Karl's Corner - 08/24/2002

special announcement: schedule change Okay, theres been some changes in plans for the upcoming week: While the Monday show with Guns n' Roses at the London Arena is still all systems go [tickets still available here !], the events later in the week have now been cancelled. So: no Harald Schmidt show in Germany, and no Top Of The Pops, Saturday Show and CD:UK appearences later in the week. Apologies to all who may be inconvenienced by this change in plans. 
touring: Leeds Festival, UK
...well today started out with a massive deluge that left huge puddles and soggy muddy fields everywhere. Fortunatly the fine local countryside is used to such displays from mother nature, as are the hardy festival goers. Luckily, the rain gave up the ghost as we got into the afternoon, and most bands were given a dry performance time. Weezer arrived on the scene at the end of Mercury Rev's trippy, blissed out set. Soon they were off and The Dandy Warhols took the stage for more mellow madness. Then the White Stripes had another go.. "St. James Infirmary" being a personal fave as it dates back to Josh White and beyond. Finally weezer took the stage to a raucous, loud, and only slightly worn down second-day crowd. I think Leeds is slightly smaller than Reading, and I dont theink it quite sold out the way Reading did, but it still looked like more people than youve ever seen in one place! Everything rocked as it should. Then Jane's played and today they had the treat of sunshine dappling their phenominal set. We packed up and headed back to London after they played, as everyone getting tired and were looking forward to a bed to sleep in and the upcoming day off... 
...pic #12: Mtv2 contest winners Joey and Zack, flown in from the USA!... 
...the first Leeds fans' tales that came in:
*"...This was my fifth Weezer show, first in England (I'm from Brazil) and the guys really rocked the house again! The rain had stopped for the weez (always rains on Leeds) and they did my favourite set of the festival. I would have loved to hear a non-all-hit-singles selection but I do understand this was not the time and place. Too bad it was my last weezer concert on the year (GNR is sold out!). Thanks again, guys, for rocking my world. 'My Name is Jonas' and 'Surf Wax America' were the highlights. See you next year, hopefully in Brazil!!! And watch out for the rainbow!!" ---Melvin, Rio de Janeiro, Straight from Leeds
*"...I thought I'd share my Weezer weekend with you (and possibly the site). Me and my friend got boat from Ireland to England on Friday heading to the Leeds festival.On the way to Leeds, we stopped at an art gallery in Manchester and my friend says "We're goin to see the Pinkerton cover original painting!!!" I went crazy and sure enough this sound lady brought us up to see it. It was the original painting that Rivers had picked. (I believe he was there in '95 or '96 with that same lady!) She couldn't believe at how enthusiastic we were. We told her of the album and she goes "is this something to do with a band called Weezer or something" and we said yeah, and she goes, well, when this record went gold, weezer gave the gold disc to us and I have it here if you want to see it! I nearly died. She went into another room, and got it out (it was still wrapped up). We were the first people to see it since Weezer! Then onto Saturday. We arrived at about 11:50 and the Mouldy Peaches were on. After that, we went up the front and stayed there untill The =W= were on, through the rain. I was surrounded by weezer fans which was cool and when they came out it was unbelievable. Everyone went nuts (I was totally crushed). Pat was doin some roll and then he went into Undone. The setlist was amazing and when they played SIAS, I almost cried. Rivers was really funny, he said things like "Thanks for your punches, and makin that a fat jam" (after Don't Let Go). When weezer were finished we needed a break. I still couldn't believe we were so close and they were so good. Feeded were also brilliant on the evening stage. I have now stocked up on Weezer merchandise and are waiting for Weezer to come to Ireland! Thank you =W=eezer for the best weekend of my life." ---Conor . Pinkerton=Triangle .
*"...Just wanted to say a massive thankyou for the set at Leeds yesterday. Even though it had been raining the rainbow overhead was not quite as cool as the show you guys put on for us. It was the first time we have seen the band play live and upon the performance, we'll do our dammed-est to get tickets when you return to tour the UK. Only bought the Green CD and Maladroit a few weeks ago, but after all the songs you lot played, it felt like we had been fans for ages....And Rivers was right, we do have lovely birds..." ---Dan & Fi
*"...after going to two previous uk gigs,a weezer appearance at leeds this year was one of the main reasons for buying my ticket and they certainly didnt disappoint!!! from the opening bars of undone to the chaos of buddy holly i was in heaven! the sun also made a rare apearance for the entire set!!! cool to see the guys,especially rivers, havin a great time and getting the crowd going. why did reading get an extra pinkerton song tho? thanks for a great show and come back soon!!!!!!" ---tom,Hull,UK
*"...Well, hey... third time lucky for me to get to see you guys :) finally nothing got in the way of me getting to one of your gigs... tho it would have taken at least 3 of my 4 limbs to have been broken to stop me seeing this once I'd got here :) First things first, buy Rivers a calendar. Really. Starting with "it's a lovely sunday afternoon" on a Saturday show wasn't the greatest of beginnings! But I doubt any of the many MANY Weez fans I saw there turned up to listen to Rivers talk, we all turned up to hear him rock, and rock he did... from the opening of Undone to the closing of Buddy Holly, the set rocked. If there is any one complaint I have, it's that you played pretty much all of the singles; but, then again, it's a festival, so it can be forgiven. I would also moan about the lack of Pinkerton songs (only one, you deprive us), but the treatment the Green songs got was amazing - they rocked like they deserved to, and the guitar solos were way way way way WAY better than they were on the album. I think the set also reinforced what a helluva nice bunch of people Weezer fans are. Every other set had bottles being thrown - this lot had balloons and a beach ball. And it's so much nicer to see the =W= than fists or the horns-thing :) All said - you have to come here more often dudes :D" ---#~~Matt 
Category:Karl's Corner - August 2002