Yesterday, a great buddy of mine stopped by the studio to make his first official appearance on The Matt Cord Show With Steve Vassalotti. Many of you know him as the Director of Fun and Game for the Philadelphia Phillies, or you might remember the name from some of my previous posts – But none other than, John Brazer, stopped by the WMGK studio on Wednesday!

We chatted with John Brazer about the Fightin’ Phils in the midst of the final stretch run of the regular season and their upcoming postseason as they prepare for the MLB Playoffs. We are all hoping for another run to the World Series – and for them to hopefully finish the job this time!

John Brazer has actually been coming on the MGK morning show for years now, and he is just an amazing radio guest! So I was stoked to have him on our show within the first couple of weeks of us officially broadcasting!

Funnily enough, I have known JB for over 30 years. In fact, at one point in our lives, we were next-door neighbors in the city! There are way too many stories to tell that took place during those days – a lot of which would not be the most appropriate to tell on-air, probably!

Here’s a look at both of us back in 1998, along with a familiar face, Preston Eliot, from our sister station WMMR, at the Rex Hudler Golf Outing. Hudler was a member of the Phillies that year, and his outing took place at the Waynesborough Golf Club in Paoli. And, yes, We’ve all gotten better looking over the years!

Anyway, while visiting us yesterday, John gave us a pair of tickets to giveaway on-air today for the Phillies vs. Pirates game on Wednesday, September 27th!

So I want to send a huge shout-out to John Brazer for that, and let’s get ready for a Red October!

Go Phils!

There are just four days left in the summer — at least officially according to the calendar that says the last day of the season is September 23rd. For some people, summer unofficially ends after Labor Day Weekend, but for me, my summer unofficially ended with a bang over the weekend at MGK Big Gig 2023!

On Sunday, we had yet another successful MGK Big Gig, and it might have been the best one yet! From the live broadcasts to hanging with fans, to the performances by the legendary musical guests, it was definitely a day to remember!

The live performances included Uncle Kracker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and ZZ-Top, and they were the perfect acts to have taken the stage on a Sunday in the late summer.

Tony Harris, Andre Gardner, and then Steve Vassalotti and I all broadcasted live throughout the day. Of course, I have to send a huge shout-out to all of you who stopped by our broadcast booth on the Walt Whitman side of the Freedom Mortgage Pavillion!

Then, Steve and I were lucky enough to get to go on stage in between Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ-Top, and it was a thrill to look out into the crowd and see so many loyal WMGK listeners in attendance! We even got to get on the microphone and say hello to the MGK Big Gig crowd!

Below I will share some of my favorite moments I captured throughout the day and post some pictures and videos for you all to relive the day if you were there, or see it from my perspective if you were unable to make it this year!

Somehow, each year the MGK Big Gig continues to get better and better, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for next year’s show. I know it will be amazing!

The Matt Cord Show With Steve Vassalotti broadcasting live at MGK Big Gig 2023. The show had a blast broadcasting in front of tons of MGK fans!

Matt Cord and Steve Vassalotti saying hi to to crowd at MGK Big Gig. So many loyal WMGK listeners were in attendance this year.

Matt Cord and Steve Vassalotti posing for a picture on stage at MGK Big Gig. Look at all the people having a great time in the background in the crowd!

Our friends over at Live Nation added a nice touch to this year's MGK Big Gig. They wish Bill Weston a happy retirement at his last Big Gig.

Some amazing faces in the crowd at MGK Big Gig that look like they are having a ton of fun! Do you see yourself?

Look at all those hands in the air at MGK Big Gig. I wonder what song was playing?

The sign outside of Freedom Mortgage Pavillon in Camden advertising MGK Big Gig 2023. The performances by the legendary bands were worth the wait!

While backstage, I had the chance to see some of the traveling gear for Lynyrd Skynyrd on tour. Look how big this case is for the left bass drum alone.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's instruments all packed in their traveling gear. Look at that cool logo surrounding it all.

The sound board on stage at MGK Big Gig 2023. The sound engineer did a great job all day making sure all the bands sounded great. Plus, all the WMGK talent like Steve and I.

The merch stand was plentiful at MGK Big Gig 2023. There was merch for Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ-Top, and Uncle Kracker!

Shriner's Children had a raffle at MGK Big Gig 2023. The winner received a sign guitar, that looks absolutely beautiful.

While at MGK Big Gig 2023, I saw my other employer's logo popping out like the Batman sign shining during a dangerous night in Gotham. The 76ers practice facility is literally right next door to the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion.

The Big Gig logo shining bright on the big screen at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion. Just in case anyone forgot who put that amazing day together!

Barb's Harley Davidson getting some screen time at MGK Big Gig 2023. Always good to see our advertiser friends getting some screen time!

Hey, look there! Another one of our advertiser friends getting some screen time. Meineke Car Care is the place to be for any care issue.

The trifecta of our advertiser friends making it onto the big screen. A huge thanks to the people at Hutchinson.