Better a few days late than never, The 52nd edition of the Jay Porks Never Ending Concert Series takes us back to the PNC Bank Arts Center in Homdel, NJ-the very same place we were 7 days ago, only tonight we're here for The Flaming Lips & Weezer to put on a set in which they are sharing the bill. By sharing the bill, I mean I read that both bands will be setting their gear up on stage at the same time and each band will take turns playing a handful of songs. Read a quote that Rivers Cuomo asked Wayne Coyne if he has an extra bubble he can ride around in. Now this is something different. It refreshing to see bands trying new things, I wonder who's going to encore? Will they play songs together? This has the makings for an eventful few hours. Having said that-lets not count our chickens before they hatch, doors open at 7:30PM and Yeasayer are the first openers. Planning an earlier arrival than last week, which means two things: Not gonna miss any of the sets we planned to see and two, most time to get wasted. And I tend to let the criticism fly more loosely when intoxicated, and I have a feeling these New Jersey folk are gonna get to me tonight after last week.. We shall see....
We pulled into the parking lot around 6, not pulling any punches today-lets not miss anything in case they decide to go on early....We parked in a lot that wasn't miles away from the venue, so we were able to camp out til about 8 or so, when we headed in right after Yeasayer had finished. Grabbed our lawn spot (rented chairs for $5 a pop, why stand all night?). I notice the stage is already being set up, and its not far past 8...
Wayne Coyne comes out, and explains to the crowd how this is the first time they've done a show like this.. he tells us “Rivers needs you guys to help him out with the bubble when he gets in it”.. and Wayne also mentioned that “if our strobe lights are little too intense for anyone-then just don't look at them. Simple solution”... then he said they'd be back as he ducked off stage for a little while....
So around 8:30-8:45 we have The Flaming Lips intro, where they come out of the big screen and walk down the ramp as two bubble inflate with Wayne Coyne in one and Rivers Cuomo in the other one. Smoke filling the stage, graphics hitting the screen. This is cool. Wayne and Rivers take to the crowd in their bubbles, as both bands on stage play a cover of Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf", which was an awesome start considering I'm hanging with a girl who's primarily death metal and dragged to the Weezer show. Didn't take Rivers long to fall down and have to be rolled back towards the stage by the crowd he's rolling on.. then he busted out of if and The Flaming Lips jumped in three songs Worm Mountain , Silver Trembling Hands and Yeah Yeah Yeah Song... - At one point Wayne sat on a gorilla's shoulders … they do those three songs and he says “Alright we'll be back-Weezer everybody!”
Weezer comes out and kicks things off with “Hashpipe”, “El Scorcho” and “Perfect Situation”.. Whoa, what is this did Weezer finally get the memo to start playing their good songs live? Awesome. Girl I'm with turns to me and says “Oh I know this song from the Deftones” during “El Scorcho”.. I said “Really?” and returning home upon YouTube search, the Deftones do cover it... sweet. After Perfect Situation, they head off for the Flaming Lips to come back on..
Out comes Wayne and Co. again, this time to rock it out harder with “Is David Bowie Dying?”, “See the Leaves” and then we got into a little Laser Hands Jam, where the Gigantic hands come on.. lights bouncing off the disco ball thing into the lawn.. damn I wish I had a good enough camera to tape that shit.. And the Flaming Lips also have a whole bunch of chicks in outfits resembling Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz bouncing up and down.. awesomeness
So back out comes Weezer, and they play “My Name is Jonas”, “Suzanne” and one of my personal favs of the Weezer catalog “The Good Life”... Again, I'm still amazed at the fact that Weezer is playing good songs-this is like the set I've always wanted to see when I saw Weezer headline a show.. now for 25 bucks I'm on a lawn chair enjoying all those hits I thought I'd enjoy on days I spent 50+ dollars to see them. So far this was a great investment.
Now back to the Flaming Lips, as we seem to be grooving to 3 songs a clip before switching... As if this night couldn't improve, it's “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 1” time. Yes! Love that freaking song, and the half filled PNC Bank Arts Center loved it too.. can't believe more people weren't at this show.. “Ego's Last Stand” and “Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung” followed... as we shift back to the Weezer.
Island in the Sun.. it's becoming redundant.. can't believe I'm at the one good Weezer set to come to the tri state area... “You Gave Your Love to Me Softly” (B-Side from 'El Scorcho') followed. Then Rivers says “ Here's a song we used to listen to when we were growing up, then jumps into a cover Radiohead's Paranoid Android.. I didn't like it when I first heard it watching the vid on YouTube but experiencing it live actually made it quite enjoyable.. one of the more listenable Radiohead songs of the past decade of so.. and apparently the 14 year old kids that surround us everywhere are loving the Radiohead. I'm on board..
Then the Flaming Lips came out for “What is the Light?” and "The Observer".. I noticed Wayne has had a cool looking fur scarf on for the duration of the show.. Is he not the man?
back out for 'Pork and Beans', 'Tired of Sex', and 'Say it ain't so'.. So I guess Weezer is closing out this show-especially afterward when they played “(If your wondering if I want you to) I want you to”. They were trading off three for three, now Flaming Lips did two and Weezer did four?
So then the Flaming Lips come back out for “Do You Realize”...with full confetti and lights going I said to myself: Okay, so the Flaming Lips are closing this show...
That's when Weezer came back out (stop confusing me guys!) for “Buddy Holly” and “Only In Dreams”.. which was making me think we've witnessed a Flaming Lips set minus “She Don't Use Jelly”.. but Weezer stayed on stage as the Flaming Lips came back on to play it with them-Weezer and The Flaming Lips doing “She Don't Use Jelly” with Rivers singing lyrics on the 2nd and 3rd verses. Awesomeness. And then “Undone- The Sweater Song” with both bands remaining on stage was a perfect end to a very
cool evening. The Jay Porks Pre-Flight extravaganza
. Perfect send off to Washington! The Gorge Saturday: Soundgarden, Meat Puppets, Queens of the Stone Age and Mastodon.. the Willie Nelson on Sunday.. let the insanity begin!
Well THAT was an ordeal! The schlep that is the 51st edition of the Jay Porks Never Ending Concert Series takes us to Homedel, NJ and the PNC Bank Arts Center to see Untity Tour 2011: 311 with special guests Sublime W/ Rome.. how could this not be fun? It's summertime, we have a scorcher out there today getting near 100 at several occasions today(and not cooling off as the sun went down). One of the few days I bust out the shorts, met Lex at my job and waited for the rest of the posse, Pam and Ray.. cold beers in trunk.. Doors at 6:30PM, and I'm sure there has to be some third band on this bill, so we figured there was no rush.
Got to the parking lot before 7PM(with the guys in the parking lot selling tee shirts for $20, I got one after the show for $10 #Winning)....we had a nice 'on the grass' spot so we can have less cops walking around. All working out well, we start drinking, and we don't head in until we see everyone around us walking in.. so instead of walk beside people going into the same place we are, I look left and see the venue, just over the grassy hill over there. The genius I am, we head towards it only to find none other than the Garden State Parkway waiting for us there... it's not like a street, this is a highway with very tight gaps between cars. I still don't know how we made it across, like the nut jobs we are we dodged across making it to the other side.. that's where we found AGAIN, the Garden State Parkway(this end going south I guess)-so another deathly mission, but using the Jedi force we made it and walked all the way up more parking lots finally making it inside.. 
Couldn't be to much past 8PM, maybe 8:30 but we get to the lawn and take our place in a sea of pot smoke.. Ray and Pam head off to grab drinks and stuff, upon coming back they told us they were hearing that Sublime had gone on and off already.. No freaking way this can be true, when did they go on 7:30? We didn't hear this from the parking lot? Guy next to us turns and says “yea they went on and played for like 20 minutes”... What?!? it's still light outside.. so what's happening now 311 is gonna come on at 9PM and play 2 hours? I just accidentally missed an opener? An opener I WANTED to see no less-I'm one of the 27 people who's into the new singer, and I missed it drinking Heineken Light in the parking lot? We could chalk that one up in the Fail column for me.. dammit.
So it's cool tho, 311 is still gonna come out here and play an awesome set, right? They didn't disappoint me the last two times I saw them so I figured the odds were in our favor.. Ray is Mr. Optimistic over here saying “It sucks, but I mean we still got 311!”.. then about 5 songs in (they came on at 9PM almost on the dot) I turn around and see Pam and Ray looking at each other puzzled.. I look at Lex and she gives me this puzzled look too-then I realize I feel a little puzzled myself. What songs are these? Obviously I'm aware that they have the new record out.. and I know bands like to sprinkle new stuff into their set when they first release it.. but I mean, after kicking off with 'Beautiful Disaster' and throwing 'All Mixed Up' into the first few songs, I went for what felt like the longest time before another song I knew, “Amber” was played. 'Jackpot' was in there too-but I don't know that song on its own merit just know it from the last time I saw them.. This was beginning to get really disappointing... Can I get “Love Song”? Can you do me that favor?
New Jersey is full of odd girls man.. I mean, lets start with this random chick who asks me for a cigarette. Back story: I had like 3 cigs left in my pack, Lex was supporting my habits all night under the condition that I'd give her back a few later(Which I forgot to do).. so this chick walks up and asks for a cigarette after seeing me get handed a bust down from Lex, gave me that “pretty please!” facial expression. So while grimacing I reach to give her one and I'm like “If you had a penis, I wouldn't even consider this” and I hand it over. She of course needs a light (Want me to smoke it for you too?), then she walks away back to hang with her boyfriend or whatever. I spent the next 20 minutes trying to get a picture of this broad. I tweeted “To the girl who just grubbed a cig off me, welcome to the blog”. And with this pic I snatched, I stand by my tweet. 
Fed up, and inhaling the second hand of all the awesome smelling weed that's going around, I loudly state “Does anyone have weed? I have money!” just taking a shot in the dark, and wouldn't you know it, there's typical “I sell pot at rock concerts” guy standing over there calling me over.. hell, we're at a 311 show what's a guy to do.. hands me a 20 sack fatter than Snooki.. some nice smelling stuff too. But guess what, we don't have any paper to roll in.. serious FML status going on all night long. So Ray is off into a sea of people through the darkness of this epic lawn and emerges with paper. Amazing. A God amongst men, but while that was happening, I asked these two girls if they had any paper on them who were standing close by.. she's like “No we don't have papers-do you have weed?” (No, I just want the paper because my notepad is out of sheets you moron) I reply with yes and the girl looks at me and is like “Alright when you find some paper come by and we'll blaze”... I nodded and walked away. Balls. Seriously? What are you like Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher? Give me a nugget I'll smoke it in the car like.. At least the shallow girls I run into in NY will pretend to be into you for the five minutes they want to take advantage of your stash. There weren't even any guys with them, I promise if that girl woulda touched my freaking wrist she would been smoking with us.. come back when you get paper.. sure. And I get laid often..
