Karl's Corner - 07/09/2002

07/09/02 hear you me

...R.I.P. Mykel, Carli, and Trysta Allan, 7/9/97...we love you!...

...hey, check out our new chronology section! see =rwa= news for the downlow!

Enlightenment Tour Day 4: St Paul MN; Xcel Energy Center

Main Stage: Sparta, Dashboard Confessional, Weezer
Second Stage: Loudermilk, Home Town Hero, Am Radio (at "7th Street Entry", in Minneapolis)

...Now this show was SOLID! What a rock attack setlist it was, and what a supremely fired up crowd filled the Xcel Energy Center! I sure hope that this trend continues, because this was just an epic show. This show also marked the first USA performance of "Butterfly" since 1997, and also its first ever "electric" USA performance. The show closed with a thunderous "Take Control", which really seemed to fire up the whole place (er, literally...). The fans reactions after the show were testimony, as once again tonight, I got several comments from people who have seen numerous weez shows that tonight's was, to them, "the best ever" or, "one of the best". Nice.

...pic #14, l to r: anToneJ28, way of the ewok, Dahl Dahl. Not pictured: =supergrover=, JonnyGT...

...the first batch of St. Paul fans' show reports that came in via email...

• "...It was AMAZING!!! The new Stage setup is incredible! The pyro is ingenious and Atom's between the Act's show was rad as well. Dashboard Played a great show! But when weezer came out and played Good life, I thought I was going to pee myself! And then Holiday, and Tired Of Sex. The intro song is awesome as well , I love the way Scott Rocked out on it! They played many songs I didnt expect to hear, like many Pinkerton songs! And they ended the first set with an electric version of Butterfly! It was insane! My mom started crying because thats the song I played for her when she was sick, or when shes feeling down. Plus she thinks Rivers is hot now (Oh god)!"-Andy, Orono, MN

• "...i just got back from the show and i have to say it was the most intense experience i have had in a while. holy crap. sparta rocked the party that rocked the body and dashboard confessional did a great job getting me ready for the oncoming attack of rock. weezer was absolutely amazing and i was glad to see everyone at the X singing along and having a good time. "The Good Life," "Hash Pipe," "Say It Ain't So," and "Take Control" were my favorites of the night. this was the best concert i have ever been to and i was proud to flash the =w= with so many fans." ---robby

• "...Tonight's show was high energy, definitely higher than the last time in the Twin Cities. This was probably due to the larger venue, better acoustics (which by the way were ---ing awesome). I unfortunately missed Sparta, but saw Dashboard Confessional - great show by him. I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it tonight; soundboard groupies. Chicks just flocked to the soundboard pit to get a chance to stand next to the boys. Karl was in and out, working his magic. It was a little surreal as Weezer took the stage. Rivers, dressed smart in his dashing suit, Brian flinging his hair about, Scott rocking out with his cock out, and Pat ripping mad beats. This show was heavily Pinkerton and Blue, much to my surprise. As with the average Weezer lifer, I dig Pinkerton about as well as any other artist's album. Good Life - you can't beat that for an intro. Tired of Sex, El Scorcho, Butterfly, the list goes on. By the way, I've never seen quite so much teenage macking before in my life. This dude in front of me must've been on something, because he was striking out like a mofo, but he kept on comin'. I actually would've liked a little more new stuff, including album 5, but such is life. You just can't please everyone. Anyone would have liked this show. Anyone. Take a non-Weezer fan and bring them to this show, they'll probably leave a fan. Or at least with an intimate understanding of teenage raging hormones. Rivers didn't seem to want to leave the stage. He kept playing with the reverb, getting some crazy feedback from the amp. The only thing that would have made this night complete is if they played Suzanne. A man and his monkey - it just doesn't get any better than that." ---Dr. Dunkenstein

• "...Holy Pinkerton, Batman. The dice rolled right for all the pinkerton fans tonight as the majority of the set was from it. I think 6 or 7 songs total came from pinkerton. From my point of view the set was awesome, but I would have loved to hear Hey Domingo or any other new song for that matter. Also, I would like to note that the pyro was awesome, make sure to bring it back on the next go around. All the guys looked like they were having fun tonight, with the usual water bottle cap fight between Pat and Scott. Thanks for putting on such a great show, come within driving distance of Minnesota and I'll be there. Peace and Rock On!!!" ---Kyle Vierkant, Bloomington, MN

• "...One word. BUTTERFLY! They ended the show (pre-encore) with Butterfly, and I don't think I have ever heard anything so beautiful in my life! Including Butterfly weezer played a total of SIX pinkerton songs. I still can't believe it. After seeing Weezer 5 times in the past 2 years this was for sure the best! Sparta and Dashboard were ok, but Weezer was on! And Rivers was talking it up like no other time I have seen. They also played burnt jamb and extended it with a small build up and rock out part that made the song a lot longer! Awesome concert! With 6 Pinkerton songs, I dont know how you can go wrong." ---Grant Jordahl

• "...Holy crap Weezer put on a good show tonight! I couldn't have asked for a better overall setlist, even if there were a few songs I would have liked to hear. Pinkerton was the highlight of the evening - Tired of Sex, Getchoo, Why Bother, The Good Life, El Scorcho, and Butterfly - I would have been happy for three, but SIX songs! The other songs, while randomly chosen, were awesome. I'd like to go over all of them, but that's why the setlist is posted. Sparta was a great great opener; I always liked At The Drive-In, and Sparta kept a lot of the energy and experimentalism of the old band. Dashboard was so-so, but a lot of people seemed to like them a lot (at least around me). They kinda killed the energy, but by the time Weezer came on and the mush pit got going the energy levels jumped. I hope I can find the show online; I wonder how that ultimate recording project came through." ---Aaron

• "...Pinkerton in full effect tonight! Highlighted by an electric version of "Butterfly" which ended the set perfectly. River's interaction with the audience was key, because it almost felt like a club show (key word "almost"), with his "Calm down children" and "Hello my little Children" making it feel like we were in for something a bit different. Highlights of the set included at least six songs off of Pinkerton, with the band not playing a song off of Maladroit until at least the ninth or tenth song of the set. With Rivers saying that the set lists were going to be mixed up each night, no one in the audience could have expected what they chose to play. The only songs they played off of Maladroit were "Dope Nose", "Burndt Jamb" (PYRO!!!!) and "Take Control" (which as a finale, was amazing). Yet, no "Keep Fishin". How cool is that!!! Releasing a single and not even playing it - talk about balls!! The majority of the set was made up of Pinkerton, which was unbelievable. "Tired of Sex", "Getchyoo", "El Scorcho", "Good Life", "Why Bother", and "Electric Butterfly" were awesome, and made it feel like we were watching the Pinkerton tour. I can't imagine a better gift to the fans. Happy Birthday to Colleen, and thanks to our friend Tom....a special thanks to Weezer for making one Birthday Boy extremely happy. Go see the show, Im sure it will be different, but it will be just as good, and I'll probably be jealous." ---Cory and Kermit - 651/St Paul Represent!

• As a die-hard Weezer fan, I was so excited to be one of the first to purchase tickets to this year's tour to Minnesota. I've visited your site EVERYDAY to stay on top of video/recording progress before the tour officially started and was thrilled to hear that fans could submit reviews/reports of the concert (first come first served, that is). So here goes...please note, there is an interesting change of events after song #2 so please keep my email in mind next time you talk to Weezer. As always, Weezer had a great turnout and well-executed intonation. Energy was high and the crowd was lovin' it. I was within 100 ft of the stage having a grand old time. Things were pushy and Rivers specifically told folks to "settle down." Not long after, I was punched in the stomach leaving me gasping for air in the middle of a swarm of teenage guys(I'm a 25 yr old female, by the way). The rest of the night was somewhat of a blur. I do remember being escorted backstage (and never meeting the band) and then being hauled out on a stretcher as Rivers sang one of my favorites "Island in the Sun." I missed "Keep Fishin," "O Girlfriend" and left my hopes behind that they'd surprise us and play my ultimate fav. "December." I spent the night in the ER while some undeserving teenage punk got to finish and enjoy the show in front with the band. So what's the point of my sad story? I didn't get to submit my real review of the concert. I didn't even get to see the concert. I didn't get to meet the band when I was backstage. And I'm disappointed that I won't get to see them again until I'm definitely too old to hang out in front. Sincerely," ---Gretchen W.

• "...Mindblowing, tantric-esque experience at the X-Cel last night. Comparable to that of a rejuvenation of the soul at a religious revival where the believers are convulsing and speaking in "Weezer." For a moment I forgot that I probably brought up the average age of a Weezer fan. I've rocked out to many shows in the past, but this ranks in the top 5 ever of any show. I like the clean cut, suit-donning Rivers. Maybe a happier/healthier Rivers, huh? From the sounds of multiple tunes being belted out from Pinkerton. Rivers, "How do you do the things you do?" Its not all about the music is it? Yet here I sit, amongst millions of others, shamelessly, enjoying the performance of the hunger artist of Franz Kafka proportions. At least some of us are honest about it. Keep the perfect moments coming. Truly," ---FLYAZNCHIK

• side stage: "...I went to the after party at 1st Ave [7th st entry] to see AM Radio. By the time I got there, Home Town Hero was playing their last few songs, so we entirely missed Loudermilk. I know 1st Ave makes bands finish by 1am, so I can see why they had to start before the show at Xcel was over. I'm glad I was able to catch at least a few songs from Home Town Hero, though. I'd never seen AMR live before and I only know a few of their songs, so it was nice to be able to objectively check them out live for myself. I enjoyed the show. During the breakdown in one of the songs, Kevin created a nice little Jerry Springer moment for us; he went around to almost everyone in there (which unfortunately didn't take very long) and shook hands. Other than a bit of problems with the drum set, the show was pretty fluid. And fun. It was cool that Rivers showed up. It sucks that the venue made it a 21+ show. For those of you who came but were turned away at the door, Kevin drank to you and the band dedicated a song in your honor. All in all, the whole night was perfection and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved. I guess now AMR can thank Weezer for opening for them." ---Charity

• "...Hello there Karl. This is the first time writing you. I would like to start off and say that this was my 6th time seeing weezer. It was by far the best show weezer show in a big setting that I have seen. Nothing beats 1st ave. to me. As for the 2nd stage it rocked. I only got to see AM radio. We got there around 11:30. AM radio went on at 12:10. They were better then when I saw them in Ames Iowa open for the weezer. Probably cause I knew some of their songs this time. I bought their cd cause all I could find since iowa was mp3's There was only about 15 people in the 7th street entry. And I am positive about 10 were there to see the after party. It was great. I feel like a dick though. I tried to tell Rivers thanks for all the good music through the years but I didn't see that he trying to use his cell phone and he sort of snapped at me. But that's ok. I was the dude wearing the motorhead shirt. well thanks for the good times and I will see you guys again." ----CHAD

• "...Today was one of the best weezer shows I have ever seen. I were so excited to hear them play butterfly and the other five songs from pinkerton. My friend and I have been watching weezer play whenever possible over the years and we have never seen Rivers so engrossed in a performance. After the show, we went to 7th. Street Entry to see AM Radio and Hometown Hero play. I have been listening to Kevin Ridel's bands play for awhile and it was really exciting to finally get to hear them play. We got there as Hometown hero was just starting their set. We had never heard them before, but we both would go again in a second. They played to the small crowd and they played well. AM Radio played an amazing set. Sadly, they only played two songs from their album (one of which I had to request). Everyone in the bar appeared to be really enjoying themselves and they even played around with bits of songs like No Diggity and Like a Virgin. How could you go wrong there? The AM Radio guys all appear to love playing and performing for a crowd. They also made a point to talk to the audience members after the show and to sign autographs. They are rock stars. All in all, a grand evening." ---Moira and Laura

Keep Fishin' report:
look for keep fishin NOWon mtv and mtv2!
UPDATE! - the keep fishin' video is here! click here for the link!