Just got home from the show and found the tickets for this show in my mailbox. So if anyone reading this needs tickets to last night's show, send me a PM!
Wow it's been three years since my last Weird Al concert and it was definitely the most fun I've had in a long time. Had a rough start to my day with a last minute edit which meant I wouldn't be able to get down to the fair early like I had hoped. Luckily the work finished right on time at 5, at which point Amerah, Brigette, and Denise, the three lovely ladies who accompanied me to this evening's show, arrived at my office and we headed to Costa Mesa. Luckily the traffic wasn't that bad for some reason and we got down there in only 80 minutes or so. My iPhone, perennially on shuffle, seemed favored to Weird Al today. I believe we heard Dog Eat Dog, When I Was Your Age, The Saga Begins, Skipper Dan, and possibly another one just in that short drive (and there are over 3500 songs on my iPod).
Just as we pulled into the fairgrounds, I happened to notice Kristine in the car behind me. I thought that was pretty weird considering how many people were at the fair that night. We parked and were then sent on a wild goose chase from window to window trying to get our will call tickets because of PAID's mixup. Finally we got into the fair at the Green Entrance and went straight for Al's Brain.
I picked up a pair of red Al's Brain 3D glasses, and went so far as to specifically request red instead of blue. In retrospect this seems like an odd decision since blue is my favorite color, and I knew I was going to have Al sign them. But anyway it was good to see Al's Brain a second time (I last saw it the night of its premiere!). My main flaw in the movie is the character of Billy the Brain. Seemed like a joke I didn't get, or there was more planned with the character that we didn't see (especially since there is marketing for it). I love the song associated with this film and I hope at some point in my life I will own a high quality version of this song and not be forced to go to Orange County once every August if I want to hear it again. For those who haven't heard the song, it's sort of the same style as the Weird Al Show Theme mixed with Pancreas and very catchy. The visuals with the song are great too. As far as the rest, it has its moments but I feel like the whole video is like a Weird Al Show epilogue in a way. The set even looks the same. Paul McCartney cameo really adds a nice touch to it though. Oh yeah one weird thing is we happened to sit down right behind Jay Levey and a friend who was with him the entire night.
After we left Al's Brain, I happened to see
this happen. If you are a member of this forum, and especially if you like funny things, I recommend you watch it. I actually showed it to Al later on and he seemed to like it too.
At this point, we headed for the Pacific Amphitheater and I grabbed a great dinner of chicken fingers, fries, and Dr Pepper. Around this point Amerah and I were sent off to find the seats while one of the other members of our party may or may not have purchased a fizzy-looking lemonade. As we approached the very top of the venue, I noticed Steve and Miles Jay walking up the steps. When he got to us, I introduced myself and told him he was the last band member to meet on my checklist. I'm not sure if that joke/comment went over or not because he kind of smiled then introduced me to Miles. I said that I think I may have seen him play a show once during Touring With Scissors and he seemed surprised.
We finally got to our seats which I was repeatedly told by the ushers were really good. Sure enough they were quite awesome. One section in front of where I thought they were when I looked at the map. Very clear view, you could see every little detail. It seemed like the distance of your standard HD concert video long shot, which is really perfect. The pit section was just a few feet closer but we were elevated to stage height so I preferred our seats. I then saw Tony, Marissa, and Jeremy sitting a few seats away and went to meet Jeremy. Luckily he was easy to spot because he was wearing the yellow Lakers jersey as seen in his avatar on WOWAY. From the point where I said hello to Tony and Marissa here, I don't believe they were more than 20 feet from me the entire night, until the point when we went back to our cars and parked in a similar section. This was welcome, of course, as they are both great peeps. Tony gave me a CD of his seven new songs and I look forward to checking it out.
At this point we looked around and played the game of WOWAY Geography. In every direction we looked, we noticed someone from this forum. I looked one way and saw Ludo, another way and saw Kevin Cable, another way and saw Joe & Melissa, another way and saw Stephen. Very funny little moment. I also can't help but notice the comedy of everyone communicating with each other on Twitter rather than in person. I made some pretty long distance hand gestures to Meli and Joe. Hopefully they understood what I was saying.
Finally. The review of the actual concert...
Fun Zone began to play and, as anyone who's been to an Al show can attest, the excitement started. I feel like a good early tell of how into it the crowd will be is FZ coming on because if anyone recognizes it, you know they are going to be singing along. Bonus points for people who chant "hey." Obviously being in Orange County, this crowd had a lot of enthusiasm and it was clear from the outset. Also I should mention at some point here the crowd was just enormous. I have only been to five other Weird Al concerts but never saw a crowd this big. Dave and Jackie later said they thought it was his biggest crowd yet this tour.
The opening video sequence had a lot of great surprises and things I had neither seen before nor heard mentioned on this forum. Funny little bits from all over, many I did recognize. Was especially glad to see "You're tearing me apart, Lisa!" and noticed the last person to introduce Al from the series of TV hosts was Jon Stewart. An interesting choice, especially since he seemed to be using many older clips tonight including two from Johnny Carson.
Polka Face: I have been waiting to make up my mind about this polka until seeing it live, but I really think this thing is superb. A+ grand slam, etc. Amazing crop of songs, and the new arrangements are just perfect. Very funny. To be fair, he has been getting progressively better with each polka he's recorded since the 90s. But this one is just timed out so perfectly. The placement of "Baby", the Gaga bookend, as well as the arrangements for Replay, Blame It, and a few others is incredible, and I stand by my theory about there being somewhat of a unifying theme to it, but anyway the energy level was great here since it was a fresh song for the band. Starting with the polka is definitely the right move, especially since it was my first time hearing it not from YouTube. Really looking forward to the recorded version.
You Make Me: This was a great live song and an interesting second because you have to figure at least 80% of the crowd has never heard it. Yet the performance is so good it seems like it's almost daring everyone to go along for the ride if they don't know a song later in the set. Seriously even though there is no costume with it, I'd say it's right up there with Dare To Be Stupid for me as far as cool to see interpreted in a live setting.
Good Old Days: If I had to pick one song I wasn't really thrilled about, this would be it. The congas Al was playing you couldn't really hear that well over Jon's drumming though it was fun to watch him play. For me, the definitive version of Good Old Days will always be the one he did with The Roots. I did appreciate hearing a lot of people laughing at the lyrics. I wish I could hear gems like these for the first time again.
Smells Like Nirvana: This is a great placement for this song and really helps divide up the show. More than half of the crowd will at this point have seen three songs they do not know and SLN really brings the mood to where it ought to be. One thing that must be said right away is I never before noticed how funny Steve's Krist Novoselic impression is. The costume, the bass all the way to the ground, the way he was jumping around. Great. Jon's Dave Grohl wig/shirt is cool, Steve gets the prize. I would say he is better at being Krist than Al is at being Kurt. I didn't like Jim and Ruben in black clothes for this one. They should have been wearing generic flannel/jeans or something. The cheerleaders were pretty hot, as you might imagine in Orange County, California. One other note: Al "forgot the last verse" as has been described elsewhere but at the end instead of saying "What are the words? Oh never mind" he sang "Oh well whatever nevermind" as everyone in the crowd was singing his lyrics. Major props on that.
Skipper Dan: I didn't understand what was going on with the first part of the costume from the pictures I had seen, but the hat really sells it as a troubled actor at first. The skipper costume is pretty cool too. One question: why are the pep peps played as pre-recorded? Couldn't Jim and or Steve sing that part?
You're Pitiful: The actual lyrics of this song are funnier live. I guess you'd have to attribute that to his facial expressions. The gag where Al forgets the lyrics at the beginning was funny but it looked like that "lyric sheet" he pulled out has been through a few too many concerts. He wore the gold shirt that he used to wear during Gump, then a white t-shirt that said I <3 Bacon, then Atlantic Records Still Sucks, then one other one before Sponge Bob and the tutu/fishnets reveal.
Dare To Be Stupid: This is one of my favorite Weird Al songs and I love the new hats the guys are wearing. The suits looked beautiful tonight, so whatever was going on earlier in the tour is apparently fixed. If any great song should be cut in 2011, this should be the one to go since it has been in the set not too long ago.
CNR: I love-love-LOVED the intro Charles Nelson-Reilly video which I assume was a promo for Game Show Network. I would be interested to know if this was a spot made by GSN or if Al had this produced. Meg Schwartz was up there rocking it out, and Al and Jim alternated playing convincing Jack Whites. When Al described CNR making love to a manatee, his pelvic thrusts were surprisingly sexual, way more than I ever thought I'd see him do. Really sold the manatee gag though.
Let Me Be Your Hog: The fact that this is now a regular song in the setlist is so incredible I don't even know what to say about it, but the way it's presented is really funny, especially at the end when Al cuts himself off by saying "baby baby babyok this next song..." This is definitely one song I never thought I'd be crossing off of my "songs I'll never see Weird Al play live" checklist.
Canadian Idiot: I love this live performance and the ooh-oohs. They really made it their own, but I have to say as a Green Day fan I am a little disappointed that he didn't take more opportunity to model Billie Joe's showmanship the way he does for Kurt Cobain. The different mic stand was cool which allowed Al to really whack it around, but he should have had more angst like he was the leader of all punk rockers. Al would do himself good to see a Green Day concert if he plans to keep playing this song in future tours. Sidenote- I wonder if Al would ever consider doing a style parody of Green Day's last two albums. Could possibly be a "long/epic" song in the future.
Wanna B Ur Lovr - As a confident heterosexual male, I can tell you this was a truly arousing performance. He happened to center around my section of the crowd and I got a good look at every serenade he did and the womens' reactions. That itself is a really interesting show if you find yourself in seats like mine. At one point Al kicked a chair down the steps and it landed on some bald guy's head. The guy was looking right at Al of course and he blocked it. Al was in the middle of singing but he went over and patted the guy on the head and he seemed to be totally cool about the whole thing. He went pretty far out into the crowd, but after the chair thing he toned it down a bit and headed back to the stage. He sang to a security guard and she was really amused/flattered. Her co-workers teased her about it after Al left the area. I love the part that Al sings at the tail end of this much better live than on the CD.
Medley: A few thoughts quickly- Disliked that the opening drums on MFN/BH are pre-recorded. Why does Jim have to start the medley by playing that riff? Seeing Jon play that awesome drum solo at the beginning of MFN would have been as cool as Jim playing the Knopfler riff. Whatever You Like was easily the best use of the video screen of the night. I really liked the off brand coupons and stores shown on the street, especially BusWay instead of Subway and Ronald McDonald & The King smoking pipes. That girl he is trying to impress is ugly. Skipper was nice but it's time for a new unreleased song after this tour. Doesn't exactly hold up like the early food medley songs used to. The Sarah Palin reference in Confessions went over really well. Also being with a Brigette made that line funnier at the end. eBoring should be taken out of the medley next year even if it is popular. At least play a shorter bit from it. Bedrock Anthem only made me miss the costume. Bus was a nice touch. I wouldn't have minded another old school accordion jam like Rocky Road or My Bologna in the medley. The more of those old accordion songs the better IMO. Superhero was funny more for the stage manager antics than the Spiderman lyrics. I hope this gets axed next time. Drive Thru, good to hear verse three instead but again time to say goodbye. Gump, really made me nostalgic for Bad Hair Tour because tonight's rendition they were clearly phoning it in. Eat It is the perfect medley ender.
Really will not be hard to clean house on next year's medley. Anything less than 50% different would be a disappointment.
Craigslist: This was easily the most interesting live performance of the Internet Leaks. I hope this one never leaves the setlist. Everyone in the band was wearing an interesting costume and I really liked seeing Ruben and Steve play side by side for some reason. Al's Jim Morrison was classic and you could barely hear him whispering about styrofoam peanuts. San Vicente Blvd line got a good laugh; was wondering if this is changed from venue to venue. This was I think my second favorite song of the night.
Amish Paradise: I will always hold this song to a higher plateau because this was the first song where I went from starting to like Weird Al in 95 to wow I really love Weird Al more than most people love most things in 96. And you would think Al would be so tired of singing this by now, but you'd be mistaken. He really changed it up a bit on the delivery of the raps and there seemed to be a new vitality to the song. This song delivered all I could hope for and more. I think I can say this was the best AP performance I've seen, including the 1996 show. It should never leave the setlist, and I assume it never will.
White & Nerdy: Hard to believe how far Al has come in his ability to pull this off live. When I first saw him do it on Leno it was barely pulled off but now he really has his routine down with Jim and Steve. Oh yeah and the Donny Osmand clips used were ridiculous. I don't think they were the same as SOL tour. Also he is so good on the Segway.
Fat: Great last song, the visual gags are hilarious of course but this isn't my favorite song and it's been played consistently since 1988. I think he should retire it, but I guess it's too big a hit to ignore. And the costume really is great, isn't it? Can't believe how quickly he changed into it. I really enjoyed the ending jumps where everyone in the crowd rippled after him. At the end, he introduced Jim as Jim Kimo West. I asked Kristine if he had done that on the SOL tour and she said no. Then just now I saw Jeremy say he hadn't even seen it THIS tour. Wow, I wonder why the sudden change. I actually had thought about this before tonight. Anyway I think it's cool. The jam was really awesome, showing these guys rock even when playing no one else's style.
Video Clip Sidebar: A lot of the interviews that were especially old I liked seeing cycled back in. Keep Madonna but lose Bobby Plant. Keep Snoop Dogg but lose Celine Dion. Loved the joke from I believe Letterman (?) about the Senate investigation of Weird Al Yankovic. If this was Carson please correct me somebody. The intro to SLN with Brain Freeze was classic. Also loved Celebrity Death Match. Could have done without 50% of the random name drops and the Millionaire clip was unnecessary. Would have liked to see Badgers or maybe another less overquoted scene from UHF.
Cell Phones: Cute interlude. I don't think of it as a filler. It's fun and gets everyone engaged.
I really wish Ruben had a place in the show other than his little keyboard things in the encore. I miss the cone bra days and Like A Surgeon in general. I hope Al finds a new song where Ruben can be featured more.
The Saga Begins: Wasn't particularly looking forward to this one but now I remember why it's in the set. Everyone in the crowd knows this song and they were all singing along. I couldn't help myself from singing either. The Storm Troopers were good dancers. I liked the R2-D2. Then at the end Darth Vader held up a red light saber when all the lights went out.
Yoda: Weird Al's signature song and it fits perfectly as the last song of the show. He asked all the transvestites to sing and surprisingly I was the only one singing. The Yoda Chant is just ridiculous at this point. Only part I don't like is that ghost castle thing because it's in plain English. I like that it's all weird sounds. Yo yo yo yo yooodaaaaa.
After the show I met up with so many WOWAYers. I don't want to leave anybody out but it was good to see Dave, Jackie, and Louise since they all came in from so far away.
Wow it's really late I have to go to bed and I don't feel like continuing this review. You'll notice it got shorter by the end. I had so much fun I can barely think about it right now, but I am looking forward to the show in Ventura next week.
In conclusion, going to a Weird Al concert is a very fun thing to do.
...I had a great time walking out with the real fans. Everyone that I heard talk about the show really enjoyed it. Many saying that it was their favorite concert ever. The different parts that they enjoyed...and how funny Al was when he did this or that. That's really what it should all be about anyway...people....
Guess it looked like it hit me to a lot of people. About a minute after Al went back on stage, one of the security staff tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if the chair hit me and if I was ok. I told her that I didn't get it hit and I was fine.
We wound up directly behind Dave & Jackie & Cid & Kevin. 