Mattress Firm Amphitheater

Weezer 8/11/18

Weezer ticket

Despite all of the negative things I could rant about when it comes to Ticketmaster and Live Nation it is cool that for most shows you can choose the exact seat you want to purchase from the website. Several months before this show my buddies PM and Don that I used to work with text me which seats they bought and I was able to buy the open seat literally right next to theirs due to this feature.

After not being able to agree on a plan for meeting up with PM and Don beforehand I decided to ride down with Bob, his son, Larry, Christi, their two kids and the two Norwegians they were with, who had all decided to get lawn tickets at the last minute. Once we grabbed a quick bite at some weird place close by called Canada Steak Burger that was much more Greek than Canada, a quick beer and “cookie” (just me) everyone I came with went in and I met up with PM and Don in the parking lot before we went in.

I do not really know any Sleigh Bells songs but due to my fondness/fascination of bands with only two members I did kind of want to see them so I was a little bummed this did not happen. By the time we got through security, took a leak and grabbed a beer we made it to our assigned seats on the 200 level with enough time to watch the last half of the Pixies set. This is a nutty band that I also do not know a whole lot of outside of their song “Where Is My Mind?” but I do respect the influence they had on several “Alternative” bands that I love. It was cool to recognize Paz Lenchantin that I knew from A Perfect Circle holding down bass duties.

The last time I saw Weezer it was what I considered a somewhat half-baked performance about a year before this at Kaaboo. Not this time. This was my sixth time seeing Weezer overall and since that last show they had released the album Pacific Daydream, but more importantly had recently re-entered the Zeitgeist with their cover of Toto’s “Africa.” Apparently a 14-year-old girl started a Twitter account for the sole purpose of coaxing Weezer into covering the song. They first trolled her by covering Toto’s “Rosanna” (badass) and then finally gave in to “Africa.” It is not like Weezer has not been pumping out albums forever, but their return to relevance combined with the fact that this was the second to last date of the tour seemed to re-energize them back to the levels I had come to expect. We had good seats, the kinks (if there ever were any) had been worked out of their set and their normal stage setup boasted some upgrades. They essentially opened with a replication of the Arnold’s Diner setup from the “Buddy Holly” video as they played the song live and then slowly shed that in favor of a garage looking setup for “In the Garage.” Eventually it was onward to their winged W logo to full on fire and sparks raining down from the top of the stage. Rivers played “Island In the Sun” from a “boat” that was being pushed around between the stage and the first row of seats. A very entertaining set from a very talented band that knows how to keep things interesting.

SETLIST: Buddy Holly, Beverly Hills, Pork and Beans, Undone – The Sweater Song, Hash Pipe, Perfect Situation, My Name is Jonas, El Scorcho, In the Garage, The Good Life, Happy Together, Keep Fishin’, Island in the Sun, Take On Me, Burndt Jamb, (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To, Feels Like Summer, Africa, Pink Triangle, Say It Ain’t So/Paranoid

Poison/Def Leppard 6/16/17

DefLeppard:Poison

I was excited for this concert because I had never seen Poison and for once it was a concert on a Friday. Mind you that before a little band named Nirvana ever entered my eardrums my entire cassette (yes cassette) collection consisted of Poison, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard and Motley Crue. For the occasion I decided it would be best to dress up like Nikki Sixx with the hair, leather pants, etc. Now I know how celebrities feel when they get harassed. I also thought it best to get in on a party bus for full effect and Ingrid, Kyle, Calvin and Jane were on the same page. Unfortunately the whole thing started out with Calvin and Jane missing the party bus due to traffic. The party bus itself was a shit show with more people than available seats so many people including myself, Ingrid and Kyle had to stand in the aisle as we barreled down the freeway at high speed. Nothing like risking your life to see a concert! Once we arrived safe and sound we met up with Calvin and Jane in the parking lot and proceeded to drink our way through Telsa’s opening set. Definitely a little Déjà vu as I have done this same thing to Tesla before. Tesla vs. Beer = Beer.

I am impressed that Poison is still rocking the original lineup and minus the makeup still rocking out like it’s 1986. They opened with my personal favorite “Look What the Cat Dragged In” and then proceeded to play hit after hit. They sounded great but for some stupid reason the venue did not turn on the video monitors during their set, thereby robbing all the rowdies up in the lawn section of more than a miniscule view of the band.

SETLIST: Look What the Cat Dragged In, Ride the Wind, Talk Dirty to Me, Cry Tough, Something to Believe In, Your Mama Don’t Dance, Fallen Angel, Unskinny Bop, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Nothin’ But a Good Time

Next up was Def Leppard who I finally got to see for the first time almost two years before this. Their set was nearly identical not only in visual element but also in setlist selection. They too sounded great, especially during “Hysteria” and “Foolin’,” but by the end of their set I was pretty lit. Not as lit as Kyle however; first we lost him and then he missed the party bus home. I still don’t know how he got home because I got a text from him the next day saying his phone died. I would expect nothing less from a show with a couple rock bands who have survived decades of debauchery.

SETLIST: Let’s Go, Animal, Let It Go, Dangerous, Foolin’, Love Bites, Armageddon It, Rock On, Man Enough, Rocket, Bringin’ on the Heartbreak, Switch 625, Hysteria, Let’s Get Rocked, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages, Photograph