Media Meditation #1: Weezer makes it acceptible to go to the Fair.

Arriving at the Essex Fairground parking lot I saw for the first time, the lights, action and excitement typically seen at a county fair. Only from the parking lot, it appeared as though the fair was tiny. All of the rides seemed like they were crammed together on a singular spot of land. After all what more is there to a fair then rides and concession stands? I was so very wrong. The Essex Fair was unlike anything I had ever witnessed in my life. I have been around the block before, and have seen my fair share of fairs. I like to think of the Addison County Fair as my personal stomping grounds. The Addison County Fair seems so much nicer. The rides are spaced somewhat evenly out throughout the fields, there are all sorts of animals to be seen, and all sorts of demolition derby type events. Pretty typical for a fair, and I made the mistake about thinking the Essex Fair would be anything like it. Looking in retrospect, both fairs are probably pretty similar, but for some reason as I walked past the extremely dangerous over-priced carnie rides, and began getting hassled by some of the more frightening carnies at their games, my reptilian brain told me to get the fuck out of there. Something about the way they attempted to construct a fun-time happy-go-lucky reality made me entirely uneasy. I remember thinking to myself, "I am nowhere near shitfaced enough for this."

I had gotten the tickets thanks to my Business of Music teacher Matt Grasso. He was unable to make our second class of the semester because he had to work that Thursday at the Weezer/Coheed and Cambria concert. He basically gave us the option to go to the concert and write a review, or to write a 1-2 page paper on the current state of the music industry. Pretty easy choice for me especially because he gave the ones who chose go two free tickets. I was pumped because I had always wanted to see them live, but never had the opportunity. I was seriously considering paying for a ticket before I found out that were priced at $60 dollars a pop. My roommate is about 6 years older than me, and a true product of the 90's. He loves just about everything about the 90's; music, movies, crappy sitcoms, and style. Obviously he is a huge fan of Weezer, a band that first began in 94, so I decided to bring him along. I almost didn't bring him so I could bring another friend who I hadn't seen much of, but I thought it would be almost cruel not to bring him.

We got to the Essex Fairground early, so we would have time to check out the fair, and to see the opening band Coheed and Cambria. I realized the fair was much larger than the small area around the rides. It stretched on for what looked like forever with food stands, attractions, products, and other miscellaneous bizarre events. On my way to the beer tent I passed two separate stands for Al's French Fries, an ice cream stand that sold cigarettes, and a rickety looking cage with 6 tigers, a lion, and two suspect looking tamers. We watched for a few minutes to see if any of the animals retaliated, and then moved on. After a few beers and a "1/2 Pound Burrito," we headed into the venue and waited for the first band.

I had been a fan of Coheed and Cambria when I was in high school, so I was interested to see how they would play. All I really wanted them to play was the only song I remembered, "The Suffering."



Its got to be difficult for an opening band to start before it gets dark. There aren't as many people there, and nobody is really into it unless you pull off a great performance. I could see Coheed and Cambria being fun in a small gritty venue full of cigarette smoke and booze late night, but not at a fairground before Weezer. No one seemed to notice as the band took stage and began shredding their first power-chord filled rock anthem. To be honest most of their songs sounded pretty similar and it was sometimes hard to know when a song began and ended. After the lights went down, I was treated to a rocking "suffering." Now I was ready for Weezer to take stage.


Weezer was never one of my favorite bands, but has been a staple in my music library since high school. Like other similar punk-rock-pop bands of the 90's like Greenday, and the Offspring, their songs are full of teenage angst, solid rock power chords and catchy-ass lyrics. Even though they began in 94, Weezer has never really left the rock scene. They continue to produce top radio hits commonly appearing on the Billboard top 100. At the concert, my roommate informed me that the former drummer now plays the guitar for most of the songs leaving lead singer Rivers Cuomo to do whatever he wants as the front man for the band. Having never seen the band live before, I was shocked to see Cuomo out on stage. For some reason he looked so much smaller than I picture him. He seemed like such an awkward front man, picking up his mic stand and slamming it down to the rhythm of "Hash Pipe." The concert was everything that I wanted it to be. It seemed like a greatest hits act with single after single. Even though they are touring to promote their newest album Hurley, which they released the 19th September.


The concert was great, the fair was not. Walking past the neon lights of the vomit inducing machines called carnival rides, the rigged "game" stands, and the overpriced slushy machine, I thought about how the whole thing was just one giant rip-off. The concert itself was great, and I feel the band really went out of their way to make sure that everyone got their moneys worth. Even though the band is great, I feel like charging $60 dollars a ticket was a little out of line. I don't want to seem stuck up, but I feel like that was my last time going to the Essex Fair.