WEEZER, PANIC! At the Disco, Andrew Mcmahon at Marymoor Park (The day after review)

WEEZER
PANIC! At the Disco

Andrew Mcmahon

At Marymoor Park 7/29/16

So the decade convergence of both the nineties and the turn of the century mark millennial nostalgia  rustled its trails through Marymoor Park yesterday. With its remembrance of days when slap bracelets were in, Weezer, Panic! and Andrew Mcmahon brought new tunes, new vibes and an overall 8 out of 10 apathetic Rivers Cuomos as they rolled through Seattle and the city of Redmond yesterday.

According to our tickets the show was to start at 6pm. Apparently the city of Redmond has an ordinance that after 10 the Mormons show up and rock n roll is banned for the sinners among the plentiful. (So pretty much all of Seattle)

My wife, my friends and I waited longer then an hour in three poorly thought out 'inspection lines.' Yes, I didn't wait this long seeing Barack Obama inaugurated as POTUS, yet security did all it could to insure that any and all Justin Bieber fans were not in attendance. This line wasn't completely out of control. Filled with mostly the younger half of the millennial generation, early 30's kids, and older people who actually saw Weezer in 1994, strangers were able to gleefully check their cell phones for any and all updates. We waited and we waited. A very generous man was giving out free water and the word free and Redmond are as rare as great driving so we took that opportunity. About 45 minutes of waiting and going 20 yards we heard the opening act. That's right. Andrew Mcmahon was on stage while over half the audience waiting to get in disappointingly uttered the words that every Washington driver mutters in good weather:

"What the F are you doing?!?"

My wife was a little bummed. Her and her friends loved Andrew Mcmahon. Unbeknownst to them their patience would pay off in the end having met him. But I digress.

We got into the venue after showing up over an hour early from the opener and he was two songs in.

Andrew Mcmahon, after being 7 years cancer free urged the coffee suburban dwellers of Redmond that they are at a rock concert. 

"Is this a rock n roll show?" He beemed from his Elton John esque don't shoot him he's only the piano player kit.

He didn't disappoint. Reaching into his new album Into the Wilderness, the hybrid of Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin was anything but a mannequin as he playfully rocked songs such as "Dark Blue" and the new "High Dive." At one point Andrew began a number telling the audience there would be a gym parachute for the kids to play in the audience. Yep, there was. And the lead singer, looking to summon his inner third grader joined in the front lawn during the summer feel schtick.

He was an artist at the top of his game having fun.  He only had 5 songs but Andrew Mcmahon and his backing band received 5 out of 5 Something Corporates in the opener of the opener rick-tor scale. 

Next up? 

That's right, food!

No concert would be complete outside in 85 degree sunny weather without the best food trucks.

We converged over the hill to get dinner before a Panic! At the Disco would take the stage. Long lines did not deter our hunger for more rock and...............

Sandwiches!

With an appetitie equal to Axl Rose I mosied myself next to Napkin Friends (Great area food truck) over to Make me a Sandwich! Yep. It tastes like it sounds. Like Eric Cartman created a deliciously herbaceous food truck! 

We ate our dinner on the hill, as we heard Panic! take the stage.

The opening Mexican themed rattle of the beginning of Pulp Fiction warmed them into their set.

I have to say, I was quite impressed with the 1 hr long set list from Brendan Urie and company. Having more falsetto then Vince Neil and Freddie Mercury's love child, Brendan reminded the Redmond audience how growing up Morman qoute, "Messed with him."

Ok. Well rock out Joseph Smith. He was on to something. 

I have to admit. I only knew one Panic! album, and that's Pretty Odd. A very Beatlesque album. An album the fab four would have made after Revolver and before Sgt. Peppers. 

The best moment from Panic's! set was when Urie hit the piano and blasted a harmonically sound rendition of his favorite song, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

This rendition did not disappoint. A fact that had parents and millennials no longer at odds with each other. My wife and friends agreed that he could front the new Queen. It's his range.

It's also worth noting I, for the first time, won a bet vs my wife. The bet? I said Panic! would play a song off their sophomore album Pretty Odd. "Nope, not going to happen. How much you want to bet?"

"20 bucks?" Eh, I should have asked for a C note.

Halfway through I shouted. YAY! They played '9 in the afternoon', the only single off that album.

It made me happy and friends were surprised as it is the only bet I've ever won off my brilliantly smart wife.

Panic! was done, and the crowd at this point showed a sold out show spirit. I looked behind me after Panic's set and their were more tweens then the MTV music awards. 

I felt like the dad at the show. This was ok. Sure, there were more cellphones out then a Verizon Wireless commercial, but young and old were all standing as far as the eyes can see.

The sun was slowing setting behind us.

Suddenly, and without an introduction Rivers Cuamo sheepishly submerged under a fog with his fellow band mates and Weezer crashed into their first track off their latest LP, "California Kids." Up next it was a punchy performance of "Hash Pipe." The guys from California were having fun in the summer heat and asked the audience if this was life everyday in the Evergreen state.

"YES!" to

"Don't tell anybody!" were appropriate responses. 

With a giant video behind them appropriately choreographing every song, Weezer played to the crowd with giant beach balls, glow sticks, and humor. 

The bassist, after song 3 talked to 'his section' of the crowd.

"You guys right here (holding up both arms) are really awesome. You guys over there? Eh, ok. But you guys right here."

Halfway through their set Rivers decided to part his and jump into the crowd. It might have been during 'Say it aint so." It occurred to me when they played songs off of the blue album and Pinkerton that 70% of this audience wasn't even born then.

It's worth noting that during their set, Panic! At the Disco's Brendan Urie said that the first cassette he stole from his older sister was Weezer's blue album. He told the audience he learned to play drums, guitar and sing to it.

Huh. It was actually the first cd I remember stealing from MY SISTER too. Awesome!

Weezer didn't disappoint all their loyal fans. They played those songs off the Blue album like it was a farewell tour. 

At one point Rivers and co. said "And now Weezer TV!" 

The giant video monitor showed them on TV as they made a Weezer Medley of 'Beverly Hills', 'Getchoo', 'World has turned' and others. It was a special moment.

My favorite track of Weezer's in the night of nostalgia was their newest tract "King of The World."

Doning a full on cape and king's crown, Rivers and guitarist Brian Bell exchanged Chuck Berry like riffs back and fourth during the solos. They really made this track a bluesy number and turned a 3 minute song into a 7 minute jam.

I was surprised they didn't play their new hit "Do you want to get high?" off the White album. But hey, maybe they didn't want to be to obvious. Because at Marymoor, whether it was off the green stuff or album, the audience was high, on the rock n roll they discovered or grew up on.

It was a nostalgic trip back to my early child hood discovering rock n roll. 

At one point Rivers said he could play rock n roll for the rest of his life and grow happy. We all could listen.

Old millennials, new millennials and generation Xr's were one as Weezer, Panic! At the Disco and Andrew Mcmahon brought the rock and rolled their way through the Pacific Northwest.