Karl's Corner - 05/27/2002

5/27/02 Budokan. Itta koto arimas-ka?

Japan World Cup Tour show #9: Nippon Budokan, Tokyo

...after a special trip to "The Yellow Hat" store for all our Subaru accessory needs, it was off to the world famous Budokan hall, which was introduced to rock and roll by the Beatles over 30 years ago, and has become known for its elite status of shows ever since. Only the bands who have really made an impact on Japan have played this place, and its really got an air of reverence for all the heavy duty Sumo and Rock action that has taken place there over the years. Our sound man thought it would be clever to play Cheap Trick's live "at Budokan" album before weezers set tonight, but I was worried that playing "at Budokan" IN Budokan would send us all through a hole in the space-time continuum. I was wrong, fortunately. No big suprises in tonights setlist, but several songs appeared that have only very recently seen performance. Soundcheck time saw some run-throughs of the electric-style "Butterfly", but apparently the song wasnt ready for prime time.

Big giant thanks to the weezer crew and the Japanese crew for rocking the gear, transportation, and organizational duties with aplomb! The World Cup Tour '02 went off really smoothly, and all the hard work paid off in spades!

...the first 9 Budokan fans' stories that came in...

• "...The last show in Japan was brilliant, but different since it had more people, and the concert hall was seated. Unfortunately, the performance of AM Radio was the worst ever because we, 9000 Japanese fans, weren't really ready to get excited and most of them stayed seated for some reason (AM Radio did a great job, though). The set list of the Weezer's show wasn't too bad since it covered some major songs that helped us to sing along, but it wasn't the best. However, since I went to three concerts in Tokyo, I was just happy to listen to most songs from albums that I wanted to listen to. I still feel sad that I missed a chance to enjoy "Across the Sea", but now I have a reason to come back to the next show in Japan! (Hopefully this is going to happen soon ! ) The coolest thing I saw today at the show was to see a guy who looked like in his 50th and wearing his business clothes. He was coming to the show by himself, but seemed like having fun so much. Some people even might have thought he was so out of place since most Japanese fans are young and I also wondered how he could know about Weezer. However, at the same time, I think it is so great to have fans from different generations and to share wonderful time together ! Anyways, I just want to say to the guys that thank you so much for giving me such a wonderful time and I really hope that they'll come back soon and have more fun again in Japan !" ---Yoshiko#3

• "...Weezer's performance was very wonderful -- carrying out -- everybody -- even if -- I think that it was fortunate But it is whether Rivers having been fortunate supposing it carried out or, and thinking that it does not put in. A Japanese peaple is not good at taking out feeling to a table. Therefore, possibly everybody's feeling was not transmitted. What did Karl think? I am full of the feeling which does not live in weezer. Although he wants to write mail and a letter to Rivers, where should it send? Please let me know an address. If you please, don't become disagreeable about Japanese peaple. Moreover, please come to Japan. Thank you for wonderful show. thank you,with love" ---Ryoko.

• "...i got to the concert area around 4 in the afternoon. i started to walk around while i waited for the Weezer goods to go on sale. and then i bumped into Kevin Ridel from AM Radio! i took 2 pix with him and talked to him for a bit; he was soo nice! i told him i was moving back to LA this summer so he said i should come to their shows there. then i walked around a little more and saw a handsome american man in pastel blue shirt... it was karl! he was SO good looking in person, i didnt really know what to say besides `i love your website!`... The concert started around 6:30pm with AM Radio... they really rocked=) Kevin kept on saying things like: tokyo arigatou!! after they sang, there was a break for about 20 minutes until Weezer came on. Weezer opened with Island in the Sun! ...it was such a great show... they played 3 pinkerton songs: El Scorcho (im also a half girl...so this song made me cry!), Falling For You (soo beautiful i cried again; i`ve been dying to hear this song; thank you rivers!!), and the Good Life! They sang a lot of hit songs like: surfwax, photograph, no one else, dont let go, dope nose, burndt jamb!, ..they also played Buddy Holly with that awesome Intro (just like the one they played on mtv with mikey!)...Pat also sang The Story Is Wrong...(i love his voice!) ...and for the encore Weezer played Hash Pipe^. ^ Rivers was very talkative tonight... he said things like: oiiiiiii! budoukan rocks!, pokari sweat (its a japanese sports drink) oishiii! daisuki!, were going to rock it american style!, Tokyo...we came, we saw, we conquered...You know what i mean. (???)...Everybody say ooohh ohhh (nobody said it, lol)... Anyways, it was a fun show...Brian looked very hot in jeans and a tight black shirt...Mm! and scott waved at us. After Hash Pipe only Rivers and Scott stayed on stage for a long time just playing little guitar things and crouching on the ground...we all thought they were going to play something else but in the end they just walked off stage...=D ps. rivers voice was slightly husky tonight so it made it sound especially beautiful and sexy. Thanks guys!" ---priincesss (kristie)

• "...I went by this tour to see twice in Osaka 3 times in Tokyo. It is more than a half!! And the live in traditional "Nippon Budokan " used as the final day of tour was performed today. As for today's set list, the hit song of Weezer was performed one after another. Best song selection!! "say it ain't so" which was not able to be heard yet was performed! Very happy!!!And in "el scorcho", it was to the happening in which Rivers leaves words. The pleasant "Japan World Cup Tour" has also finished by the end of today. It is very very sad. But I am looking forward to coming back in summer again!!!! I love Weezer!!!!" ---Chocolat

• "...[re: tokyo zepp #2] : i was very tired after jumping up and down,and being kicked in the head (no joke...boys began body surf over my head!) in the totally packed crowd. the atmosphere was really great,everyone responded so enthusiastically to the music but one complain: hey! i couldn't enjoy the music enough! i even couldn't hear rivers' vocals sometimes because a guy standing in the back singing along really loud... so i enjoyed tonite -world famous-budokan show more. the setlist was really strong,-covering all albums and had a good hard/pop/old/new balance. to satisfy every audience is virtually impossible for weezer (they have so many great tunes) but i loved tonite set. i like the way they began with an instrumental tune and then moved to 'island'.beautiful. at first i thought 'island' was bit too quiet for the opening but actually it worked great. then...i just couldn't stop smiling till the end of the show. favourite songs(say it ain't so, surf wax,el scorcho,burndt jamb, the good life, no one else,buddy holly) were played and i was totally immersed in the whole experience. and the moment everyone started shouting 'weezer,weezer' for encore was too moving and breathtaking. budokan was shaking !! i would never forget this-it's all in my head and never be gone away." ---mariko

• "...First,when I got inside the hall and saw the stage,I felt something really special. Actially I've been to their show for several times, and the last time I've seen them was,like last week, but this time it was way much different than any other show. Yes, this is Budokan!The most honorable place in Japan for all musicians. And I've never seen this many Weezer fans gathered in one place,so I was amazed,and felt happy to be one of them. I thought that the music played before the show was the "Cheap Trick live in Budokan"(I heard that this made Weezer decide to play in Budokan),but I'm not sure.Was it? Well I think it was. When the band came out,everyone stood up and shouted for joy. And Rivers said "ooi!"to the audience. That was quite a nice greeting! After the Intro song,they started to play'Island in the sun'which was the one I really expected.I was moved to tears. And same with 'say it ain't so'.I will never forget how I felt when I heard that intro. After playing 'Don't let go',Rivers said that this song was from the green album,and also said "midori-san"which means 'green'in japanese, but the word is also used for a girl's name.So that was cute and funny. It was a great suprise when they started playing "falling for you".Maybe it was the first time for me to hear it live.and of course,it was good! Rivers seems to like the 'pocari sweat'drink. While they were jamming before the intro of 'burndt Jamb', there was a 4 count break and Rivers broke the silence saying "oishii ne"(delicious/good).Everyone laughed. That was perfect!It also sounded quite cool! I wanna give him a gold medal for that one. 'No one else'and'the good life'are becoming to be one of the standard numbers.Their both great,especialy in live!I shouted out singing"I wanna go back YEEAAAHH!" 'Crab'was one of my favorate songs in the green album, so I was happy to hear it live.And it showed up real well! 'take control'and'fall together'was also good to hear live.It rocked! While they were playing 'hash pipe',I felt a bit sad. cause I knew that this will be the last song for tonight. I prayed to god if they would play just one more song, but it didn't happen.But I'm really satisfied! To be honest,yes I wanted to hear more and more, but I can look forward to it in the future. I can look forward to them coming to japan again some day. So I'm satisfied for now.And I'm really happy. I think they've made another great history.And so, this was the way I ended up my 'WEEZER WEEK'. I should go back to the normal life from now on, but thats quite a hard thing. All the feelings and the emotions I got would remain for a long time. Thank you so much,for the wonderful memory I could never forget." ---sachi

• Just wanted to say that the Budokan show last night was totally amazing. I am California girl studying abroad for the summer in Japan, having an super time (I saw Bill Clinton speak and all, but this concert totally made my trip!)...everything is so fasinating here...have you tried a heated toilet seat yet? Anyway, Island in the Sun and Dope Nose got the crowd fired up right away (I mean as fired up as you can be for standing right in front of your little seat)... I translated to my friends that Rivers said they were *just getting started*. It was really hard to explain to them that whole comment he made about it being a *def jam* and the next song being a blind jam- but I found it highly entertaining. It was also a kick when he said *ha ha* before playing pinkerton songs, perhaps he was responding to someone. Oh yeah, El Scorcho rocked even though Rivers skipped *I asked you to go to the Green Day concert* which all of us personally found cho cuwaii! Thank you for all the Pinkerton by the way!! Since I am staying in a strict dormitory during my stay here, the only way I was allowed to go to the show was if I promised to treat it as research and write a big paper on it (of course that meant they paid for it). I need to go get started, I am thinking of writing about how there was no mosh pit (sadness )and everyone threw their trash away in a trash can, totally unlike Oakland! What a grand culture. I was kinda sad we only got a one song encore, because it was the last stop on the tour and all, but who can be blue about hearing Hash Pipe played live! Tell Rivers I think Pocari Sweat is totally Oshi as well. Oshi, ne? hee hee. I love you Weezer!" ---Nikol

• [dual report]"...best damn concert experience was at the Zepp in Tokyo. The place was a mad house and I found my self swallowed by a thousand crazy Japanese kids. These people were insane. Crowd surfers went wild, the place induced involuntary pogoing due to the fact that we were bound to eachother as if we were pinched in a vice, I must have seen at least two girls just flat pass out - I was getting near that point as well. Hung out with the opening act afterwards (am radio) and went to this place called Roppongi ... or however the hell you spell it. At anyrate, that place was wild - or more so the level of drinking after being completley dehydrated from the crowd. I was maybe three cats back when the show started but thee fans were rabid, out for blood, there for the Weez, so I ended up ousted by these fiendish little girls who were crawling all over my back to get nearer rivers and the rest of the guys. Back to the point, I hate to digress, I apologize. Went out with am radio and a couple of girls we met prior to the show. By the by, just for the know how my friend Bill came along as well. So - I cant really remember the whole night all too clearly, except that I woke up in a shoe box on the eleventh floor of some hotel that ran me about 250 dollars for a night - that sucked, but thats the price you pay for hanging with rock stars (...whatever...) Show 2: Nippon Budokan, very famous place, lots of tradition, blah blah blah blah - Cheap trick played there once and so did Blur and lots of famous bands and so on and so on yadda yadda yadda - the set list was much better this night Seating sucked and the place was run like a police nation. It was nuts. Tokyo: Too many people Tokyo: The Weez was there (had to go)." ---John M.S. (US Army)

• ".........First off, I got to know weezer by green album, and I was thinking that I wish I Could see the live once. But unexpectedly They got new album after green soon and come and live to Japan again! But I wasn't gonna get ticket coz I had no time to go and cant afford for many reasons. So I almost gave up. I'm working during week and weekend so I blame myself How stupid I am- But the goddess of fortune dropped out of the clouds I got the ticket of Budoukan which I won a prize of radio program! It gonna be the first time to see the live so I expected much of it. But honestly - after the show - ehhh. is that all!???? How short was that! (felt so fast time passed?)And during the show I felt most of people didn't rock at all seem stood like stick! well place was too big? so I got a bit disappointed but I enjoyed myself all the way. Anyway what I most moved that I could hear "island in the sun" which I most like in green one at the show beginning, I got a goose bumpy here. And pat was singing! Nice voice! Wow, seems Brian was singing another show, how multiple member they are. So next is Scott's turn! I ask him for hot rod-hard rock! Also Burndt jumb was fantabulous romantic and fall together and take control was so cool! By contrast to this, rivers talk was lovely! Yes, pokari sweat oishii ne! This show made me more falling love with rivers personally not only as a fan! Well totally this day went big and best day for my life but bit felt lonely as I way back to home different as usual. Thank you weezer and otsukare-sama! =w=" ---shiho.