Husband and I saw Weird Al in concert in Adelaide last night. (Hey, Sierra Indigo, were you there?)
The man can *really *put on a performance!
We saw his last show too, so we wondered how much would be different. The answer is: a lot. More medleys, some new stuff (including ‘White & Nerdy’, yay!) and an *unbelievable *amount of sheer energy.
(I don’t know how he does it, seriously. It was hot as hell just sitting in that theatre… I shudder to think how hot it must be underneath stage lights wearing layers of costuming. Somehow he put on a very physical performance and not even look like it was bothering him.)
I always feel sorry for any performer coming to Adelaide: we’re kind of an introverted lot, and it must be intimidating for a performer to appear in front of a bunch of people who are sitting firmly in their seats, not joining in. The first time he held out the microphone for audience feedback was a little too early on in the show and he just got the sound of crickets. (Metaphorically of course: the *literal *sound of crickets would have been pretty funny.) It didn’t take long before everyone was getting right into it though, and the next time he held out the microphone he got a very enthusiastic response. (In fact, a large part of the audience started singing along right from the beginning of The Saga Begins. (I just joined in for the chorus, being the introvert I am. ))
I don’t want to give away too much in case he’s touring near any other Aussie SDMB folks in the near future (I’d hate to ruin the surprises) but I just have to say it’s a fantastic show, and well worth going to if he comes your way!
One interesting thing about the show (other than the performance) was the sheer variety in the audience. In our row and the one in front of us we saw senior citizens, middle-agers, twenty-somethings and teens. How many concerts can you say that for?
Oh yes, the energy the man puts into his performances is absolutely amazing.
I saw him here in Topeka, Kansas several years ago. I’d missed he was coming, but on a Friday saw the article in the paper, announcing his upcoming performance the following Wednesday. I determined to go to the ticket office first thing Monday morning to get the best seat I could.
But on Saturday the paper had the article about the death of his parents, by accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. I assumed the show would be cancelled. It wasn’t. Through his website it was explained that this was Al’s way of dealing with the death “If I’m working I’m not crying”, and that he would stay on the road until the funeral arrangements were completed.
And if I hadn’t heard about his folks I wouldn’t have known it. He was just as wild and crazy as ever.
I took my daughter to see Al last night, too - what a great show! The crowd had a good vibe, the band were really tight, and Al looked like he enjoyed himself. Definitely go out and see him, all you Aussies!
I’m looking forward to seeing him when he comes to PA in May. I went to something like ten concerts on the Running with Scissors tour, but only one on the Poodle Hat tour, and I haven’t seen him since then.
Another Adelaidean! Cool! (I thought it was just me and Sierra Indigo, so that’s a very nice surprise.)
Yeah, the band were great - though I did think maybe they could have dialed back the sound from the instruments a bit as they occasionally came close to drowning him out. (That might have been more from where we were sitting though - we were in row G, which would have been great, 'cept I was close to a speaker that was attenpting to blow my left eardrum out. Next time - hoping there’ll be one! - my husband and I are going to bring earplugs so we can jam one into whichever ear is closest to a speaker…
… yup, guess I’m getting old. They were **REALLY **loud though…
I’ve seen him a few times, and I must agree, the man puts on a really fun show. I really think he and his band are far more talented than they’re often given credit for, considering the vast array of styles they do.
Ooh, now I have to see if he’s going to be anywhere near here…I’m back in civilization!
We were at the back, so it wasn’t ear-splittingly loud for us.
Unfortunately we couldn’t hang around after the show for autographs, although there were lots of people who did - Al signed quite a few and posed for photos as well (what a guy.)
Nice to see another Adelaidean here - I’ve been lurking for years but rarely posted until now…
))