Review: Weezer Concert

So, last Thursday, I went to a Weezer concert. The opening band was Coheed and Cambria, which I am actually familiar with. Which was a pleasant change, as usually I'm not familiar with the opening acts of the concerts I attend. Unfortunately, I was with a rather talkative friend, and we chatted through a lot of that part of the concert. What I heard was spectacular, though. I wasn't there to see them, so I wasn't that excited.

Weezer, though. Man. I hadn't heard a bunch of their music, but the concert was amazing. Even though the music is a bit hard, it was quite easy to catch onto the lyrics and begin to sing along with the band and the rest of audience. The lead singer was so totally into it, as well. The whole concert had the feel of a party. Beach balls were bounced around above the audience's heads, toilet paper was thrown around. It was quite amazing. It was a ton of fun, and the rowdiest concert I've ever been to at that venue in particular. They don't even let you move from your seat most of the time, there.

But it got even better when the lead singer came out into the audience, going so far as the Grand Stands only to be mauled by adoring fans. And he then started singing on a cart that was behind the ground seats. It was intense. He was so into the performance, so interesting in connecting with all of the fans that were there, no matter what seats they had. I went because my mother got two free tickets, but I was surprised by how much of their music I had actually heard. And I am definitely planning on buying their newest album, Hurley.

Next post will probably be two book reviews in one.

Review: Secondhand Serenade Concert

I went to a Secondhand Serenade concert last night, and let me tell you, it was pretty damn awesome. Beyond the aching feet (I went there straight from work) and the fact that I hadn't seen my house since that morning, and the fact that I was exhausted and penniless, it was one of the best concerts I've ever been at.

The best part was, I have to say, the fact that every band came out and signed things. They were obviously so grateful to the fans for being there, and everyone was totally willing to interact with the people who'd bought a ticket to their concert. One of the people from the second band that played actually insisted on taking a picture of everyone who asked him for one. The guy wanted a picture of every fan who cared enough to talk to him. That's gratitude. The first band came out and peddled their albums for five dollars apiece. One of the guitarists from Secondhand Serenade talked to me about which part of Boston the band had gotten attacked in (more on that later), and none of them made us wait an hour for them to come out. I got a signature from everyone from all of the bands except the keyboardist from Secondhand Serenade.

It was also nice when the title band (Secondhand Serenade) came out and started singing some of the songs off their old album. They're so easy to learn, everyone in the audience knew the words. I felt like the bands interacted with the audience far more than at any other concert I've been to. It was far less planned and rehearsed. The energy was definitely still there, but because of the nature of the music, there wasn't so much pushing and shoving that those towards the front felt uncomfortable and squashed. In fact, those towards the front offered to take pictures for those who weren't as close.

Of course, the title band did suffer obstacle to getting there. In Boston, the last city they stopped in before Burlington, they were attacked in the theater district of all places, and spent the better part of the night in the ER. It was heartbreaking to see their injuries, especially after they assured us that they could not skip their concert, regardless of how broken their faces were.

All in all, a combination of awesome music, awesome bands full of awesome people, and an awesome audience that awesome interaction made for a really unforgettable night.