PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdel, NJ
July 11, 2004
After a few days off after the Westbury concert, I finally got to stay in New Jersey for the hometown concert.
After dinner with Jackie, we picked up my mom to head to Holmdel. My mom was really excited to be seeing another show, as the only other one she saw was on "Touring With Scissors" tour. She had bought a blue Hawaiian shirt just for the occasion.
It took less than an hour to get there, and we got a great parking spot. We met my mom's friend Karen waiting for us on a bench near where we parked. She was excited for the show too. She had a Hawaiian shirt on, and it was her first "Weird Al" Yankovic concert.
After the security fiasco last time I attended a show at this venue, almost a year earlier, I decided to leave my camera, and everything else not physically attached to me, at home. This time we went in without incident, and walked around the PNC Bank Arts Center for a little bit before we went to our seats. There was a new variation on the blue "Poodle Hat" baseball hat at the merchandise booth, so I bought that.
We wandered to our second row seats, and my friend Gary, who was attending the show with another of his friends, came over to say hi. He was sitting off to the side, but still very good seats. Serge came over to say hello next. He was sitting off to the side with a friend as well, but on the other side from Gary.
Anne and Adrian joined us, and we chatted for a while. Adrian had a talking taco t-shirt on. We discussed how this was Adrian's 27th show, and how, like in baseball, it wouldn't become official until about halfway through, or the medley ended. Serge had managed to get his camera in and took a photo of The Dave Crew for me. Adrian and Anne were sitting with Jackie a couple of rows behind me. My mom sat on the aisle, and Karen sat next to her, and I sat next to Karen.
The opening act was the same guy from last time, with pretty much the same jokes.
The show started, and "Angry White Boy Polka" was loud. Really loud. The volume was either adjusted, or we got used to it, because as the show went on, it was more tolerable.
Before "Party At The Leper Colony," Al said that anyone who saw the show before, the show would be "identical" and that the promoter told him he had to do a song about lepers.
"Your Horoscope For Today" followed and then "A Complicated Song." For the cell phone gag, he managed to fool a lot of people. A lot of people were laughing at the verses too. It really made my mom and Karen laugh.
In "Melanie," Jim West did his guitar solo again, and then Al asked for a request for the next song. The audience was yelling every song imaginable. Al went over to Jim, and to my complete surprise, Jim said, "Let's do something we haven't done in a really long time, 'Let Me Be Your Hog.'" It looked like it took Al by surprise as well, and Al asked him if he was sure, and then they actually did it! It was great! I was laughing so hard!
The band went right into "One More Minute," and Al walked down the aisle where Gary was sitting. As Al got back to stage, he had a wardrobe malfunction and couldn't find the pair of underpants he usually pulls out of his pants to give to an audience member. He turned around for a better look, and then turned back to the audience and shrugged. He gave out a scarf instead.
For "Dog Eat Dog" we had to put up with the stage manager, Ed, blocking a majority of the song, but at least the weaker lighting actually made the performance look good. "It's All About The Pentiums" was high energy, and Al ventured back into the audience again for "Wanna B Ur Lovr." At one point, Al was so mobbed by people walking in the aisles, that Ed had to run out to clear a path. He made his way back to the front and told my mom she smelled like Fritos.
"Trash Day" and the "Medley" followed, making Adrian's 27th show official in the record books. During "Gump" there was a slight mix-up where he couldn't find the microphone and he flailed his arms around a bit reaching for it, until he found it off to the side.
Some more microphone problems during "Smells Like Nirvana" as the microphone stand split in half, so Al was just carrying around the top half. When Al went over to Steve Jay to do some moshing, he hit Steve so hard that Steve's wig fell off!
PNC Bank Arts Center had some supplementary cameras broadcasting the show on the big screen above the stage, and during the arm waving in "Amish Paradise," my mom was on the big screen waving her arms. She was thrilled about that. "Couch Potato" was great, and Al sang most of the song directly in front of me.
After "Fat" people in the audience came down and crowded the stage for the encore and the audience remained standing during the whole encore. It was an awesome show. My mom and Karen loved it as well.
Karen drove my mom home, and we had a quick ride back to my house. A few more days off, and then I was off the New Hampshire to see yet another show.
The Dave crew photo courtesy of Serge Braida.