That Time I Got Axl Rose Tickets to a Philadelphia 76ers Game

Recently, a brand new music festival was announced that I think a lot of our listeners at WMGK would love to attend.

It is going to be held on the grounds of the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, which is also home to Coachella.

Where Coachella tends to lean toward a younger generation and current top-40 types of artists, this new festival is aimed at hard rock and metal enthusiasts!

The festival is called Power Trip and it is going to take place over a long weekend in October on the 6th, 7th, and 8th.

There are some legendary acts set to take the stage and perform that weekend, including AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Tool!

Wow, talk about a great lineup!

But there’s one more band that is also going to be performing that weekend that I have a cool story about from the past!

That band is Guns N’ Roses!

Being that this festival was recently announced and the NBA Playoffs are currently taking place, I figured this was the perfect time to tell this story!

Back in 2001, the 76ers were in the NBA Finals playing against the Los Angeles Lakers.

I’m sure many of you remember the infamous moment when Allen Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue in game one.

But when the series came back to Philadelphia, another star came with the teams as well!

And that star was Guns N’ Roses frontman, Axl Rose!

I actually helped him secure his tickets to come catch a game at what was then the First Union Center.

This is back when I worked at Y100 and my early years as the public address announcer for the Sixers.

It was awesome getting to help Axl see a game, and he repaid the favor by taking us all out to dinner after the game!

He took us to Smith and Wollensky at Rittenhouse Square!

It was an awesome restaurant back in the day, but unfortunately, it is no longer there.

Funnily enough, Todd MacCulloch from the Sixers came to dinner with us, too!

Unfortunately, the series didn’t go the way we all hoped for the Sixers, but I’m sure Axl was happy that his Lakers won.

Overall, though, it was a night I’ll always remember as I’m sure the Power Trip festival will be for all those who attend!

More from Matt Cord...

Last night, I was able to add another title to my ever-growing list of jobs – even though this one was just temporary for one night.

It was not too much different from what I normally do here at WMGK or with my public addressing job with the Philadelphia 76ers being that most of the job was just simply talking!

Although, I did have to dress up a lot fancier than I normally would for my midday DJ shift or announcing the game!

You know, suit and tie, and the whole thing!

After all, it was a big night for a lot of people that were the focus of last night being honored for their careers, so it makes sense that everyone would want to look nice.

All right time to spill the beans…

Last night, I was honored to host the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame Gala!

It was actually a ton of fun and there were a ton of familiar faces being honored for their amazing work throughout their careers in the music industry.

The event took place at Vie on North Broad Street – another job on Broad, what do you know!

As I said, there were a lot of familiar faces last night, but none more familiar than my friend and fellow DJ at WMGK, the legendary, John DeBella!

I got to induct JDB into the Walk of Fame, which was an honor and I could not be happier for John!

It is funny, normally John is the one who sets the stage for me when we crossover between our shows in the morning, but last night I got to set the stage for him prior to his acceptance speech!

It was awesome, especially considering he said it was the greatest honor of his career!

Congratulations, John, and thanks for always reminding us to look on the bright side of life!

Amongst those also being honored include Patty Jackson, James DePreist, and the Bacon Brothers, both Kevin, and Michael!

My friend Larry Magid, the legendary concert promoter, was also honored with a lifetime achievement award, so that was cool!

There were a few fantastic performances as well, including two legendary groups I got to introduce, The Spinners and The Stylistics!

I can’t forget Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie who also performed a tribute, either!

Altogether, it was such a fun night and I am so happy for all those that were honored!

Congrats!

It was another successful night last night down at the Wells Fargo Center for the Philadelphia 76ers and all involved in bringing game two of the opening playoff series to life.

The Sixers battled to another victory over the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 96-84.

It was a low-scoring game that got ugly at times, but the only thing that matters this time of year is getting the win, and that is just what the squad did!

The team was led in scoring by the youngster, Tyrese Maxey, who checked in with 33 points while making six three-point attempts!

It was much needed on a night when James Harden was not his usual self.

The team will now head to Brooklyn with a 2-0 series lead after another win on the home court.

The 76ers themselves were not the only ones who left the arena as winners, though!

All fans in attendance received a free rally towel on their seats that has the team’s playoff slogan printed on it, “For The Love of Philly.”

I’m sure all the fans were happy to leave with that!

But I’m not sure they were as happy as I was last night with all the cool stuff and people I got to see!

Starting off my night with another delicious pregame meal prepared by the team and then running into event staff extraordinaire, John R is always a good thing!

Then, I saw fellow Philadelphia market media member, Breland Moore, from Fox 29 and snagged a pic!

And being that it was a nationally televised game, we weren’t the only media members in the building either — both local and national!

John Clark from NBC10 Philadelphia was on the court pregame filming a package and doing some live coverage.

Then, of course, being that it is a playoff game, the TNT broadcast team was in the building, including Spero Dedes and Grant Hill!

Hill was actually hanging with World B. Free for a little pregame.

But the people I was most excited to run into down there were my good friends, Matt and Marisa!

Marisa, of course, is from The Preston and Steve Show over on our sister station, WMMR.

The both of them actually just got married over the weekend in Las Vegas then flew back on Monday, and came straight to the game!

So congrats to both of them!

I guess they were good luck since the team won!

The big names in the building didn’t stop there!

Of course, I can’t forget the biggest stars, which are the players!

I got to see former Sixers guard Seth Curry make his entrance to the building, and former Villanova star, Mikal Bridges!

I also saw some warmups from Furkan Korkmaz and Georges Niang, who also was nice enough to sign some autographs for fans.

Then, it was time for the celebrity bell ringer to hype the crowd up, and the team did not disappoint again with their choice!

It was former Phillies great, Larry Bowa!

Overall, it was a great night!

The Sixers left with a win For The Love of Philly, and there was definitely a ton of love in the air for this team and city!

Well, besides a quick little Steven Singer ad that popped up on my screen in my “office” down at my courtside seats!

How fitting!

#IHATESTEVENSINGER.COM

I can’t wait until the team returns for their next playoff game!

The building has been electric!

Though, hopefully, the next time they return it’ll be in the conference quarter finals!

Go Sixers!

Get your brooms ready for a sweep!

This past Saturday, April 15th, the Philadelphia 76ers started their 2023 playoff campaign with a big win at the Wells Fargo Center over the visiting Brooklyn Nets, by a score of 121-101.

Five Sixers players scored in double figures, including Joel Embiid with 26, James Harden with 23, Tobias Harris with 21, Tyrese Maxey with 13, and 11 from Bball Paul himself, Paul Reed.

The team on the court was not the only great thing on Saturday, though!

The franchise went all out for this playoff opener, let me tell you!

They started with an amazing pregame meal for all of us workers that included carved ribeye, scrambled eggs, and paprika-roasted potatoes.

It was delicious and set the mood for the rest of the day!

After I grabbed my share of the pregame meal, I took a walk around the concourse to take a look around, and, man, did they do a good job!

All throughout the rafters, brand new banners were hanging of all the Sixers’ players and labeled with the team’s new slogan for the postseason, “For The Love of Philly.”

Then, to go along with the banners, there were also large balloons spelling out the slogan, and all fans in attendance received a red shirt as they walked in sporting the phrase as well!

After walking the concourse for a while, I headed down to my courtside seat where I do the public addressing to check out some warmups!

I got to catch a little bit of Embiid doing his pregame routine, and then I saw a couple of players fresh off of a G-League Championship with the Delaware Blue Coats, Jaden Springer, and the Slam Dunk Champion, Mac McClung!

I wasn’t the only one checking out warmups, either!

The sixth man, Alan Horowitz, was down at his normal seat taking it all in as well!

And so were JJ Reddick and M. Night Shyamalan!

Following warmups, it was time for the pregame bell ringer to get the crowd hype for the game!

And trust me, he did!

When I announced to the sold-out crowd that the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Nick Sirianni, was the bell ringer, the building erupted in cheers, nearly blowing the roof off!

It was electric!

That set the tone in the building for the whole game as the crowd was loud often for the home team, who led practically the whole game.

The loudest moment from the crowd may have come when we debuted a new video on the big screen!

And WMGK fans, I know you’ll like this one!

It was a video of a chipmunk doing the Freddy Mercury chant from Queen’s show at Wembley Stadium during Live Aid, except the chipmunk is on the Art Museum steps!

It was so cool and the fans loved it!

It was all downhill from there as the Sixers ran away with the game in the second half and got off to a 1-0 start in the series.

The team is back in action tonight for game 2, so check back here tomorrow for a post summarizing tonight’s game!

Go Sixers!

Today is Wednesday.

The middle of the work week.

The day when the rest of the work week is starting to catch up with you, but you can’t quite see the light at the end of the tunnel or the finish line just yet.

On days like these sometimes you need a little pick-me-up to brighten your day and to get you one more day closer to the weekend – a Philadelphia 76ers playoff home opener weekend, mind you!

And that is just what happened today at the WMGK studios!

My buddy, Jimmy Sutcliffe of Live Nation, dropped off some special surprise treats from one of the best dining establishments in the city, in honor of the legendary comedian, actor, musician, writer, producer, director, and all of the above being in town on Friday – Adam Sandler.

Jimmy stopped by with a few boxes of donuts from Federal Donuts!

Now, this would be a treat regardless of the occasion, but these donuts are even cooler than normal!

The donuts he dropped off today are a special variation of donut called, the Hustle, inspired by Sandler’s performance in the movie, Hustle, which had several scenes filmed at the Wells Fargo Center, where Adam will be performing on Friday, April 14th.

Anytime Sandler comes to town, you know it will be a hard ticket to come by because his shows are always highly-anticipated!

Per the press release, “The Hustle donut is a classic spiced cake donut with cherry water ice glaze and a pretzel glaze drizzle, designed to look like a basketball.”

Trust me, it looked amazing and tasted even better!

Can it get more Philly than cherry water ice and a pretzel?

I think not!

Especially as the summer approaches!

By the way, Adam Sandler was not the only person to make an appearance in the movie, Hustle!

I actually did too as my voice was used toward the end of the movie!

That movie is the gift that keeps on giving now with these fantastic donuts inspired by the film.

Not only were the donuts a treat, but it is always great to see Jimmy!

I actually ran into him at a Sixers game earlier in the year with his wife, Angela, and we snagged a picture at center court!

If you are lucky enough to be going to see Adam Sandler’s performance on Friday, enjoy!

And if you are stopping by Federal Donuts anytime soon, consider grabbing the Hustle donut…

Or a dozen!

As many of you know, I am a man of many jobs.

I work here at WMGK as the midday DJ, I am the public address announcer for the Philadelphia 76ers, and I also have my own side gigs such as my own Cameo page where you can purchase a customized video of your choice for yourself or a loved one!

On top of that, I make wedding appearances where I introduce the wedding party as I do for the Sixers during their introductions.

And that is just what I do currently because if you have been keeping up with my daily posts, you would also know about some of my old radio jobs such as working at our sister station, WMMR, or being an assistant-assistant equipment manager for the Philadelphia Eagles once upon a time!

Well, I have another cool story about another job I held at one point!

Even if it was just for one game…

Back in the mid-90s, I was invited by the Philadelphia Phillies to be a member of the ground crew for a day!

It was honestly such a thrill to be out on the baseball diamond at the old Vet.

What an iconic stadium.

A place where Michael Jack Schmidt hit many of his home runs.

Where the 1993 Phillies clinched the pennant.

Where Tug McGraw got the final out to clinch the 1980 World Series.

And most importantly where a young Matt Cord got the rake the infield dirt!

All jokes aside, it really was a super fun experience!

I even got to replace the bases in the 5th inning!

If you remember, the dirt in the infield at Veterans Stadium was a little different than your typical infield because there were only dirt cutouts around the bases, while the rest of the infield was turf!

Speaking of that turf, believe me when I say the rumors about the temperature on the field at The Vet are true because it was scorching hot!

Below I’ll post two pictures from that day for you to see for yourselves!

Both photos are of me raking the third base dirt, but the best part of each picture, in my opinion, is the iconic retired numbers on the outfield wall in the background.

Steve Carlton, #32, and Mike Schmidt, #20.

Both all-time greats are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I’ll never forget watching them play, I’ll never forget that day I was a guest ground crew member, and I’ll never forget that stadium!

Long live The Vet!