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Fan Experiences

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:30 am
by yankochick38
To me, the most exciting part about reading concert reviews is reading about the experiences that person had with Al and the band and other fans. I especially love those moments where Al notices someone in a way that surprises them, because they didn't know he knew who they were.

In this topic, you can share your favorite experiences you've had with Al and the band and/or with other fans for everyone to enjoy! :magic: Did you get a Yoda solo? Kablaamed? Did you see him after a show and he called you by name? Tell us! Personally, I'm very interested in hearing stories from the Touring With Scissors era; that group of fans inspires me. Someone tell me about alt.music.weird-al!!!! I'm also interested in hearing any stories anyone has, because I love hearing stories. :great:


One of my personal favorite moments.....actually involves a bootleg or two :ph34r: , so I guess I can't post them, but here's a screengrab:

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(2 lazy 2 crop)

June 10, 2011 - Chandler, AZ. Probably one of my top two favorite concerts so far. When Al started off the concert, he added onto his usual "HELLO [CITY]" with "HELLO CHANDLER.....hi, chicken," which was enough for me right there. But it got so much better. I got two different WBUL lines but I can't remember which ones they were. One of them was from the stage and the other was with Al's face like an inch away from mine and I was just smiling like a goofball, since I think that was the first time I ever got any line from WBUL, let alone in that way. Then, during Yoda, when it came to the part of the Yoda solo, Al walked over to be in front of me and basically tossed the microphone into my lap and walked away. The screengrab is me handing the mic back to him. Looking back on it afterwards, it's amazing to me that he trusted me that much to give it back to him at the right time to just be able to hand it off completely to me. That concert marked the first time I felt like a prolific Weird Al fan, with people asking to take pictures of/with me and everything because of Billy the Yankochicken hat.

I'm realizing that I have quite a few favorite moments and I'm continuing to add even more with each additional concert, and I realize just how lucky I am to have these experiences to enjoy and share with my friends (you guys). :bigups: A lot of my favorite moments have more to do with what happened after the concert, like the time this happened:

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Weird Al fans are the coolest people to be Friends with. The best part about this was Bermuda coming over to us afterwards, seeing all the wet footprints on the ground and our bare feet, and going........what happened here? |)


I could talk about my favorite experiences all day long (or for at least 30 minutes), but I would much rather hear from everyone else than ramble on about my own things. :jp: That's why I created this topic!

Share your stories!! :accordion: #storytime

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 4:31 pm
by Yankomaniac
I'll post some interesting ones soon, Bermuda :lol: "what happened here?" He is just awesome. After just seeing him a couple days prior it was nice getting to talk to them all after the set at bluesfest because nobody else knew it was Weird Al's bus parked on the street outside the gates. In the middle of talking with Steve, all of a sudden I hear "YOU AGAIN?!!" "You've been tailing us!" and Bermuda starts asking us about our camera and if we had gotten the hang of it and what not. Was very happy to know Jon, Steve and Jim now all know me by my name and where I am actually from now. Bermuda and Steve have met me in quite a few different cities but finally I got to let them know exactly where I dwell. Such, amazing and down to earth gents! To have a conversation with Kimo about being from Ottawa and him actually living here for a few years as a kid was neat too. Bermuda gave us a second photo sesh, this time with Jim, like most of us know, he loves cameras. That is all for now.

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 5:09 pm
by remmy
yankochick38 wrote: Personally, I'm very interested in hearing stories from the Touring With Scissors era; that group of fans inspires me. Someone tell me about alt.music.weird-al!!!! I'm also interested in hearing any stories anyone has, because I love hearing stories. :great:
Well hey! I can speak to this!

I joined alt.music.weird-al right after Running With Scissors came out and it was instrumental in launching me into hardcore fan status. Without it, I would never have known that he was touring OR especially that if you waited after his show there was a chance of meeting him! I read faithfully but I don't think I posted very much... sooo pretty similar to my relationship with WOWAY I guess. Overall, the newsgroup was fairly similar to these forums -- concert reviews, fangirling, discussions/arguments about minutae (anyone remember the heated debate about "That goat doesn't love you" vs "That goat doesn't belong to you" in Jerry Springer???). There were some really annoying trolls named Stan and Zorak who would hassle everyone, and there was no way to ban them, so users had to filter out their posts if they didn't want to see them.

I saw 9 shows during Touring With Scissors, which is nothing compared to the more prolific tourchasers, but it was enough to get me on Al's radar. I think I met him 5 or 6 times during that tour? He definitely referred to me by name once, though I don't remember the circumstances. The best show was May 13, 2000 at the Keswick in Glenside, PA. I had front row center seats and I was pumped! I got the boxers during One More Minute, which was very thrilling and it remains the only interaction I've had during OMM/WBUL to date. And as if that wasn't enough, I got the Yoda solo too! I don't think Al did that very often back then, so I had no idea it was a possibility. But all of a sudden, there was a microphone flying towards me, and thankfully I caught it and had enough presence of mind to be able to sing. My voice cracked, haha. I must have looked like a deer in headlights because I remember Al giving me a big smile when he took the mic back, like he was reassuring me that I did okay.

I got to go backstage once during the Poodle Hat Tour and he still remembered me and gave me a huge hug. It was a few months after Nina was born, so I gave him a card and congratulated him. We chatted for a couple minutes and there was a brief lull in conversation where neither of us knew what to say so he just started doing this silly dance!!!!!! Like, what?! How adorable are you, Al? As we said goodbye he gave me another hug (!) and he said he hoped he'd see me next tour. Sadly that was the last time I got to meet him, and it was 12 years ago. I have Czar tix for the SF show on the 29th and I'm sure he won't remember me at all but I'm still really looking forward to saying hey again. :accordion:

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 5:22 pm
by BullMoose
I saw Al in concert once! :#

Al must meet so many people, though! How is he able to remember certain fans, and so well?

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 5:25 pm
by mellow weasel
remmy wrote: I'm sure he won't remember me at all
If he does we'll have a definite proof that he's an alien or at least a genetically modified alien-human hybrid :foil:

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 5:29 pm
by minnick27
Me and a couple other fans were given a pizza by the band outside of the Grand in Wilmington DE in 2000. It had olives and was gross, but we scarfed it down.

Last tour I got to the venue early and was able to park in the lot next to the theatre. Nancy texted to ask where I was parked so I took a selfie with the bus behind me. As I was taking it Bermuda walked into frame. After I sent it I noticed and felt like a bit of a stalker. Then Jon saw me and walked over to talk. Now I've talked to him a bunch of times but never one on one. As we were talking Nancy called me so I let Jon answer. She was confused to say the least

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 6:28 pm
by Big Spoon
I've told the story a lot before, so I'll keep it brief here, but my favorite experience was definitely when Al called me in the hospital as a kid, and then invited backstage a few concerts that summer. Almost made having a brain tumor worthwhile.

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:41 pm
by Yankomaniac
Few years back after the Alpocalypse Tour DVD shoot, me and Jeremy were hanging out with Steve for quite some time and Jeremy's mom was at the show but had gone back to their van after the second set ended so as we talking to Steve, Jeremy's mom was calling him up and Steve's like "can I answer it?" and we could hear Jeremy's mom on the other end too so it was pretty funny, says "hello" and he's like "hey mom!", she couldn't guess who it was so he sais "it's Steve, the bass man!" It was a pretty funny memory which was triggered from Mike's story about Bermuda picking up his phone.

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 9:43 am
by Killingsworth
I haven't had as many great experiences with TBITB aside from meeting Al and Steve after the 9/20/2011 show in Denver but I did have a couple of neat interactions with forum member oddaustin after seeing him and his band Smash Claw perform in Longmont and Boulder a couple of times. We even talked about our connection to this very forum and how Jace all but introduced me to him through here!

Re: Fan Experiences

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 2:47 am
by WeirdDana27
first was 5/31/07- Waiting by the bus for 2 hours to meet Al after a Straight Outta Lynwood show. That was the night I decided to go see him in concert in lieu of attending my senior prom. In the lobby before heading outside, I met Bermuda, got a photo with him, had him sign my SOL CD booklet, and showed him the essay I wrote about Al in high school. Once I got outside, I got to meet Steve, and since Dave, Jackie, and Mike were there as well, we all took some photos, I had Steve sign my SOL booklet, and we chatted a while. Security had us all form a line by the bus and informed us that we could only have one item signed and that we could take photos OF Al but not with him. It was SO worth the wait--especially once I got up to Al, I had him sign my CD booklet and then I gave him my 3-song demo (recorded in '04) and in return he gave me a piece of apple which I ended up eating. While security was staring me down, I very quickly showed Al the pictures in the essay I wrote about him, and *FINALLY* got a hug from him! That FAR outweighed going to prom!

6/25/10: Nancy so graciously gave me a spare front row ticket which included an after show pass. During Wanna B Ur Lovr, Al gripped my camera on the line "I wanna take you home right now so you can meet my mom" and THEN...during "Yoda," (and I totally didn't see this coming), he pointed the mic at me and had me sing the chorus back to the whole theater! During the pass holder meet and greet, I had Al sign my VIP pass and told him something I'd wanted to tell him for years--that his music has helped me to better understand sarcasm and humor and that listening to it makes me unconditionally happy. Bermuda also complimented me on my singing and I was surprised as to how he remembered my name, but someone in the room had told him ;) Met up with the gang outside and the wait by the bus was significantly shorter than the last time. Had Al sign a program for a friend of mine who wanted to come with me to the show but couldn't, got another hug, and then Dave so graciously got a program signed for my cousin who was then living in AZ (I sent it to him as a surprise and he couldn't have been more grateful!).

Also many great memories from the last 12 years with friends I've made through being a fan (most of whom are on here), and I hope there will be many more shows!