Weird Al Concert - May 17, Monterey, California

We attended Weird Al's May 17 Monterey, California performance,  at the Golden State Theatre.

Playlist:

1. Why Does This Always Happen to Me?
2. When I Was Your Age
3. Don't Download This Song
4. Buy Me a Condo
5. The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota
6. Craigslist
7. Dare to Be Stupid (Grateful Dead version)
8. I'll Sue Ya
9. One More Minute
10. Velvet Elvis
11. Let Me Be Your Hog
12. Midnight Star
13. Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me
14. Mr. Popeil
15. Nature Trail to Hell
16. Jackson Park Express
17. Eat It / I Lost on Jeopardy / Amish Paradise / Smells Like Nirvana / White & Nerdy / I Love Rocky Road / Like a Surgeon
18. Encore #1: The Elements (Tom Lehrer cover)
19. Encore #2: The Saga Begins

The Golden State Theatre venue has lovely detail work and an upper balcony, where we sat in row double-O, dead center. Seats in that section chafed on my knees (I'm over six feet) but otherwise comfortable.

Before entering, we got tickets from will-call. While there, the CID Entertainment guy with the purple sequin jacket came in, making multiple requests of theatre staff to put out tabling materials for the VIP experience. He claimed the VIPs might ask for a refund if they didn't have tabling out, but the theatre staff just kept deflecting his concerns, eventually telling him they would show him that nearly everyone had already received their packets, to which he meekly said, "OK" and accepted his fate. I guess they'd heard it all before and didn't want to do it for the act du jour.

Once inside, we purchased a tee shirt for Dawn, two popcorns, and an Angry Orchard hard cider (apple?). We looked around the ground floor and then went up to our seats. 

Emo Philips opened and did very well. One heckler kept acting obnoxiously but he shut him down.

• They don't make theatres like this anymore, not since they abolished child slavery laws

The person to my left seemed bored; he had his elbows on his knees and head in his hands for a good portion. We thought maybe he was a younger fan and wanted more recent stuff (?)

After the show, we looked for Dawn's friend, Lydia, almost giving up before running into her and her boyfriend Mark outside the theatre. While walking around the block, we passed Steve Jay walking in the opposite direction on a smoke break. Lydia asked for and got a hug, while Mark invited him to join us and he politely declined. Dawn mentioned later she extended her hand but he declined to shake it...maybe he's a germophobe (?) 

Outside the theatre rear entrance, we paused by the tour buses where a number of fans had gathered. We settled-in at a booth in restaurant Turn 12 Bar and Grill, which faced the tour buses, so Lydia and Mark could eat (pizza) and keep an eye on when Al appeared. Mark and Lydia had two complaints: 1) The tour priced out the hardcore fans; and 2) Play something other than The Saga Begins. Lydia enlisted another fan waiting outside our window to alert her with his signature animal noise, to which he politely declined to share but agreed to tap on the window instead. Lydia eventually went outside the window and pressed her face against the glass and made a silly face (beaver?), leaving the rest of us to eat. Mark went outside to find Lydia and returned to tell us she had found her way into the theatre via the back entrance and was in line to meet Al. Mark invited us along and we slipped into the theatre, dodging roadies moving wheeled equipment boxes down the ramp. After only a few moments, a tour staff member busted us and we left. Mark seemed to feel guilty, apologizing to us and two other people the tour staff member had also dismissed for lack of a VIP pass. We hung around outside in the cool air. Lydia recognized one of the roadies (Gonzo?) and walked over to say hello. We saw the tour staff member walk over to the bus, dump her backpack, and return to us. I think Mark and Lydia had considered going back inside but Lydia declined saying the tour staff member would be back, and her intuition was correct. The tour staff member firmly said she didn't have to do anything for us, she wasn't a nice person, but she was going to punch our event tickets to let us get one item signed by Al, when he got to the bus. Lydia mentioned her first concern, about pricing, and the tour staff member said the promoters set the prices, so she can't change it. By the time Al came out, he said "hi", and the tension had left the air. The two other people who had gotten kicked out for a lack of pass also were allowed to get one item signed. The guy from CID entertainment who we had seen at will call had appeared, sans purple jacket, and also was in a good mood. We had all tried to determine what to get signed. Dawn got her ticket signed. Lydia got him to sign her gold sneakers (while wearing them, after a bit of back and forth reassuring the tour staff she could lift them safely for Al to sign). Mark got the inside of his phone cover signed. I got the inside of my wallet signed (they teasingly threatened to steal it, by shutting the bus door). After that, we said our goodbyes and drove back to Santa Cruz. 

My favorite song: Dare to Be Stupid, in the style of The Grateful Dead. Dawn's favorites: One More Minute and The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota. It was awesome to hear the Elements Song by Tom Lehrer, which seemed fitting because Tom taught at UC-Santa Cruz and has a home there. 

Lydia and Mark were heading on to Turlock the next night for the May 19 show, and hoped to hear Yoda (a wish fulfilled!) instead of The Saga Begins. 

Monterey Whale Watching trip 2015

Dawn and I returned to Monterey Bay Whale Watch (MBWW) today for a 5:00 p.m. end-of-day excursion.

Pre-excursion:

Ate a late lunch at Nino's Wharfside (spaghetti & meatballs, chicken parmesan). Purchased two candies, from Carousel Candies: 1) dark chocolate peanut butter cup; and 2) Oreo marshmallow on a stick.

Excursion notes:

• Was: 4:30 p.m., but MBWW canceled that trip, per low sign-ups, and pushed us later
• Somewhat alarmingly, they had not written down our names for the 4:30 p.m. or the 5:00 p.m., even though we had called at noon and they said they would send an email (never came?)...luckily, they had room
• We exchanged our raincheck voucher, from October 2010, no questions asked; nice!
• Struck up a fun conversation with the desk attendants and a man about Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles : o ) Good senses of humor! .
• Boarded around 5:15 p.m., left the harbor around 5:30 p.m. (had to wait for boat to return, disembark passengers, reset, and so forth)
• We took two pills each of the over-the-counter antiemetic Meclizine, prior to departure...once again: best advice ever...at least for me
• Sky looked a bit hazy, which cooled things off...we donned our warmies while waiting for the boat to leave
• Sea lions on the breakwater
• MBWW staff maintain a list of seabirds in the local area
• Whale sign! Spouts of water sighted, ahead
• Reaching the anchovy feeding area, we understood the magnitude of the sea life around us:
• 40 whales
• Hundreds of dolphins
• Uncountable seabirds
• Breaches, or whales jumping vertical, then crashing and splashing, occurred multiple times...sort of like  getting lucky and spotting a shooting star, one has to face the right way and spot it, during the few seconds it lasts, for the best effect
• Pec-slapping and lobtailing also observed
• One hundred yards separated us from the whales, per the federal whale watching guidelines
• Observed dolphins porpoising, in small and medium-sized schools
• Kate Spencer, naturalist, has moved on, to FastRaft
• I did not catch the names of the naturalist or captain, for our trip
• Choppy water, going out and coming in...evenings can get a bit rougher than day
• Seasickness:
• Meclizine saved us, thankfully, though it may have worn off a bit
• Several people not so lucky: a man near retirement age, a father, his son (multiple times, poor guy), a 20-something, his female companion, and so forth...presumably, all suffered
• Crew suggested using the back of the boat, if needed
• Felt overheated several times, and cool air saved me, as well as switching orientation
• Ginger treat helped soothe Dawn's stomach, as we departed, later
• On the way back, I found focusing on the horizon helped me...however, after some time, it became too dark to see
• Indoor computer-driven displays show maps of weather, depth, water temperature, as well as estimated speed and time remaining to destination...very helpful!
• Crew took lots of photos during the viewing portions
• Naturalist on board (most likely correctly) noted a light I saw, near Santa Cruz, was likely a boat light, not the lighthouse
• Complimentary hot chocolate and/or tea/coffee, I think, to warm up, on the way back
• Friendly crew, everyone helped out
• Rode in the 2002 Geo Shipyard Inc-built ship "Blackfin", USCG Doc. No.:1124507, call sign WDC3326, hull number GSY0171B202
• Noises of birds very audible
• Saw only a few jellyfish, appearing as yellowish-white blobs, close to the surface
• Leaving, near twilight, we saw a number of breaches, in succession
• Arrived in port around 8:30 p.m., a three hour trip
• A sea lion briefly barked at disembarking passengers, from the bottom of a short stairway leading to a boat-level access. We watched it for a moment, as it watched us, whiskers visible.

Sign reads, in a pseudo-handwritten script: "Help! Save Us / Ns smoking on the wharf! MCC 22-29 (b) (8)". The sign depicts various marine animals, under a cloud (presumably, of smoke), with cigarette butts on their heads: sea lion, sea otter, and pelican, as well as a crab who only show its claws, from the bottom of the sign.

Post-excursion:

• Returned to Carousel Candies and purchased a small turtle plush: "10" SLIDE SEA TURTLE is an adorable stuffed friend featuring wide eyes! Perfect for any sea life lovers! Part of Aurora's Dreamy Eyes collection. Featuring all new styling- soft & fluffy with loveable expressions!"
  
• Walked through a few tourist shops
• Purchased a milk chocolate turtle and a dark chocolate turtle, from Wharf Chocolate Factory (yum)
• Festa Italia, 82nd annual, which we walked through as we returned to the car, after the excursion
• Popped into Candyland Two, at 200 Alvarado St, to gape at a ginormous 60" giant sea turtle plush, item #308101, on sale there for $300, from vendor The Petting Zoo, Inc. (via their 2015 Sea Life and Wild Life catalog, page 39)

  

  So big! 60" giant sea turtle plush, item #308101, vendor The Petting Zoo, Inc.

Ambient notes, from Fisherman's Wharf:

• Man playing somewhat melancholy music on a wharf street piano, near MBWW (older, asian pacific-islander, with long beard)
• People smoking despite signs pleading for them not to:
• Three dogs, on the MBWW boat "Sea Wolf II", which we watched disembark passengers, then swing around to the marina-side and out of sight...seemed like they boarded when the boat returned, as we noticed the golden-haired dog trot out of the MBWW building with a dog treat
• Name of the "Sea Wolf II": I listened to Jack London's novel The Sea Wolf just recently, so seemed a curious name to see 
• Noticed the Bruce Ariss Wharf Theater (a.k.a. The New Wharf Theater), though nothing advertised...their Facebook page lists their next production as "Seasons of Love", a tribute to the person who helped revitalize the organization, who died in 2014
• Burial at sea: we gathered their intent while watching them, from inside Nino's Wharfside:
• Flowers
• Teenage girl carrying gift bag, which presumably held the ashes
• Hispanic American family members, several generations, several with bright pink shirts
• Middle-aged woman looking somber, possibly grieving
• Rest of party respectful, restless
• Came back more thoughtful
• MBWW sign: "No AM burials"
• Sea otter rolling-over while eating what looked like a shrimp, and then diving and returning with a crab
• The Little Mermaid Glass Bottom Boat Tours ticket booth contained Disney toys, including plush Inside Out character Bing Bong, Riley's long forgotten imaginary friend, as well as plush emotion "Anger"

Notes for next time:

• "Book a morning trip rather than afternoon, for smoother seas." (via)
• Eat a light meal, but limit the desserts until after
• Use the restroom, to ensure this does not contribute to nausea
• Warmies--even more layers, for evening excursions
• Sit comfortably and switch, if getting exhausted or nauseous
• Ginger treats, to calm unsettled stomach

Previously

Monterey Whale Watching trip 2010

Our trip report, from October 30, 2010:

"The Monterey Whale Watching trip went really well. The $1.00 for motion sickness pills is quite likely the best money I have ever spent. We did see Risso's Dolphins, Northern Elephant Seal, Harbor Seals, and various birds, including Shearwaters, Black-Footed Albatross, Common Murre's, Cassin's Auklet, and all manner of gulls. The Monterey Bay Whale Watch company gave us a free pass to come back anytime for a free trip to try again. Awesome. Also, Kate Spencer, the naturalist on the tour, has a web site here showing off her artistic talents: http://www.katespencer.com/ "