Entry by : Sarah Rose from Spartanburg, S.C.
Email: merrysthetallone@hotmail.com
AIM: WeezerRose
=W= Show Experience: "This is my second show. Saw them first on the Hyper-Extended Midget Tour in Charlotte, NC at the Cricket Arena on 2/05/02.
Because we (my mother, my cousin, and I) live in South Carolina, we had to get an early start to make it to Atlanta, GA, with enough time to get a good spot in line, that way we could get close to the stage on the floor. We left just before 2 PM and were making good time. But around 4 PM, we had some trouble finding “Williams Drive” (NOTE: We learned the hard way that there is no such street in Atlanta and should have actually been looking for Williams Street.) and the Tabernacle because of all the one-way streets; this set us back almost 2 hours. Around 5:30 PM, we got to the venue and were pretty far back in line, about half way from the beginning to the end. During my impatient yet ecstatic wait in line, a pretty cool guy by the name of Karl Koch strolled by, camera in hand to film the crowd. Had I not been so deer-in-headlights about it, I would have readily flashed the traditional =w=. (SIDENOTE: There was this cute little bat on a leaf in a tree next to the sidewalk where we were in line.) As amusing as it was to watch a couple of scalpers get handcuffed to the front bumper of a cop car, the line began to move at a rapid pace as everybody rushed inside the building. Seeing a set of stairs leading down, that’s were we initially went, thinking it was the floor. Unfortunately, the Tabernacle also has another club inside called
The Cotton Club. This is where we ended up. When I realized that there wasn’t a balcony, I grabbed our group together and headed up and up till we got the actual floor of the Tabernacle. Because of our little “side trip”, we were pushed so far back on the floor and because we didn’t think about how my cousin isn’t tall enough to see over the crowd, we decided to go up to the balcony and get the best seats we could. We ended up being on the left side of the stage, unfortunately not the side Rivers plays to.
Once the lights went out at 8 PM and Ringside set foot on stage, there was nothing but rudeness from a completely dead crowd. Ringside was actually very good and didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Well, at least my mom and I enjoyed them. They played for a good 45 minutes, and I’m still wondering whom the masked-man in the hoodie was…
At 9 PM, the lights went out for one final time as Weezer took the stage, smiling and waving at the crowd, much to my surprise since last time I saw them. Cheers and cries of joy and excitement from new fans, old fans, first-timers, and vets alike filled the concert hall. Once the guys got situated, they kicked it off with “Tired of Sex”, so much better than the album version. Rivers said that it was good to be back in the South, and he thanked us for our “southern hospitality”. After the first few songs, Rivers said something about a couple of band members’ moms being at the show, and Scott said “hi” to his mom sitting in the middle of the balcony. The whole crowd turned around and waved and shouted their greetings to Scott’s mom. I believe Brian’s mom was there too. “Hold Me” was the most emotional song, in my opinion, but that’s probably because I got emotional. After “Hold Me”, Rivers said something about “keeping us waiting” and that Brian had something he wanted to do. To our surprise, Brian did lead vocals and put
his own spin on “Getchoo”. It was pretty refreshing to hear something different like that. Around the middle of the show, Rivers introduced the band. It sounded like more people cheered for Pat and Scott than poor Brian, but I screamed for all three of them just the same! The crowd gave their BIGGEST reaction to “My Name Is Jonas”! Everybody was up and jumping around. Then they took it a bit more mellow with “Peace”. I could tell that not many people in the crowd knew the new material. I knew every word to every song though ‘cause I’m ‘cool like that’. After “Peace” came “Beverly Hills”. Brian was the one doing the “Gimme! Gimme!” in the background, and one of the guys (either Brian or Scott) led the crowd in the clapping after “I just don’t belong…” Next Rivers said it was “time to take it back, way back to the good life!” The crowd let out screams because they knew what was coming. During “Undone”, the spotlight shone on Brian and Scott as they spoke the beginning of “El Scorcho”. Then when Rivers approached the mic, the light shone solely on him. For all the people hollering for “El Scorcho”, this was the closest they were gonna get to it. One guy even had a sign that read “Blast Off?” You gotta love Weezer fans…
The band took a break, but the lights remained off and the =w= was still lit up. The crowded was filled with mixed yells of “Scorcho” and “Weezer”. When they finally returned, they picked it back up with “Haunt You Everyday”. Hearing a lot of the Make Believe songs live made me love them that much more. After “Haunt You Everyday”, Rivers said “We’re gonna do one more song, then you guys gotta go home.” They ended up doing a kick-butt version of “Hash Pipe” with a better guitar solo. As the guys of Weezer left the stage, they waved their good-byes, but not before Rivers and Scott did the 10-minute feedback improv! The =w= flickered in rhythm with the feedback, and the crowd just kept of screaming. Once the feedback finally ended and the =w= went out, the lights came back on, and we made our way to the merch counter and exits. What the show lacked in a lightshow, they made up in the best Weezer show I’ve seen! The crowd was soaked with sweat from rocking out so hard. If I was smart, I would have went out the back door and waited for the guys to come outta the building, but I didn’t think about it. Well, there’s always next time!
When we got back to the car, we found a flyer on the windshield for the official after party at Rocky Mountain Pizza featuring El Scorcho, a Weezer tribute band. But you had to be at least 21 to get in and unfortunately I’m only 16, otherwise I would have gone.
This was definitely a Weezer show to remember, and I can’t wait till they come around again!
Setlist:
Tired Of Sex
In The Garage
No One Else
Pardon Me
Buddy Holly
Photograph
Hold Me
Getchoo
Say It Ain't So
We Are All On Drugs
Island In The Sun
My Name Is Jonas
Peace
Beverly Hills
The Good Life
Undone - The Sweater Song
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Haunt You Every Day
Hash Pipe |
