The Lunch Lady Playlist

Most Tampa Bay kids head back to school on Tuesday. This includes my 5-year-old, who’s boarding the rocket ride known as kindergarten. The other day I asked Lulu what she was most excited about: new friends, teachers, books? “Lunch,” she said. Lunch? “Yeah, lunch. In the cafeteria. You know, by a lunch lady!” For a second there I was tempted to tell her about Pizza Day 1978, that history-rich moment in time when her dad, then just an unsuspecting third-grader, found a thick clump of black hair buried within his lunch-lady-crafted slice of pepperoni. But I didn’t. Life is about to get very exciting for my daughter — why taint this brave new world? So to usher Lulu off to Big Girl school, here’s the Lunch Lady Playlist!

Gotta Serve Somebody, Bob Dylan
Meat, Phish
Hot Potatoes, the Kinks
Burnt Biscuits, Booker T. and the MGs
Milk, Kings of Leon
Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm, Crash Test Dummies
Yummy, Gwen Stefani
Can I Have My Money Back?, Gerry Rafferty
Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch, “Weird Al” Yankovic
Home Cookin’, the Animals

Live Review: Gwen Stefani, No Doubt at Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa

TAMPA – It’s been a long time since Gwen Stefani was just a girl fronting a spazzy, party-minded rock crew. After she ditched the dudes in No Doubt in 2004, the former tomboy became a solo starlet and a fashion designer and a celebu-mom. No more thrashy ska for her: Gwennie was shiny, sparkly, new.

But on the biggest reunion tour of the summer, the platinum-topped singer is pulling off the princess heels, pulling on the old tank tops. Everything was in place at the No Doubt gig at Ford Amphitheatre Tuesday: The guys in the band were jacked to be cashing checks again. And a sold-out, girl-strong crowd of 20,000 stuffed the rain-soaked venue (although many folks reportedly arrived late and cranky due to a storm, an accident on I-4 and a graduation at the Fairgrounds.) 

Could Stefani slip back into her old role? If a recent performance on “American Idol” was any indication – yikes! On "Idol," the song “Just a Girl” came off more like a “Saturday Night Live” parody of No Doubt, with perhaps Andy Samberg playing an unsure housewife desperate to fit in with the cool kids.

To read which Gwennie showed up in Tampa, CLICK HERE.

Gwen photo: Daniel Wallace, Times ace photographer

Join me at tonight's No Doubt show in Tampa?

No Doubt |MTV Music

My daughter Mai-Mai has no respect for my glamourous rock-critic lifestyle. At 4 o'clock this morning, Baby Godzilla crawled all over my face, demanding milk and chocolate-chip muffins. I tried to talk her through her jones, but she was stark raving mad. So I decided to make the best of it, giving her a tutorial in No Doubt, which is playing Ford Amphitheatre tonight. (TICKETS) I played "Simple Kind of Life," a few times, but the irony was totally lost on her. Either that or she was pretending not to get the message. I wouldn't put it past the wily brat. Anyway, with very little sleep, I'll be reviewing the show. I'm a little worried about Gwennie, but here's hoping she has the goods to keep me awake.

DALY TV: Bring your own bail money

Here's a cool segment with John Thomas of ABC Action News. Despite the fact that I look 400 lbs. and supremely greasy (I totally blame a blousy shirt and Dippity Do), I like these weekend bits a lot. We're talking upcoming concerts (No Doubt, Lynyrd Skynyrd/Kid Rock) and albums (Black Eyed Peas, Ashley Tisdale). Once again, thanks to the gods of the screen grab for making me look like I'm accentuating my man-bosoms.

Room for Doubt: Has Stefani lost her magic?

Five years ago, the most dynamic woman in pop pulled an about-face, going from tomboy to fashionista, from Just a Girl to Hollaback Girl. As the leader of ska-pop band No Doubt, Stefani was already a huge star. But she wanted to taste life as a solo chick, so Gwennie ditched her backing mates and headed out.

Two hit albums and two hot tours weren’t the only way she filled her away time. She also started a fashion line, had a couple of kids with hubby Gavin Rossdale (Kingston! Zuma!) and revamped her entire image. The luxe starlet — an even bigger starlet now — was miles from her salad days as a riot girl.

But lookee here: In the biggest reunion tour of the summer, Stefani has rejoined her old mates, and Tampa Bay fans will find out June 2 at Ford Amphitheatre whether No Doubt can still summon that old magic.

If a recent appearance on American Idol is any indication, the answer, sadly enough, might be no. I love Stefani, both solo and with the band, but No Doubt’s TV spot was weak, sparkless, with the 39-year-old lead singer trying too hard to be slangy, hip, hard. Not only was the performance of Just a Girl awkward, but it reeked of bad acting. For an incandescent star who rarely strikes a false chord, it was uncomfortable television.

Is that how the whole tour is going to be? Yikes.

If that wasn’t omen enough, No Doubt is planning a new album — but only after this tour. Which means they’ll primarily be doing old hits, a.k.a. the same set list they did last time they toured. Oh, and don’t expect Rich Girl or Wind It Up. Early set lists show no Stefani solo hits; apparently she wants to keep her worlds very separate.

Yes, this is still a tour worth attending. No Doubt is being chummy with fans, opening up a general admission “dance” floor. Fans who purchase premium seats will also get the group’s entire digital catalog plus one new song. Plus the openers, the Sounds and Paramore, are more than throwaway acts.

But for some reason, Gwen might feel as if she has to change personalities: solo star or No Doubter, catwalk or dive bar. It doesn’t have to be that way. The woman has more charm and charisma than most. Just rock it naturally, Gwennie. We’ll love you even more.

The No Doubt show, with the Sounds and Paramore, will feature a dance floor ticket as well as reserved and lawn seats. 7:30 p.m. June 2 at Ford Amphitheatre, Interstate 4 at U.S. 301 N in Tampa. $10 lawn, $24.50-$80 reserved seating, $80 dance floor. (813) 740-2446

Gwennie snap: American Idol