Karl's Corner - 07/18/2002

07/18/02 get off your horse and jam

Enlightenment Tour Day 13: Columbus, OH; Polaris Amphitheater

Main Stage: Sparta, Dashboard Confessional, Weezer (Strokes cancelled due to injury)
Second Stage: Loudermilk, Home Town Hero, Am Radio

An absolutely vicious thunderstorm nearly derailed the show today, rolling in without warning at about 3:30. The rain came in horizontally as a wall of mist and water, forcing rapid deployment of the tarp system always on hand at these semi-outdoor events, to save the mixing consoles and other gear from certain doom. Then the lightning struck and struck hard!! A series of deafening booms immediately followed a set of massive lightning bolts that struck right on the grounds of the Polaris. Power was intentionally cut to the stage area, to ensure that any possible strike didnt travel to the sensitive equipment and fry out the gear needed to do the show. Meanwhile the band and crew huddled at the fringes of the stage in a mixture of fascination and concern. fortunately, the storm wasnt very long lasting. After about 30 minutes of delay, the sun broke thru and the storm was said to be moving East rapidly. Soundcheck resumed and the show was back on track.

"Weezer World Cup" Foosball Challenge #3: Columbus- WWCD CD101.1
Foosball Challenge #3! 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.

Todays match results:
Round 1: Team Weezer (Cuomo/Wilson) V. Smith-Ruby (Cole Smith and Tony Ruby) : Winner: Team Weezer. Score: 10-7. [a TOUGH match that could have gone either way]
Round 2: Team Weezer (Cuomo/Wilson) V. Any Black Square (Jessica Ebert and Solomon Lane) : Winner: Team Weezer. Score: 10-1. [Team A.B.S. was looking for opportunities but couldnt get things together in time]
Round 3: Team Weezer (Cuomo/Wilson) V. The Lifesavers (Maria Schied and Anna Prior) : Winner: Team Weezer. Score: 10-1. [The Lifesavers had spirit but needed more field time. But all 3 were good games, strong work! Go Team!]

pic #23, standing L to R: JDT24FROG , wynd, radiusman, lostinemotion, (sn tbd), gumbytom; seated: ace, streakweezel; not pictured: lethe

...the first batch of Columbus fans' show tales that came in...

• "...What a great show. I saw Weezer three times on Pinkerton tour and once in 2000. I was actually really surprised, but this may have been the best show yet. Set list stacked with Blue Album and Pinkerton tracks. Seven songs from Pinkerton and six from Blue album including a great version of Only in Dreams. I am home tonight figuring which city to fly into so I can experience some more of this great tour. Thanks for keeping the long time fans in mind." ---Matt

• "...I just returned from the Columbus Weezer show, and there aren't words to describe what I've just witnessed. I've been to my share of Weezer performances but this one was by far the most amazing. It all started with getting a chance to catch a glimpse of Karl. I pointed out to my sister; Karl in his bright orange shirt doing what I assume is his pre-show work. We were both pretty excited then the guys in front of us called him over to our section! They talked to him for a while and of course we sat there, too shocked to say a thing. That was just the beginning of an astonishing evening. Sparta started off the night with some pretty good music for a fairly unknown band. Next was Dashboard Confessional. They being a little more popular had a much larger fan base than Sparta. Those DC fans sure do know how to show the love to their favorite bands. But nothing can beat the Weezer fans. The set list was incredible. They couldn't have created a better blend of old and new. The pyro was awesome; the fans were wonderful, and the boys of Weezer sure do know how to make a crowd go crazy. Keep up the good work guys, you've built quite a loyal fan base and now I know why." -Becky Reed, Columbus, OH

• "...Just got back from the Columbus show, and even though they didnt play "the world has turned and left me here", it was still the best show I have ever seen. They played almost all of the songs that I wanted, Love Explosion, El Scorcho and Tired of Sex all rocked. Sparta was better than I thought, Dashboard Confessional was unbearable, but when Rivers came out in his awesome shades, and remarked "Damn, he is sexy", it made up for it. I thought Rivers' was unusually talkative and pretty hilarious. Especially his remarks about "No other one"(sappy sh*t) and El Scorcho, ("are you satisfied") Overall, I had one of the best times of my life, even without the strokes. Can't wait to see them again!!!!!!" ---[no name given]

• "...After planning a family vacation around the enlightenment tour. it would figure that the strokes would cancel and i would lose my keys and have my tickets locked in the car. so i missed sparta. so that comes down to $50 bucks to see dashboard and weezer. but that is arguably the best $50 i ever spent. to hear rivers talk through out the entire show was AMAZING! and the setlist was totally sweet and so was the light show. 800 mi and $50 to go see weezer all by my lonesome seems like a baragin!" - ben omaha NE

• "...you didnt play the world has turned and left me here you pricks. you suck!" ---matthew s.

• "...To be honest, I bought the tickets so I could see The Strokes. But apparently, their knees' are attached to their diaphragms, so they couldn't sing. And I was expecting the worst. I was expecting Photograph and all that other green album s*** and all the other maladroit crap that I haven't listened to since I've bought the album. But, the concert I heard was not those two albums. Weezer is smart, they played their old stuff: AND IT ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had all of my, "Oh this concert is only going to last 30 minutes long" jokes set, but they played some of the best songs ever written in my mind. They played the songs that made me compare them to the Stones. That is a broad comparison, but the fact is that Weezer CAN rock. They haven't lately in the cds, but I have heard it and I know it is true. I left all my jokes and taunts behind, and I believed again. I loved Weezer. I sang every word. I danced. I jumped around. I yelled and screamed and hollered. It rocked. Then, quite suddenly the encore came. I was a bit shocked, but I knew that another good 30 minutes was coming. Every other band who plays Polaris plays that much at least. El Scorcho! GODDAMN THOSE HALF JAPANESE GIRLS INDEED!!!!!!!! but then it ended and that was it. The lights went out and I stood still. My girlfriend dragged me off. I said, no it wasn't over. But it was. There were only two new songs played. all the rest was old and rocking. BUT. It only lasted an hour. [ed. note: set time = 80 min, as usual] I didn't know who to be mad at: MTV2, Weezer, the strokes . . . all I know is that I could have put in two cds that I love and hold dear to my heart (that have helped me out through my mothers death) and could have bought a case of beer for cheaper than the two beers I bought at the venue and could have had a better time. OK Karl, so I might not be a fan anymore. So I'm not. I don't blame Weezer for trying to make as much money as they can. I don't. I don't call bands sell outs because I know I would do the same thing probably if I had that talent. I am not saying I'm above the band. Maybe I should just ask myself what I want from music anymore, because that concert just wasn't it. I think I want jamming. They jammed once and I was going nuts! Only in my dreams was awesome!!!!!! in my opinion they were at their prime right there!! They can jam. They can!!! they just don't. They basically played a bunch of 3 minute songs. I cheered my ass off so they would keep on playing . . . but they didn't. Maybe it is just that I feel betrayed. Maybe I am just a hypocrite somehow. I have loved Weezer so much. I have loved the rentals and I even spent my $40 bucks buying that special goodness . . . . but tonight, my $30 bucks didn't buy me anything that I didn't already have. I left the concert with the same feeling I came in with. But in the middle of the concert I felt like it was 6 years ago again and I was listening to the Blue album for about the 50th time..." ---Joe

• "...I just wanted to let the world know that Weezer put on an amazing show tonight. The set list was amazing, playing all the classics from the Blue Album and the hidden favorites from Pinkerton. I was pleasantly surprised because the show was much different from the show I saw on the last tour. The stage set with the flying W lifting the drums and the fire shooting was amazing. The other bands were great especially Dashboard Confessional. The final song of AM Radio with all the bands was really great. I look forward to hearing more from them in the future. Also love The Strokes, too bad the couldn't play, hopefully they return to Columbus on their fall tour. Anyway, Weezer rocks, Columbus loves them, can't wait till 2003 to hear more great new songs. Keep up the great work on the website." ---Dan Scali

• "...I'm writing this from my Palm Pilot as Dashboard is playing and I'm waiting for the Weez to come on. It's extremely hot and humid and the people here are freeking crazy. *later* Yay! We are in the car on the way home, and I must say this is the best concert I've ever been to. The set list was very Pinkerton-filled and only 2 Maladroit songs?! I was kinda disappointed in no "Say It Ain't So" but El Scorcho as the encore .... sheer briliance! The crowd was awesome despite the sweltering heat. I'm going to upload this as soon as I get home. Rock on!" ---Christa-

• "...The Concert in Columbus tonight completely rocked my socks off. I was screaming each word of every song there. Only in Dreams was amazing as smoked filled the concert with the lightings going into the crowd. The entire crowd was screaming every word of Dope Nose as the Pyro was amazing and El Scorch, the final song, was the GRAND (emphasis on grand) finale. It was the greatest show i have EVER seen in my life. Kevin Walls, Wilmington, Ohio

• "...Ok, so I get there, and I am not as pumped as I normally am for concerts...but gradually it builds. The opening acts were cool. Sparta rocked, Dashboard was well...Dashboard. When weezer opened with Buddy Holly, that really pumped the crowd big time!! Great setlist!! Although the encore was weak with just El Scorcho...But I am NOT going to complain! Great visual effects. The Flying W was AWESOME! I did not expect that. Then after the show, a couple board members and I went backstage and hung out with the band." ---Eryn (Streakweezel)