Saturday's Hershey Park entertainment schedule!
It's all about my FAVE artist, baby!
Chapter 7: Hershey Park concert reviews and photos
Running With Scissors Tour, July 9-10, 2000, Hershey Park Amphitheater
Saturday's Hershey Park entertainment schedule! |
It's all about my FAVE artist, baby!Chapter 7: Hershey Park concert reviews and photos Running With Scissors Tour, July 9-10, 2000, Hershey Park Amphitheater |
Table of Contents |
Sunday, July 9, 2000 |
Monday, July 10, 2000 |
Click on photos to view larger image....
Anticipation. It's making we wait! Close Personal Friends of Al 
Individual Photos!"Weird Al" Yankovic
Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz
Steve Jay
Danny Brant
Rubén
Concert Photos!
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Sunday, July 9, 2000Meeting Fellow Al Fans!I was so jazzed about seeing Weird Al perform at Hershey Park. Not only that, but an extra special bonus was that I got to meet other Close Personal Friends of Al who I had never met before: Sue Kelleher, Amy Cater, Dave “Elvis” Rossi, Christina Fisher, Jackie Arns, and Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz! Top
I was very excited about meeting my e-mail pals, Sue Kelleher and Amy Carter (no, not the former President’s daughter), in person for the first time. The three of us were supposed to meet at the Baltimore concert, but I didn’t take their seat numbers with me. D’OH!!!! As it turned out, we were sitting across the aisle from each other! Sue is a warm, funny, and generous person. I really like her and I’m proud to call her my friend! She is the unofficial International Weird Al Fan Ambassador. She knows fans from all over the country and introduced all of us to each other while we were waiting to enter the amphitheater. Amy seemed very shy at first. Once she got comfortable with all of us, she showed us her true gentle and witty nature. I’m sure it didn’t help either of our dispositions that we got on the road at 8 AM on a Sunday for the drive to Hershey Park. Maybe she was shy; maybe she just wasn’t awake yet! Neither of us are morning people, you know. Top
I also met Dave “Elvis” Rossi, Christina Fisher, Jackie Arns, Allison Corbin and her Dad, and Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz. Dave “Elvis” RossiI had seen Dave’s web page and knew about how he got tattoos of the Al and the guys on his legs. I wanted to see that in person. Let me tell you, it was impressive! He was very quiet, but when he did talk, he was very funny! He also knows everything there is to know about Al, Bermuda, Steve, Jim, and Rubén. All in all, quite interesting to talk to! Christina FisherI also met Christina. She has a tattoo on her upper right arm that said AL next to a pair of scissors that looked like they were poking out of her skin. I saw a photo of her tattoo on Weird Al’s web page. I never thought I’d see it in person. It was also very impressive! Whoever did it was a really great artist. Christina told me that Al drew the block letters and she then went to get them permanently affixed to her arm. There’s always a story behind every picture, isn’t there? I found her to be startling (in a good way), interesting, and very spirited. And, contrary to popular opinion, SHE IS NOT DAVE’S GIRLFRIEND! Jackie ArnsJackie arrived with Dave and Christina. I really liked her too. I sensed she was a gentle person, then I found out she is a Veterinarian. I really admire that! I found her to be a little intimidating because of her profession (that’s all me!) and felt as if I had a hard time talking to her because of that. Again, it was all me – Jackie was nothing but nice! When I did manage to get a conversation going with her, I found her to be sort of quiet, very confident, and funny. Allison Corbin And Her DadAllison is such a neat, talented young woman. I really felt as if I could talk to her right away without being nervous. She is a great artist and she showed us the portraits of Al and the band that she drew. I was glad to hear that she is going to major in Graphic Design. Artistic ability like hers should be nurtured and put to use. She has a sense of humor that’s very understated but right on point. Allison’s Dad was also cool. How many dads do you know who would wait in line in the hot sun for hours with their daughter just to see a concert? I don’t know any, that’s for sure!Jon “Bermuda” SchwartzI never expected to meet and talk to Bermuda, but I was lucky enough to do just that! He was very nice and has a great sense of humor. I was surprised how open he was to meeting all of us fans. He made me feel really at ease (I’m on the shy side as well!). He made me feel at ease enough to ask him to sign my drum tattoo. Which he did -- not once, but twice! Top
The trip to Hershey Park was eventful in some unexpected ways. First, there was the Duck Disaster... Amy and I saw a Mother Duck and her two babies walking into the inner lane of I-95. I swerved and missed them, but the car behind us hit them. Amy and I don't wanna stare, but we can't look away! I saw the incident through the rear view mirror, and Amy turned around and stared out the rear window. After the ducks got hit, Amy and I were moaning and shuddering and exclaiming that we hoped they died instantly. Then, we got really quiet for a few miles. I don't know about Amy but I was getting misty-eyed. Then Amy said that we needed to play some Weird Al to make us feel better. I replied that she could play anything as long as it wasn't "I Want A New Duck!" We laughed and it broke the tension. Was it actually funny? You decide! Then there was the Doggy Delight... Amy and I stopped at a convenience store because we thought we were lost. As we were waking to the store, we passed a Rottweiler in the back of a truck. I gave the dog wide berth because you never know if a dog is friendly or not. Amy walked right up to pet the dog. The dog, as big as he was, was just a puppy! He was soooo happy to get some pets that he leaned out of the truck bed so far and fell right out onto the ground. He did a flip on the way down and landed on his side. He didn't seem to feel it though! Amy and I were laughing our heads off and trying to get the dog back into the truck. (He wasn't paying any attention to us!) Then, the dog's owner leaned out the front door and yelled at the dog to get back into the truck. (He wasn't paying any attention his owner either!) The dog proceeded to trot right into the convenience store and start sniffing around. The whole time, the owner was yelling at the dog to COME HERE and GET BACK INTO THE TRUCK! Eventually, the dog had trotted all the way around the store and then right out the front door (on his own, not because his owner told him too)! Then the dog and the owner got into the truck and drove away. I thought it was such a hoot that I kept laughing even after they had driven away. Anyway, it was like Tara Lyn and Amy's Wild Kingdom. The Hershey shows were my 5th, 6th, and 7th Weird Al concerts of the Running With Scissors Tour. I wanted to see all 4 shows, but only got to see three. At first, I was disappointed, but then I realized I have nothing to be disappointed about: I met great friends, saw three great concerts, and just had an all-around BLAST! Amy and I arrived about 10:30 and went directly to the amphitheater to meet Sue. What we didn’t know was that we were at the wrong gate. I thought it was strange that Sue wasn’t there and that there was no line. There was a guy wearing a Weird Al concert jersey looking into the amphitheater. I asked him if he was waiting in line for the concert. He said, “not yet” in a whiny disdainful voice that answered my question and asked “ARE YOU CRAZY?” all in the same breath. With that attitude, I bet he sat in the nosebleed section! Hope he brought his own oxygen! Amy and I stayed there for a while waiting then decided to go to the restaurant next to the amphitheater so we could eat and keep an eye out for Sue. Sue showed up about 11:00. This was the first time I had seen her in person, so I gave her a big hug! She told us we were at the wrong entrance and that she had staked a claim for all 7 of us at the entrance closest to the front row. After we all ate lunch (we were all starving!), Amy and I followed Sue around to the entrance where Allison and her Dad were saving our spaces at the head of the line. The next person I met was Allison. She showed me the portraits of Al, Bermuda, Steve, Jim, and Rubén that she drew. They were great! She also told me that she had backstage passes for after the 5:00 show! Another in a long line of lucky ‘bastiges!” Note: I say that with awe-filled reverence and respect that these people deserve. Throw in a little jealousy as well. Amy and I hung out saving our space in line while everybody came and went. Then Dave, Jackie, and Christina showed up. After that, we all took turns sitting in line while the others ate, went to the bathroom, and rode some rides. On my way to get a drink, I saw the oceanic version of Whack A Mole called Smack a Shark. I had never played Whack A Mole but knew about it from Weird Al’s songs. I made a note to play it before I went home the next day. They were supposed to let us in to the amphitheater at 4:30, but the sound check wasn’t over yet. We stood in line and sang and swayed to One More Minute. Al wasn’t singing, so we just heard the music and the background vocals. It was an interesting take on the beloved song. After the song was over, we all applauded and yelled. Just practice for the upcoming concert, I guess. We all stood up and pressed forward in anticipation of being let into the concert. I made the joke that the older woman at the head of the line better be fast, or she’d get run over. When the gates were thrown open, all rules of polite society ceased to exist until we got our butts on the bench in the front row! One woman broke in line in front of us. We didn’t do anything about it except talk nasty about her. We called her ‘bad dye job’ and questioned her morals. We were finally let in. I thought it would be a rough and tumble run to the front row, but everybody was very nice – fast, but nice! We all got front row seats a little to the right of center about 7 feet from where Al would be performing! I couldn’t believe that we all had such great seats! I gave Sue, who was sitting right next to me, a BIG HUG and thanked her organizing the whole thing. The line-breaker got front row center. She soon got the surprise of her life! The kid behind her threw up and she got splashed. I thought “what comes around, goes around!” That’ll teach her! I know that wasn’t a very charitable thought, but I’ve waited in line for other concerts and to buy tickets and never had to deal with line-breakers. The whole situation was rude, crude, and vile, yet FUNNY! They were still sweeping up the sodden cat litter when Al started singing Gump. The show was great despite its shorter play list! Al rocked hard! He didn’t seem to hold anything back even though he was performing again at 8:00. After Gump, Al asked if we were ready to Polka! Was I ready to Polka? You bet I was! We knew (thanks to Dave) that the bubble machine was broken, so Jackie brought little bottles of bubbles from her brother’s wedding. So, during Closing Time, all 7 of us provided the bubbly ambiance! Al and the guys certainly appreciated it! Al had a huge grin on his face and the others were nodding and smiling approvingly! The audience loved it as well. We got a loud cheer from them. The security guard didn't think we were funny though. He tried to get us to stop, but we kept bubbling away until the last minute! Power to the people! I was just soooo happy to be included in that little bit of audience participation! Thanks to Dave and Jackie for my favorite memory of the whole Weird Al/Hershey experience! Jim West wasn't performing that weekend, so we were treated to Danny Brant, stand-in guitarist extraordinaire! You just can't help but love a guy who looks just so darn happy to be doing what he's doing! I bet you couldn't sandblast the smile off his face! An attitude like that is infectious! Danny, I would really like to meet you in person; you seem like just so much FUN! When he saw that I was trying to take a pic of him in his Pentiums computer geek costume, he posed and smiled. THANKS Danny! I am now a proud card-carrying member of Dave "Elvis" Rossi's Danny's Disciples: The Official Danny Brant Fan Club! Yep, I'm a Danny Disciple! (And thanks to Dave for letting me know that Danny's last name is Brant, not Brandt! Mea culpa!) After Bermuda’s amazing drum solo, Al sang Jerry Springer. I have always wanted to jump up and pull on Al’s finger at the end, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to get kicked out! Then came The Night Santa Went Crazy. We got snowed on a lot. I didn't think to bring my skis... I still get a kick out of the fake snow! Somewhere during these songs, I caught Steve’s eye and smiled while holding up his Tangled Strings CD. His smile turned into a big toothy grin. His face really lit up! I was so pleased. I guess now is the time to digress and say that I have a huge crush on Steve! Upon further reflection, 'crush' is not really the word to use. 'Completely awed at his musical talent and blown away by his complex lyrical style' is more like it. However, there is that element of giggly, blushing, schoolgirl puppy love thrown in. I admit, I only bought Steve's CD because he was in Al’s band. But upon first listen, my whole perspective changed! I didn’t just listen to his album, I felt it! Right in my stomach. Ever had that happen to you? I played it at least 4 times the first day! It immediately became favorite and most-played CD. Top
Well, for the rest of the night, I mostly looked at Steve. I told myself I wouldn’t blush and look away if Steve looked at me, but I did. Hopefully, he doesn’t think I’m too much of a dork! When he knew I was taking a picture, he’d look right at me and smile. THANKS Steve! You’d think that with that kind of setup, I’d get at least one great photo of him. WRONG! I chalk it up to operator error! What a bummer! Al performed Pentiums and Smells Like Nirvana. After the gargling part of Nirvana, Al threw the extra water right on Dave and then threw the cup directly at him! Al is great about recognizing his die-hard fans! Also, during Nirvana, Al rocked and maybe was unmindful of the cheerleaders and how the rest of his band couldn’t keep their eyes off them! They were the best cheerleaders I ever saw backing Al up, but they liked the spotlight too much. They hung out at the edges of the stage, in full view of the audience, dancing, singing, and messing with Rubén. (Not that Rubén minded! He sure looked like he was enjoying himself!) The cheerleaders didn’t even know all the words to Al's songs! Rubén even took photos of the cheerleaders during Nirvana. I know Steve stood back and got several eyefuls! Can you blame any of them, though? Those girls were pretty and knew how to move. The Saga Begins and Yoda (including the Yoda Chant) closed the show! I was disappointed that it was over and felt a definite longing for some of my favorite songs that were left out because the show was shortened. However, I had the next day's shows to look forward to. Little did I know I was just a few minutes away from meeting Bermuda!!! After the concert, we went as a group to ride rides until the park closed. Everybody except Amy and I went on several roller coasters and some serious water rides. I hate roller coasters and log flumes and kept my feet firmly planted on the ground! (You can call me a wimp or a candy-ass, if you want! I deserve it!) Everybody got soaked on the Tidal Wave. Not wanting Amy and me to be the only ones who were dry, Sue, Christina, Jackie, and Dave each gave us a big wet hug! Now we were wet and cold, too! Poor Dave was soooo cold his teeth were chattering, so I gave him my long sleeved shirt to wear. Light purple is Dave's color (hee hee)! One of the things I liked about Hershey Park was that it was the total opposite of Disney. Hershey Park had short lines and it was not too hot (at least not at hot as Orlando in the middle of summer)! What a welcome change to sweltering in the Florida sun for 3 hours just to get on a 30 second ride! After the park closed, Amy and I went to our hotel and Sue, Dave, Christina, and Jackie went to theirs. I don't know about Sue, Dave, Christina, and Jackie, but Amy and I just CRASHED! Monday, July 10, 2000Almost Too Late!Amy and I were late arriving at the park Monday morning. I knew I was directionally challenged and, as it turned out, so is Amy. We had trouble getting back to Hershey Park from the hotel. As it turned out, you couldn't get back to the park by going the direct opposite of the way we got there. And, of course, everything looks different in the light. After stopping in the breakdown lane to check the map, we decided we were heading in the right direction, and ventured forth. Top
We got to the amphitheater just as they let the fans in to be seated. We didn't see Sue, Dave, Jackie, or Christina. So, we got in line and eventually sat down way in the back. While we were sitting there, Amy decided to get a concert jersey. Lucky for us that she did! When she walked by the front row where Sue, Jackie, Dave, and Christina were sitting. One of them got Amy's attention and she stopped to talk to them. When I saw Amy stop and turn toward the audience, I knew she had found everybody. I ran down to the front row to say hello. As luck would have it (and the Fates were smiling on us that day), there were two empty seats in the second row just behind Sue. I don't know what good deed we did to deserve this stroke of luck, but we took advantage of it and were VERY thankful!!! Of course, the concert rocked! It seemed even higher energy and slightly goofier than the day before. Maybe the band got a REALLY good night's sleep! It started at noon and it was very hot in the amphitheater. But that didn't seem to stop Al and the gang! Danny was a hoot again! You could power a small city with his energy! Again, I held up Steve's CD when we made eye contact. He smiled again! It was fun! I think I'm going to do that at every concert I go to in the future (if I'm sitting close enough, that is)! I've got second row seats for Ocean City on August 17... hmmmm? Our seats were soooo good! I couldn't believe it! We really got snowed on again and I inhaled a flake or two. I coughed and sputtered for the rest of the song. Didn't mind though! Al was really funny during Nirvana! When Al asked, "Do you know what I'm saying?" he screamed it into the security guards ear. The guard tried to ignore Al and remain professional, but he eventually cracked and nodded and laughed. I wonder if it was the same guard who tried to get us to stop blowing bubbles? The Yoda Chant was even funnier and more animated than ever. What a way to end an excellent, wonderful, and all around OK concert! Top
We went to hang around the backstage area, but security was having none of our loitering. So, we stayed off to the side and sat at a table with an umbrella. We were starving and the first order of business was food! But, we were sidetracked when Bermuda came out and started talking to fans. Amy, Dave, and I went over and started talking to Bermuda. Bermuda signed my tattoo again :). Then, we left, allowing Bermuda to talk to other fans (how unselfish of us)!
About that time, Allison told us she and her dad was leaving, so we all went into a picture taking frenzy. Everybody took pictures of everybody with everybody. The best photo of the whole day was taken when Dave, Christina, Sue, Amy, and Jackie posed as Al and his girls in a parody of the Pentiums photo. Is it life imitating Al???? You decide.
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We had decided as a group not to see the second concert and go ride the rides instead. However, we saw an Amish couple walk into the amphitheater to see the show. That changed our minds! I ran over to Bermuda, put my arm around him, and told him that there were going to be REAL LIVE AMISH PEOPLE at the next show. Bermuda laughed and said that there weren't even any Amish people at the Lancaster, PA concert. I said goodbye and that was the last time I saw Bermuda at Hershey.
We got seats sort of high up in the back right in front of the Amish couple! We couldn't wait to see how the Amish reacted to Amish Paradise! We were very disappointed, however. The Amish people left during Gump. I thought Amish people were supposed to be patient!
To make up for the lack of Amish entertainment, we noticed we were sitting around a lot of people who obviously weren't familiar with Weird Al. They were amazed at the costume changes and were laughing really hard at different points in the songs. I know I sound like a broken record when I say that I enjoy watching and listening to people who had never seen Al perform or listened to his CDs. It's like seeing Al through new eyes and listening through new ears. It's interesting to see what makes each person laugh!
Since we were up high and near the back, we could see the entire stage all at once. It was fun seeing everybody perform all at once. Plus, Bermuda's face wasn't obscured by his drums. We could also watch most of the audience and see its reaction. That was great. Judging from the audience's reaction, I think the two most crowd-pleasing parts of the concert are the fake snow and when Al comes out in his Fat costume!
The people sitting in front of us got up to leave after Al performed Fat. We told them that the concert wasn't over. Some of them sat back down, some of them didn't! (Their loss!)
I love The Saga Begins and Yoda but I also know it means the beginning of the end of the concert, which is sad! Again, the concert ended on a silly, up-note with The Yoda Chant.
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Right after the concert, everybody wanted to go on a water ride to cool off. I stayed on the ground and watched everybody's bags. Luckily, Dave brought a lot of Weird Al articles that I read all day. I loved them. THANKS Dave!
I did have a pretty nice moment that I wouldn't have had if I had gone on a roller coaster. I was sitting on a bench when I spied an absolutely gorgeous man walking and talking with his parents. Of course, I looked while trying to not to look as if I was looking. Then, when they got close enough to hear what they were saying, I realized that he was speaking Italian! Oh my! Luckily, I was sitting down, because I swooned! There he was: Mr. Perfect! Hello, I love you. Won't you tell me your name? Really, I just wanted to speak Italian with him. At the time, I was taking a basic spoken Italian class and needed someone to practice with! My intentions were purely innocent! I swear! ;)
Just before we left the park, Jackie decided not to go on the last roller coaster ride. So, we shared a coke and some fries and just gabbed! It was fun.
As we left the park, we decided to meet at a close Wendy's for dinner. Amy and I went to the wrong Wendy's. As it turned out, we were not only at the wrong Wendy's, we were on the wrong highway! (Did I mention Amy and I are directionally challenged?) We were disappointed that we weren't able to properly say goodbye to our new friends! So, we bagged the whole fast food idea and went to a really nice Italian restaurant and had dinner outside on the patio. Hey, china plates, cloth napkins, and silverware -- no more paper plates or napkins! We were so ready to eat some real food!
The ride home was completely uneventful. Amy told me a really funny story about hunting crickets in her home. She cracked me up! I almost had to pull over because I was laughing to hard! We arrived at my house at 12:30. I went to bed because I had to work the next day. Amy picked up her car and still had an hour drive ahead of her. Luckily, she had the next day off.
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