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  • Eagles use big second half to overwhelm Commanders, become first repeat NFC East champs since 2004

    Eagles use big second half to overwhelm Commanders, become first repeat NFC East champs since 2004

    LANDOVER, Md. — For the first time in 21 seasons, the NFC East has a back-to-back champion.

    The Eagles clinched the division in a 29-18 victory over the Washington Commanders on Saturday night at Northwest Stadium, officially punching their ticket to the playoffs. Despite falling behind, 10-7, in the first half, the Eagles blew the game open in the second, scoring touchdowns on three of four possessions with the starting offense.

    It wasn’t pretty early on for the Eagles. Jake Elliott missed a pair of long field goals, one from 57 yards and another from 52. But the offense rebounded, in large part thanks to Saquon Barkley’s dominance on the ground. The 28-year-old running back rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.

    Barkley eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season for the fifth time in his career.

    Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ Week 16 win over their division rival:

    Commanders’ defensive struggles

    The Commanders went up, 10-7, in the first half on a 20-yard field goal and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s 1-yard touchdown run. Then, the Washington defense committed an abundance of mistakes that ultimately cost it the game.

    On fourth-and-7 from the Commanders’ 38 halfway through the third quarter, the Eagles opted to go for it, keeping a struggling Elliott off the field. Hurts tossed an interception to Commanders safety Quan Martin on a downfield pass intended for A.J. Brown, but it didn’t stand. Dallas Goedert drew an illegal contact penalty against Commanders safety Will Harris, extending the drive.

    A.J. Brown had a big night with nine catches for 95 yards.

    Six plays later, on third-and-8 from the Commanders’ 20, the Washington defense committed another pair of penalties to keep the Eagles alive. Martin’s holding call was declined, but a pass interference call on Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene was enforced.

    The 26-year-old cornerback attempted to cover DeVonta Smith in the back of the end zone, but the officials had determined he grabbed the Eagles’ standout receiver.

    The Eagles made the Commanders pay for their mistakes. On third-and-goal from the Commanders’ 15 — the Eagles backed up due to a Fred Johnson holding penalty — Hurts completed a touchdown pass to Goedert while on the move.

    Goedert leapt up over Martin to snag Hurts’ pass, making it 14-10 in favor of the Eagles. The 30-year-old tight end has reached a team-high 10 touchdowns this season, which is double his previous career high (five touchdowns in 2019).

    The Commanders had some tackling issues throughout the evening, especially when it came to attempting to bring down Brown (he finished the day with a team-high nine receptions for 95 yards). Barkley benefited from the Commanders’ poor tackling, too, when he added to the Eagles’ scoring total in the fourth quarter.

    Barkley forced five missed tackles on his 12-yard touchdown run up the middle, putting the Eagles up, 21-10. He helped put the dagger into Washington later in the fourth quarter with a 48-yard carry, featuring a spin move in the backfield and another slew of missed Commanders tackles.

    Tank Bigsby built on Barkley’s explosive play, scampering into the end zone on a 22-yard touchdown run. Barkley picked up the ensuing two-point conversion on a carry, making it 29-10, Eagles.

    The under-center runs and the play-action passes married with them that the Eagles incorporated last week against the Las Vegas Raiders weren’t an emphasis on Saturday. Instead, the group utilized more tempo, empty sets, and plays from the shotgun.

    “I think we can go down every game this year and see a difference in approach,” Hurts said of the Eagles’ identity. “I think that’s OK for that to be who we are. We’ve just got to be very smart with what we do and when we do it and sequence it in the right way and then ultimately go out there and execute and make the plays.”

    Eagles defense catches a break

    Early in the third quarter, Marcus Mariota exited the game with a right hand injury, effectively quashing the Commanders’ chances at a victory.

    The Josh Johnson experience was horrific. On third-and-13 late in the third quarter, Cooper DeJean picked off the 39-year-old quarterback on a pass intended for Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks.

    With Johnson struggling, the Commanders attempted to run the ball to no avail. On the Commanders’ following possession, running back Chris Rodriguez was stuffed by Jordan Davis and Zack Baun on third-and-1 for a loss of 3 yards. Their play forced the Commanders to punt, marking Washington’s first three-and-out of the evening.

    Davis was a force against the run. He finished with six tackles, included two for losses and two for no gain. The other two were on carries of 1 and 3 yards.

    “That dude is a monster,” Baun said of Davis. “A monster of a human being and a monster on the field. Super impressive, because you think he’s just a stout run-stuffer, and then we throw in a stunt and some movement, and then you see how fast he is and he gets a TFL.”

    The Eagles defensive front gave Johnson fits. On third-and-6 halfway through the fourth quarter, Nolan Smith beat Commanders right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and pressured Johnson, forcing him to throw an incomplete pass intended for running back Jeremy McNichols.

    Rodriguez scored a garbage-time touchdown on a 3-yard carry with Eagles backups in the game on defense to make it 29-18. Johnson finished the game 5 of 9 for 43 yards and the interception (28.7 quarterback rating).

    Jake Elliott’s uneven year continued at Washington on Saturday.

    More issues for Elliott

    After the Eagles went up, 7-3, in the first quarter on a 5-yard Smith touchdown reception, the self-inflicted wounds that had tormented the team for most of the season cropped up once more.

    Elliott had a nightmare outing. Early in the second quarter, the Eagles offense sputtered at the Commanders’ 25-yard line. Late in the drive, Hurts overthrew a wide-open Brown on second-and-11, eventually forcing the Eagles to settle for a 43-yard field goal attempt.

    However, Elliott missed the field goal wide left, which would become a trend for him as the quarter continued. After the two-minute warning, the Commanders up 10-7, the Eagles decided to attempt a 57-yard field goal on fourth-and-4 from the Commanders’ 39 with 18 seconds remaining in the first half.

    Elliott missed that wide left, too. But Commanders safety Tyler Owens was flagged for being offside on the play, giving the Eagles offense a fresh set of downs and 5 yards.

    Hurts’ ensuing pass for Smith sailed incomplete, bringing Elliott on the field for yet another attempt, this time from 52 yards. Again, Elliott missed the kick wide left to end the first half.

    Not including the failed 57-yarder, Elliott has missed five field goal attempts in his last five games. He has also missed an extra point attempt in that span.

    Elliott stabilized in the fourth quarter. After Barkley’s fourth-quarter touchdown run, the Eagles kicker made the extra point. Regardless of the kicker’s recent shortcomings, Nick Sirianni emphasized his faith in Elliott after the game.

    “I have the utmost confidence in Jake,” Sirianni said. “I think like any team, you have ups and downs, and that’s just not offense, defense. That’s special teams. That’s your kicker, too. I have a ton of confidence in him that he’ll rebound from this, ’cause he’s mentally tough and a great kicker. We have the utmost faith in Jake moving forward.”

    Injury report

    Nakobe Dean sustained a hamstring injury halfway through the first quarter when he was attempting to tackle Burks. Jihaad Campbell took his place. Dean was ruled out in the third quarter.

    Tyler Steen was ejected late in the fourth quarter following the Eagles’ two-point conversion for his involvement in a scuffle that broke out between the two teams.

  • One killed, seven others injured in Upper Darby apartment fire Saturday

    One killed, seven others injured in Upper Darby apartment fire Saturday

    One person was killed and at least seven others, including a firefighter, were injured as a fire tore through an Upper Darby apartment Saturday, officials said.

    Firefighters were called about 10:30 a.m. to a three-story building on the 3200 block of Township Line Road, in the Drexel Hill neighborhood, where the blaze had broken out in a second-floor apartment. The flames were contained to the apartment, but the heat, smoke, and water damaged nearby units, Upper Darby Township Fire Chief Nicholas Martin said in a news release.

    Martin said one person died from their injuries after being hospitalized, and another was critically injured. Their identities have not been made public.

    A firefighter was also hospitalized, but later released, for burn injuries sustained while rescuing two people from the apartment. At least five others suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, and about 75 people were displaced from their homes, the news release said.

    “Our thoughts are with the victims of this fire and their families during this tremendously difficult time,” Martin said in the statement.

    The cause of the fire is under investigation.

  • Google app hiccup jumps the gun before the Eagles-Commanders game with AI-generated victory post

    Google app hiccup jumps the gun before the Eagles-Commanders game with AI-generated victory post

    Hours before kickoff in Saturday’s Eagles-Commanders matchup, a Google app jumped the gun with an AI-generated post that the Birds had won the game.

    The artificial intelligence hiccup, known as a hallucination, had the Eagles winning 27-17 and clinching the NFC East title. It even included made-up game highlights — Jalen Hurts throwing for over 200 yards and Saquon Barkley scoring a key touchdown. (Here in the real world, Hurts threw for 185 yards in a 29-18 Eagles win; Barkley did in fact run for a TD as the Birds became the champs of the NFC East.)

    The false information was easily identified because the game had not started, but that is not always the case with AI hallucinations in legal cases and financial reporting, said Subodha Kumar, a professor of statistics, operations, and data science at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

    “Sometimes it is so wrong that you can detect it,” Kumar said in an interview Saturday. “Sometimes you cannot.”

    The fake post was captured by Reddit Philadelphia users. Such erroneous AI-generated posts are user-specific and often deleted. A line at the bottom of the post cautioned: “Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.”

    The post linked to an accurately reported 6abc game preview story noting that the Eagles could become the first NFC East team since 2004 to win back-to-back division titles.

    Kumar said the hallucinations typically link to a news article or published reference to give the false information the appearance of legitimacy.

    Eagles fans commented on the error on Reddit. Some immediately recognized it as an AI mistake; others worried that it could be a jinx for the Eagles.

    “Crossing my fingers but jeepers Google kind of jumped the gun this morning,” one wrote.

    “I saw this and thought — did I miss a game?” another commented.

    Another wrote: “‘Generated with AI, which can make mistakes’ is the understatement of the year.”

    Hallucinations occur when a generative AI model confidently presents false or misleading information as a fact, rather than a prediction, Kumar said.

    They are most common in big sporting events, like the 2024 Super Bowl, when two AI chatbots made up statistics when questioned about the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. (The Chiefs won in overtime.)

    There have also been false AI-generated election results, financial reports, and legal decisions, Kumar said. The biggest impact may be false financial reports, which can affect the stock market, he said.

    “Clearly, this is a big problem,” Kumar said. “We have to be careful using the results for critical decision-making.”

    Kumar said guardrails currently are not properly designed to prevent such errors, but the technology has improved in recent years.

    More companies have added fact-checking technology to alert the algorithm before it generates erroneous content, he said.

    Asked Saturday afternoon to predict the Eagles game, Kumar quipped: “I will leave it to AI.”

  • The Flyers spoil a four-goal second period, lose to the New York Rangers in shootout

    The Flyers spoil a four-goal second period, lose to the New York Rangers in shootout

    NEW YORK — The Flyers seemed to have the game in hand, thanks to a four-goal second period, but then the lights went out on Broadway.

    Heading into the third period with a 4-2 lead, the Flyers allowed the New York Rangers to come back and steal a 5-4 shootout win. It is the first time this season the Flyers led heading into the third period and lost (10-0-1).

    Mika Zibanejad tied the game with 2 minutes, 34 seconds left in regulation, beating his countryman, Sam Ersson, with a one-timer from the left circle. The Rangers had a power play after Rasmus Ristolainen was called for delay of game, when he sent the puck over the glass.

    “I think we just can’t sit back as much as we do,” said forward Owen Tippett. “We put ourselves in great spots, and obviously we play a certain way to get there, and I think we just have to kind of continue playing that way and not worry about sitting back.”

    Flyers Q&A: Brent Flahr dishes on prospects Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, and more

    Artemi Panarin, who had a pair in regulation, and Vincent Trocheck, who scored the Rangers’ third goal, each beat Ersson in the skills competition. New York netminder Igor Shesterkin stopped Trevor Zegras before Travis Konecny hit the post.

    The Flyers have lost two straight and five of their past six games, with four of the losses coming after regulation.

    “We’re starting to learn how to win,” coach Rick Tocchet said postgame. “This group’s going to have to learn, but they’re working hard. We [were up] 4-2 and had a couple of opportunities to score, and then we leave it for chance, right? A penalty. You can’t take your foot off.”

    The dog is in the fight

    Denver Barkey spent Friday afternoon tossing and turning in bed, trying to get his pregame nap in before Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League’s game against Bridgeport.

    “Couldn’t fall asleep, and I rolled over and checked the time on my phone and saw a few missed calls from [Flyers general manager Danny Brière] and a text saying, call me back ASAP, so kind of clicked in there,” Barkey said of when he found out he was being called up to the Flyers.

    “Yeah, super cool moment.”

    Those lights were bright on Broadway for the forward as he had an “eye-opening experience” making his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden with his parents and brother in attendance despite snow in Toronto delaying their arrival.

    They must have enjoyed it even more when the forward made his presence known from puck drop. Literally, as he got the start with linemates Sean Couturier and Tippett.

    On his first shift, Barkey forced Shesterkin to freeze the puck on a shot by Tippett. On his next shift, he almost scored — twice.

    The Flyers controlled the perimeter and the boards with Barkey, Couturier, and Tippett cycling the puck down low. Couturier got the puck in the left corner and sent it around to Tippett before finding Barkey crashing down. He shot the puck off the pass and then got a rebound chance.

    In the third period, he came close to scoring his first NHL goal as he drove to the net. Couturier sent the pass to the 5-foot-10, 173-pound forward as he tried to finish backdoor.

    “I’ve actually played with him a couple years now in camp, and obviously, super skilled player, and brings a lot of energy,” Tippett said. “Were telling him to kind of play his game and not worry about anything else. And I think he played great.”

    In the second period, Barkey got on the scoresheet with a pair of primary assists.

    His first came on a power play, when he got the puck off the right boards and fed Travis Sanheim in the high slot. The defenseman skated down and fired the wrister from the slot past the stick of Shesterkin. It is Sanheim’s first power-play tally since Jan. 31, 2019, against the Boston Bruins.

    Just 23 seconds later, he got point No. 2. Flyers defenseman Cam York threw a backhander on net that was knocked down by Rangers defenseman Will Borgen in front. Barkey scooped up the loose puck and sent the backhand pass to Tippett, who was at the left point. The forward skated in between the circles and also beat Shesterkin stick side.

    “The way he played tonight, the way he competes, yeah, I’m going to fight for him,” Tocchet said when asked if Barkey has a chance to stick around. ”Listen, he’s a young kid too. You want to make sure that he has enough reps where he’s going to be, but I saw enough tonight, and that’s a short sample side, that he’s a good little player.”

    What We Do

    In the second period, Barkey also drew a penalty that led to yet another power-play goal for the Flyers. The penalty came in the offensive zone, after the forward cleared the puck away from the front of the Flyers’ end.

    On the ensuing power play, the Flyers ran what appeared to be a set play. Noah Cates won the face-off back to Jamie Drysdale at the left point. The defenseman sent it across to his good buddy, Zegras, and the New York native sent a one-timer into the back of the net.

    Zegras has a team-leading 15 goals and 35 points in 34 games. He is riding a seven-game point streak (five goals, four assists).

    It is the first time the Flyers have scored two power-play goals in a game since Dec. 3 against the Sabres, which was also the last time the Flyers got a tally on the man advantage. They went 0-for-16 across the past seven games.

    But what made the day extra special was the Flyers getting their first short-handed goal of the season. Rodrigo Ābols forced defenseman Scott Morrow to make a pass across the ice that was picked off by Sanheim.

    The defenseman skated down and made a nifty move around Morrow on a two-on-one. His pass went off the skate of Ābols as he crashed the net. The goal is Ābols’ second of the season.

    Philly had two chances to win the game in overtime. Panarin slashed York eight seconds into the extra session. They had four shot attempts, with Konecny missing the net twice.

    Then, with 51 seconds left in overtime, Zegras was pulled down by Morrow, but the Flyers couldn’t find the back of the net. Shesterkin stopped a tip-in chance by Konecny from 6 feet out with 33 seconds left, and Zegras had a shot blocked.

    “Yeah, it’s tough. … I think it’s something that we’ve got to get a lot better at, because that’s, two four-on-threes in overtime, like you’ve got to come up with a goal for the team there,” Zegras said. “Just not good enough.”

    Added Tocchet: “We had chances at the end, four-on-three. We have some guys here who’ve got to help us. Got to score there. Too slow with the four-on-three. … We’ve just got to learn how to handle pressure. We knew at the beginning of the year we had to start to do [that], but take the point when we thought we should have had two.”

    Flyers’ Christian Dvorak, Dan Vladař out with injuries, and more roster updates

    ‘Broadway is dark tonight’

    Before the game, Brière announced that goalie Dan Vladař “has got a little, little boo-boo.” The goalie has an upper-body injury is “Nothing too serious,” and “he should be back, we hope, by Monday.”

    With that, Ersson got the start in goal for the second straight game. Although he came up big at times, he still allowed four goals on 27 shots, including two on 10 shots in the final frame.

    Panarin, who was clearly the Rangers’ best player Saturday, beat Ersson twice. His first goal of the game, with 26 seconds left in the first period, put the Flyers in a 1-0 hole. It is the 24th time in 34 games that the Flyers have trailed 1-0.

    Off a face-off in the Flyers’ end, Zibanejad got the puck on the right boards and chipped the pass to Panarin alone in the middle of the ice. He sent the wrister stick-side past Ersson.

    Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson allowed four goals on 26 shots in regulation against the Rangers on Saturday.

    The Russian winger scored again in the second period after Tippett turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Panarin intercepted his backhand pass in the middle of the ice, skated down the right wing, and fired the snapshot off the far post and in.

    Trocheck cut it to 4-3 in the third period after Ersson made a brilliant save on the Pittsburgh native, but couldn’t control the rebound. Trocheck’s second shot appeared to nick the skate of Nikita Grebenkin before getting past Ersson.

    “Comparing this one to recent third periods, I thought this one was a little bit better. I think maybe just a couple mental breakdowns, obviously, that led to the goal that was bouncing around. And then obviously they got one on the power play late to tie it up.” Zegras said.

    ”But, I mean, I thought we were playing better in the third than we normally have. So I guess that’s exciting, but still not good enough.”

    Breakaways

    Forward Garnet Hathaway was a healthy scratch for the first time with the Flyers on Saturday. The winger does not have a point in 33 games this season. “He’s had some tough moments and stuff like that. He’s trying to find his game,” said Tocchet, when asked about Hathaway postgame. “… He’s good when he plays with speed guys. So we’ve also got to help him, too.” … Forward Christian Dvorak (lower-body injury) did not play. Neither Dvorak nor Vladař’s injury is expected to be long-term, per Brière. Goalie Aleksei Kolosov was recalled under emergency conditions and served as the backup. … The Flyers are 12-7-5 when trailing 1-0; their 12 wins lead the NHL. … The two goals assisted on by Barkey, 23 seconds apart, is the sixth time this season the Flyers have scored twice within 25 seconds. It is three more than the next-closest team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    Up next

    The Flyers head home for a meeting with coach Rick Tocchet’s old team, the Vancouver Canucks, on Monday (NHLN, NBCSP, 7:30 p.m.).

    They finish up the schedule before the NHL’s holiday break with a quick trip on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks (9 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO Max).

  • Philadelphia police investigating 2 fatal hit-and-run crashes

    Philadelphia police investigating 2 fatal hit-and-run crashes

    Philadelphia police are investigating two hit-and-run crashes that left a pedestrian and bicyclist dead.

    At 3:44 a.m. Saturday, a bicyclist was struck by an SUV as he turned on to North 56th Street from Lancaster Avenue, police said.

    Following the impact, the SUV appeared to swerve and continued on Lancaster Avenue, police said.

    Philadelphia Fire Department medics responded to the scene and took the bicyclist, a 54-year-old man, to Lankenau Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 4:47 a.m., police said.

    At approximately 8:56 p.m. Friday, a 63-year-old woman was struck by a car headed northbound on Whitaker Avenue as she crossed in a crosswalk at Wyoming Avenue, police said.

    Police said the driver of the car, a white 2012 Infiniti M37, briefly looked at the victim and then fled the scene, continuing northbound on Whitaker Avenue.

    The woman was taken by a medic unit to Temple University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 9:34 p.m.

    The car was later found unoccupied in the area of A and Loudon streets and will be seized for further investigation, police said.

    The police Crash Investigation Division is conducting ongoing investigations into both incidents.

    The victims’ identities were not immediately available Saturday.

  • Opera Philadelphia’s ‘The Seasons’ is a cautionary climate change story set to the tunes of Vivaldi

    Opera Philadelphia’s ‘The Seasons’ is a cautionary climate change story set to the tunes of Vivaldi

    Like much on the mind of the general public, climate change is now in the voices of Opera Philadelphia in The Seasons, an ambitious opera/dance expansion of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons warning of a time when seasons cease to exist.

    Sounds like a virtuous West Coast “granola opera”? Not quite. But the Friday opening at Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater wasn’t as effective as it wanted to be.

    The piece’s secondary purpose as a showcase for Vivaldi’s music actually became primary, going beyond the composer’s popular four-violin concertos, collectively known as The Four Seasons, and exploring some great, rarely heard arias from his many operas.

    And luckily so.

    Bass John Mburu delivers the forecast as the Cosmic Weatherman in “The Seasons,” where the seasons are completely out of order.

    Vivaldi’s innately agitated rhythms convey the urgency of climate change in a much more visceral manner than the often on-the-nose libretto by playwright Sarah Ruhl.

    That’s a surprising reversal of artistic priorities considering that her 2003 play Eurydice is one of the best works of its decade (especially as seen several years ago, across the street at the Wilma Theater).

    Vivaldi wrote 50 or so operas in the capitals of 18th-century Europe, and the pieces from them, employed by The Seasons, were often dark-night-of-the-soul arias that reveal depths not apparent in the composer’s short-breathed concertos.

    Dancers Marc Crousillat, Stephanie Terasaki, Brian Lawson, Taylor LaBruzzo, Anson Zwingleberg, and Maggie Cloud in the Philadelphia premiere of “The Seasons,” directed by Zack Winokur and choreographed by Pam Tanowitz

    These operas have been major discoveries over the last few decades in Europe, and Opera Philadelphia’s presentation constitutes a significant addition to the local operatic culture.

    Fitting arias into a new plot was fairly common in 18th-century opera, though The Seasons, conceptualized by Ruhl and Opera Philadelphia chief Anthony Roth Costanzo, is best taken in by those who have missed climate-change news of fish frying in warm ocean water and frozen iguanas falling out of unseasonably cold Florida trees.

    The Seasons has somebody resembling a TV weatherman (bass John Mburu) appearing periodically, lecturing the audience to not ignore or forget the dire planetwide shifts in weather (as if we could!).

    Flute Soloist Emi Ferguson with Kangmin Justin Kim and Anthony Roth Costanzo in the Philadelphia premiere of “The Seasons.”

    Other characters are sociological touchstones: A poet, a painter, an actress-turned-farmer, a performance artist, and a choreographer (none with specific names) share the stage, some having troubled same-sex romances — though the purpose of their artistic affiliations had little consequence.

    Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was often used as dance interludes in choreography by Pam Tanowitz. Under the overall direction of Zack Winokur, various screens and lighting effect conspired to convey stars, wildfire, and aurora borealis — as characters become climate refugees and, presumably, move north.

    It’s not a spoiler to say that the opera ends with a hope-inspiring children’s chorus (Commonwealth Youth Choir and Philadelphia Youth Choral Ensemble) that has an unexpectedly visceral impact. It’s a reminder that their generation is tasked with cleaning up the ecological mess made by their elders.

    Abigail Raiford (The Farmer) and Megan Moore (The Choreographer) during a fire.

    Amid isolated strong points, The Seasons also showed signs of quick assemblage.

    Besides having English lyrics that could certainty be improved with more revision time, the different elements didn’t always flow together comfortably.

    The Act I choreography that had the six dancers gracefully balletic from the waist up but appropriately earthy from the waist down tended to slip into and out of obscurity in Act II.

    One has to respect the effort put into the production, but the singers’ performances (in arias from Tito Manlio, Giustino, and many others) saved the day — supported by excellent orchestra playing. Conductor Corrado Rovaris instilled a proper baroque style and manner that unlocked the music’s considerable value.

    All of the singers had fairly adept coloratura abilities that are necessary with baroque-period opera, including Mburu, who used the vocal passage work in a suitably reckless fashion conveying his character’s distress.

    Soprano Whitney Morrison, the Performance Artist, sings about how she used to be an activist upon arriving at an artist retreat in “The Seasons.”

    Kangmin Justin Kim (the Painter), Whitney Morrison (the Performance Artist), Abigail Raiford (the Farmer), and Megan Moore (the Choreographer) all had star-turn moments, some gathering momentum in Act II, others audibly tiring as the opera went on.

    Costanzo couldn’t help being a dominant presence, not just because he’s a key figure in the opera’s conception (as well as Opera Philadelphia as a whole) but because he is such an accomplished actor and singer.

    Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo is the Poet in “The Seasons,” based on Vivaldi’s music and a new libretto by playwright Sarah Ruhl.

    At times, he actually made the lesser moments in the character dialogue work. He still has one of the most natural and pleasing countertenor voices currently before the public, plus a fine legato line and telling use of words. It’s great to have him at the helm of Opera Philadelphia, but it’s greater just to hear him.

    Repeat performances of “The Seasons” are Dec. 20, 8 p.m., and Dec. 21, 2 p.m., at Perelman Theater, 300 S Broad St. The shows are currently sold out. operaphila.org

  • An Eagle landed on the War on Drugs’ ‘A Drugcember To Remember.’ Neither the flying kind nor the playing kind.

    An Eagle landed on the War on Drugs’ ‘A Drugcember To Remember.’ Neither the flying kind nor the playing kind.

    During the second night of the War on Drugs’ three-show “A Drugcember to Remember” run at Johnny Brenda’s on Friday, there were two kinds of special guests.

    The first was deeply satisfying, really cool, and not entirely unexpected.

    It was Craig Finn, the front man for the Hold Steady, whose superb new album, Always Been, was produced by Drugs leader Adam Granduciel.

    Finn does have a track record of showing up at Drugcembers past, so the second guest was a tad more surprising.

    It was a genuine “Holy [cow]! What just happened?” moment that gobsmacked a crowd that was already pinching itself — it’s not every day you are lucky enough to see Philadelphia’s most acclaimed rock band in peak form in a 250-capacity room, many times smaller than the capacious spaces they play in around the world.

    It was Joe Walsh. Yes, that Joe Walsh, the James Gang founder, solo artist, and guitarist for the Eagles — the band, not the football team.

    Special guest Joe Walsh performs with War on Drugs during the “A Drugcember To Remember” show at Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown on Friday, December 19, 2025.

    He joined the Drugs for a three-song finale that capped off a masterfully executed two-hour, 15-minute show that benefited the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia.

    But the night would have qualified as an unforgettable Drugcember to Remember even without the out-of-the-blue rock star appearance.

    The show’s earlier highlights included a roaring cover of Tom Petty’s “Love is a Long Road” and a goose bump-inducing 17-minute motorik version of “Harmonia’s Dream,” from the band’s 2021 album I Don’t Live Here Anymore, that spotlighted keyboard player Robbie Bennett.

    War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel performs during the groups “A Drugcember To Remember” show at Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown on Friday, December 19, 2025.

    It leveled up to a higher plane with the arrival of Walsh, the 78-year-old powerhouse slide guitar player who seemed thrilled to be playing with a decades younger vise-tight group of simpatico musicians.

    The Walsh-Drugs mini-set kicked off with “Rocky Mountain Way,” the extra-crunchy 1973 hit that turned Walsh into a solo star. He was joined by an arsenal of guitarists onstage including Granduciel, Anthony LaMarca, and, at times, newest band member Eliza Hardy Jones, who also played percussion and sang backup throughout the evening.

    On “Rocky Mountain Way,” which has gotten new life in the last year as a TikTok phenomenon, Walsh employed a talk box, using a tube in his mouth to manipulate and distort the sound of his guitar in ways that still sound futuristic 50 years later.

    It also meshed perfectly with the audio geek aesthetic of Granduciel, who is an expert at layering guitar and keyboard sounds to transporting effect.

    Before the band leaped into that song, though, Granduciel and Walsh explained to the nonplussed crowd how the seemingly unlikely collaboration came to be. How did Walsh wind up onstage at the Fishtown club that has been the Drugs’ spiritual home since they played there on the venue’s opening weekend in 2006?

    Here’s the story: In 2023, the band played Walsh’s VetsAid concert for military veterans in Los Angeles.

    “We became friends, we stayed in touch,” Granduciel said. “And he wanted to come to Drugcember, he wanted to see all you guys. He wanted to breathe the air that we’re breathing.”

    During the Drugs’ set at VetsAid, Walsh said, “I was walking around backstage and I listened to ’em. And I never heard them live. They make nice records. But, boy, this thought: I couldn’t help it. ‘Damn! I’d sure like to play in a band like that.’ Be careful what you … wish for!”

    The War on Drugs perform during the group’s second of three sold-out “A Drugcember To Remember” performances at Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown on Friday, December 19, 2025. “A Drugcember To Remember,” a series of holiday shows directly benefit The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, a nonprofit that raises and coordinates investments into the Philadelphia public schools.

    “Rocky Mountain Way” was followed by “In the City,” Walsh’s song written for the 1979 action movie The Warriors that he also recorded with the Eagles. His craggy and Jones’ dulcet vocals made for a captivating blend, while the rhythm section of bassist Dave Hartley and drummer Charlie Hall powered the song forward.

    As exciting as it was to hear the Drugs back up Walsh on his own hits, it was more compelling still to watch him engage with the band on the closing number of the night, “Under the Pressure,” from 2014’s Lost in the Dream.

    That song is combustible under normal conditions, but it moved from a simmer to a boil in a flash with Walsh added to the mix. He and Granduciel were hunched over their guitars on the lip of the stage, illuminated by the strings of holiday lights on the mic stands and on the balcony railings above them in the intimate club.

    It was like a one-of-a-kind Fishtown version of what Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones call their “guitar weave,” and it was a kick to watch Walsh so enthusiastically just want to be one of the boys in the band.

    As mentioned, pre-Walsh, the show was terrific on its own terms. And a special shout out goes to Jon Natchez, the Drugs’ multi-instrumentalist, who played keyboards and baritone sax.

    Special guest Craig Finn performs during “A Drugcember To Remember” show with War on Drugs at Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown on Friday, December 19, 2025.

    The latter instrument’s honking added extra force to typically meticulously arranged songs like the Phil Collins-evoking “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” a highlight of the band’s opening set, which was followed by a 15-minute intermission.

    In introducing Natchez, Granduciel mocked his Boston sports fandom. “He wouldn’t be caught dead in an Eagles jacket,” the bandleader said. “I’m out of Boston, too” — Granduciel grew up in Dover, Mass. — “but I bleed green.”

    The evening began three hours before it ended with Finn walking onstage with an acoustic guitar and wearing a Natural Light ball cap. He warmed up an attentive crowd with songs and stories, mostly from Always Been, his superb song cycle that’s partly set outside Philadelphia and mostly at the Delaware shore.

    Special guest Craig Finn performs with War on Drugs during the “A Drugcember To Remember” show at Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown on Friday, December 19, 2025.

    Finn was followed on stage by seven members of the Drugs, who reached back to open with “Arms Like Boulders,” from the band’s 2008 debut Wagonwheel Blues.

    “Pain,” from 2017’s Grammy-winning A Deeper Understanding, outlined the idea of the unending quest that’s an animating concept in Granduciel’s lyrics. “I want to find what can’t be found,” he sang. And later, in “Strangest Thing,” also from Deeper, he sang about still not finding resolution: “I’m just living in the space between the beauty and the pain.”

    Seven songs in, the Drugs brought Finn back out for a three-song interlude that closed the first set.

    Two of those were from Always Been, including the engrossing “Bethany,” which took off into the stratosphere with a Granduciel solo midway through. Then it lingered with an image in the closing line: “But the sunset looks like blood from the window of the bus, somewhere between Harrisburg and Bethany.”

    The third song in the Drugs-Finn collab on Friday was “Sweetheart Like You,” featuring Finn and Granduciel trading vocals on Bob Dylan’s philosophical barroom come-on.

    That was a treat, with Finn being very much himself, gesticulating his way through his verses while Granduciel slipped into his best sneering Dylan voice. It was an exquisite combo, and just one of many indelible moments in an evening that for all concerned will surely be the Drugcember they remember.

    The final sold-out night of “A Drugcember to Remember” was scheduled for Saturday night at Johnny Brenda’s. No special guests have been announced.

  • Flyers’ Christian Dvorak, Dan Vladař out with injuries, and more roster updates

    Flyers’ Christian Dvorak, Dan Vladař out with injuries, and more roster updates

    NEW YORK — There’s been some movement with the Flyers’ 23-man roster in recent days, but before a question could even be asked about Egor Zamula clearing waivers, Tyson Foerster undergoing surgery, or Denver Barkey’s first call-up, Flyers general manager Danny Brière started things off with some news.

    Goalie Aleksei Kolosov was with the team for Saturday’s matinee against the New York Rangers as an emergency recall and backed up starter Sam Ersson. Goalie Dan Vladař “has got a little, little boo-boo,” he said, adding his upper-body injury is “Nothing too serious” and “he should be back, we hope by Monday.” But added that they don’t know for sure.

    Flyers forward Denver Barkey called up as NHL rosters head toward holiday freeze

    Vladař last played on Tuesday in Montreal, backstopping the Flyers to a 4-1 win against the Canadiens. The Czech netminder is 12-5-3 this season with the sixth-best goals-against average (2.41) and tied for the ninth-best save percentage (.910) in the NHL among goalies who have played at least 15 games.

    And then there was more. Forward Christian Dvorak, who has been centering one of the Flyers’ top lines and serving as a key penalty killer, is out with a lower-body injury. He did not dress against the Rangers, but “according to our trainers, shouldn’t be long-term.”

    Here are three more questions answered by Brière on Saturday afternoon.

    Why was Denver Barkey recalled and not Alex Bump?

    Called up from Lehigh Valley on Friday, Barkey delivered two assists in his NHL debut Saturday.

    Drafted by the Flyers in the third round of the 2023 NHL draft, the 5-foot-10, 173-pound forward, who is known for his grit, moxie, and determination, turned pro this season and has been impressive in the minors. The 20-year-old has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 26 games for the Phantoms, primarily playing on the wing with center Lane Pederson and winger Alex Bump.

    “He came in. He played extremely well. I think the biggest thing from the report is his consistency; he was good night after night and earned the right to get a look,” Brière said.

    Barkey has looked impressive since the Flyers’ rookie camp in early September, but everyone outside the organization expected Bump to be the one getting the call-up. Brière did say, “It could have also been one of those two guys,” meaning Pederson or Bump, as the line has been dominating in the AHL, “but we decided to go with Barkey.”

    A highly touted prospect, Bump was someone many thought would break camp with the Flyers. Instead, after a solid rookie camp, he was sent down after a poor main training camp. After a slow start in Lehigh Valley, he now has 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 27 games in Allentown.

    “We’re very happy with Alex,” Brière said. “Unfortunately, he got injured [Friday] night. He’s going to be out for a short period of time, maybe seven to 10 days. He didn’t have a great camp, and he knows that. But since then, he went down there, and he’s been working hard as well. He’s a guy we considered, and he’s not that far off.”

    What’s next for Egor Zamula?

    The Flyers defenseman cleared waivers on Friday afternoon and has been assigned to Lehigh Valley.

    Zamula last played on Dec. 7 and has skated in 13 of the Flyers’ first 33 games this season, registering one assist. Averaging a few ticks above 14 minutes a night, he had a plus-minus of plus-4, only boosted by a plus-5 night when he returned to the lineup on Nov. 22 against the New Jersey Devils.

    Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula cleared waivers on Friday and was assigned to Lehigh Valley.

    “The biggest thing with Egor is that he needs to play,” Brière said. “It doesn’t really help him sitting game after game, and we figured if he clears waivers, it’s going to give him the chance to play some games, maybe find his game again.

    “We expect to have some adversity there on defense at some point, too, where injuries are going to come — what was it two, three weeks ago, we didn’t have Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen, and now they’re back in the lineup. So things change fast. Hopefully, he can find his game, and we could very well see him back with the big team at some point.”

    A mainstay last season, skating in 63 games, Zamula has dropped down the depth chart this season. He has been passed by Emil Andrae, offseason acquisition Noah Juulsen, and, more recently, Ty Murchison.

    Flyers’ Egor Zamula cleared waivers and will be assigned to Lehigh Valley

    A long-standing criticism, dating back to former coach John Tortorella, has been Zamula’s pace of play. Coach Rick Tocchet also said he wanted to see the 6-foot-3, 200-pound defenseman move the puck more quickly. Although he did not play for the Phantoms on Friday night, and while the AHL has a slightly slower pace of play, the hope is that he can refind his game.

    “It’s up to him,” Brière said. “We hope that he kind of takes charge down there. That’s up to him to decide how he’s going to play, but I think just going on the ice and getting the reps is more important than sitting around and just practicing day after day.”

    Why the change in status for Tyson Foerster?

    Originally, the winger was expected to miss two to three months after suffering an “upper-body” injury on Dec. 1 against Pittsburgh. However, on Wednesday, the Flyers announced that Foerster will miss the next five months after undergoing arm surgery on Monday. It is likely that his season is over.

    “Just more in-depth examinations, and after talking to different people, and just to make sure it was decided that, at the moment, the best thing was to take care of it with surgery,” Brière said.

    The GM added that it is an approximate timeline and “it could be a little less, could be a little bit more.”

    Flyers’ Tyson Foerster likely to miss the rest of the season after arm surgery

    At the time of his injury, Foerster led the Flyers in goals (10), leaving a huge hole in the lineup. Brière is hoping the Flyers can fill the spot from within.

    “It’s a pretty good player that you’re trying to replace, so that’s obviously not easy, but it’s a chance for other guys to step up, get more ice time, and take advantage of it,” he said.

    “So that’s the way we see it. It’s a great opportunity for a lot of guys to see what they can do. [Carl] Grundström’s recall, since then, he’s played extremely well, so that’s good to see, but it’s never easy to replace a guy like Tyson, who’s becoming a huge part of our offense.”

  • Thousands of households in the Philly suburbs are still without power after Friday’s wind storm

    Thousands of households in the Philly suburbs are still without power after Friday’s wind storm

    Thousands of households in Philadelphia’s collar counties remained without power a day after wind gusts downed trees and caused hundreds of electrical outages throughout the region.

    More than 2,230 customers, mostly in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties, still did not have electric service as of Saturday evening, according to Peco.

    Nearly half the outages were due to fallen trees and branches interfering with electrical systems, Peco spokesperson Tom Brubaker said Saturday afternoon. As a result, suburban counties saw far more outages than Philly, he said.

    Winds registered as high as 62 mph Friday afternoon. Around 7 p.m., a pine tree fell on a Chestnut Hill apartment, CBS3 reported, while in Roxborough, a tree fell on a vehicle, sending two people to the hospital.

    Temperatures plummeted into the 20s Friday night, and, according to Brubaker, about 80,000 homes lost power.

    Crews faced challenges from the weather, with wind gusts frequently topping 40 mph, Brubaker said.

    “When wind gusts are that high, we can’t take our bucket trucks to repair lines,” he said.

    An additional 135 Peco employees from Virginia and North Carolina have traveled to the region to assist in the recovery, Brubaker said.

    He said he expected most of the remaining outages to be resolved by Saturday evening, though “a few rural, isolated customers” may face longer waits.

    A live update of the outages can be found at peco.com/outages/experiencing-an-outage/outage-map.

  • Villanova extends winning streak to seven with a win over Seton Hall

    Villanova extends winning streak to seven with a win over Seton Hall

    With a 72-55 win over Seton Hall in its conference home opener, Villanova’s winning streak reached seven on Friday night.

    The Wildcats (9-2, 2-0 Big East) made an early statement at Finneran Pavilion against one of their prime conference rivals. Seton Hall (7-4, 1-1 Big East) was third in the conference preseason poll, while Villanova was ranked fourth.

    Sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Ryanne Allen added 19 points.

    Villanova guard Jasmine Bascoe (11) prepares to shoot a three-point basket against Seton Hall on Friday.

    The Pirates were paced by sophomore guard Jada Eads, who scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.

    It wasn’t one of Villanova’s strongest shooting nights. The Wildcats went 30-for-68 (44.1%) from the field, including 12-of-34 on three-pointers. But they thrived on defense to claim a double-digit victory over their Big East foe.

    Villanova’s success in the turnover battle was key, as they scored 18 points off 15 Seton Hall turnovers. Meanwhile, the Pirates managed four points from Villanova’s 12 turnovers.

    Shaking off the rust

    It took some time for the Wildcats to find their rhythm after a nearly two-week hiatus from competition. Villanova last played on Dec. 7, when it beat St. Joseph’s to claim the Big 5 Classic championship.

    The Wildcats shot just 5-for-18 from the field in the opening 10 minutes.

    However, Villanova leaned on its steady defense, notching six steals in the first quarter and holding Seton Hall to 5-for-14 shooting from the field.

    As Villanova trailed, 11-7, with 49 seconds left in the first quarter, Bascoe stole the ball and drove in a layup. Freshman forward Brooke Bender then sank a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a one-point edge heading into the break.

    Allen heats up

    Allen fueled the scoring in second quarter, making all five of her three-pointers.

    The Wildcats continued to control possession as 12 of their 23 points came off turnovers.

    With 1 minute, 23 seconds remaining in the first half, junior forward Brynn McCurry grabbed a steal and passed it to Bender. She then assisted Allen’s fourth three-pointer to secure a 35-25 halftime lead.

    Using offensive depth

    Villanova pulled away from Seton Hall in the third quarter. A three-pointer from Bender gave the Wildcats a 21-point advantage in the period’s final seconds.

    The Wildcats shot just 3-for-14 on three-pointers in the final 20 minutes, but Bascoe and McCurry were effective in distributing the ball.

    Villanova finished with 20 assists, and McCurry dished out a team-high eight.

    Meanwhile, Villanova limited Seton Hall’s movement, holding the Pirates to just six assists.

    Up next

    Villanova will host St. John’s (11-2, 1-1 Big East) on Monday (noon, ESPN+).