Karl's Corner - 07/21/2002

Enlightenment Tour Day 16: Boston, MA; Tweeter Center
Main Stage: Sparta, Dashboard Confessional, Weezer
Second Stage: Loudermilk, Home Town Hero, Am Radio
The Tweeter Center in Mansfield is sort of like a giant summer camp with an ampitheatre built in. Out in the parking lot before the show, people were just loungin in true tailgate style. The weez patrol set out on BMX bikes to assess the situation, and we determined that the peeps were having bonafide cookouts on little portable grills, blasting music from boomboxes, and hosting "chip a golf ball at the giant =w= that we mounted on the roof of our Dodge Caravan and win $3" contests. Wait a minute, "chip a golf ball at the giant =w= that we mounted on the roof of our Dodge Caravan and win $3" contests? Thats right! We dont know why they built it, why they mounted it to the roof of their motor vehicle, nor why they were having people chip golf balls at it for a $3 prize if they hit it, but we do know that they didnt intend on taking it home with them, and were trying to sell it! We didnt need yet another giant =w=, so we declined. Did anyone end up with it? They claimed they were gonna torch it right there after the show if no one took it off their hands, and they had the lighter fluid to do it. We did see, however, a bicycle Police unit patrolling the parking lot later, so who knows what went down in the end...
...Today the side stage zone was a nice forested glade perfect for a campfire sing-a-long, and the side stage bands laid down another trio of the good rock. And the Camp Weez Ampitheater hosted another rousing pep rally, where the giant =w= did indeed burn, no lighter fluid needed!
update! this just in..."Hey Karl, I will inform you that myself(bert), steve and alfred bought the giant =W= at the mansfield show. it was sold to us for 30 dollars. We plan on bringing it to the next show and lighting it on fire and then I will ollie through it on my skateboard. Hopefully u can get a shot of that." ---Bert
...pic #23, L to R: Ozma Is Wicked Pissa[?], dev3984, Slobulike, Von Bean, irishbastard[?], lukemroz, karl, Fallacious... 
Hey, more Boston pix!(unfortunatly they labeled Scott incorrectly)
*"...Oh my goodness. I work at the tweeter center, so I see a LOT of shows, and I can say without a doubt that tonights performance rocked mansfield harder than its ever been rocked before. Didn't see much side stage action (a bit of loudermilk and the end of AM radio), but what I saw was great. Sparta was incredible...a perfect opening to the night. I'm not a big Chris Carrabba fan, but Dashboard played a decent set, highlighted by a great performance of Hands Down. But the highlight of the night was weezer, of course. My seats were in section six, right behind the sound booth. This means i had the pleasure of seeing Karl set up his camera from about 10 feet away! I snapped a picture of him when he wasn't looking. I also snapped a picture of the set list, which I could read from my seat (I tried not to read too far down though...didn't want to spoil the surprise!). Undone was the first song that REALLY got me going. I was speechless. Tears came to my eyes. The lighting and smoke during Only In Dreams was FANTASTIC-it gave the perfect surreal image to the bands solos. Seeing Pat bustin out his rhythms from 20 feet in the air also gave me a thrill. I was pleasantly surprised when weezers little "set list problem occured" and they busted out My Name Is Jonas to a wild crowd. Island in the Sun just brought the entire crowd to a frenzied state of excitement. The only thing I missed was Buddy Holly...and this was MORE than made up for by their playing of Say It Ain't So as their first encore-its been my favorite song ever since I discovered weezer! I am in complete and total ecstasy tonight...the only worry I have is that now that I've heard my favorite band play my favorite song during my perfect night, I'll have nothing left to look forward to in life...the only thing that I think could rival it is landing on the moon. All in all, it was the best night of my life. My first weezer concert, and it sure as heckarooni won't be my last. Rock On! =w= forever" ---brian gracia (kalamadea from the message boards)
*"...Just got back from the show, and it rocked. There was so much Pinkerton... hearing Across the Sea live was simply incredible. Only in Dreams was equally amazing, and seeing the guys having fun was great. I had an amazing time, and I know the thousands of other people there did too. Dashboard was great, Sparta was great, but Weezer most definitely stole the show. The best concert I've been to by far!" ---Andrew Y.
*"...I've gotta say, this is the 3rd Weezer concert I've been to in less than a year and it's whipped both the others. The setlist was amazing from Weezer with some really awesome showings from both Sparta and Dashboard Confessional. I'm surprised Sparta isn't a more heard band around here, they rocked it. People went crazy for Dashboard too as usual but that was nothing compared to Weezer. The whole night had a very Pinkerton-ish vibe to it as it seemed a majority of the songs were from it, which rules. Across the Sea and Pink Triangle both got huge reactions as did No Other One and Tired of Sex. I loved this show and these guys just get better each and every time. The new pyro and lighting didn't hurt either! To sum it all up, this is the best concert I've ever been to with more raw energy than I thought was possible. Come back again soon guys!" ---Chris
*"...i just returned from my venture to the tweeter center in mansfield where i was treated the most eclectic weezer show yet. the atmosphere was perfect and the pavilion portion of the venue was near capacity. sparta put on a great set, as did the one side-stage act i was able to get over to - a.m. radio. i was disappointed and walked out on dashboard's set after a few songs. weezer took the stage shortly after 9:30 p.m. and played a roaring set featuring hits from all of the band's l.p. releases. some highlights included rivers breaking into slayer at the request of a fan and a big sign with an ace of spades. i caught you video-taping a few songs in front of me as i hope they'll be later posted on the website, or perhaps pop up on the forthcoming dvd. the unique set-list was accompanied with pyros and the usual fog during only in dreams. a friend of mine (stefoonie on the .com board) was lucky enough to hear much of the set from california as i piped a few songs into my cell phone for her enjoyment. overall, it was a great set -- my third weezer show in the last year -- and i can't wait for the band to return. rivers said they'd be back to "great woods" real soon." ---jarid maged from stoughton, ma.
*"...Let it be known that rock is not only alive, but taking America by storm! Weezer's show tonight at the Tweeter center was AMAZING! The set list was amazing, from the opening jam to Across the Sea, to Crab, and "breaking it down" with Burndt Jamb (amazing performance of that song). Rivers was talking more than i had ever seen before! It was so awesome to see him really work the crowd, (teasin the guitar tech, throwing his fists up in true rock fashion!) He kept saying he wanted to rock more and more, and it was soo cool having him build us up, telling everyone to "take it up a notch" You could tell the guys really wanted to rock tonight, Rivers even shredded it up with a slayer(?) tease!!! sooo awesome! The guys were soo tight in Fall Together, and were really gettin into undone and just blasted through Why Bother! My friends and I were really happy to be able to see such an amazing concert, as we will be going our separate ways once college time rolls around, and you guys gave us quite a show to keep for memories! the only drawback to the show was that the tweeter center is all seats, so it was kinda awkward jumping around, but hey what can you do? It didnt seem to keep people back much! The fans were going nuts!!!!! We are an enthusiastic bunch, whatever we are...Thanks alot guys!!! Rock on!" ---DJ
*"...Holy Moly, Baby, wouldn't you know it! I'd been reading that we were going to get a stupendously rocking show, but to experience it first-hand -- Yeeeahhhh!!!! The guys were all digging in like mofos tonight. Pat was so into it, it was ridiculous. Scott is totally a part of the fabric of this band, now, and he rocked out like there was no tomorrow. Brian was bobbing and jumping up and down like Neil Young when he plays with Crazy Horse, and he played a wickedly vicious solo on "Why Bother?" Way to go, Brian! Rivers looked like he'd just gotten bar mitzvahed or confirmed -- take your pick, but of course he was NASTY, too! No Strats for Rivers tonight, folks -- strictly Les Pauls. I loved it! The whole show was loud and dirty, and the playing was pretty breathtaking and tight, with tons of energy. Rivers was pretty psyched when he spoke to the audience, "Oh, yeah, it's gonna be a GOOD one tonight!" (Later): "We're gonna take it even HIGHER, now!" The set list was just unbelievable -- no word of a lie. God bless 'em for doing that computerized random thing, (don't for a minute believe that jive about the 12-sided die!). The opening jam was lowdown and dirty, although a bit nebulous, and then when they kicked into "Holiday." Aaaaaargh!!!! Fantastic. Then, right into a phenomenal, heavenly "Across The Sea." Other highlights: A great "Falling For You," an unbelievable "No One Else," "Pink Triangle," the usual other Blue fare, (see the set list when Karl posts it), a blistering "Tired Of Sex," a killer "Why Bother?" and a super-gratifying "No Other One." An inspiring "Crab" which kicked as much butt as it does on Green. A kick-ass "Burndt Jamb," a positively incendiary "Fall Together." Yay! BTW, am I the only one who thinks it's totally absurd that these guys only play hour-and-fifteen-minute concerts? So much more could have been featured ("Space Rock," "American Gigolo," "Slave," etc.). Still the best of the three shows they've played in New England in the past ten months. (Now that IS generous)! Much more energy and nasty bite, along with a set list from heaven, compared to Sept.25th '01 Tweeter and Feb. 8th Lowell, which were still nice shows, just the same. Thanks, Guys!" ---WhoFreak
*"...Just got back from the Mansfield concert, and man that was awesome!! Rivers seemed to be in a great mood tonight, telling people to smoke up, and even busting out a little Slayer. The setlist was out of this world, we got Across the Sea, Pink Triangle AND Only in Dreams. Does it get any better? The crowd seemed really enthusiastic, everybody was singing along. Sparta, Hometown Hero, Loudermilk and Dashboard were all really great in the opening slots. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see AM Radio. But thanks again to the Weez, we can't wait to see you back in MA!!" ---Lauren M.
*"...Just got back from weezer's show at the Tweeter center outside of Boston. Absoutely incredible. The only complain I have is the lack of El Scorcho in Weezer's setlist. The sheer number of Pinkerton and Blue album songs was amazing. I believe there were only 4 songs that weren't off Pinkerton or Blue. The show rocked. Keep playing Pinkerton. That album rocks" ---B.T
*"...Wow...just came home from the show in boston...that had to be the most exciting performance i've ever seen from weezer....they teased scorcho all night with the drum rolls but never played it...or holly, or garage, but that didnt matter cuz the set list rocked... across the sea and pink triangle were amazing, and the other songs were intense too...jonas was hot...and the new only in dreams was the coolest i've seen in three shows...that was just incredible...20 of my friends were together just rockinto the big =w= and we loved every minute..." ---weezer776-raja
*"...Just got back from the tweeter center where weezer was tearing up the place. Sparta and Dashboard Confessional were both nasty, very impressive. And then Weezer came out a little while later....Rivers was all dressed up for us. He seemed to be in a really good mood, making a lot of jokes with the crowd and even playing a little Slayer, hehe. Say It Aint So and Only In Dreams were by far my two favorite songs of the night. But all of them sounded so great, the band was filled with so much energy. I was kind of sad they didn't play Buddy Holly, but you can't please us all. Weezer made it up to us by playing a hell of a lot of songs off of Pinkerton, the greatest cd ever made. :) You guys kick ass, come back soon!" ---~Katie Harding
*"...I just got back from my first weezer show at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield and before the concert I was anxious and excited. I didnt know what I was getting. We hadnt bought tickets yet, so I was worried about getting terrible seats, but it ended up we were in section 2, row u. It started with Sparta. They seemed like a good band but you couldnt understand the lead singer. Even though i dont like Dashboard that much, they did put on a pretty good live show. But I knew that the reason I came was for weezer and it was GREAT. To me, the set list was GREAT and they put on a good show. Rivers was pretty funny, and the crowed seemed stoked. Except for the guy doing LSD in front of me. He was headbanging. And despite what goes online, people fighting over what sucks, what rocks...it seems they al come together in the end. The show was great. I cant wait until you guys come back. Try coming to the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence." ---Todd Cambrio
*"...Hi Karl! I just got back form the Mansfield Tweeter Center show and I'm still completely psyched. This was my fourth weezer show and by far the best. Hearing "Across the Sea", "Holiday", and "Pink Triangle" was unbelievable. Six pinkerton songs. Six! Holy moly! Among all the great songs, rivers' wacky phrases, and the guy in front of me with the funny afro, this will be a concert that will probably never be topped!! I'm so happy. Thanks for such a great show Weezer!!!!" ---Kyle Camire
*"...Hey Karl! I just got home from the Tweeter Center concert in Mansfield. And I must say, it was an AMAZING concert! SinceI originally thought I wasn't going to be able to go, and only found out that my friend got tickets for it Thursday night, I was just happy to be able to go. Since I knew the set lists change from night to night, I tried to not get my hopes up for any one song, though I really wanted to hear "Across the Sea". Anyway, not only did the guys play "Across the Sea" second, they also played "Say It Ain't So" "Why Bother" AND "Undone"! Needless to say, it really made my night! The set list was really good, it was a excellent mix of Blue songs, Green/Maladroit and Pinkerton. I saw yall back at the Tsongas Arena in December, and even though I thought that was a great concert, this one was definitly my favorite of the two. I thought the crowd was really good and seemed to know all the Pinkerton songs. AND the pyro and Pat's platform lifting up was awesome! It was great to see Rivers talk so much too, and it was really cool when he played a little bit from Slayer (I think?). Anyway, this was definitly the highlight to my uneventful summer, and I'm really glad I got to see yall! Thanks for putting on such an amazing show!" ---Amy Lee
*"...Going to your first Weezer concert can be compared to seeing Star Wars for the first time in present day, after years of it being hyped up by loyal fans. All the stories about Weezer's incredible live performances are so overwhelmingly positive, I was pleasantly surprised to see that tonight's show completely lived up to that reputation. Rivers seemed very upbeat right off the bat, and the crowd really got into it quickly. Opening up with Holiday was absolutely awesome. It got the night off to a great start and really stoked the crowd. Then they quickly moved onto Across the Sea, which I don't think many people at all were expecting. It was an absolutely FLAWLESS performance, and we all dug it. Rivers repeatedly kept saying to us, "I'm feeling a good vibe tonight, a good vibe." You know what, he was right. The Tweeter Center absolutely erupted to the tunes of Undone, which went incredibly well. The fans were quite helpful with their lighters for Only in Dreams, and Rivers had us laughing several times, advising us to "smoke to a happy song" (before playing Island in the Sun). With Say it Ain't So and No Other One as encores, the night ended perfectly. The entire crowd was belting out SIAS like one big happy family. Also, the pyro and flying =w= were absolutely breathtaking. I didn't know that fire could help enhance a conert so much! Thanks for a great night!" ----Brad (SkierDT)
*"...Nobody really talked about the most excellent side stage show. Loudermilk started and blew everybody away, they ripped up. Home Town Hero also kicked serious ass, the singer was very entertaining. Am Radio was really where it was at. "Oh Oh Oh" was my personal favorite highlight, other than me giving the singer a party hat to wear! That was really funny. Anyways the side stage owned. Weezer must play with those bands on every tour....ever." --RT
update: well, the fans seemed to like the Boston show, and the band really loved that one in particular...Was anyone unsatisfied? Hmm... well, it looks like one person was... 
Category:Karl's Corner - July 2002