #neverforget
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