202 -- Bruce Springsteen -- Tuesday, November 1, 2016 -- The Theater at Madison Square Garden -- NYC

This was a unique Bruce concert in that it wasn’t his concert.  It was Stand Up For Heroes, a stand-up comedian fundraiser he was a part of.  Jim Gaffigan, Jon Stewart, Louis C.K., and Jerry Seinfeld each did ~15 minute routines, and he closed the show with a five-song set.  Every performer did themselves proud. War veterans and the Bob Woodruff Foundation could not have picked better people to represent them.  Veterans themselves also appeared on stage and in clips and shared inspiring stories.

The weak link was the host – or at least the hosting position – which turned a first-rate event into a 3am infomercial.  Repeatedly prompting people for thousands and tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars felt…strange. Should money for vets really be raised the way money is raised for Shake Weights -- with the inflection used to sell Bowflex?  Maybe it’s an impossible position to be in, but it felt awkward.

Fortunately, the comedians all had strong routines, and when Bruce came on, it was lights out, as usual.  A few quick hits appear below:

--- Who knew Jerry Seinfeld would be the funniest?

--- Bruce starts with “Workin' on the Highway”! Such pitch, pacing, clarity, and vulnerability.

--- “I'll Work For Your Love”!!!  Even better.  *Tear.*

--- Heh at the quick, funny, dirty stories involving an ATM and skiing that Bruce tells between songs.  HA at him offering to sweeten the pot auction-wise by including all the hamburgers and hot dogs the person can eat.  A guitar, a Cadillac, and an afternoon one-on-one with Bruce in Freehold would probably be the main draw, but it’s hard to argue with unlimited hot dogs.

--- “Long Walk Home.”  I need him to stay until 5am.

--- “Dancing in the Dark”!!  Rhythm shift, unprompted audience participation, magic.

Grade: A

201 -- Weird Al Yankovic -- Sunday, September 11, 2016 -- Wolf Trap -- Vienna, VA

Seeing Hark this happy for this long made for a great night.  I really liked it as well.  More specifics in the live blog below:

--- We tore through every Weird Al song it was possible to tear through during the two hour drive from Charlottesville.  It’s rare we’re able to share nostalgia, so this was really satisfying.

--- I've never seen someone enter the stage halfway through the first song -- cool. 

--- Hark says, “I love Weird Al’s shirt.”  He says this during “Tacky.”

--- Out of nowhere: “HELLO, WOLFTRAP.”  HA.

--- “Lame Claim to Fame” name drops real well.  The flipping arms are funny and add to it.

--- “Now That's What I Call Polka.”

--- Hahaha at the montage: Bill Maher says it’s the apocalypse that Weird Al has a number one album, and Jason Segel petitions Paul McCartney to let Al finally record “Chicken Pot Pie.” Intriguing: Veep endorses him.

--- Stephen Colbert!  The Celine Dion interview was a bit rough at first, but the cannibal ending sold me.

--- First aww of the night at “Homer and Marge,” his version of “Jack and Diane.”   

--- “Fat.”  I hate fat jokes in any form, but I guess the costume and lyrics at least commit to the bit...

--- “Foil”!  Underrated, my favorite so far.

--- Never mind, top one is “Tastes Like Nirvana”!!! Love the extended cow verses, the gargling, and the flinging of the water cup!  “I've been baptized,” says Hark on behalf of the waterlogged front rows.

--- The Real Food segment is painfully over the top.

--- I wish these songs weren't single verses, but at least I got 'em all.  “eBay,” “Ode to a Superhero,” and “All About the Pentiums”!!!  I spit out every “Pentiums” verse like a pro; Evan Davis would be proud. 



  --- Heh at “Canadian Idiot.”

--- Beck / Prince “Wanna B Ur Lovr”!!! Awesome crowd work.  Extra points for the committed stage dive/scream at the end.  Awww at the Seth Myers asking his dad to pull over the car as a kid to hear “Eat It.”  Mini aww at the Craig Ferguson / Chris Hardwick segments.

--- Hahaha at the folk reversal of “Eat It”!

--- Whoaaaaa at the glory note of "Like A Surgeon”!  Apparently he's got a legit voice.

--- Outstanding Jeopardy category intro to “White And Nerdy”!!  Hahaha at 1200, Segways, and (evil Pyramid disaster) Donny Osmond popping in at random times.

--- Hahaha at “you know what I'm saying,” triple negatives, and ruining the gender of rap during the Eminem interview.

--- “Word Crimes” / “Amish Paradise”!!

--- Hahaha at all the storm troopers for “We All Have Cell Phone.”  Then, the wonder: “A Saga Begins”!!!!  The power of SINCERITY.  Outstanding.  

--- On the one hand, “Yoda” is far inferior.  On the other hand, it's nice that Empire gets credit as a superior story.  What on Earth is going on, lol???  It's some sort of avant-garde dubstep performance art.  Major props for boldness!!!

--- The three people behind us: "My hands are numb."

Grade: A

200 -- Bruce Springsteen -- Thursday, September 1, 2016 -- Nationals Park -- DC

Any day now could bring the birth of my son.  The due date is next Monday. That day happens to be the birthday of the performer responsible for this life event, the third most intense moment of my life.

Since college, I’ve been to a lot of concerts — and written a lot of concert reviews.  Now that I’m finally caught up on all band recaps (not a minute too soon!), I can honestly say that this 2016 Bruce Springsteen Nats Park show was in a league of its own — a genuine life event.

What made it so potent – what made Concert 200 different than the other 237, including 13 of Bruce Springsteen’s?  (1)  It rewrote the rulebook — multiple times.  (2)  Bruce performed the show for me — in his basement.

I should clarify: the concert was at Nats Park, not a Jersey cellar.  For the first time at a Bruce show, however, I was in the pit.  Paul Verbesey, Jen Verbesey, and Mike McDonald were as well.  The intimacy there was unreal.  It felt like the audience was me, E Street, and a few friends who happened to have 30,000 people behind us.  In that environment, everything went out the window.

First off, I was the casual Springsteen fan in the pit.  People knew more songs than me, knew lyrics cold, and had been to many more shows.  They were rock legends; I was Nickelback.  What this meant is everything got multiplied.  I reacted to the band and 100 people in the pit.  The pit reacted to the band and each other.  The band reacted to the pit and each other.  Ripples all over.  In theory, this dynamic is true at any concert, but the devotion made it different. It was the crowd at the first Rise Against show…to an exponent.  It was James Porter’s description of me at the Madison Square Garden show…feeding off 100 me’s.

Take all that, and add a WILD setlist.  This was my third show of the River Tour, so I assumed it was going another march through the mega album before some obvious hits at the end.  Instead, they barely went near The River.  They were too busy launching deep cut after deep cut at everyone in front of me.  It started with six different songs from six different albums, half of which I didn’t even know!  It didn’t matter that I didn’t know them; the legends surrounding me did.  I took in their energy; I gave what I could back; we both grew.

I’ll be honest: at times, it became too much.  I’ve never felt that at a concert before.  It was not “too much” in the sense of undue repetition -- it never made me numb.  It was literally hard to handle.  New, happy explosions came from all angles every other minute…for three hours and forty-five minutes!  It was trench warfare and nuclear bombs at the same time!  

At one point, to my shock, I became my cat.  One day when I was a kid, my cat Harry became overwhelmed with affection that he stopped purring and bit me in the nose.  Halfway through the show, it took me a few seconds to notice that I was nibbling on my forearm!  A 67-year-old man was able to simultaneously surf a crowd, chug a beer, and sing in tune.......while I’m reduced to nibbling on my forearm.  Lunacy.

This review is starting to become as long as a Springsteen show, so I’ll start to wrap up.  For any hardcore Bruce fans, song-specific live notes appear after the clips.  No need for casual fans to read these though – they’re only for pit people. ;)  I’ll end as I started my Bruce journey -- with “Badlands.”

The “Badlands” lyrics were first an anthem for me when I studied abroad in England.  I was thinking about coming out, yet state after state was passing ballot initiatives banning gay marriage. The lyrics continued to be relevant in 2017, when, to my shock, Badlands National Park retweeted my use of the song. (They were trying to promote science and resist Trump.) https://twitter.com/mcverb/status/824051847992344576 This night, though, the lyrics took on a new meaning – they were less about resistance than acceptance.  As the song built, the pit jumped higher and moved closer. When it finished, one person came to me for a high five.  Then another came. Then a third for a high clasp. 

Before the next song, I made sure to type the following thought in my phone, so I’d never forget it: “No further need to consult the Bible.  I now know what heaven looks and feels like.  Two high fives and one high clasp.”  

Grade: A+


Badlands : Bruce Springsteen from Olas Oasch on Vimeo.
   

P.S.  Here are the live notes – only for people likely to enter the lottery to get a wristband. ;)

--- I literally sprinted around Nats Park, desperate to make it on the lottery line in time.  I end up arriving at 4:01, seconds after they stopped distributing wristbands.  Oh, well, at least I’m first in the reject line.  Woo – I win the NIT! ;)  Being serious, though, I may not be in the absolute front, but I’m glad Paul, Jen, Mike, and I still made it to the pit.

--- It’s hours before the show starts.  Fortunately, I meet a number of cool people: the mother of my former student (Carly Samuels), an Irishman who flew in from Dublin (Colin and Caelin!), and a girl who gasps when I explain about this music blog (woo, appreciation!). 

--- “New York City Serenade” to start.  They show a picture of the sheet music and title.  I’ve never seen that before.  The crowd flips out at “she won't take the train” -- whoa, these people are hardcore.  Keep singggging.  Much deeper opener than “Meet Me in the City.”

--- “Ain't No Cure for these Summertime Blues,” “Sherry Darling,” “No Surrender,” “Growin' Up,” John Hammond's “Ain't no Saint in the City”!!!! Disarray.  

--- I've never had an opening like that: stopped taking notes for five songs.  My outgoing text to James, Katie, and Hark: “Jdkdkebendod rnekbriforkfitoritkrjtjrjrnrjrjrkrlrbrnkrkrnrktkrlrbrjjrkrkorjr.  Completely different Bruce River show at Nats Park right now.  Everything turned on its head. Ecstasy.”  



  --- I abandon all the effort to get my posters noticed.  For the first time ever, I made posters for the show.  It had been drama deciding what to right, how to bring it, and how to hold it during a half-day party.  I thought it would be worth all the drama, though.  If I ever got on stage, it would be something I could show my kids forever.  They’d never get to fully experience Bruce, but a video of me “Dancing in the Dark” would give them a great window into a live show.  Seven songs in, though, I stop caring.  There are legit fifty signs more creative than mine.  Some encrusted with jewels, and some have original artwork, so they deserve to be picked.  No stress – spread the love.       

--- Two separate ROFLs at everyone’s reactions during “Spirit in the Night.”  His beer chugs, falsetto, wheeee!!!!

--- “Does this Bus Stop at 82nd Street?” / “Lost in the Flood” / “Kitty’s Back” / “Incident on 57th Street”: such a deep catalog.  I need to devour all the old albums, like I did with The Beatles this summer.

--- Rosssssssssssssssssaaaaaaallllita!!!! Soooooo clossssssse, we're in their BASEMENT, unreal.

--- Cover of Jimmy Cliff’s “Trapped.”

--- The amazing spinning, motioning virtuoso flips out at “These Are Better Days.”  So happy for him, everyone.

--- “Promised Land” into “41 Shots”: that's America, folks.  Clever juxtaposition!!!

--- “Hungry Heart” incorporates a flower girl and Jake Clemons sings during "Out in the Street"!  Nils also sings during “Darlington County”!!



--- “Downbound Train.”  Hehe at the back-to-back-butt performance of “Working on the Highway.”    

--- “I'm On Fire”!!!  Unexpected -- my favorite vocal of the night.

--- “Because The Night” sounds so powerfulllllll. Lyrrrrrrics. I need to stop giving exclamation points!!!!

--- “Badlands”!!!!!  No further need to consult the Bible.  I now know what heaven looks and feels like: two high fives and one high clasp.  

--- New charity: Hero Dogs.  Of course DC Central Kitchen.

--- “Secret Garden” comes with a beautiful breeze.  Divine intervention. 

--- “Born to Run," “Seven Nights to Rock” (played in the round), and “Jungleland”: all incredible, especially "Jungleland."  What. A. Night.  

kennedy centre honours ( part 1 ) - bruce... by runawaydream

199 -- Billy Joel -- Thursday, August 18, 2016 -- Fenway Park -- Boston, MA

The best part of seeing Billy Joel in Boston was being there with Erik ‘K’ Kastman.  It did not come close to measuring up to the previous summer’s Foo Fighters show with K, but there were still a bunch of fun moments:

--- If he's going to start with “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” he should have gotten me to sing it!  Total lost opportunity. ;)

--- Yay, personalized elements: attempts the Boston-themed "Down by the River," references Bucky Dent (without ducking), and dedicates "My Life" to a Boston friend.

--- Yay, I called "Pressure" three seconds in even though this was just the third time I heard the song!

--- “‘Big Man on Mulberry St’ is not a big hit, so if you need to go to the bathroom, now would be a good time.”  HA!  K says, “I'm really loving the brass.”  Apparently K and both played the trumpet in school -- who knew?

--- References “some politician” in the intro to “The Entertainer.”  Can’t imagine who.

--- “I haven't had a hit in 23 years, yet you guys are coming and selling out for me at 67.  Crazy.”

--- Hahaha, he has a flyswatter on stage, ready to put bugs in their place.

--- Gives the audience a choice between some song and “Vienna.”  Never seen a performer give an audience a choice like that before!

--- Awww, brings out a local Boston kid in a tux vest to play piano!  Sounds like a old West tavern song.  High point of the night!!!  13-year-old Bradley Bartlett has a future.

--- “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” manages to be about NYC yet not elicit Boston boos.

--- “New York State of Mind”!  So smooth.  I yelp approval at the Greyhound part.  The Brooklyn sax, the high note at “Hudson River Line,” and the bass voice at “state of” are awesome.

--- “The Downeaster Alexa” is for the downtrodden fisherman.  I like the pacing / mood.   K was given this song in a mix by a Terrapin.  [It took on greater meaning months later when I heard Mike Hess sang it with his fishermen friends at the end of his wedding.  Such a powerful moment.]  



--- The best part of "Movin' Out": heart attack-ack-ack-ack.

--- “And So it Goes.”  His intro: “This is a hard song to do in a stadium, but I'm going to do it anyway.”  Good for him!!  It's frustrating when quiet songs are abandoned in big venues.

--- “Allentown.”  Technically, it's a Springsteen-esque message song.  Personally, it brings me to Dorney Park!  (Wildwater Kingdom too.)

--- “Always a Woman to Me.”  Smooth.  HA at K referencing "Wisconsin bangs" when the hair of a woman is shown on the monitor.

--- Hahaha at Billy rocking the flyswatter drumstick during “Heat Wave”!!

--- The guy who sang “Sweet Caroline” is back for an opera solo in all Italian!  Bravo.  (I had somehow never known that they sing that at every Red Sox game at Fenway.  And to think I liked the song...)

--- In “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” the sax reigns supreme.  Every time, the sax makes me think of Clarence Clemons -- tear. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw572hRD1diCaVNaRVowNENKZEk/view?usp=sharing

--- HA at Billy Joel's half-second pause/sigh before launching into “Piano Man.”  HAHA at the return of the swatter halfway through.

--- Whoa, Billy Joel plays guitar.  The “We Didn't Start the Fire” tongue twister loses a bit live, but it's still cool.

--- Heh at his dance moves during "Uptown Girl" and him spinning the mic stand before “It's Still Rock and Roll to Me.”

--- “Only the Good Die Young”!  Whoa, the sweat is *pouring* off him.  Nice falsetto on ‘good’ near the end.

--- “You May Be Right”!!  Thanks to a steady build and the opera singer's sick vocals, this song is the underdog champ of the night.

Grade: B+

198 -- Paul McCartney -- Tuesday, August 9, 2016 -- Verizon Center -- DC

For me, the Summer of 2016 was the Summer of The Beatles. For the first time, I listened to their albums, read their histories, and saw this live show.  Going back and editing the notes this summer was satisfying – it let the Magical Mystery Tour continue through 2017.  

The show had been excuse to dive into everything about the band, and the performance was almost an afterthought.  I assumed McCartney would be a tight-lipped Brit who would put on a competent show, as Oasis and The Who had done.  Turns out he was an absolute *pro.*

See why in the live recap: 

--- How does this continue to work? --> Floor ticket for the price of an upper upper-deck limited view ticket!!!  Last-minute Verizon Center glory!  

--- “A Hard Day's Night" / "Can't Buy Me Love”!

--- “My Valentine,” a song he wrote for his wife, Nancy, who's here tonight.  Not sure why Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp are doing sign language in the video.  Hopefully an activism thing.

--- “This next one's for the Wings fan.”  Hahaha, the guy in front of me is awesome!  “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five.”

--- For Linda: “Maybe I'm Amazed.” 

--- Heh at his mini curtain calls after every song.  Awww and he's getting into conversations with the arena about signs!!  In response to a Paul For President 2016 sign: “I don't think there's time left.”  HEE.

--- “In Spite of all the Danger.” Whoa, a song from John Lennon's Quarrymen?!  Before everything!  He prompts the crowd with “whoa-oh-oh,” so they get into it.  Lifetime pro.

--- Cool harmonica during “Love Me Do.”  The pause is always the best part.  Dedicated to George Martin.  Cool anecdote from the recording session.

--- Guy in the audience has been to 108 shows, so he knows the intro story -- heh.  Pro.  

--- Whoa, I didn't know “Blackbird” was written for Birmingham / Montgomery.  The raised stage / message is unexpected / satisfying!  “You were only waiting for this moment to be free."  High point of the night so far. 

--- “Here Today”!!!  Haunting ooohs and falsetto.  Such a moving conversation between him and the late Lennon.  “If you have something to say, say it sooner than later.”  Paul Simon, TAKE NOTE.  (The awesome guy next to me: “you said it!”)



--- “We can tell what you like.  When we do an old Beatles song, the whole place lights up.  It's every star in the galaxy.  And when we do (a new) one you don't like, it's like a black hole.  But we don't care.”  Hahahah, most honest I've heard a singer be at a concert!!

--- “Lady Madonna”: Cool  (/obvious?) images of strong women on screen.

--- “Four Five Seconds”!  HA, he is certainly a man of the people.  He's got words on the screen for a song about making it to the end of the work week. (Wisely) does not mention the fact that Rihanna and Kanye West are also featured in the song... (Other guy next to me saw McCartney at Bonnaroo!  What is this, a Greyhound bus?)

--- “Eleanor Rigby"!!  Sketchy vocals / sound, but it's still "E.R."

--- “I don't know how many of you know, but George Harrison was a really good ukulele player.”  Yay, I did know that!  I like that he's also paying tribute to him after the prior bashing.  The ukulele in the beginning made “Something” weird in the beginning but it ends up a BRILLIANT contrast when the guitar kicks in!!! Awwww at all the George pictures on screen.  

--- “Oh La Di, Ob La Da”: an unexpected party!!  Like the "life goes on" part.

--- “Band on the Run.”  Strong by the middle of the song -- the best Wings track tonight.

--- “Back in the USSR”: sponsored by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys?  A real rocker!

--- First band to play in Red Square.  “Those Ruskies love to rock.”  The Russian Defense Minister told him [in a thick, amusing accent], “The first record I ever bought was ‘Love Me Do.’”  Another minister quote: “We learned how to speak English by listening to The Beatles.  Hello, goodbye.”

--- “Let It Be”!!!  Wish you could be there, Gerry T. http://someofourdistinguishedguestss.blogspot.com/2015/01/parents.html

--- Hahahah, did not expect literal fire during “Live and Let Die”!  What is this, Trans-Siberian Orchestra / Guns 'n Roses?  So much for understated Brits.

--- Hahahah at him stumbling around like a deaf person after the 5,000 explosions. Final guffaw at the transition to “Hey Jude”: “welllllll, here we go.”

--- “Hey Jude”!!!  It goes on like an hour, the crowd continues to flip out even after it ends.  74, he's still got it.

--- Whoa -- I thought that was the end.  Still a second encore!!

--- He brings out U.S., U.K., Russia, and RAINBOW flags!!!  

--- “Yesterday” / “Hihihi”!!!  Sickkk contrast. I'm officially flipping out.  I've lost all objectivity at this point.

--- Someone from the crowd has seen 64 shows since 64.  His response to someone who has seen 100 shows: “Are you looking for a rebate?”  Signings people's tattoos / Chill Class Vibe in an ARENA!!!!

--- “Carry That Weight” / “The End.”  Bravo.

Grade: A+

197 -- Tony Bennett -- Thursday, July 28, 2016 -- Wolf Trap -- Vienna, VA

The concert, in a nutshell: Tony Bennett, three days from his 90th birthday, crushed it. The human spirit, man -- it's something else.

For Bennett fans, here’s more info on what it was like to be there:

--- If my 100-year-old nana were still alive, I would have invited her.  In comparison to much of the audience, she'd seem like a spring chicken!  I kid.  There are spry 50-somethings sprinkled in…  

--- Aww, Sinatra audio intro!  “They All Laughed.”  Intriguing lyric: “Like Columbus Day without Christopher Columbus.”

--- “My Solitude”!!  Whoa, Duke Ellington grew up here -- in Vienna.  Duke's mom told him he was great, and he never forgot it.  I'm genuinely going to take that with me.  The fact that he follows that strong story with outstanding pacing makes it the clear high of the night.

--- “Sing You Sinners”!  Oooh, one of the few songs I specifically remember from The Essential Tony Bennett.  He's got everyone clapping -- nice.

--- “Steppin' Out with My Baby”: HA, the lyric “never felt quite so sunny” as it starts to pour!!  Thank God I'm inside and not on the lawn.

--- Nice casual tribute to the guitarist: “Don't he play beautiful?”

--- He's played at Wolftrap every year since 1950 -- 66 years!

--- “My Love Is Here to Stay.”  Unlike the lawn people, who have to be fleeing in this thunder, lightning, and RAIN.  It just occurs to me that he sang “My Love is Here to Stay” right after he told us he's played here for 66 years. Whoa, Wikipedia tells me he's now 90?!  And his voice has not seemed to age a day! There's hope for Bruce yet!

--- Aww, “Because of You,” the first song on The Essential Tony Bennett.  Ooh, I think he's doing a speed-round medley like Weezer and Stevie Wonder did.  Smart.

--- The steady, peaceful rain in the background adds a cool aura.

--- The very first song he ever wrote: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”  Billie Joe Armstrong does not approach the stage for a duet.  Considering the forceful run at the end, he doesn't need to.

--- “The Good Life"!  Nope, no Rivers Cuomo either.  He does, however, mention he sang it with Lady Gaga on their recent, improbable tour.  He adds, hilariously, that he wants everyone to buy it because she needs the money.

--- “How do you keep a song from fading too fast?”  Whoa -- powerful lyric.  The rest of the lyrics are powerful too, as is the twisty master class finale!!!  Everyone involuntarily gets out of their seat and applauds at the end.  90.  “How Do You Keep the Music Playing” is the title.

--- Heh, a few dance shuffles.  “May we play more?”  Suavest Tim Kaine ever.

--- Sinatra!  “One for My Baby, and One More for the Road.”

--- Aww, “For Once in My Life”!!  Honestly, Melinda Doolittle's was more memorable, but having the connection beforehand and the audience standing a second time makes it powerful.

--- Double bass = stealth murder.  So.  Smooth.  



--- Lol at the crowd during “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”  I think they know this one.  Shrieks.

--- Yay, he chuckles at the first “let it rain and thunder” line of “Who Cares?”  The quiet instrument solos sound lowkey cool.  Or in today's slang, is “lowkey cool” redundant?

--- “Smile”!!  So tender.  I love how often he nods to the band.  Such a gentleman.  Heh, another Tony chuckle at “bring on the chain.”  Unexpected, welcome, jazzy rhythm shift at the end.

--- Most understated, sick "Fly Me to the Moon" you ever did hear.  Includes another “sing forever” lyric.

--- Surprise birthday dog / birthday cake!

--- “As I Approach the Prime of My Life”: Everyone feels the relevance.  Woo, Tony.

Grade: A

195 / 196 -- Weezer / Panic! at the Disco -- Friday, July 1, 2016 – Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY

Thursday night, I saw Paul Simon with my dad.  Friday night, I saw Weezer with my mom. Not a bad way to start the summer!  



If you're interested in the Paul Simon show, click this link.

If you're interested in the Weezer show, read below.

The concert started with Weezer's opening band, Panic! at the Disco:

--- Somehow my mom has never heard of “Bohemian Rhapsody”?!?!  Regardless, the band and frontman Brendon Urie covered it well.    

--- Sigh at there being more Panic! shirts than Weezer ones...

--- “This is Gospel” was way more meaningful after hearing about Urie’s friend’s addiction – especially since he’s been sober for two years now.  Good for him.

--- Urie apparently thinks he's Flea, running around tattooed and shirtless the whole time.  

---  I love Urie’s genuine enthusiasm for Weezer -- especially Pinkerton!  He tried to act all cool around them backstage, but his inner teenager was starstruck.  I'd be too!

--- Overall, not my type of music, but a feel-good start to the night.

Grade: B




Weezer

--- Wish they hadn’t started with “California Kids,” but there's very little vocal dropoff from the album, so that’s good news for the night!

--- Hahaha: “What is that I smell?” – live music newcomer Nadine Curley Verbesey.  Followed thirty seconds later by the song “Hash Pipe”!

--- “If You’re Wondering”: bouncy as ever.

--- “Hello.  Welcome to the Weezer family.”  Ha.  For Rivers Cuomo, still probably a terrifyingly long interaction. 

--- To my surprise, “Pork and Beans” rocks.

--- Love how authentic Geek-Rock-y Rivers looks this time.  The awful mustache and cowboy hat of the Red Album Borgata show is a relic of the ancient past.

--- The crowd around us is awful, but whoa-oh prompts up wake them for “Perfect Situation.”

--- “Beverly Hills” makes it hard for me to hate it.  Why must you be so catchy?

--- Lol, Beyonce gets more cheers than Rosa Parks or Michelle Obama during the “Thank God For Girls” montage!

--- Inspired idea: mashup of five songs in one!  On the one hand, I want to hear all of “Dope Nose,” “Sweater Song,” “Surf Wax America,” and, the inspiration for this blog, “The Good Life” (!!!).  On the other hand, when you have 11 albums worth of songs to choose from, it’s a smart idea to lump songs so you can play as many as possible.  The clever changing-channels visual on ‘Weezer TV’ was a nice touch.     

--- “Only in Dreams”!!!!  The unquestionable high point of the night.  Never fails to inspire. 

--- Whoa, the useless crowd is up out of their seats? “Say It Ain’t So”…

--- Rivers reads hilarious, self-depreciating tweets on stage.  He follows them up with an awesomely strange version of “El Scorcho”!! 

--- At last, it’s time for “Buddy Holly” – and all the confetti that comes with it.  I didn’t get to hear “Buddy Holly” or any Weezer song at my wedding last year, so this made up for it. 

Grade: B+ / A-