Karl's Corner - 12/09/2001

...Well today was Brian's birthday, and like many members of rock bands, he spent it playing a rock show. And a fine rock show it was. Everyone was feeling loose and grooving hard, and the random between song chit chat was reaching new heights of randomness. Tomorrow is a day off, so with luck we can locate him a cake and such then. Lots of fans shouted out birthday greetings and held up big handmade signs for Brian, so I think he got the message.
...birthday Brian with the "WFHS Manager-For-A-Day" winner (and our usual tour manager); setlisztomania... 
...some fans' "p.o.v.'s"...
:::"Just got home from the Weezer Concert at the Baltimore Arena, and i can only describe the feeling in one word: DA-AMN! Jimmy Eat World was amazing, my friend who went with me kept saying that he really ddn't care about J.E.W. and that he was only there for the D and =w=, but as soon as the opening chords ripped from the guitars, he was hooked, and later said "I totally underestimated them". I, on the other hand, never waviered in my faith, and that feeling was given back ten-fold, especially during "The Middle" which everyone was singing along to. After that, it was the D's turn. I've been a D fan for four years now, and let me tell you, they don't disappoint. And i was left (in the words of JB) "Completly Satisfied". Everyone was laughing and singing along, which was a great feeling, and i'm glad the D are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Then, came the mighty ones themselves. Weezer was all i was expecting, and them some. Everyone was singing along to the old faves, and were rocking out to the new ones. I think the new songs are extremely tight, and the next album is sure to come out rocking. I felt a lot of love comming from the fans, particularly twords Brian, it being his birth-day today (Happy B-Day dude, keep rockin'!). I think my favorite song of the evening (although it was very hard to choose one) was "My Name is Jonas". Everyone on the floor was jumping up and down and singing in unison, and it felt really cool. After the song, i was able to hear rivers quip "That's my name, don't wear it out."
::: Another highlight was Undone, before which, rivers asked wether we were ready to kick it old school. Only in dreams........well, what can i say that hasn't already been said? I just think the whole vibe during that song was cool! I also believe that Only in Dreams is Weezer's opus (to date, of course). Then, after what seemed like 20 minutes of clapping, yelling, screaming, and chanting "Weezer" they came back onstage and rivers asked (this was my favorite quote of the evening, out of the ones i was able to hear, that is) "Whose ready for sloppy seconds? Cause i know i am." They then proceeded to rock the house with Buddy Holly and totally Blazed through Surf Wax America. After which, Rivers stayed on stage, and kept the audience screaming while he fiddled with his guitar tunings, after a minute or so, Pat ran back on-stage, grabbed Brian's axe, and joined the de-tuneing party, and after about another minute or two, they finally set them down, even though the notes still echoed for two more minutes. In conclusion: Jimmy Eat World: not to be underestimated; Tenacious D: good to the last drop; Weezer: Rocking good!" --Chris
::: "I just got back from a really great show at Baltimore. Maybe it was the
::: month of anticipation, maybe it was the fact that I had some of my best
::: friends with me, maybe it was all the pot swirling around, but I had a
::: really great show. I went to celebrate my birthday on Friday, so it was
::: a nice surprise to hear that it was Brian's birthday! Well, from the
::: begining the evening was great. J.E.W was just as great as I though
::: they would, especially The Middle. The D, well, I didn't really like
::: them at all, but it was alright, we got to rest on the seats a while
::: until Weezer started up. I was looking forward to hearing the new
::: version of Don' t Let Go, but much to my delight they presented a
::: different version of each song they played. They added a new twist to
::: all their songs, which was great because even though I know all the
::: songs on all 3 albums by heart, I was still guessing until I herd some
::: familiar chords, which made it all the better! I would have liked ot
::: hear the original version of Island, but who cares? It was weezer,
::: live, and they kept things fresh. Also, I dont know what all the
::: complaints about the crowds adn Rivers' attitude are. The mosh pit was
::: really benign (I only got kicked in the head once) and as for Rivers' he
::: sure seemed to be ejoying himself to me. Oh well, Despite what people
::: may say, it was great. A little too much weed, folks, but oh well, the
::: smell got to me but nobody got in my way. All in all, it was a real
::: great birthday, probably the best ever. P.S. -to my peeps: THanks for
::: the gamecube!" --j.
::: "just got back from the baltimore show! well, this was my second time seeing the weez this semester...definitely drove up from UVA and risked failing my finals to see you guys, but it's all good! although i have to say the crowd was very lame this time. i remember back in september at the patriot center show, i came out of there drenched in sweat, but this time i barely broke a sweat at all. i dont really know what it was, maybe because it was a sunday nite, but the crowd seemed a bit drained. or maybe it's just cos baltimore can't rock as hard as fairfax! ha. in any case, the guys put on a great show. i really enjoyed every single new song they played. it was a nice mix of old and new. i can't wait for the new album to come out! especially since that means a new tour! i do suspect that rivers got his drinkie on before hand...he was saying something about "van halen comments" about these girl photographers, v. hilarious. well, the show was great and i cant wait for you guys to come around again. maybe this time i will FINALLY get to meet brian! thanks for a great show guys, and sorry the crowd sucked! come back to fairfax and we'll make it up to you!" --youri
::: "Well, I am just getting home from my first ever Weezer concert and I have to say, in all my 26 years on the earth, that was one night that will stand out forever! First, I got to see Pat and Scott come off the bus and they waved to me which was pretty cool. Then the show started off with JEW and they were so great! They had so much energy! The only thing that happened besides great music during their set was this jackass in front of me (who had obviously had NEVER been introduced to a comb) kept yelling "You suck!!" That pissed me off. Then The D were awesome and totally not what I expected. The Spiderman and Robin Hood thing was a little weird but cool nonetheless. Then Weezer came out and they were just UNBELIEVEABLE! Rivers talked a lot and sounded a little like Garth Algar (Wayne's World) which was so funny to me. The songs sounded wicked and the solos were so different and fun. Rivers seemed so happy as he smiled and rocked out through most of the set, and that just made me happy as well. Then during their set we went off to the side to get some air and who do I see? Jack Black!! I waved, he waved back, I blew him kisses, he caught them then licked his hand (?!) and threw kisses back at me! The whole night was awesome and I'll never forget it. Thanks for putting on a great show!" --Sarah
::: "hey there....just got back from the baltimore show and had a great time. this was my second weezer show, the first being in philadelphia on 9-26-01. i've seen a bunch of phish shows/jam band shows and was never really into weezer until my friend got me into em. i'm glad she opened me up to this band. we both had a great time and the show was rockin. the crowd was really into the show and i think the band was definetly on tonight." --mike
::: "Hey, the Baltimore Weezer concert i just saw kicked ass! I was lucky enough to score floor seats, and it was so worth it. Jimmy Eat World came out and proceeded to rock the house. I gotta tell you guys, the lead singer (i'm sorry, but i can remember the name right now, and i bet it will come back to me as soon as i hit the send button) really gets in to his guitar playing. Everyone was singing along with "The Middle" which was awesome. Next up was The almighty D! They performed an awesome comedy/music set that had everyone singing and laughing. I especially loved the cover of Chop Suey. Then it was time for Weezer! They came out, and the response was just amazing. The crowd went nuts and the =w= responded with a really amazing set. The old songs became giant sing-alongs, which was pretty cool to hear, and the new ones were quite the mosh pit material. I really think the next album will be something to behold indeed. A kind of a side note here, scott seems to make a real great addition to the band, and seeing Rivers with his spankin new flying V made him look like the ultimate rock star. My favorite song of the night had to be only in dreams, (although i really liked the new version of Don't Let Go, or "Version 2.0" as rivers put it). I mean, the fog, the back lighting, the confetti, it was just really cool. I had been waiting two months for the concert, and i was not let down. Remember to come back to B-more on the next tour, i know i'll be waiting." --Bob
::: "Went to the Baltimore show last night.....all 3 bands rocked my world.
::: My boyfriend, another couple, and I drove down from Boston to see the
::: show.....and being stuck in the car for 7 hours, getting lost, and missing
::: the rest stops was well worth it....because the show ROCKED!!!!
::: Jimmy Eat World is sooooooooooo good. I wish they played a longer
::: set...but it was still very cool none the less. It was awesome being
::: among the few in the audience who knew all the words to their songs. :)
::: The D was.........entertaining. :) JB and KG are soooooo funny. I loved
::: hearing them and being right up front and catching all their facial
::: expressions. Wow!
::: And then........WEEZER!!!!! Double wow. I can't get over how much they
::: rock. I loved the new songs. I love the old songs. I love all the in
::: between songs. When they played "Only In Dreams" and all the confetti
::: fell.....it was like being in a dream.....so very cool. I loved it. It
::: was an amazing show.
::: My only problem was with the crowd surfing and the moshing.....I just
::: didn't get it. Did those kids think they were at a Korn show or perhaps
::: Godsmack? I understood it when I went to see the Deftones.....you expect
::: to get kicked in the head or pushed around. But at Weezer?? It was not
::: something I was expecting. I didn't expect to get booted in the head
::: within the first 5 minutes of the show....or to fall down and not have
::: anyone care that I could have been trampled......or to see a vicious mosh
::: pit during "Buddy Holly".......it was disturbing.....
::: But otherwise it was an awesome show!!
::: And I can't wait for Tuesday night's show because we're heading up to
::: Portland for another dose of the weez." --Jennifer
::: "Let me preface this perspective with the comment that this show was in Baltimore and I live in Connecticut. I took the train for five hours to see the weez (and almost didn't get there). We walked in a little late during J.E.W.'s set, due to the guards at the door dividing our little company into male and female lines and patting everyone down, which was a new experience for me and my comrades as well. It didn't seem to help much - my friend and I were just waved by while other guys emptied their pockets. Aaah... harmless weezer fans, eh? J.E.W., who is up there in the top four fave bands of all time, rocked the house, despite being at the back of the arena and hearing only four songs. Conveniently, they were my favorite four songs from Bleed American. Then the D came on and I snuck way way way up to the front to snag a pic and ended up staying there through the whole show. I thought the D was AWESOME (another one of the infamous top-four) and rocked my frickin' socks off. My friends - not D fans - were s
::: ignificantly less impressed with them (and one went home scarred with the unholy coupling of Spiderman and Robin Hood burned into his retinas). Then I retrieved my friends, got the new seats, and got ready to rock with the weez. Despite the really drunk... REALLY DRUNK... people in front of us uelling "Sweater! I want my sweater!" and the guy behind us yelling "STOP THE F'N FEEDBACK! (expletive)" I thoght it was a pretty good show. The crowd, especially down front on the floor in front of the stage, seemed totally rockin' out, with crowd surfers ALL THE TIME - even during Only in Dreams. The new stuff sounded really good, I think me and my friends all dug it, but we were all dissapointed that there was one Pinkerton song on the set list. And Rivers mumbled alot and we couldn't hear what he was saying. Ever. And Scott seems to totally kick .. ... ... butt. Was dissapointed at the short set list, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. Obrigado." --Mike
::: "The show tonight was great. Jimmy eat world rocked even though i only got to see the last 3 songs (stupid security). I had never seen Tenacious D or even heard any songs before, but they were definately entertaining. The whole place seemed more stoked on them than for weezer. NOW, about that crowd. THEY SUCKED. Weezer played great, better than the first two times i saw them(last two times in DC), but the crowd......at least where i was......then where I moved to, then where I moved to the third time just didn't seem to care. Hardly anyone was singing along, nobody was dancing, bopping, jumping, MOVING at all. I saw some movement way up in the front ( i was about....15-20 people back i think) but I saw way too many people with their arms crossed, hands in their pockets, in the thinker position (you know the statue) like they were contemplating whether or not they should like them. this was NOTHING like the 2 concerts in DC, and frankly I'm upset. Only thing I can figure that would make that many people that uptight was the security guys shoving those stupid green bracelets up everyone's butts at the entrance. But THANKS to Weezer for putting on a great show even if i was one of the 5% of people there that were into it. peace out." --Jody
::: "i just got in from the show tonight-it was super fun,
::: despite my lack of meeting the guys. this being my
::: 3rd weezer show, i came with some experience but was
::: in total shock at the amount of speaking and fooling
::: around that rivers did! was he on something?
::: seriously, i've never ever seen him so inviting and
::: happy to be onstage! brian, on the other hand, seemed
::: rather out of it, maybe he was bummed about getting
::: older. the set list was great, i liked most of the new
::: songs, as well as the killer new version of "don't let
::: go". the show really became awesome during "only in
::: dreams", when there was so much smoke that only the
::: outlines of the guys could be seen, the edges of the
::: guitars shifting in and out of the blue clouds which
::: were floating into the audience. speaking of which,
::: the audience seemed pretty mellow tonight, though that
::: may have just been my side. while i was one of the few
::: people rocking out, the left side of the arena seemed
::: pretty lively. tenacious d was incredibly hilarious, i've never
::: laughed that hard in public. do they follow the same
::: run of skits and songs every night?
::: jack black is my idol. my main goal for the evening, besides to enjoy the
::: music, was to give brian a birthday card i made for
::: him today. i was unable to do this, as i surfed the
::: wrong direction in the crowd and couldn't wait around
::: by the buses." --Eva
(...as always, these and many many more fan's stories will be up in the "weezer fans" section, as soon as i dig out from the months-old backlog of great stories and get them all posted!)
Category:Karl's Corner - December 2001