Karl's Corner - 12/11/2001

12/11/01 One Toke Over The Line: The Midget Stops Extending Here

...Portland Maine, a town where none of the 3 bands on the tour have ever played before. Tonight they gave the wild rock-starved Portlandians a triple threat, a super shot of rock to end the Extended Midget Tour with a sh-bang. We were all both happy and sad at the same time, knowing that after this show, the 3 bands that were fated to be as one - the Team Supreme - would part ways. It has really been fun, probably the funnest tour that Weezer's ever been a part of, and easily the funniest!

To cap things off the right way, Jack and KG of the 'D' cooked up a nearly naked suprise interpretive dance assault on the weez during the breakdown and final freakout of "Surf Wax". The photos below convey only a fraction of the action, and a future weezer.com video clip will feature highlights of this insane moment in rock history.

...the first song was actually "The Dawn" due to a last minute change of mind...

...some fans' "p.o.v.'s"...

"Wow... I just got back from the show tonight here in Portland, and it was so incredible! Jimmy Eat World was great and they warmed up the crowd really well, and Tenacious D was funnier than anything I have ever seen or heard before. JB calling System of a Down's "Chop Suey" bull---t was hilarious, and they played the best version of "Summer of '69" I have ever heard... then after 25 minutes of the crowd pushing on the main floor during intermission, the mighty Weez finally came out and everyone went bananas! They went through every classic song flawlessly, and the new songs are sounding tighter and tighter (Saturday Night was a great song to hear... I don't know exactly what they changed with it, but it's a lot better now). Only In Dreams rocked live, and the Surf Wax freakout caused an atmosphere that the Cumberland County Civic Center (haha...) has never seen before, and will probably never see again since they are making a new arena soon. Well, just wanted to let you know that the people of Portland, Maine appreciated the recognition of all three bands (esp. Weezer of course!) and that the concert ----ing rocked!" --Pat

"Im an honest kid and long-time fan. I went to the show in portland. Jimmy eat world played and I thought they were good but no one cared and up front it was pretty rowdy and hard to enjoy them. Jack Black is a good entertainer and puts good effort into his performance. Then the Weez came on. There was limited breathing room and a good cross-section of loyal fans who were braving the harsh conditions for an upclose look at the almighty =w=. It wasnt as explosive as some pre-green shows, however the new stuff sounds promising. Rivers is a legend and he taught me how to play guitar. The Only In Dreams solo was the climax and the mist from the clouds felt so good. Then Jack and KG came out in their underwear and danced around the stage and Rivers cracked up. It rocked. It was a tight performance and I have the body fluids of many good people soaked into my hair and blue-and-grey long sleeve collared shirt." --michael

"And I thought my world was rocked Sunday night in Baltimore......HA!!!

"The Rock" couldn't get any better than it was last night in Portland. We

drove up from Boston (a mere 2 hours as compared to the 7 to Balt.) and

got there a little late....we missed most of jimmyeatworld's set (not a

bad thing as you will soon see). We found some seats on the stairs near

the stage and settled in to wait for the D....because there was no way in

Hell we were getting anywhere on the floor.....it was PACKED so

tight.....and they were moshing without music....so we figured finding

seats would be the best bet. The D came on and rocked my f-in' socks off.

They were even better than the other night! I have to say that their

version of "Chop Suey" cracks me up. And everything they do.....they

just rock. :) And then...we had spotted Jim from jimmyeatworld.....so we

went over to him and had a chat. I'm sure I said some pretty inane

things....but I DID get to tell him that "Goodbye Sky Harbor" makes me cry

and that "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is my favorite book...so I was psyched.

That just about made my night....talking to him. He was very very cool.

AND they're touring in April....YEAH!!! Anyway.....then we went back to

our seats and Weezer came on!!!!!!!!! I have never seen Rivers so

animated and into the chitchat on stage.....it was awesome! "I have to

admit that it's fun to bring you the rock".......Rivers....you rule! They

played an awesome set....and I am IN LOVE with the new songs. Wow.

When's the new album coming out???????? The whole band was awesome......I

am loving Scott...he brings so much to the band......Brian and Pat are, as

always, incredible.....and Rivers....yeah....you rule. :) And to top the

night off.......we all got to see Jack Black and Kyle dance around in

their underwear during the last song......it was beautiful! An awesome

fun tour.....quite the equivilent to seeing Faith No More, Metallica &

Guns N' Roses back in the day. And I was lucky enough to see =w= 3 times

this tour and Tenacious D & jimmyeatworld twice." --Jennifer

"I live in southern CT in the little pan handle and I drove with my sister for 5 hours tuesday to go see the concert in Portland. We were totally excited and figured it would be a good show because it was a smaller venue and because it was the last show. We left home at 11(ish) and got to the civic center at 4(ish) we then stood in a line with a bunch of people who were for the most part ok but hostility began to rise as the concert time got closer.

When we finally got in we were right up in the front right near Brian. For the hour or so before the concert the security gaurds were "sizing" up the girls in the audience by leering at them and making reference to how young they were ("I don't wanna end up in jail"), the way they were dressed, and what the way they were dressed meant ("Why would you wear that to a concert?" "Only one reason..." said one gaurd to another). Through each set they continued to act like total meatheads and would get each others attention every time a girl flashed and they would laugh and say some more rude and perverted things.

During the concert the guards did everything they could to continue to act like a bunch of idiots. Several times they purposely hit the fans that were standing against the railing with the crowdsurfers feet or heads or whatever was going to hurt them, afterwards they would do more of the attention grabbing and commenting. There were also several guards who thought that it would be funny if when one of them stood up on thier little step thingy the others would stand behind him and mash his groin into the faces of the girls in the crowd (again pointing and comments followed...these usually happened when there wasn't even anyone around to catch it was just to be an ass).

At one point during The D my sister had to leave because she couldn't breathe (she's barely 5ft tall and the pole on the railing was hitting her right in the windpipe) later on in the show one of the guards came over to our area and started asking questions about the girl that had to be pulled out, he had a big grin on his face and thought it was the funniest thing that she had bruises on her arms in the shape of the holes in the railing (after the show I come to find out that she had to be taken to first aid because she wasn't breathing).

I thought the show was awesome and JEW and The D were great (aside with the technical difficulties for JEW) and I thought that Weezer kicked major ass...this time we were able to hear what Rivers was saying in between the songs. But because I had such a terrible time with the security guards I came away feeling very pissed and a little violated. I didn't spend $75 on tickets $20 on gas and ten hours in a car to get treated the way that we did by those guards." =w= amy =w=

"It's not about a quarter to eight in the morning on december 12. I've been up all night reeling from the increadible show I attended last night. Weezer has been my favorite band for a long time now, and i've made several failed attempts to witness their live show. When I read the news that they were coming to portland i freaked out. I actually bought my tickets the same day, I had them purchased by 7 minutes into the initial presale. I knew their live show was good, but I had NO IDEA that it would be this good. The show started with Jimmy Eat World, I walked in a little late into their set due to an outrageously long line outside. I was impressed by their performance, but not with the guitar weilding lead singer. After a big disturbance on the floor almost knocked several people down (and potentially injurring them) he thought nothing of saying something to the extent of "yeah, this pushing thing is good". I thought that was very inconsiderate. Also he said something about having a "spoiled first impression" of maine. possibly i missunderstood this comment, but if he meant what it sounded like then ef him. Their music on the other hand was good. Next was tenatious D. Have it be known that prior to this show I really didn't like the D at all, and was relatively erked that they were going to be there to "ruin" my weezer show. After their set, however, I must say that I've gained some respect for the duo. They aren't really my cup of tea, nor do I think they will ever be, but they know how to put on an entertaining show. And then Weezer came on. They rocked, i don't really know a better way to put it. It was one of the single most amazing things i've ever witnessed. Every song they played fell upon my ears as if i was hearing it again for the first time and letting it effect me in a way i'd never let it. Only in Dreams in particular hit me harder than it ever had (I'll admit that my eyes started to well up uncontrollably at a few points). When the band kicked out Saturday Night I was totally psyched, I was NOT expecting to hear that song. Another pleasant suprise was the encore which featured the extended introduction to Buddy Holly. I LOVE WHEN THEY PLAY IT THAT WAY! and as for the incident durring Surfwax America involving The D and partial nudity, I refuse to comment. All in all, the show was AMAZING, and I wish I could have directly thanked them for coming to my state." --J

"weezer, jimmy eat world, and tenacious d were absolutely amazing on the last stop of the extended midget tour in portland, maine. this was the first =w= concert i was able to attend, but still feel the need to say that this was, and will be, the best show of my life. the lighting was amazing, the music wasn't as loud as i expected for jimmy and tenacious d, but they seemed to turn it up a bit for weezer. jimmy eat world played 7 or 8 songs, for 40 minutes or so. tenacious d was tenacious d... go figure. just before heading to the show my glasses snapped in half... despite a few people telling me just to tape them up--i'd fit in well--i decided to go without them. that turns out not to have mattered at all, since the portland civic center isn't the biggest arena, and no matter where you were the stage was easily viewable. weezer played an incredible set, but i wish rivers would have interacted a bit with the audience like tenacious and jimmy did (sorry, "i tried lobster today," and "how do you pronounce this s---?" (in reference to a glow stick tossed on the stage) wasn't enough for me.) the people around me felt a little out of place listening to (and not being able to sing to) the "new songs" that weezer performed (maybe because i was the only one around shouting the lyrics as loud as i could!) to sum it up, the new songs sounded better than the demos that i have heard, and again i can't wait for weezer to return to new england." --joe@theweezersource.com

"I would just like to say that the concert at Portland was kickin'! Weezer

rocked the house down! I was in the pit, but after getting stepped on,

elbowed, and farted on, I left. I couldn't take it. My friend and I went to

some nose-bleed seats, with 2 overweight tall men with tight pants blocking

our view. As soon as Weezer came on though, but it didn't even matter. Surf

Wax USA with the fly girls (Tenacious D) just made everything worth it.

Maybe I couldn't smell Rivers or even see Pat, but their music was so

magical that I forgot all of my troubles. I can't wait to see Weezer live

again (hopefully in Portland, Maine!!!) to experience killer music. Thank

You Weezer for making my life worth living." --Mary Beth

"OH MY!!!! That's all I can say about Weezer's Portland, ME Show! Being a Maine native I was a little pissed atr the impression the crowd gave to the bands on stage, the crowd was an incredibly snobby group of emo kids(which Jimmy Eat World made a comment about) and half the crowd came for Tenacious D! I was outraged by my fellow Mainers but with all the aside, the show asolutely rocked! While every one around me was still, I went nuts (my neck and back still hurt from the show and my voice has been hoarse every since!). The new bassist is definitely a great addition, definitely adding satge presence, during "Hash Pipe" he stood in the middle of the smoke machine and the crowd went nuts. The set list was amazing! Not many people knew the new stuff but people still rocked out! They played nearly all of the Green Album, the crowd favs from the Blue Album, and I was totally blown away by "Tired of Sex" off of Pinkerton!!!!! I never in my dreams thought they would play it! Many agree the the Pinkerton record is by far the most powerful Weezer Album yet they rarely play anything from it live. I thought I witnessed a milestone! The crowd shouted for "El Scorcho" but I think we were all more satified to rock out to "Tired of Sex". Rivers also was rockin a moose shirt which I thought was extremely rad that he was supporting(or making fun of) Maine! It was definitely a cool touch that I don't think many noticed. During the encore, they busted out "Buddy Holly" and merged right into "Surf Wax" which the crowd went insane! Confetti rained from the ceiling, the "W" came down and I was blown away! Jack and KG cam out in their Speedos and broke into ballet and the crowd erupted in laughter, even Rivers started laughing mid-Surf Wax! I was extremely amped to be able to catch a Weezer pick that was thrown in the audience amid all the flashing lights and screaming while people were bragging about he confetti they caught, I had the pick I was excited. Those picks are sweet I must say. I rocked my socks off and I screamed all the words till my thoat couldn't take it. I was one of the last people to leave the Cumberland County Civic Center that night (the Event Staff had to tell me to leave a bunch of times) trying to absorb how great the night had been, and hoping Weezer would come out, but it didn't happen. The concert made me happy that I was a fan since the first album. True Weezer fans are a rare breed. All I can say was wow, what a great ending to the tour..." --Marc

(...as always, these and many many more fan's stories will be up in the "weezer fans" section, as soon as i dig out from the months-old backlog of great stories and get them all posted!)