Paying it Forward - Weird Al Edition
This is kind of a long one, and I always forget how to do an lj cut, so pardon the length here.
So, I got to see Weird Al in concert on Tuesday, October 16th in York PA. It was an awesome show, as they always are, but a few things of note happened that I felt I should probably write about or something.
First off, this was my 19th Al concert. I had been saying before that it was something like my 30th or so, but clearly I was off by a few. Still, kind of a landmark number considering I started going to Al concerts in '96. Anyway, ran into two friends on the way into the theater, but they had seats in a different section, and I lost track of them after the show. Sorry Andy & Mark! Hope you had a good time!
Anyway, my seat was in Orchestra A, seat 114...which, at this theater was THE FRONT ROW, right on the end. Well, it would have been the front row, but they were setting up chairs for two more rows in front of us. No big deal, I heard they were for the VIP ticket holders or something. I had my backstage aftershow pass (from producing the 2002 tribute album and being on last years) so I was in good company, I felt.
In the very front row, there was a kid about 14 or 15 years old with a home-made cardboard and paper accordion. When he opened the bellows, it said "Weird Al Rocks" on it, and had some of his favorite song titles there (I noticed Amish Paradise was one, something that wouldn't click with me until later). I was impressed with the kids dedication, and was reminded of a poster I made as a gift to Al for my first concert in Hershey Park in '96.
The show started, and you could really tell the folks who had been to an Al show, and those who hadn't. The kid in the front row of chairs kept opening up his accordion hoping Al would look down and acknowledge it. Interspersed between the songs and the normal Al clips on the video screen, Al now incorporated a bunch of his "Face to Face" celebrity "interviews" from the Nerdist YouTube channel. Most of the folks in the crowd acted as though they hadn't seen them, which was kind of surprising.
I snapped a few pics, participated in the bits I was familiar with, and had a great time as I always do at the show. The Al fans in the audience bounced in unison during Al's jumps during "Fat", and a lady behind me -- whom I had spoken to before the show who said she had never seen Al live -- laughed each time. The crowd rose to their feet with chants of "We Want Al" after the song.
Al and the local 501st Legion marched out to perform "The Saga Begins" and "Yoda", as they always do. But this night, something, well, weird happened. During Yoda, Al seemed to forget how to do the Yoda chant! It was...bizarre, to say the least. Steve and Jim just looked at Al as if to say "really?" and Al laughed, mock-embarrassed and said "Ok, here's a song that doesn't belong! 'Radio Radio'! GO!"
And they played "Radio Radio" by Elvis Costello. And it was glorious.
I have been to only one other show where they've played a non-Al song. One night in '03 or '04 Al said they were going to do requests, and then asked Steve what he wanted to hear. Steve said "Sweet Home Alabama", and they played it. That was cool. But this...this seemed unexpected, yet well rehearsed. And awesome.
The show wrapped up, and we all filed out of the auditorium. The kids in the front chairs all left...apparently, they didn't have passes like I expected them. The kid with the accordion did get to solo during "Yoda" though. Before the chant, when Al says "now you" during the "Yo-yo-yo-yoda" parts, the second time around he said "just him!" and put the mic in the kids face. He did great, but sadly, I didn't seem him hang around.
Those of us with passes however got ushered (eventually) into the back to meet up with Al. I met Gwen, Julie and another woman whose name I'm suddenly forgetting, but they all seemed to know me as Insane Ian (apparently, Bermuda told them I was coming). Bermuda was gracious and basically wrangled us as his guests for meeting Al. I've been backstage a few times, but it's always neat to me, and yet I always feel out of place.
I guess it stems back to the first time I met Al. It was my second concert, in '96, in DC. I was there with my mom, my then girlfriend Satan (er, ok, that wasn't her REAL name, but it fits) and one of my best friends, Wes. We waited in the theater until security pushed us out. There was no area to wait by buses, so we hung out in front of the theater. I was determined to meet Al. I kept wondering how folks had backstage passes! Finally, one guy walks out of the theater, and he's wearing one! I walk up to him, bold as brass and say "hey...are you...done with that pass?" He looks down at it, then at me and says "hey, if it gets you backstage, more power to ya" and hands it to me. Without thinking about who I'm with, I say "thanks man!" and RUN into the theater...leaving my mom, girlfriend and best friend out in the cold Washington night.
Needless to say, I was a little psyched and...well, the story there is embarrassing, so I won't retell it now. But because of that, I'm always worried about going back to see Al. I've calmed down a bit since then (God, I hope so) but he IS one of my idols, so it still always feels awkward.
Anyway, Al showed up after a bit and a few folks walk up to say hi and shake hands, get pictures, etc. I patiently wait my turn and Al finally comes up to me, I introduce myself. I've met Al a handful of times now, but whenever he sees me, I always get the feeling he doesn't remember me. I think at that point, Bermuda intro'd me as Dave Rossi, and we laughed. I then explained that I did the "You're Pitiful" videos, and produced the 2002 Al tribute album "Me Myself and I", and was on the most recent one. I got Al (and the rest of the band) to sign my copy of the recent tribute album's liner tray card, and gave Al my four CDs, saying "you have always been my inspiration, and the reason I do comedy. I thank you on these albums, (and I hear you're something of a comedy music fan) so I'd like you to have them." He actually seemed flattered and touched by this...though I'm sure he was just being gracious. Ever the gentleman, he posed for a pic with me, and held up my cds in it! That was cool.
I didn't want to take up the time from anyone else waiting, so I thanked Al for the hundredth time for being awesome, shook his hand again, and he went on his way. I know hes at least heard one song from one of my CDs (it was nominated for a Comedy Music Award the year he was a judge) but I like to think he may give the discs a spin...at least once.
I thanked Bermuda, spoke briefly to Jim, Steve and Ruben, and left the theater. On my way out, I noticed I was right next to the tour buses, and there was a moderately large crowd of fans, hanging out waiting for Al and the guys. As I made my way through the crowd to my car, I saw him: the kid with the home-made accordion. As soon as I saw him there, hoping to get a glimpse of Al, I knew what I was going to do. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my backstage pass. I hadn't stuck it to my clothing, as I couldn't get the backing off, so it was still fully intact. I walked up to the kid, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, man. You tryin' to see Al?"
"Yeah. He's not out yet."
"Here. Take this" I hand him the pass "and see if it'll get you backstage."
The kid was flabbergasted. "Wh-wh-what? Really? How?"
"Just walk up to somebody who looks like they're in charge and show it to them and ask if it'll get you back to see Al. Head up those stairs and talk to those guys" I said, pointing to some security looking fellows by Jim, who had just walked out.
"Thanks man! he said, and started off immediately. The two people who were with him started to follow, asking if it would work. I said probably only for one person, sadly, but good luck. And they were off. And so was I.
I just had to give it to him, you know? It's sappy, yeah, but I saw a bit of myself in that young Al fan. Hope he got to meet him and tell him how much he means to him, because I feel lucky that I get to do the same whenever Al comes to town. Or, y'know, close to town. It's how I first got to meet Al.
EDIT - Some friends have pointed out that, while sweet, this was probably not a good thing for me to do. Well, let me just say that I didn't realize that passes are in no way transferable, in any way. Sorry about that, Bermuda, Al and company. I probably should have told the kid to say he "found" the pass, now that I think about it. Oh well. If for some reason I were to get in "trouble" for giving that kid my pass...I'm ok with that, actually. I've been EXTREMELY lucky to meet Al as often as I have, and if I were to be "punished" (as some friends think I may be) for allowing a young fan to do the same with my pass, that's fine. I actually struggled with posting this for that very reason. Regardless of the outcome to myself, I think I helped make that kids night.
So, I got to see Weird Al in concert on Tuesday, October 16th in York PA. It was an awesome show, as they always are, but a few things of note happened that I felt I should probably write about or something.
First off, this was my 19th Al concert. I had been saying before that it was something like my 30th or so, but clearly I was off by a few. Still, kind of a landmark number considering I started going to Al concerts in '96. Anyway, ran into two friends on the way into the theater, but they had seats in a different section, and I lost track of them after the show. Sorry Andy & Mark! Hope you had a good time!
Anyway, my seat was in Orchestra A, seat 114...which, at this theater was THE FRONT ROW, right on the end. Well, it would have been the front row, but they were setting up chairs for two more rows in front of us. No big deal, I heard they were for the VIP ticket holders or something. I had my backstage aftershow pass (from producing the 2002 tribute album and being on last years) so I was in good company, I felt.
In the very front row, there was a kid about 14 or 15 years old with a home-made cardboard and paper accordion. When he opened the bellows, it said "Weird Al Rocks" on it, and had some of his favorite song titles there (I noticed Amish Paradise was one, something that wouldn't click with me until later). I was impressed with the kids dedication, and was reminded of a poster I made as a gift to Al for my first concert in Hershey Park in '96.
The show started, and you could really tell the folks who had been to an Al show, and those who hadn't. The kid in the front row of chairs kept opening up his accordion hoping Al would look down and acknowledge it. Interspersed between the songs and the normal Al clips on the video screen, Al now incorporated a bunch of his "Face to Face" celebrity "interviews" from the Nerdist YouTube channel. Most of the folks in the crowd acted as though they hadn't seen them, which was kind of surprising.
I snapped a few pics, participated in the bits I was familiar with, and had a great time as I always do at the show. The Al fans in the audience bounced in unison during Al's jumps during "Fat", and a lady behind me -- whom I had spoken to before the show who said she had never seen Al live -- laughed each time. The crowd rose to their feet with chants of "We Want Al" after the song.
Al and the local 501st Legion marched out to perform "The Saga Begins" and "Yoda", as they always do. But this night, something, well, weird happened. During Yoda, Al seemed to forget how to do the Yoda chant! It was...bizarre, to say the least. Steve and Jim just looked at Al as if to say "really?" and Al laughed, mock-embarrassed and said "Ok, here's a song that doesn't belong! 'Radio Radio'! GO!"
And they played "Radio Radio" by Elvis Costello. And it was glorious.
I have been to only one other show where they've played a non-Al song. One night in '03 or '04 Al said they were going to do requests, and then asked Steve what he wanted to hear. Steve said "Sweet Home Alabama", and they played it. That was cool. But this...this seemed unexpected, yet well rehearsed. And awesome.
The show wrapped up, and we all filed out of the auditorium. The kids in the front chairs all left...apparently, they didn't have passes like I expected them. The kid with the accordion did get to solo during "Yoda" though. Before the chant, when Al says "now you" during the "Yo-yo-yo-yoda" parts, the second time around he said "just him!" and put the mic in the kids face. He did great, but sadly, I didn't seem him hang around.
Those of us with passes however got ushered (eventually) into the back to meet up with Al. I met Gwen, Julie and another woman whose name I'm suddenly forgetting, but they all seemed to know me as Insane Ian (apparently, Bermuda told them I was coming). Bermuda was gracious and basically wrangled us as his guests for meeting Al. I've been backstage a few times, but it's always neat to me, and yet I always feel out of place.
I guess it stems back to the first time I met Al. It was my second concert, in '96, in DC. I was there with my mom, my then girlfriend Satan (er, ok, that wasn't her REAL name, but it fits) and one of my best friends, Wes. We waited in the theater until security pushed us out. There was no area to wait by buses, so we hung out in front of the theater. I was determined to meet Al. I kept wondering how folks had backstage passes! Finally, one guy walks out of the theater, and he's wearing one! I walk up to him, bold as brass and say "hey...are you...done with that pass?" He looks down at it, then at me and says "hey, if it gets you backstage, more power to ya" and hands it to me. Without thinking about who I'm with, I say "thanks man!" and RUN into the theater...leaving my mom, girlfriend and best friend out in the cold Washington night.
Needless to say, I was a little psyched and...well, the story there is embarrassing, so I won't retell it now. But because of that, I'm always worried about going back to see Al. I've calmed down a bit since then (God, I hope so) but he IS one of my idols, so it still always feels awkward.
Anyway, Al showed up after a bit and a few folks walk up to say hi and shake hands, get pictures, etc. I patiently wait my turn and Al finally comes up to me, I introduce myself. I've met Al a handful of times now, but whenever he sees me, I always get the feeling he doesn't remember me. I think at that point, Bermuda intro'd me as Dave Rossi, and we laughed. I then explained that I did the "You're Pitiful" videos, and produced the 2002 Al tribute album "Me Myself and I", and was on the most recent one. I got Al (and the rest of the band) to sign my copy of the recent tribute album's liner tray card, and gave Al my four CDs, saying "you have always been my inspiration, and the reason I do comedy. I thank you on these albums, (and I hear you're something of a comedy music fan) so I'd like you to have them." He actually seemed flattered and touched by this...though I'm sure he was just being gracious. Ever the gentleman, he posed for a pic with me, and held up my cds in it! That was cool.
I didn't want to take up the time from anyone else waiting, so I thanked Al for the hundredth time for being awesome, shook his hand again, and he went on his way. I know hes at least heard one song from one of my CDs (it was nominated for a Comedy Music Award the year he was a judge) but I like to think he may give the discs a spin...at least once.
I thanked Bermuda, spoke briefly to Jim, Steve and Ruben, and left the theater. On my way out, I noticed I was right next to the tour buses, and there was a moderately large crowd of fans, hanging out waiting for Al and the guys. As I made my way through the crowd to my car, I saw him: the kid with the home-made accordion. As soon as I saw him there, hoping to get a glimpse of Al, I knew what I was going to do. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my backstage pass. I hadn't stuck it to my clothing, as I couldn't get the backing off, so it was still fully intact. I walked up to the kid, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, man. You tryin' to see Al?"
"Yeah. He's not out yet."
"Here. Take this" I hand him the pass "and see if it'll get you backstage."
The kid was flabbergasted. "Wh-wh-what? Really? How?"
"Just walk up to somebody who looks like they're in charge and show it to them and ask if it'll get you back to see Al. Head up those stairs and talk to those guys" I said, pointing to some security looking fellows by Jim, who had just walked out.
"Thanks man! he said, and started off immediately. The two people who were with him started to follow, asking if it would work. I said probably only for one person, sadly, but good luck. And they were off. And so was I.
I just had to give it to him, you know? It's sappy, yeah, but I saw a bit of myself in that young Al fan. Hope he got to meet him and tell him how much he means to him, because I feel lucky that I get to do the same whenever Al comes to town. Or, y'know, close to town. It's how I first got to meet Al.
EDIT - Some friends have pointed out that, while sweet, this was probably not a good thing for me to do. Well, let me just say that I didn't realize that passes are in no way transferable, in any way. Sorry about that, Bermuda, Al and company. I probably should have told the kid to say he "found" the pass, now that I think about it. Oh well. If for some reason I were to get in "trouble" for giving that kid my pass...I'm ok with that, actually. I've been EXTREMELY lucky to meet Al as often as I have, and if I were to be "punished" (as some friends think I may be) for allowing a young fan to do the same with my pass, that's fine. I actually struggled with posting this for that very reason. Regardless of the outcome to myself, I think I helped make that kids night.