Weird Al - The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley

Dawn and I attended Weird Al's Strings Attached Tour performance at The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley, on August 9, 2019.

We arrived early. I was starting to feel a head cold. We parked on Shattuck initially and walked past old haunts. At the original Pete's location on Vine, we settled-in and I rested while I listened to a woman unsuccessfully attempt to get phone tech support for her Apple laptop. I had an unsweetened matcha tea latte, which was lovely. Dawn had a mocha, I think.

Pre-show supper was Taste of the Himalays, where everything was great:

• Chicken Nauni (Butter Chicken) Boneless premium chicken thigh meat baked in the Tandoor and then cooked in Himalayan style dairy based buttery sauce
• Palak Mushroom *Vegan (Minced spinach and fresh mushroom cooked with onion, tomato based sauce)

We found a spot near the Kleugel House and this was perfect, just as it was in 2012. Strolling through UC Berkeley, we found the bookstore closed. Telegraph Avenue was next, and a lot of things there were closed too, though we ducked into a Tokyo reseller store where Dawn purchased a few SumiSumi surprise toys.

By the time we got to the ticket line (after averting a crisis in getting the tickets in the app), the line had stretched all the way back to the parking garage. We got in, purchased a tee shirt, and found our seats--pretty cramped. There were a bunch of Weird Al impersonators (~12?).

The show was tightly orchestrated and the orchestra was flawless. The sight of hundreds of mobile devices illuminating the night along with Don't Download This Song was memorable. Weasel Stomping Day has ... not aged well and didn't resonate (weird! disquieting?). Harvey the Wonder Hamster was perfect--thank you.

There's something about Jackson Park Express that Weird Al seems to personally like--the musicianship, perhaps, the nod to past greats. It's not the lyrics, but it would be the song that came into my head in the next few days.

After the show we noted the hanging brocade lamps in the back of the stage area.

Driving home was uneventful, thankfully.

I wish I wish I hadn't been sick--I felt muted.

Orchestra Only Set:

• The Raiders March
• Mission: Impossible
• Superman March
• Star Wars: Throne Room / End Credits

Main Set:

• Fun Zone
• I Lost on Jeopardy / I Love Rocky Road / Like a Surgeon
• The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota
• Word Crimes
• One More Minute
• Drum Solo
• Jurassic Park
• Don't Download This Song
• Weasel Stomping Day
• Bass Solo
• Tacky
• Harvey the Wonder Hamster
• Jackson Park Express
• Smells Like Nirvana
• Dare to Be Stupid
• White & Nerdy
• Amish Paradise

Encore:

• The Saga Begins
• Yoda