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JON ZAL

Your front-row seat to my nervous breakdown

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U2 stokes Irish pride in Boston

June 6, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on June 6, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

BOSTON, Mass. — In a city that houses one of the most prominent Irish-American populations in the country — in a state that Senator Ted Kennedy calls “the most Irish-American state in the union” — a sold-out, four-night visit from Ireland’s U2 is more than just a series of concerts; it’s a cultural event.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Live Review, LiveDaily, U2

Interview: Henry Rollins

February 1, 2001 Leave a Comment

Originally published on February 1, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

Henry Rollins has a lot on his mind, and he’s more than willing to share all of it with you. In a business filled with people who have nary a disparaging word to say about anyone or anything for fear of damaging their own marketability, Rollins has built a career out of offering his uncensored opinion on just about everything.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio

Interview: Sammy Hagar

October 24, 2000 Leave a Comment

Originally published on October 24, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

Over the past three decades, Sammy Hagar has established himself as one of rock-and-roll’s best-known figures. His history encompasses an early ’70s stint fronting Montrose, a successful solo run in the mid-’80s that yielded such hits as “I’ll Fall in Love Again,” “One Way to Rock” and “I Can’t Drive 55,” and an 11-year term at the helm of Van Halen.

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

Backstage in Boston with Stone Temple Pilots

August 1, 2000 Leave a Comment

Originally published on August 1, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

“It’s been an interesting decade, man,” says Stone Temple Pilots’ guitarist Dean DeLeo, who, along with the rest of STP, is backstage at Boston’s Avalon club on Saturday, July 29. In a couple of hours, the group will perform a special VH1.com live webcast concert before a packed house filled with contest winners. Right now, though, DeLeo is reflecting on the long, winding, and often tumultuous journey that his band has been on for the last ten years.

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

Live Review: Nine Inch Nails in Anaheim

June 7, 2000 Leave a Comment

Photo by Jon Zal

Originally published on June 7, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Nearly five years ago, Trent Reznor ended his tour in support of Nine Inch Nails’ multi-platinum album “The Downward Spiral” and slipped into relative obscurity. A lengthy bout with writer’s block followed before work on a new album began in earnest in 1997. Finally, after spending two years locked away in his New Orleans recording studio, the 35-year-old Reznor emerged last September with the release of “The Fragile” — a sprawling, 104-minute double album—and put the Nine Inch Nails touring machine back in motion.

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Filed Under: LiveDaily, Music, Portfolio Tagged With: Live Review, LiveDaily, Nine Inch Nails

Interview: Paul Stanley of KISS

March 17, 2000 Leave a Comment

Originally published on March 17, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

It’s 10:40am on a Thursday, and KISS frontman Paul Stanley, calling from his hotel room, sounds tired — which, admittedly, he has every reason to be; he’s just two days away from launching his group’s final tour, and has spent weeks preparing for a show that involves running around in seven-inch platform boots, flying on the end of cables, and dodging more bombs and pillars of flame than one might expect to encounter during a small war.

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

Live Review: KISS in Phoenix

March 12, 2000 Leave a Comment

Photo by Jon Zal

Originally published on March 13, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

PHOENIX, Ariz. — “You wanted the best! You got the best! The hottest band in the world … KISS!”

As the band’s name echoed through the arena, the curtain dropped to reveal rock-and-roll’s face-painted foursome, who were lowered to the stage on a platform that descended from the ceiling, arms raised in a victorious pose. The two-hour show that followed contained all the customary theatrics KISS fans — a.k.a. the KISS Army — have come to expect: explosions, pillars of flame, fire-breathing, blood-spewing, rocket-launching guitars, levitating drum risers, and tons and tons of confetti. There was, however, one subtle yet palpable difference about this gig: the band was saying goodbye.

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

Interview: Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters

March 1, 2000 Leave a Comment

Originally published on March 1, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com

At the age of 31, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has accomplished more than any musician could ever realistically hope to — and he’s done so twice. Grohl’s initial rise to fame occurred while seated behind the drum kit in Nirvana. After recording just one studio album with the band — 1991’s phenomenally successful “Nevermind” — he became a rock star overnight. In those days, he was known as the shaggy-haired skins-basher who flailed wildly behind Kurt Cobain. And while Cobain’s inability to cope with Nirvana’s success resulted in his tragic suicide, Grohl’s path forked in an entirely different direction.

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

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

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An Open Letter of Apology to President Barack Obama

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ABOUT ME

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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Hold my calls. 🤙🏻 Hold my calls. 🤙🏻
Hey now from the Jersey shore. 🤙🏻 Snooki say Hey now from the Jersey shore. 🤙🏻
Snooki says “Hi.”
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!
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