It WAS a little weird to be talking to Al while the crew is lowering huge lighting rigs practically over your head, but I kinda think it was an improvement (as to informality and access) over last year, which really was backstage... through a dinky door and up some narrow stairs (or was it down some narrow stairs? and then have the whole aftershow-pass contingent PACKED in together waiting their turn to approach the table behind which they had Al safely barricaded. Less intimidating to just come over to the aisle seat where he's sitting. A little awkward for photos, though... I'm afraid I blinded him a bit with the flash. But he's always so gracious, and took time to listen to a story about White & Nerdy... I saw Jim, Jon and Ruben at various time out there too. It may also be that Al came out into the theater for the meet & greet so that Suzanne and Nina could be undisturbed backstage.
"Weird Al" has a charisma that's all his own. The awkward, the misshapen, the socially inept flock to his banner.
Haha- it was down some narrow stairs... into a very small little greenroom. I felt like a sardiene. Sitting out in the house was way better, even with the crew tearing down. I think they learned from last year- that room is not big enough for the number of people with passes these days.
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Gavin and I went with his mom to breakfast at some IHOP-like place in San Jose. I think it was called Hobees. I guess theyre known for their coffee cake. I got what they call the Best Darn Breakfast In Town (BDBIT). It was pretty good. Once we got back, Gavin and I had more errands to run and then it was off to Monterey. We met up with Helen at the venue in the afternoon and the three of us went up to our hotel to check in. After some Panda Express and a moment to get stuff settled in the room, we went back to the venue and found parking in the nearby garage. We walked around to the back of the Golden State Theatre to see if anyone was there yet. No black bus yet, but just as we walked over, Jim and his wife Diana walked around the corner! They had driven down from the hotel separately. After a quick hello, we all went our separate ways. Gavin and I decided to walk over to the car show that was going on nearby. When we got to the crosswalk, guess who we ran into again? Jim and Diana had the same idea. The whole time we were over there, it was a game of whos following who. We probably crossed paths at least 5 times. We would stop to look at a few cars, and theyd wander off but then, a few minutes later, wed run into them again. It was kinda funny, actually. After we looked at some cars, we did a little window shopping closer to the venue. I was thinking it was about time for the bus to pull in, so Gavin and I walked to the back of the venue again. I was right! Only a minute after we got there, the bus showed up. Jon waved to us from the navigator seat. They had the blinds up in the front of the bus, so I could see Steve and Al sitting on the drivers side. I didnt bother anyone after the wave. I saw Al, Suzanne and Nina get off the bus and walk in to the theatre. I was going to try and catch Jon so I could set my stuff down (that backpack with all my stuff weighs as much as I do), but no luck. Jim came by, so I gave my bag to him. We did more window shopping and car-drooling, and found some food at a Gyro shop. A couple hours later, just before the show, I got my bag back from Jim and Gavin and I went into the theatre. We had seats about halfway back on the aisle (Jims side). Since the theatre is so small, there really isnt a bad seat. Right before the show was about to start, Diana sat down right in front of me. The comp seats are usually all in the same area, so it didnt really surprise me. Then Fun Zone started! The audience here was very enthusiastic. The band had great energy, and everyone was having fun. There werent any tech issues, except for SLN. At the very beginning, Al knocked over the mic stand which in turn knocked over the water cup. Jim tried to kick it back up, and Al grabbed the stand when he turned around. Hammer had to come out during the song to grab the cup. He filled it back up and got it out there just in time for Al to gargle. What a mess. During the video, they had extra water to clean up. Youre Pitiful was a little tough- his voice sounded tired. But, oh my gosh, when Al came out in the Fat suit, the crowd cheered so loud!! It was amazing how such a small audience can create such decibel levels. I had a great time during the show. I decided to relax and enjoy it on this one. I only took pictures during a few songs (during the medley I was in the balcony for a different angle). Once the show was over, the house was cleared out and the people with passes stayed. I talked to Diana for awhile. Jim came out first, and Jon and Ruben werent far behind. Jon thought they were going to use the balcony for the aftershow stuff. That would have been a lot better than last year stuffed in that tiny greenroom. Turns out, they just used the lower house right next to the stage. Still much better than last year. Gavin went out to the front to buy a tour shirt. He got it signed by Al, and I took their picture. We stuck around chatting with Diana and Jim. When they were getting ready to leave, we went out to the back where the bus was. Steve was out there chatting with fans. We talked to him for a bit, met up with Helen, and finally started thinking about leaving. After saying our goodbyes, the three of us went back to the hotel. We ended up staying up about an hour more just chatting away in the hotel room. It was probably after 1am when we finally went to bed. Again, good show and lots of fun!
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I wound up at an English pub type restaurant (Crown and Anchor?) for dinner, with Vikki (minus her kinship for the moment), Diva (no, she was later, at the theater-- I meant Carlotta-- it wasn't that dark in there!), Kaffy and Fred. Vikki kindly shared the steak-ad-mushroom pie with me; it was really tasty but so rich I couldn't possibly have finished the whole thing. It's so great that even though I almost always GO to Weird Al concerts alone, I'm practically never alone AT Weird Al concerts.
After a quick stop at Walgreens across the street for a disposable camera (sorry again about the flash, Al) we found our seats at the theater. I was sitting in Row G with Vikki and her large family delegation (she's the kind of fan an artist really appreciates-- she not only goes to multiple shows herself, she brings along 6 to 10 of her extended kinship!) and I was between two concert newbies, which I think always makes it more fun, watching the jokes hit them for the first time. The guy to my right was really excited to finally hear "Fat" live, and he wasn't disappointed. I'm not surprised the song is still popular, but I guess I am surprised that it's still new (live) to some long-time fans. I was really happy to hear WDTAHTM again, because I like the song a lot from a musical standpoint, and it's fun to anticipate the reaction to the Simpsons line from people who haven't heard the song before.
And I'm SO tempted to come up with a recipe for guacamole donuts.
"Weird Al" has a charisma that's all his own. The awkward, the misshapen, the socially inept flock to his banner.
Britannia Arms....we ate there last year and met a rabid Al fan whose significant other calls Al her "boyfriend".
I love sitting near new people. I met a lot of people there and at Sacramento who were going for their first time. They all had lots of questions, which I mostly wouldn't answer -didn't want to take the freshness off for them!- but they ALL asked if he was going to do Fat. And I did tell them yes to that.
...man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter.
-Joseph Addison
No, I checked and it was the Crown & Anchor. The Golden State has two pubs in walking distance. I ate at the Britannia Arms LAST year, the day AFTER the concert. For some reason, I seem to hit Monterey, with its rich Early California history, and immediately go Brit. Did I mention that I had fish and chips for lunch at the London Bridge Pub at Wharf #2? Very good. I recommend it. And you can sit outside and look at the water while you eat your battered Icelandic cod.
"Weird Al" has a charisma that's all his own. The awkward, the misshapen, the socially inept flock to his banner.
I saw Jim, Jon and Ruben at various time out there too. It may also be that Al came out into the theater for the meet & greet so that Suzanne and Nina could be undisturbed backstage.
