The crowd fills in for “Weird Al” Yankovic at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights

There are three things every concert needs, and these three things will make the difference between a disappointing event and an amazing evening.

One, of course, is an audience. A concert without an audience is just a sad musician with a microphone. And an audience is something that no one has any control over. So it is the remaining two items that I will dedicate the majority of this post to.

First I want to touch on venue. Location can make or break an event. Whether you are stepping into the basement concert space of Mahall’s Twenty Lanes or the classical wonder that is Severance Hall, the venue creates a tone before any instrument does.

The Evans Amphitheater in Cleveland Heights’ Cain Park is a wonderful space. I find this to be because of the eclectic atmosphere.

The Cain Park Colonnade overlooking the Evans Amphitheater

Celebrating 75 years of operation, the Amphitheater gives off the impression of a secret location that you and approximately 1,500 of your friends stumbled upon. Walking by the beautiful, old brick construction and peering back to a Roman-inspired colonnade, one feels like their ticket was passed to them by the friend of a friend who says that, while they don’t know exactly what is going down that night, they are certain it will be epic.

As I took my assigned seat under the very comforting roofed section of the theater, part of me envied the happy group of people who had spread out on blankets and lawn chairs on the grass and cracked open their coolers. The brisk air blew through the seats, rustling the vines that crept up the brick and threatened to overtake the lighting crew perched in their catwalks.

An “anything can happen” vibe, somehow perfectly reined in by the helpful Cain Park crew guiding people to their individual spots, emanated from the old red bricks towering before us.

The tone had been set by Evans Amphitheater.

We loved escaping into the wooded setting of the Evans Amphitheater

The final piece to the concert puzzle is the performer. No matter how much you love a musician, there are concerts that don’t live up to the hype.  Maybe the performer gets swallowed by the venue, ignores the desires of their fans, or just phones it in.

Going into last week’s “Weird Al” Yankovic concert, I wanted the crazy wonder and energy that I had enjoyed in his music ever since I was a kid.  It was a tall order, filled with nostalgia and childhood idealism.

And boy, did he deliver.

Al has the ability to simultaneously bring to the forefront of your mind decades of music you’d thought was forgotten, while completely vanishing two brand new hours. I’d thought his show had an intermission which would break up the 120 minutes printed on my ticket. As Al played his final song (before the encore) I almost looked to my phone, thinking that intermission had come too quickly.

“Weird Al” Yankovic and his trademark accordion

“Weird Al” Yankovic defined my childhood. Legend says that Dare To Be Stupid was the first CD purchased for the Hicken Family’s brand new CD-playing stereo system. And I know for a fact that Bad Hair Day was the first compact disc ever bought with my own money.

Through Al’s songs and medleys I was introduced to music I had no idea even existed. I listened ad infinitum to “Weird Al” albums through high school and into the first year of college, when my purchases suddenly ceased.

Al’s concert proved to me that whatever I’d spent that money on, since it hadn’t gone towards “Weird Al” Yankovic albums it had been grossly misplaced. While at points I was happily singing along to I Want A New Duck and Amish Paradise, at other times I was thinking to myself how sad it was that I was only now hearing the brilliance that was Party In The CIA. I have a lot of catching up to do.

I must stress the fact that one reason this was easily the best concert I have ever been to – and I have been to some great concerts – was that Al and his band pull out all the stops, regardless of their personal comfort.

Weird Al in full costume for Perform This Way

Do you remember that music video where Al is dressed up in a full fat suit and make-up? Oh yeah, he performs in that. Speaking of performing, his Lady Gaga parody has him dancing around the stage in a giant peacock outfit. Most singers would be happy to let the song conjure up the audience’s memories of iconic images from album covers or videos. “Weird Al” is dedicated to bringing that memory to life for you. And it is greatly appreciated.

Covering for all of these costume changes is a multimedia smorgasbord of all things “Weird Al.”

Want the chance to see almost every “Weird Al” pop culture reference? It’s been collected for you.

Want to go line for line with the audience as you relive the hilarious “Wheel of Fish” segment from the under-appreciated “Weird Al” film UHF? It’s there.

Did you not know there are a series of 5 Second Weird Owl movies? You get to see them.

With all of this technology, it was inevitable that technical difficulties popped up once. But they were immediately addressed by Al’s clear concern that he was disappointing his fans with the one brief delay during an otherwise very complicated and well-choreographed concert.

Speaking of well-choreographed, Al even hired local talent to dance as the gothiest cheerleaders you’ll ever see during his performance of Smells Like Nirvana. It was a really cool touch.

Weird Al’s epic Amish Paradise

Despite all of this awesome on stage, Al and his band managed to outdo themselves for the encore. Now, I feel that the “Weird Al” parody of American Pie entitled The Saga Begins is the only good thing that the Star Wars Prequels brought into existence. Al’s song is also part of a fond memory from my high school senior year marching band, when – during a particularly terrible football game – we sang it in its entirety in the stadium bleachers.

The song will always have a warm place in my heart, and now I will never forget the evening when I – and 1,500 other people – sang the song with Al himself. He then followed it with an epic version of Yoda.

Although I’ve not seen Al perform anywhere else, I like to think that the design of Evans Amphitheater and the crowd’s willingness to allow his escapism to pour over us was what brought Al into the audience during one particularly colorful song about terrible pick-up lines.

Weird Al getting close and personal with the audience at Cain Park

His trip through the aisles was what prompted my post-concert text: “This evening I was 18 inches from Weird Al’s ass. Sorry, Wedding, I have a new favorite Day.”

In all seriousness my Wedding Day is still the best day of my life. But the “Weird Al” Yankovic concert at Evans Amphitheater is a close second. And I did tear up during both.

So, if I have to bring all of this together into some sort of point or purpose (and I’m being told that I do have to), it would be the following:

I’d highly recommend that if someone you enjoy is coming to Evans Amphitheater, go and see them there. It is an amazing space that can allow a performer to really be everything they could be.

And if “Weird Al” Yankovic is playing near you, please go get tickets and set your expectations high.

I’m certain they’re not as high as Al’s.

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In the mood to catch a concert after reading that review? You can stay up-to-date on Live Nation concerts coming to Cleveland at https://www.facebook.com/livenationcleveland and you can view Cain Park’s full events calendar here.

Disclosure: I was invited to host a giveaway for LiveNation in exchange for 2 tickets to the concert of my choice. The opinions expressed here are 100% Scott’s own.

The view from Ohio City’s Cleveland Hostel on a summer afternoon

As I was running around Cleveland at Saturday’s RTA Scavenger Hunt, I realized somewhere between Gallucci’s and the Cleveland Hostel that it was the first time this season I had really enjoyed a day outside.

Given that summer officially starts on Friday at 1:04 am, I’m overdue to get some new shorts and bust out the sunscreen. While I’m not the lounge-by-the-pool, sunbathing type, I’m definitely excited to soak up the rays in other ways.

In fact I’m so excited that I’m hosting 3 giveaways over the next month featuring some of my favorite outdoor summer activities.

First up: Live Nation Summer Concerts!

This summer, Live Nation will bring acts like Moody Blues, The Killers and Weird Al to Cain Park and Jacobs Pavilion

A few years ago, I was able to cross the Squirrel Nut Zippers off my concert dreamlist when I saw them perform at Cain Park.  Along with Ben Folds Five and Cake, they were one of my top 3 favorite groups in high school.

And if there was anything that could have made their vocals and melodies more hypnotizing, it was the beautiful, tree-filled backdrop of Cain Park.

Nestled in the middle of Cleveland Heights, I find this rolling park offers a nice respite from the city. All summer long you can enjoy live music and theatre in one of two covered outdoor theatres. Or you can take in beautiful artwork at the Cain Park Arts Festival and Audrey & Harvey Feinberg Art Gallery. No matter what you end up doing, save room – and time – for a picnic dinner at the park.

On the other hand, maybe you like to enjoy your music right in the middle of the city.  If rocking out along the water is more your style, there’s Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica.

While I haven’t been, I have heard the the space is surprisingly intimate and acoustics great for an outdoor venue. Plus, I really don’t think you can beat the views of Cleveland’s bridges, buildings and waterways on a summer night.

Great outdoor concert venues right in Cleveland

From June through September, Live Nation Cleveland is filling these venues with a lineup for all music tastes:

@ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
7/7- O.A.R. with Andrew McMahon and Allen Stone
7/23 – Steely Dan
7/24- Chicago
8/3- Daughtry/3 Doors Down
8/4- The Beach Boys
8/5- The Killers
8/10- Backstreet Boys
9/13- Tedeschi Trucks Band
9/29- The Moody Blues
(Update: The Ke$ha concert which was originally listed has been cancelled)

@ Cain Park
6/26- Happy Together Tour (The Turtles, Chuck Negron from 3 Dog Night, Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gary Lewis and The Playboys and Gary Puckett and The Union Gap)
7/19- Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson
7/31- Weird Al Yankovic
8/7- YES
8/10- Michael Stanley
8/18- Michael McDonald

And here’s your chance to win 2 tickets to one of these concerts!

How to enter: Do one, some, or all five of the entries. A separate comment is needed for each.

5 Easy Ways to Enter the Giveaway
**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment with which concert you want to see if you win. If you are selected as the winner, this will be the concert you receive tickets to (based on availability).

2) Follow @LiveNationCLV and @ADHicken on Twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me you did.

3) If you’re a fan of Clue Into Cleveland on Facebook, leave a comment on this blog post letting me know. If you’re not yet a fan, you can become one here.

4) Tweet a link to this blog post on Twitter, tag @ADHicken and @LiveNationCLV in the tweet, and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted.  Example below:

I want to see [REPLACE WITH BAND YOU WANT TO SEE] in #CLE! Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway to win tickets to a @LiveNationCLV concert this summer http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-26i

You can tweet once per day for additional entries. Just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

5) Subscribe to Clue Into Cleveland via a feed tracker like Bloglovin’ or Feedly and leave a comment letting me know you did. This can also include signing up to receive email notifications in the top-right “Subscribe” section of this page.

You have until June 24 at 11:59PM to enter. On June 25, I will select a winner using Random.org and announce the winner’s name on Clue Into Cleveland. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

Disclosures: I was invited to give away 2 tickets to one of this summer’s Live Nation concerts at Cain Park or Jacobs Pavilion. In exchange, I was provided 2 tickets to the concert of my choice. My opinions and the choice to post about these concerts are my own. Entry 1 is mandatory and the winner will be awarded a pair of tickets to the concert they indicate in the comments. If there is a lack of available tickets to the winner’s first choice, other concert arrangements will be made.

***

Thanks to the Ohio Blogging and #TeamSawyer meetups, I learned last week that social media + food is a recipe for some kickass evenings out with friends:

This month's Ohio Blogging Meetup at Whole Foods Market (Photo from poiseinparma.com)

Since moving from Shaker Heights to Avon Lake, one of the places I’ve missed is the Whole Foods at Cedar Center.  Since graduating from college, I haven’t lived more than a few miles from a Whole Foods.

While Scott and I don’t get there as often as we used to, I am now frequently trying to find reasons to make the 50 minute drive. Thankfully for the Ohio Blogging Association, I didn’t need to make up a reason to go last week.

To celebrate one year of Cleveland blogger meetups, we returned to Whole Foods Market where the first official meetup was held in January 2011.

And we packed the house! I not only got to see some of my favorite people, but meet a lot of new bloggers as well:

• Alice from Reiki Awakening
• Alicia from Poise in Parma and her husband Hans (Alicia’s recap)
• Andy from the Ohio Beef Council
• Crystal from Eat Drink Cleveland (Crystal’s recap)
• Dave from Health Insurance Issues with Dave and Again? Really?
• Jeff from My Future Past
• Jen from Why CLE? (Jen’s recap)
• Jill from Thrifty Volunteer
• Julie from ROJ Running (Julie’s recap)
• Julie from Wearing Mascara (Julie’s recap)
• Kristian from Adventures of a trapped 300 pound man and Ohio Festivals (Kristian’s recap)
• Kimberly from SMITTEN…in cleveland (Kimberly’s recap)
• Lane from Lane Baldwin Photography
• Nidhi from NIDHIZZLE
• Raizel from OmStone Aromas
• Reanna from Big Shot Dot The I (Reanna’s recap)
• Sarah from Cooker Girl
• Scott from The Chubby Cook
• Stephanie from Hungry in Cleveland
• Stuart from @sos_jr
• Tony from tonyramos.com

Scott joined me that evening (blog supporters are always welcome!) and I don’t think he regretted that decision because it was Pizza and Beer Night.

Alicia (Poise in Parma) kicks things off at the Blogger Meetup

Lisa and the team at Whole Foods Market passed around a Pizza Throwdown form – each of us could pick whichever cheese, sauce (including hummus), and meat or vegetable toppings we wanted. Although the form came with a lot of options to choose from, we were invited to write down items that weren’t listed (with the exception of things like lobster and truffles — now that I write this, I’m jonesing for a lobster pizza).

As everyone turned in their orders, the chefs at Whole Foods would bake our pizzas in the brick ovens and bring them out to the group a short while later to dig in.  Besides how fresh everything tasted, I have to applaud Whole Foods for putting all of the pizzas together so quickly. There were a lot of orders placed that night.

In my opinion, Kristian’s pizza with eggplant, honey, apples and ham was the most delicious. I was not so inspired in my creation, which included spinach, tomatoes, squash and bacon. However, while I don’t get points for creativity, it wase very delicious (you can never go wrong with bacon).

The delicious carnage that occurs when you put a bunch of hungry people in a room of made-to-order gourmet pizzas.

As always, while it was nice to catch up with friends, it was even better to also finally meet bloggers I follow – like Kristian, Kimberly and Tony – in real life and find new blogs to read.

The most pleasant surprise of the evening, though, was being able to go home with a Whole Foods growler and $1 off our first growler fill up.  Scott was particularly excited because he’s been wanting a second growler to go along with our other one from Fat Head’s.

Being somewhat new to the wonderful world of growlers, I took a moment to chat with their Beer and Wine Department about keeping my beer fresh and picked up a few tips.

Again, much blogger love to Lisa and everyone at Whole Foods Cedar Center for hosting a wonderful evening and reminding me how much I miss their store (and thanks to Alicia for organizing)! For next month’s blogger meetup, we’ll go from beer to wine as MissWine OH hosts a wine tasting at Tremont’s Wine and Design on Feb. 21.

Chef Sawyer's mint fritter and chevre salad at the Battle Mint Tweetup

Last week’s social media food party didn’t stop there as a few days later was the Battle Mint Tweetup at Greenhouse Tavern.  Chef Jonathon Sawyer took on Iron Chef Zakarian for the season premiere of Iron Chef America, and instead of watching from home, Scott and I decided to enjoy the episode at the #TeamSawyer tweetup.

Chef Sawyer and Chef’s Widow are some of the most gracious hosts you’ll meet – down to earth, humble, and hilarious. Scott and I got there early enough to snag some seats next to @TweetmeSlow and his wife; we were then joined by @WhyCLE and @TheRealCLEGuy, @EatDrinkClev and her boyfriend, and @TLColson and @FrankZupan.

While I don’t think anyone at our table guessed the secret ingredient of mint, we all enjoyed watching Chef Sawyer demonstrate his prowess with the herb on tv and were surprised with samplings of a few of the dishes he had prepared for the judges.

As much as I loved the Mint Fritters and Chevre Salad (the fresh chevre cheese complementing the lamb sausage and lamb confit was particularly good), my favorite tasting was hands down the Stoner Sandwich. The
shamrock semifreddo, sicilian pistacio and chocolate dirt sandwiched between two fresh waffles gives their Pot de Creme (my other favorite dessert) a run for its money.

If you weren’t at Greenhouse on Sunday and are dying to try the Stoner, you’re in luck.  According to Joe Crea’s wrapup on the evening, it can currently be found on the menu.

Yes, the Stoner Sandwich is as good as it looks.

Scott and I also ordered a few other things from the menu.  Scott, of course, could not pass on another opportunity to enjoy their Beef Tartar and I tried the Pork n’ Pumpkin Pasta.

@Tweetmeslow’s wife had ordered the pasta first and when they brought it out to her it looked too delicious for me not to order. Rich, creamy and salty — a much-needed, hearty combination for the middle of winter.

Paired with a glass of Viognier and some Caramel Popcorn Pot de Cremes, the dinner was amazing – on par with what we’ve come to expect from Greenhouse.

While we loved our food, I think my favorite part of the evening came at the end.  Even though Chef Zakarian brought home the win in Kitchen Stadium that night, the mood in Greenhouse Tavern was celebratory:

Cleveland is lucky to have a lot of chefs who are not just rockstars in the kitchen but also personable, approachable and excited to be here. And Chef Sawyer is one of the best out of this group. Many thanks to him, Chef’s Widow, and everyone at Greenhouse Tavern that night that made the evening so enjoyable. I hope everyone in the kitchen enjoyed Scott’s and my Kitchen Coffee – it was well-deserved.

A first-timer’s guide to the best people watching spots Coventry….  

There are few things I love more than people watching. Living in Cleveland Heights gives me the ability to people watch from my very own apartment. It’s strategically located above some of the storefronts for prime people watching. Sometimes I’ll pull the blinds shut and peek out at passers-by. Sure, it may be a bit creepy but they don’t know that I’m watching them so I feel this gives me a pass.  

There are times when I do actually leave my apartment to do people watching and this entry covers only some of my favorite spots to scope out the local culture.  

For those who enjoy shopping and like overpriced t-shirts, I suggest a visit to American Apparel in all its hipster glory. Asymmetrical haircuts are highly suggested but not a must. This is where the coolest, and by some arguments also the skinniest, scene kids hang out. If you prefer hipsters from afar, there’s a stoop that’s not too far away (right by NEXT…which attracts a different sort of folk) where one could happily observe without being forced to engage in conversation. If you aren’t a fan of this type of people watching just buy yourself a scarf for the low low price of $22 and move on.  

Tommy's Restaurant, Cleveland Heights

If casual dining is more for you, then Tommy’s is your restaurant. Not only is the menu AMAZING (in the interest of full disclosure I feel I should mention that I am practically a vegan so my taste does not reflect the mainstream) but the people watching is second-to-none. There are the young kids who are only in the hood to shop at Big Fun and drink milkshakes but there are also families with kids who want balloons from Flower clown. He visits the restaurant ever Thursday from 5:30 – 8:30 pm EST to make animal balloons. It’s true, I’ve seen it myself. I suggest a visit that nite if you’re into that kinda thing. Though the crowd varies depending on the day of the week or time of year; it’s always eclectic.  

The Grog Shop is not only one of the best live music venues in Cleveland, in my humble opinion, but it’s also people watching heaven. It’s a microcosm of the weirdness of Coventry. The venue is small and holds at most 200 people. I base this on the mathematical equation of eyeball measurement. Because of the small size of the place, shows here are very intimate and offer the chance to get up close and personal with other people. Sometimes this is good but sometimes it means getting a beer spilled on you. Be prepared is what I’m getting at here. With the exception of a few bar stools it’s standing room only so if you do plan to check out a concert there and have sensitive feet I suggest flats for the ladies. The concrete isn’t easy on the body.  

In summation, Cleveland Heights is just the perfect place for people like me who like to sit back with a vegan milkshake wearing sunglasses on a Saturday afternoon [ep[;e watching; taking in Coventry in all its glory.  

About the Guest Author: Elizabeth Grepp
Elizabeth is a native Clevelander who has been an avid reader and writer for as long as she can remember.  Pursuing a degree in Public Relations and as a staff writer for her college’s award-winning newspaper, she was able to continue her long-standing love affair with comma splices.  A resident of Cleveland Heights for nearly 4 years, Elizabeth’s obsession with the area is driven by the good food, music and fascinating characters who visit or live there. You can follow her on twitter under the clever pseudonym @egrepp.