Karl's Corner - 07/27/2002

07/27/02 Lance Armstrong is the coolest guy in the world

Enlightenment Tour Day 22: Columbia MD; Merriweather Post Pavilion

Main Stage: Sparta, Dashboard Confessional, Weezer
Second Stage: The Special Goodness, Rooney, Home Town Hero, Am Radio

After a steamy, T-storm threatening afternoon, the steamy, non-T-storm threatening evening got underway and the now 7(!) Enlightenment bands got down to business. The Special Goodness joined the tour for the first of 6 opening slot Side Stage appearences. They weren't foolin around, and the rock was brought in spades. Then Enlightenment newcomers Rooney delivered their second very well recieved set, and the action started on the main stage. There were some grumblings in the crowd about Spartas sound being bass-y and unclear tonight, but, as it happens at these large places, others seated elsewhere had no trouble with it at all. Overall it was a fine rock-packed evening, with a lot of smiling faces walking out at the end...

Today was the last day of two different 'on the road' visitations, one being Tim 'Speed' Levitch gracing the weez camp with his unique perspective and wit, the other being Geffen president Jordan Schur, joining the weez for a few days to catch the pulse of the Enlightenment Tour, and hang out. Theyve headed back to their respective domiciles now, but good times were had!

"Weezer World Cup" Foosball Challenge #7: Baltimore/DC: CD101/WHFS
Foosball Challenge #7! Today before the show there was another fan vs. weez foosball challenge. In many cities on the Enlightenment Tour, the local radio station will be choosing winning fans who get to come backstage before the show and challenge the band to a mini-foosball tournament! [your local radio station should be talking about the contest, if theyre not, then its not likely to be happening in your area]. There are usually 6 winners per show, and they divide up into 3 teams who face off vs weezer for one game each. Today there were 4 winners, one team of winners from each of the area radio stations.

Todays match results:
Round 1: Team Weezer (Cuomo/Wilson) V. Immaculate Destruction (Melissa Lobach and Elise Heinhold) : Winner: Team Weezer. Score: 10-0. [ouch! Immaculate Destruction fell behind quickly and were kept on the defensive for the remainder of the game]
Round 2: Team Weezer (Cuomo/Wilson) V. Untitled (Joe Chandler and Anna Gardner) : Winner: Team Weezer. Score: 10-0. [Untitled learned quickly and started fighting back after Team Weezer got an early lead. They defended well, but couldnt put together the goals they needed]

...pic #23, L to R: thesuperweasel, Super NintenDEN, sch2383, ace, darknluvly77, maggiedotcom..
...pic #24 [setlist]- note: there was a last minute switch of Undone and Holiday, opposite whats on list...

...the first batch of Baltimore/DC fans' show tales that came in...

• "Hey Karl, just got home from the show and man did it rock. I was with three first-timers, this being my 9th, and the band did not let us down. Tailgating started at 5, with plenty of police to keep us in line, but we rocked on with our "weez shrine," a W with candles. Anyway, great beginning with UNDONE and I got to hear BUTTERFLY again live, man does that song rule! The finale was great too, ending with OID. It was one of the best I've been too, the band sounded even better than last weekend when I saw them in Hartford, they always improve!" ---Tim, Albany NY

• "...Well we just got back from the Maryland show and it kicked us in the dink. It was our second dosage of =w= so far this week, and it was definitely up to par with their Boston outting. (we want our wooden =w= back). We were thoroughly impressed with the Special Goodness' set as well... But we were unable to resist temptation, and... well... yea... we kinda stole Pat's beer off stage. Sorry Pat. But when we saw that Michelob Ultra just sitting there, glistening in the sunlight, it's days were numbered. When Weezer played Surf Wax, we were completley blown away. If =w= had only played El Scorcho, we would have seen the entire Pinkerton album in a week. Anyways, great show and we will be sure to check out the Weeze the next time they come to town." ---Dan (pablosan69), Rich, & Stevo

• "...Oh my goodness, this was most definitely the best concert that I've ever seen. Cordalene[??] was pretty good, Dashboard was absolutely fantastic, and Weezer was close to indescribably amazing. Somewhere around the second song in Weezer's set, I found myself wishing that they would just pause in playing, because I didn't want the show to end. I will attend every Weezer show I possibly can until I die (or until they die; whichever comes first), because I honestly cannot get enough of the Weez. The energy of the band was infectious, and it was more than wonderful to see such a happy, talkative Rivers Cuomo (much better than the "Pinkerton? Yeah, whatever; this song's called 'photograph,' that I've heard in the past :). And I must say, I do fancy the suit. I can't even describe how happy I was to hear so much Pinkerton; it rocked hard, and it rocked well. The blue album stuff was absolutely incredible; "only in dreams" was most fantastic, as was everything else. I loved the spiced-up green solos, although they disconcerted me initially. The Maladroit songs were quite fun as well (Burndt Jam reminds me of old-school Mario Bros. music; it's just so darn happy). The pyrotechics were fantastic, although I couldn't help but picture Pat being roasted like a chicken every time the giant =W= shot out flames. Thank you, Weezer, for an incredible show!" ---Erin,

• "...Just got back from the Weezer show in Columbia, my first Weezer show. Fan-freaking-tastic is all I have to say. Sparta sucked, Dashboard Confessional was sweet, but I wish I knew more of the songs than just "Screaming Infidelities." The Weezer setlist seemed to be mostly Blue stuff, which was great. I would have been happy to hear "Say It Ain't So," but I was just pleased that there was more Blue than Pinkerton. The whole gang seemed happy, and Rivers seemed pretty eager to chew the fat with us. Too bad it was next to impossible to understand him. I did hear mention of "Nashville, Kentucky!!" from Rivers . ...hmmm. :) He was looking very snazzy in his fancy ropa. The raising of Pat with the =W= kicked ass. Very sweet stunt. Thanks for making it awesome; this was my little brother's first real concert and I wanted to rock the casbah for him . . . and it did." ---Mandi

• "...Hey Karl - a few quick words about Merriweather. The whacky-ass setlists of the Enlightenment tour have certainly kept us on our toes! Tonight's performance included some fantastic highlights - Falling for You, American Gigalo, Burndt Jamb, and a fasntastic Only in Dreams. I was surprised to hear more Pinkerton than anything else! Sparta, kinda like a mix between Quicksand and Jane's Addiction, were absolutely great, and Dashboard simply owned this crowd! The Weez boys delivered big time. Everyone shined, but Scott adds a dimension to Weezer that makes everyone really sound better. His perfectly timed bass slaps combined with Brian and Rivers' distorted flange and Pat's increasingly funky beats rocked us all. During the opening song, Undone, I hear Scott say, "We could play anywhere in the word tonight, but we chose to play here..." Thanks for choosing here tonight, guys!" ---Adam

• "...holy crap, the show tonight was freakn amazing!!!!! i didnt think it could top the midget tour..but it sure did!!!! i got to meet murph and atom from tsg and i said "hi" to pat!! also i took a pict with u karl!!! it was super! sparta was...ehh not to good. dashboard-i hate so i went to the barn and met some .COM people like bigheadjoe and maggidotcom!!! we had a great time untill it was time to check out weezer!!!!!! we headed to our seats and the show ROCKED! i was, unfortunatly, surrounded by a bunch of preps and they made fun of me b/c i was ROCKN' it the WHOLE time. but that didnt stop me, the show was SUPER!!! i cant belive we got the good life, i was sooooo wishing for it! thank god we did! and we got surf wax and OID which were GREAT! all in all a FAB show!!!!! all is on" ---weezechum91

• "...The Columbia show rocked from Undone to Only In Dreams. The encore of holiday and only in dreams was better than I could ever imagine. I was amazed to see 7 of the 10 songs from my favorite album ever, the blue album, played. I just hope at some point in the future they pull out the world has turned and left me here." ---Branden

• "...I just came back from the show at Columbia, Maryland, and I was totally blown away! They guys have certainly improved from the last time I saw them, back in Fall '01. The huge flying W, fire, and smoke were amazing. Rivers seemed especially talkative, everyone laughed when he mentioned Mary Kate and Ashley after they played Island in the Sun. I was so happy when they played Butterfly, it helped me out through some hard times in my life, but i was surprised and disappointed at the lack of response from the audience. Getchoo, Undone-the Sweater Song, Buddy Holly and Only In Dreams got especially energetic reactions from the audience. I only wish I were in the front row so I could see better. Scott was awesome with his plaid pants, he totally shredded, so did Brian. It was awesome when Brian and Scott when up near the drum set to be with Pat. Brian played especially well in Island on the Sun, his rockstar moves ruled. Pat seemed most excellent on the drums in Getchoo, and Rivers in The Good Life. I heard a nice range of vocals from this show from Rivers. At the end of the encore, I was disappointed when Brian left early but the fiddling around with the guitar was awesome, especially when Rivers held the guitar up. Scott was my favorite performer of the evening, he seemed really energetic and stoked to be there. but remember- SMOKING KILLS! AND SO DO I! Stop smoking Scott, I want you to be around for a while. It seems like just yesterday when you joined the band. :) Thankyou Weezer, for one of the coolest nights of my life, and certainly the best show I have been to. You guys rock. From a huge Weezer fan," --Jessica Chan, Bethesda, Maryland Age: 14

• "...I just got back from my very first Weezer concert in Columbia, MD, and boy did it rock hard! First off, the opening bands sucked. Hard. I didn't like Sparta and DC just blows, but thats just my opinion. I did see Scott and Pat checking out Sparta at the end and Scott waved to me and some other fans. I caught the first two songs from Rooney's set on the side stage, and they were pretty good. But then the clock struck 9:30 and Rivers and the guys took the stage. My seats were amazing,. Right in the front (Ah, the power of eBay.) The guard even let me snap a few pictures. It seemed to be a little humid for Rivers in the suit, be he looked very comfortable. The shades were a nice look, Ace. All of the Pinkerton songs were amazing! But where was El Scorcho? And how could you leave out Say it Ain't So?!?!?! Rivers seemed to be having a very, very, very good time. He looked to be feeding off the crowds energy a lot. He was smiling a lot and raising his hands in the air. And from what I heard about Scott, I had some high expectations of him as a bassist, and he met those and shattered them! Great bassist. Very cool how he reached out to shake hands at the end. Hearing Butterfly was amazing. I didn't even expect that. I didn't know where the giant =w= was, but I knew Pat rose up in the middle of the show. When the =w= followed him, it was great! . He was great on the drums at the very end, and Brian was doing great too. For my first Weezer concert, it was truly amazing. Thank you so much, Rivers, Brian, Pat and Scott. Rock on! =w= " ---~Alex in Baltimore

• "...I just got back from the Columbia MD weezer concert and I have to say that was the best concert I have ever been to in my entire life!!!! I went to the concert in Baltimore in December and I thought that was awesome and I didn't think it could get any better...but it did! Sparta and Dashboard Confessional were so awesome!! And then came Weezer! I thought it was awesome how they were able to incorporate so many songs from all the albums!!! I screamed so much that I lost my voice so I have to explain to my boss in the morning why I can't speak...oops! It was all worth it though!!! That concert made my summer so awesome before I leave to go to college!!!! My friends and I were still talking about it the entire way home!!!! Stay awesome," ---Nina from Annapolis Md

• "...I've seen nearly 40 bands live and been to over 20 shows, and Weezer must be in the top 3! I have just arrived home from the Weezer show at Merriwether Post Pavilion and had a great time! I am a fan of both Spart and Dashboard Confessional, but like the rest of the fans, I kept checking my watch, waiting for the band to get on stage! The band came on stage and Rivers slickly removed his jacket, much like a member of the rat pack. Maybe it was the heat and humidity, which Maryland is notorious for, but he looked cool too. The band started with "Undone", and continued the old classic with newer favorites, "Hash Pipe" and "Butterfly". When the guys played "Butterfly", the backdrop was revealed, and shown, of the Weezer hand symbol. The concert was great. The band played a variety of songs, a few from Pinkerton, both self-titled albums and Maladroit. Everyone went wild for "Island in the Sun" and "Buddy Holly". Who needs Pop Disaster's rotating drum kit when you can see Pat elevated, above a lit up "W"?! The elevation of the drumset and the Weezer "W" (in marqui bulbs) was the highlight of the show. Equally exciting was when Rivers told the audience that they were "the best in the world" and that "We're the best band in the world! And we'll show you!" The guys then proceeded to player harder and faster. Rivers also warned the audience, "It's gonna get dangerous, put on your safety helmets!" No night is complete without pyrotechnics! The "W" shot out flames and long columns of fire were blasting throughout the night, from the beginning of the concert to the end. Very exciting. I'm glad Weezer has lasted so long." ---Katherine Hill; editor-and-chief/photographer of Macaroon Shindig

• "...just got back from the =w= show in DC...4 hour drive up, 4 hour drive back to Pittsburgh...no big deal...i've done crazier stuff when it comes to the weez...I was the dude standing to the right of you during The Special Goodness and said something to you about the tall dude that was blocking your view while you were taping Pat...Anyways, this was my 26th =w= show dating back to '94 and out of all of them, this rocked out the best in every which way....unbelievable. later," ---jim

Radio note again!Philadelphia area listeners, tune into Y-100 Sunday from 8 PM to Midnight for the repeat broadcast of WEEZER RADIO ON Y100! Pat, Rivers, Brian and Scott did their very own show, with handpicked tracks from their favorite bands. Sadly the Y-100 online stream isnt currently operational, so this radio takeover is only available to those who can tune in the old fashioned way.